One Bottle Each, Episode 14 with my Guest Gil Kulers

On Episode 14 of One Bottle Each I’m joined by my friend Gil Kulers. Gil recently retired from his gig as Sommelier at The Piedmont Driving Club and is now a Wine Specialist at Tower Beer, Wine & Spirits. My guest and I each pre-arrange a bottle each for us to taste. This time Gil selected a bottle from Virginia and I chose a bottle from Argentina. Gil and I discuss Italy, Virginia, Argentina, Red Blends, and more

On Episode 14 Gil and I taste and discuss:

Barboursville 2019 Vermentino Reserve ($23)

Bodegas Bianchi 2017 Enzo Bianchi Gran Corte

Watch Gil and I here

The star of Episode 7 Returns! Gil and I dive into a Vermentino from Virginia and a New World Bordeaux Blend from Argentina

6 Budget Friendly Wines for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is less than a week away! That means we all need some wine to serve our guests or ourselves, preferably both. Spending top dollar to get good wines is fairly simple. Finding value driven offerings that get the job done is a bit more challenging. Here are some delicious selections that will work well for your Thanksgiving meal. With one exception they all clock in under $25. Even at lower price points it’s nice to have one splurge wine to consider. Espirit du Rhone 2013 Cotes du Rhone AOC ($11.99)

This wine blends together Grenache (60%), Syrah 30%), Carignan (5%), and Cinsault (5%). 1,000 cases of this wine have been imported to the US. Hints of anise and rhubarb aromas present on the nose here. The palate is studded with purple fruits, dry currants and Montmorency cherry. Bits of finely ground espresso join nutmeg and cinnamon on the finish. Medium tannins soften with a little bit of air. This acid rich, food friendly wine will pair with everything on your Thanksgiving table.

Decopas 2013 Malbec ($12)

All of the fruit for this wine comes from the Mendoza region of Argentina. It’s comprised entirely of estate bottled Malbec. This deeply colored hue of this wine is striking in the glass. Plum, violet, and a little hint of vanilla bean wafts from the appealing nose. The palate is loaded with sumptuous and juicy black fruit flavors such as blackberry and raspberry. Bay leaf characteristics, sour black cherry and a hint of dark chocolate mark the lip smacking finish. Decopas Malbec will pair well hard cheeses, meat based stuffing, ham and the bird itself. Decant this one for an hour and it’ll really pop.

Esporão Verdelho ($12.99)

The fruit for this wine was sourced from vines with an average age of 10 years on them. It’s composed entirely of Verdelho. It was fermented in a temperature controlled environment, stabilized, filtered and bottled without any oak influence. Hints of lemon and lots of fleshy yellow melon jump from the nose here. The palate has loads of green apple flavors, more citrus and lemon characteristics, as well as a dollop of white pepper. Grapefruit and lemon zest light up the crisp and refreshing finish. Hand your guests a glass of this when they walk through the door on Thanksgiving, they may drink it all day and never switch to red.

Georges Dubeouf Chateau les Capitans Julienas 2011 ($18.99)

All of the fruit for this wine was picked by hand. It’s composed entirely of Gamay. It was fermented in a temperature controlled environment using native yeast. Red cherry and cranberry fill the nose along with hints of toast. A cornucopia of dried red fruits and savory spices fill the flavorful, medium bodied palate. The finish lingers with continued red fruits, black tea, minerals and warming spices. This wine is tasty on it’s own but really shines with food.

Esporão Reserva Red ($24.99)

This offering blends together Aragonês, Trincaeira, Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante Bouschet. Each grape was harvested and vinified separately. Barrel aging occurred over 12 months in American (70%), and French (30%) oak; 12 months of bottle aging followed prior to release. This red blend has a beautiful deep, dark purple color. Red and black fruits mix with copious spices on the welcoming and heady nose. There’s an inherent earthiness that leads the palate. Red and black fruits join in along with lots of spices. Cherry, strawberry, and black pepper are all joined by bits of roasted coffee bean on the above average finish. This wine has medium tannins and terrific acidity. Esporão Reserva Red is just begging to be paired with food. It’ll excel with just about anything you throw at it, making it a natural for the day of the bird.

