California Cabernets $30 & Under

It isn't all that easy to find a good California Cabernet with personality under $30 these days. They are out there, though, and the people want to know what they are! Winemonkey and I have tasted many reprehensible versions but here are ten darlings to pick up for your next gathering -- all available for $30 bucks or under.

1. 2002 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)
2. 2004 Palmaz Cedar Knoll Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)
3. 2001 Terra Valentine Spring Mountain District Cabernet (Napa)
4. 2002 Merryvale Vineyards Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)
5. 2002 Philippe-Lorraine Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa) *under $20*
6. 2004 Alexander Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma)
7. 2003 Stryker Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma)
8. 2003 Schug Carneros Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma)
9. 2003 Sebastiani Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma)
10. 2003 Halter Ranch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles)

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

While We Are On The Subject of Prosecco...

Vino Girl was asked to open a bottle of Prosecco last night for some thirsty holiday revelers. Since it was decidedly not Paris Hilton's new Prosecco-in-a-can, I went to grab a towel to put around the neck of the bottle. That is when I noticed that the bottle was not sealed with a typical mushroom Champagne cork but with a regular wine cork. I don’t recall ever noticing that before. I was a little nervous about taking somebody’s eye out so I moved away from the crowd with the bottle and a corkscrew. The Prosecco opened quite easily and the cork didn’t fly out of the bottle or anything dodgy like that. It was your basic fun, light, festive bubbly. I looked into the cork situation because sometimes you just have to know. Apparently when Prosecco is frizzante (lightly fizzy) versus spumante (very fizzy, more bubbles) it is sometimes safely bottled with a regular cork. Who knew?

Five Fun Facts About Prosecco:

Prosecco is a sparkling wine from the Veneto region of Italy.

Prosecco is the name of the grape.

The best Prosecco comes from the area of Conegliano Valdobbiadene -- look for it on the bottle.

Prosecco is generally less complex, with less alcohol, than Champagne from France.

The process that creates the bubbles in Champagne is done right in the bottle whereas for Prosecco the process is done in a big steel tank.

Regrettably, We’ll Always Have Paris

Only in America can a dim-witted society brat like Paris Hilton launch her own wine label. Well, actually the sparkling-in-a-can Rich Prosecco is launching in Germany and won’t be available in the U.S. until next year. Perhaps by then Paris’s arrest for DUI will be long forgotten. Possibly more offensive than her being naked and covered in gold paint for the ad campaign is the fact that the bubbly will be available in original, passion fruit and strawberry. Ooooh, that’s hot!

Obscure Grape of the Day - Savagnin

Eric Asimov of the New York Times can have his PicPoul (as seen in the 12/5 The Pour article on rising European wine prices) and all those anti-wine-snob-super-snob-sommeliers can have their Aligote (as seen on plenty of Manhattan wine lists), Vino Girl’s pick for ‘obscure grape of the day’ is Savagnin.
Savagnin is a grape grown mainly in the Jura region of France, just east of Burgundy. The grape is best known for what is quite unappetizingly called “yellow wine” or “Vin Jaune.” Vin Jaune apparently tastes more like Fino Sherry and is a deeper yellow color than standard white wines. I have never tried this oxidized style of Savagnin.

More “wine-like” yet definitely different and somewhat indescribable is the non-oxidized white wine from the appellation of Arbois. The wines are typically nutty, almost salty, with a smooth, creamy finish that you almost expect to be tart as it moves through your mouth. It is an interesting wine if nothing else and more high quality than any Picpoul (a Languedoc white grape and one of the lucky 13 grapes permitted in Chateauneuf-du-Pape) or Aligote (the “red-headed stepchild” of Burgundy whites) I have ever tasted.

Give it a try if you are looking for something different and interesting this holiday season. Cheers!