Usually I keep to certain regions when buying wine. However, sometimes it's fun to try something new. It is a fun way to discover lesser known values. I actually saw this advertised in Food & Wine magazine (so yes those ads really do work!) and did a little research. It turns out that this particular vineyard is in Amador County, California which is near Sacramento. Since I had not recognized the region I had no preconceptions of how this wine would taste. I purchased this bottle at Target. As a side note, where you buy wine is not terribly important. If a good wine is available at a store like Wal-mart for a reasonable price, then by all means snap it up! Don't be a snob on price! High end wines will not be available at discount stores but you can certainly get some reasonable everyday wines.
Back to this vintage. For starters the color was much lighter than I anticipated based on my previous experience with zinfandel. This suggested that it would be more of a medium variety and less heavy. Usually I like to drink zinfandel with spicy food and I think that this vintage will be fine with those foods as well. I would really suggest trying this wine with pizza. The food won't overpower the wine and vice versa. I also like to drink a medium body wine with Chinese food, and kung pao chicken comes to mind to pair with Terra d'Oro. Overall this is a pretty good wine for the value.
I'll be back in a few days. As always if there are any questions or comments I can be found at thewinedoctor@yahoo.com. Have fun!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Turner & Cole Cabernet Sauvignon
Since I am the only person in my family who drinks wine, it typically takes me 4 days to go through a bottle. That can be both good and bad, depending on the bottle. I have found that some wines oxidize quickly, leaving the wine tasting sour. Others get gradually better, peaking on day 2 or 3 and remaining good until the bottle has been finished. After opening a bottle I make certain to stop the bottle tightly to limit the amount of oxygen that enters the bottle and comes in contact with the wine. A little bit of oxygen is ok, as it tends to soften the tannins in the bottle. In fact, there are some bottles that I would recommend be allowed to breathe for a period of time. The bottle I am going to talk about today actually was very good straight after the opening.
I just finished a bottle of Turner & Cole 2004 Kamp Ridge cabernet sauvignon which I purchased from a local wine shop. This wine is from the Sonoma Valley appellation. Cabernet sauvignon is possibly my favorite variety of wine, and the Napa/Sonoma area is my favorite region for cabernet. This particular wine is very dark purple and as a result I suspected that it was quite heavy. I was somewhat surprised as it went well with burgers on one night. That would attest to its versatility. As I mentioned the wine was very good on the day it was opened and did not deteriorate over 4 days. The alcohol was noticeable without being overbearing. I liked the wine, and I think that it would benefit from cellaring for a couple of years. Lucky for me that I have another bottle.
If there are any questions or comments, I can be found at thewinedoctor@yahoo.com.
I just finished a bottle of Turner & Cole 2004 Kamp Ridge cabernet sauvignon which I purchased from a local wine shop. This wine is from the Sonoma Valley appellation. Cabernet sauvignon is possibly my favorite variety of wine, and the Napa/Sonoma area is my favorite region for cabernet. This particular wine is very dark purple and as a result I suspected that it was quite heavy. I was somewhat surprised as it went well with burgers on one night. That would attest to its versatility. As I mentioned the wine was very good on the day it was opened and did not deteriorate over 4 days. The alcohol was noticeable without being overbearing. I liked the wine, and I think that it would benefit from cellaring for a couple of years. Lucky for me that I have another bottle.
If there are any questions or comments, I can be found at thewinedoctor@yahoo.com.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
My philosophy about wine
Hello. I'm back. Let me get started by saying that one day I was thinking (fell free to comment to yourself, "Uh oh"). When reading wine reviews, you always read about a wine having characteristics of a certain taste. For example, with merlot it is popular to described it as having a raspberry or strawberry taste. For chardonnay, butter seems to be a popular choice. Personally I don't get any of that when I drink a glass of wine. For me, wine is about enjoyment with food. I'm too busy enjoying the wine to think "Now, does this taste like currants or raspberries?". I would rather classify wine into categories such as light, medium and heavy and pair those categories with the food that I am eating. With chili I tend to select a zinfandel because it is a heavier wine that tends to complement the spiciness of the chili.
