Archive for the ‘Wine buying deals’ Category

Wine Buying Deal – Chambers Street Wines SALE

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

Chambers St Wines is “a shop that indulged their love for naturally made wines from artisanal small producers (that stocks) very, very few brand name (wines).”

Chambers St wine

They do find some amazing wines at Chambers and starting tomorrow you can get (many of) their wines at 20% off!  The deal is basically that it is a moving sale.  See article here.

If I make it there as planned tomorrow and pick up any winners I will attach those recommendations to this post.  In the meantime though, go visit their site and browse their unique and hard to find selection.

Happy Chambers St Wine Tasting!

WTG

Best bet (kosher) Israeli wines for Passover – at all price ranges…

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

I have been asked by countless people which wines I would recommend they check out for Passover, so I thought it appropriate to blog for the masses. I am not going to go into ALL kosher wines but I will discuss where my passion lay, Israeli wines. I will present wines in each price level both so that everyone can find a wine in their range and so that some of you can buy different wines for different purposes (some for the 4 cups & others to drink with the meals). (more…)

Wine Deal – Australian Cab

Friday, March 14th, 2008

It has been a while since I’ve posted/found a wine deal, but this one seems to fit the bill.

The Bleasdale Cabernet Sauvignon Mulberry Tree 2004 was given a 91 by the Wine Advocate. I have not tried it but is being sold at the retailer linked above for $12.84.  Other online retailers advertise it for between $15-$18.  Always nice to save a couple of bucks.

A WA 90+ wine for under $13 – I’d certainly give it a shot…

Have a great weekend…

WTG

Wine Deals – two under $9 – check that under $10

Sunday, March 2nd, 2008

Got a couple of interesting wine offer emails over the weekend. And two stood out, as they were priced to TRY.

The first is a Petit Sirah from California. Petit Sirah is a varietal I had initially understood to be a blending grape – one that could provide color, strength & structure to a blend (often with Zinfandel). But I have been seeing more and more of it as its own varietal and some research has indicated that there is a BIG following of Petit Sirah lovers (ie. PS I love you – The PS being for Petit Sirah). Petit Sirah is also known as Durif (a French varietal and said to be a cross between Peloursin & Syrah).

As to the deal, it is priced at $8.67 for the 2005 Guenoc Lake County Petite Sirah, which as the email advertisement states “was judged California’s Best Petite Sirah at the 2007 California State Fair” for whatever that is worth. At under $9 I say it is worth a try, and if you like it, stock up!

The second deal is for a blend. The 2006 Pillar Box Red is a blend of 50% Shiraz, 42% Cab & 8% Merlot and packs a whopping 15% alcohol. HOLD THE PRESSES. The email advertises the wine for $8.49 but the website has it listed for $10. Either way it is not a bad deal and probably worth a try. It apparently received a 91 from Wine Advocate, but at 15% alcohol, you can expect a fruit bomb of a wine. Not that there is anything wrong with that – there is a time and place for everything, but…

And as always, try wines, make note of the ones you like & DRINK THOSE. Don’t let anyone tell you what YOU should like.

Happy Wine wheelin’ & dealin’

WTG

Wine Deal – yet ANOTHER Aussie Shiraz, with full disclosure!

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

The following wine caught my attention for a few reasons. And none of them were taste (I haven’t had the opportunity to try it), or the insane price for which it is being sold.

The 2006 Winner’s Tank Shiraz Langhorne Creek is being sold here for $11.97. There were two other online outlets selling it for $11.99, while others were selling it for $13, $14 & as much as $17 a bottle.

But the reason I felt compelled to write about this deal is that it is an UNDER $15 bottle of wine. Having just written about the increase in prices of Australian wines I thought it would only be fair to include a wine that should fall into most people’s wine buying budget. Not that it should matter, but it did receive a 91 from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, and apparently has been a consistent “best buy”.

The other thing about this wine that stood out to me was in its description the producer proudly proclaims something we do not see a lot of. They specify their oak treatment method – something common when using barrels, especially new french oak barrels.  But here no barrels were used.  Given that this wine was produced in Australia & that the price is as low as it is, many might have guessed that it did not see the inside of a barrel. Rather it must have been aged with some other form of oak. But here the producer (seemingly proudly) states that this wine “spent 9 months in tank with French oak staves“. While Oak staves are more expensive and said to be better than oak chips or oak powder (yes, some producers use a powder to provide the oaky aroma & flavor profiles) I still commend this full disclosure and definitely want to give this well priced wine a try. I suggest you do the same. And while you are at it why don’t you tell me what you thought about the wine.

Off to a big kosher wine & food event tonight. I hope and expect to blog about it no later than tomorrow. I’m sure I will have a lot to say…

Until then, happy quaffing!

WTG

Wine Deal – another Aussie Shiraz – AND …

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

Although $37 is a lot for a bottle of wine, when others are selling the same bottle for NO LESS THAN $45 and as much as $70 the $37 price tag doesn’t seem so bad.

The Two Hands ‘Harry Edward’s’ Shiraz being sold here for $37 was given positive ratings by both Wine Spectator (91) and Robert Parker (91).