Flora Springs 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($40)

All of the fruit for this wine came from Napa Valley. In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon (95%), small amounts of Malbec (3%), and Petit Verdot (2%) were also blended in. It was aged over 22 months in a combination of French (71%), and American oak (29%). Black Currant, cherry and Mexican Vanilla bean aromas are omnipresent on the nose. Black cherry with a splash of a liqueur dominates the palate which is plush and lush in its easy drinking, smooth nature. Crushed velvet, continued black and red cherry, earth, espresso and chicory are all present on the finish along with a hint of bitter chocolate. This is a fine example of Napa Valley Cabernet that drinks impeccably right out of the bottle. It does down easy and also has good depth and complexity.

Achaval–Ferrer is Producing Reference Quality Argentine Malbec and More

A couple of weeks back I sat down with Santiago Ferrer, the founder and winemaker for Achaval–Ferrer. We tasted through his current single-vineyard malbecs as well as older vintages of Finca Altamira, his signature malbec. Separate from that, I also recently sampled a couple of his more widely available wines. Santiago is doing some terrific things with malbec specifically and also other varieties as well. Here’s a look at some of my favorites from the Achaval–Ferrer portfolio. Head over to The Daily Meal to read the rest.

LEO - 2013 Torrontes - Valentin Bianchi / Lemony Lentil Bisque

Leo Messi is a huge soccer star worldwide. So much so that in countries where soccer is the predominant sport you only need say “Leo” and everyone knows who you’re speaking of. In addition to soccer, Leo is deeply involved in raising money for a good cause. His charity strives to help underprivileged kids with healthcare and education. One of his recent money raising endeavors is a partnership with Argentina’s Valentin Bianchi to produce a handful of wines with his name on them. I recently looked at the Malbec’s and here’s a look at the newly released whit wine in the line. The LEO 2013 Torrontes was produced and bottled by Valentin Bianchi. All of the fruit for this wine was sourced in Mendoza. The Estate vineyard sits more than 750 meters above sea level. This offering is 100% Torrontes. The grapes were harvested and sorted manually. Fermentation took place over 10 days in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. A month of bottle aging followed prior to release. 9,000 cases of this wine were imported into the US and it has a suggested retail price of $16.99. A bright nose filled with Lychee fruit, bits of almond and subtle vanilla bean fills the nose of this wine. The palate is even keeled and dry with stone and tropical fruit flavors accompanied by tingling spice notes. Wisps of zesty citrus lead the finish, along with a touch of limestone, and white melon flavors. This wine works extremely well on its own but is also a versatile food wine. I enjoyed it with a Lemony Lentil Bisque (see below for recipe) and was knocked out by the combination.

The folks at Valentin Bianchi make a wide range of quality wines in an array of price points and styles. Leo Messi chose wisely in aligning himself with them for his line of charity-driven wines. This Torrontes like the other wines they produce is a food friendly offering. It offers complexity and depth for the money as well and most importantly delicious drinking. So buy a bottle of Leo Torrontes and in addition to your taste buds doing a happy dance, you will be helping a good cause.

Lemony Lentil Bisque

2 Carrots 2 Celery Stalks 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil 1 ½ cups Split Red Lentils 1 Large Potato, peeled and cubed 1 Large Spanish Onion 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin 3 Bay Leaves ¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper 5 Cups of Vegetable or Chicken Stock 10 Minced Garlic Cloves 2 Teaspoons Parsley Flakes ¼ Teaspoon Grated Lemon Zest 2 Un-waxed Lemons Salt & Pepper to taste

Warm the olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Toss in chopped carrots, celery, onion and potato. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened. Stir in garlic, lemon zest, parsley, cumin and cayenne pepper; cook for 5 more minutes. Add in the lentils and stir so they are well integrated. Add in the stock and bay leaves. Slice the lemon in half and add it to the pot. Bring it to a boil, lower it to a simmer, cover it and allow it to cook for about 40 minutes until everything has softened. Remove bay leaves and lemon halves. Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the soup. Using an immersion blender or food processor, completely puree the soup. Add salt if needed and black pepper to taste as well as additional cayenne pepper if you want more heat. Cook an additional 5 or so minutes and serve. Serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe adapted from The Ultimate Soup Bible.