Assorted Summer Sippers for Under $20

Some assorted wines for under $20 that we have enjoyed at our house this summer. I misplaced a receipt so some prices are approximate.

2008 De Chanceny Brut Excellence Vouvray - Good bubbles. Aromas of lemon and earth. Dry, full body, high acid, medium alcohol sparkler with lemon pith flavor and a medium length mineral finish. It was a delightful aperitif poolside before dinner and was quickly consumed. Recommended, $17 at Whole Foods.

2009 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Gris - Dry, medium acidity, medium alcohol, medium body with light floral aromas and medium intense flavors of pear and melon with a medium length finish. Recommended, Nice with grilled tilapia. $17 at Kroger's.

2010 Flora Springs "Soliloquy Vineyard" Oakville Sauvignon Blanc - Dry, medium acidity, medium body with medium- aromas and flavors of melon with a medium- length citrusy finish. Tasted a bit tired initially, it was better with dinner- panko-crusted tilapia with a fresh mango/jalapeno sauce. $19 at Kroger's

2009 Flora Springs Chardonnay Napa Valley - Dry, medium body, medium acidity with tropical flavors and a hint of vanilla in the medium length finish. Served with grilled grouper and consumed quickly. Recommended, $19 at Spec's

2009 Four Vines Naked Chardonnay Santa Barbara County - Dry, medium+ acidity, medium body, un-oaked, light fruity flavors of pear, peach with a bit of pineapple and a medium+ length finish. Recommended, $13 at HEB

2010 Artazuri Garnacha Navarra, Spain - Looks like Cherry Kool-aid in the glass. Dry, medium body, medium acidity, light tannins with aromas and flavors of tart berries in a medium- length finish. Very simple, good with a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Recommended. About $12 at Whole Foods.
2010 Domaine des Perelles Morgon, France - The cork broke on this one and part of it ended up in the bottle so it was poured through a strainer. Despite the traumatic beginning, it was finished very quickly. Dry, medium body, medium+ acidity, rich ripe raspberry aromas and cherry pie flavors with a medium+ length finish. Also really good with a store-bought rotisserie chicken and macaroni with an Edam cheese sauce. Recommended. Approximately $15 at Whole Foods.

2009 H&G Pinot Noir Central Otago, New Zealand - Sheer ruby color. Dry, medium body, medium+ acidity, light tannins, raspberry and cherry aromas and flavors with a bit of spice in the medium+ length finish. We had this after dinner one evening while watching TV and it disappeared very quickly. Recommended. About $15 at Whole Foods.

2009 Bonterra Zinfandel Medocino - Organic, I wanted to love it but I didn't. Nothing exciting just acceptable. Served with BBQ sandwiches. $10 at Whole Foods.

"The Zen of Zin" Tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks

On Friday evening, my husband and I attended the Zinfandel wine tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks. My husband gets totally pumped up for any and all things Zinfandel but what I found really intriguing in the line up of wines were the aged offerings. Brent Sloan, managing partner at Houston's premier wine storage facility Nos Caves Vin, had provided Fleming's with four 18 year old bottlings and one 17 year old bottling from his collection of some of his favorites. I found this interesting because 1. I don't believe that I have ever had an 18 year old Zinfandel before this evening and 2. From various wine classes, I had always heard that at best Zinfandel had very limited aging ability. So, I was definitely excited to give these wines a taste. There were also an additional five younger Zinfandel wines that are some of Fleming's best sellers. The entire tasting line up for the evening included: 2009 Orin Swift Saldo - California 2007 Schulz "Lampyridae...

Spanish Wine under a Houston Sunset

I was asked to speak about Spanish wine and to conduct a tasting at the 30th birthday party of Kyla Kennedy on the rooftop patio of her and her fiancé, Jonathan Garrett's home this past Saturday. They invited a great group of friends with a new interest in wine tasting. Jonathan had the idea after the two had watched the movie "Somm" and had become interested in learning more about the wines of the world. For our tasting tour of Spain: Anna de Coderniu Brut Cava * - Guests loved this Spanish sparkler! They found the history of the winery interesting and enjoyed the refreshing style of the wine. The birthday girl named the subtle tropical and citrus aromas like a pro. 2012 Burgan's Rias Baixas Albarino - Guests talked about the fresh peach aromas and the crisp taste. Many felt this could be their summer sipper. 2012 Raimat Costers del Segre Albarino* - Guests were interested in learning about this lesser known area, the innovative winery and how ...

A Tropical Staycation with Spy Valley E Block

After a fair amount of traveling this summer with more still to come, I was looking forward to spending time at home with my family this week. Both of my millennial children have recently moved back to Houston but the home-cooked meals have been few and far between. I had recently received a sample of the Spy Valley E Block Sauvignon Blanc 2017 along with an invitation to participate in an on-line tasting with the Wine Pairing Weekend group (find them online under the hashtag #Winepw), this became the inspiration for this family gathering. I gleefully sent out a group text, "I'm grilling poolside tonight, be home by 7:30 p.m. to eat, come earlier if you want to swim." I am surrounded by funny people as the responses reflect, "Who is this?", "What have you done with my mom?", "Not a good night, Bachelor in Paradise is on." I was undeterred, I knew that they would come. I pulled the bottle out of the wine fridge to investigate what I was ...

Wine Life - Houston

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