I haven’t tasted this wine so I don’t have much more to say about it…

…but I have A LOT to say about all these Australian wines reaching stratospheric (relative term, I know, but…) prices.   Australia has long been known for economic wines of high quality.  Many of these previously “well priced” wines have since taken their receptive audience, high scores & raised their price to the “luxury” level.  In addition to these luxury wines, many of the under $20 and even under $10 bottles of Australian wine wil likely be raising in price in the near future.  The weakening dollar is affecting all wine imports – Australian wines included.  Furthermore however, Australia has been dealing with a severe drought which has led to much smaller than usual fruit output.  Which means producers will be making less wine & the supply of Australian will be down.  Simple economics tells us that as long as the demand is there, as the supply goes down the prices will be driven up.

I bring this up as I think that this will be one of several factors leading consumers here in the US to try wines from new regions (hello Israeli wines), maybe ones where the price may suddenly make the wines much more appealing relative to their Australian brethren.

Remember, keep an open mind about wine & drink what you like!

WTG

Wine – Deal of the day

Sunday, February 17th, 2008

Sadly this is yet another wine I have not had the opportunity to try, so I can only recommend it on the basis of it being priced better here than in other places I found it for sale.

The Domaine Terlato Chapoutier Shiraz Pyrenees Malakoff, A 100% Australian Shiraz (although the label makes it look more like a Cote du Rhone), is well priced here at under $30.  It can be found elsewhere online for between $33-$42.  It received a 93 from Wine Spectator (not that that should matter as much as YOUR PALATE) and looks to be an interesting wine.  Not cheap at $30, but seemingly a good deal where others are asking $35, $40 & even $42.

If you go for it let me know what you think.

Happy wine buying!

WTG

Dessert wine for your Valentine…

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

I’m still recovering from sleep deprived trip out West, but want to post a quick wine deal before the Hallmark Valentine holiday.

Bonny Doon’s Muscat Vin Glaciere is a dessert wine made (in the style of Ice wine) by a producer I have spoken of before and think highly of. This dessert wine comes in a somewhat typical half bottle (375ml).

These sweet wines are generally made by extracting the sweet nectar of the fruit and not the water. This is accomplished in two ways. Either the grapes are left to dry somewhat which causes the water to evaporate. Or, as is done in the case of ice wine, the grapes are frozen so that when they are pressed the water in the grape remains slushy while the purer fruit nectar is squeezed out for a richer & more concentrated juice. Since the fruit is not watered down by the natural water in the grape it is much sweeter. This sweeter juice is then partially fermented, with some of the (residual) sugar allowed to remain in the “must” (fermenting liquid) – leading to its residual sweetness. The better (balanced) ice wines have enough acidity so that the wine does not taste too sweet, thick or “flabby”.

The Bonny Doon Muscat Vin Glaciere is found here for $14.99. While there are several other online retailers offering the wine for the same $15, it is also sold for $16, $18, $20 and as much as $25 for the half bottle. So $15 seems to be a pretty good deal.

A final tip – serve your ice wine chilled with the dessert of your choice. The sweetness in the wine pairs beautifully with fruit, pie, chocolate, ice cream, etc…

Enjoy!

WTG

Wine deal – special occasion wine

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008

I’m sorry if I haven’t had too many deep & insightful wine related posts lately. I guess if I needed an excuse I can say that I am consumed with business planning and THE NEW YORK GIANTS!!! But since I don’t need any excuses, I’ll just get to today’s deal…

It is a 2003 Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow Cabernet Sauvignon. The site claims the regular price is $199 bottle. Yeah, that is no typo. Not $19, but $199 as in $200. Well, some research has shown that it can be bought for between $140-$200.

The deal of the day has the retailer selling it for ONLY (for those richie riches of you out there) $89.82. Again, not a cheap bottle, and not one I have tried. But if you are looking for a special bottle to put away for 10 years and open up on a special occasion, this could be the wine for you…

Which gives me a thought for a post – “Wine storage”. I bring this up as you should only buy this bottle to be put away for 5, 10 or more years IF you have the right storage for the wine. Yes, you can keep it in a dark & cool place, but the best place is a wine fridge specially made to moderate the temp (around 56 degrees Fahrenheit) with the proper level of humidity.

Happy Happy….GO BIG BLUE – GIANTS SUPER BOWL CHAMPS!!!

WTG

Wine Deal – under $10 bottle

Monday, February 4th, 2008

I am still recovering from my NY Giants HUGE 17-14 Superbowl upset of the 18-1 New England Patriots, but I have just come across a decent wine deal I want to let you know about.

This Panarroz Jumilla 2006 is a GSM blend from Spain, and actually a wine I have tasted.  The Wine Advocate gave this wine a 90 & calls it “an amazing bargain from Spain”.  Personally, having tried the wine, I found it to be a bit HUGE even for me.  It also was distinctly a Spanish wine (which could be good or bad – depends upon your preferences).

As to the deal, it sells at many retail outlets for between $7-$10.  The email “deal” I received speaks of a regular price of $10, on sale for $7.  You can find it elsewhere for $7, but at $7 it is a wine worth trying if you like big, fruit forward, high alcohol wines, especially ones from Spain…

Enjoy!

WTG