Now each individual has different tastes, and everybody needs to figure out those tastes for themselves. I can tell you what I like and you can use that as a guide but ultimately you know what you like. That pretty much goes for any advice that you receive in regards to wine. Stick with what you like.
There are two types of wines: red and white. The reds are, well, red such as pinot noir, merlot and cabernet sauvignon while whites include pinot grigio, reisling and chardonnay. I personally am a big fan of reds and as a consequence that is what I will write about most of the time. That doesn't mean that there are no good whites. In fact there are people who love whites more than reds. I would consult them for white choices (i.e. not me because I don't know).
Ok, onto the reds. I really isn't as easy as listing the red varietals because there are really different varietals in different regions of the world. I would encourage you to think of wine in global terms, as some regions seem to produce better wines of a certain varietal. One example that I can give is for syrah. I happen to prefer Australian syrah (or shiraz in Australia); to me it tastes the best. In particular, syrah from the Barossa region is my favorite. I'll write more about my favorites later. Red varietals include pinot noir, merlot, sangiovese, malbec, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, syrah, petite syrah, zinfandel, barolo (and barbaresco), chianti and temperanillo. There are more, but those are the ones that I can think of right off the top of my head. Those are also some of the most popular that are found in stores. A quick classification is shown below.
Light: pinot noir, temperanillo
Medium: merlot, sangiovese, cabernet franc
Heavy: cabernet sauvignon, syrah, zinfandel
You can use this as a quick guide at the store when trying to pair wine with food. If you are going to be grilling steak, I would choose a medium or heavy wine. With pasta dishes, really any of these will be good in my opinion. With chicken or turkey a light red is great. The only suggestion I would make is to avoid red wine with fish. The oils in the fish do not pair well with red wines.
I think that is enough for now. The next time I can write a little bit more about some of my favorites and maybe a bit more about wine regions. In the meantime, if there are any questions or comments please drop me a line at thewinedoctor@yahoo.com. See ya later!
Now each individual has different tastes, and everybody needs to figure out those tastes for themselves. I can tell you what I like and you can use that as a guide but ultimately you know what you like. That pretty much goes for any advice that you receive in regards to wine. Stick with what you like.
There are two types of wines: red and white. The reds are, well, red such as pinot noir, merlot and cabernet sauvignon while whites include pinot grigio, reisling and chardonnay. I personally am a big fan of reds and as a consequence that is what I will write about most of the time. That doesn't mean that there are no good whites. In fact there are people who love whites more than reds. I would consult them for white choices (i.e. not me because I don't know).
Ok, onto the reds. I really isn't as easy as listing the red varietals because there are really different varietals in different regions of the world. I would encourage you to think of wine in global terms, as some regions seem to produce better wines of a certain varietal. One example that I can give is for syrah. I happen to prefer Australian syrah (or shiraz in Australia); to me it tastes the best. In particular, syrah from the Barossa region is my favorite. I'll write more about my favorites later. Red varietals include pinot noir, merlot, sangiovese, malbec, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, syrah, petite syrah, zinfandel, barolo (and barbaresco), chianti and temperanillo. There are more, but those are the ones that I can think of right off the top of my head. Those are also some of the most popular that are found in stores. A quick classification is shown below.
Light: pinot noir, temperanillo
Medium: merlot, sangiovese, cabernet franc
Heavy: cabernet sauvignon, syrah, zinfandel
You can use this as a quick guide at the store when trying to pair wine with food. If you are going to be grilling steak, I would choose a medium or heavy wine. With pasta dishes, really any of these will be good in my opinion. With chicken or turkey a light red is great. The only suggestion I would make is to avoid red wine with fish. The oils in the fish do not pair well with red wines.
I think that is enough for now. The next time I can write a little bit more about some of my favorites and maybe a bit more about wine regions. In the meantime, if there are any questions or comments please drop me a line at thewinedoctor@yahoo.com. See ya later!
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