Week Nine - Old Winemaker Gets Bubbly in New Mexico

Scott and me in Silverlake Wine in LA

I’m in the middle of a two week stint in California and having a great time! I came out for a conference and then Matt flew out to meet me so we could tack on another week here for vacation. My in-laws recently moved out to LA and so we spent the weekend there and all four of us drove up the coast to Carmel for the week – tough living!

My father-in-law, Scott, who knows wine far better than I and also enjoys it immensely took me to a wonderful wine store, Silverlake Wine, in Los Angeles. The people were very helpful and they had LOTS of wine that was blog worthy (i.e. $10 or under). A very helpful wine clerk took me on a little tour-de-ten dollar bottles before I made my selections. I bought three there, but have only tasted one so far. More about these wines will be forthcoming in future blogs!
Not only did the helpful clerk show me all their offerings, but he helped me choose bottles with good stories to spice up my blog. We drank a Domaine-Saint Vincent Brut bottle of bubbly. I learned from the clerk that wine is made by the French champagne producer Gruet but in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s made in the French champagne tradition (hence the term Méthode Champenoise on the bottle) and the second fermentation which gives wine the bubbles is done in the bottle as opposed to in large quantities pre-bottling.

The verdict: a real winner! We drank it before dinner this evening with cheese and crackers. My in-laws agreed to taste my wines to give their opinions for my little project, but made no promises to drink a full glass of my cheap juice. However, it’s only 5:30pm and my bottle is empty and in the recycle bin. If you can get your hands on a bottle – buy it!

The Bottle: Domaine Saint Vincent Brut (non vintage)

Price: $10.00
Would I Buy This Wine Again: Yes, though I’m afraid I won’t be able to in Indiana.

Week Eight - Wine at the Fort

In the interest of keeping the blog moving I’m going to write a more sensory, anecdotal based entry for week 8. I drank a 2006 Louis Jadot Macon-Villages Chardonnay in Fort Wayne, Indiana when visiting my parents. Matt and I went up for the weekend to visit family and opened the bottle on Saturday evening before going out to Paula’s Seafood Restaurant (hands down the best restaurant in the town!) My dad pulled this out and proclaimed it one of his “go-to” whites that he always keeps on hand. We drank it on the screened porch and enjoyed it immensely. It could be a go-to wine for anyone and is an affordable, easy going chardonnay. Interesting fact –my dad actually picks this bottle up at Meijer (a Target/Wal-Martesque store in the Midwest).

The Bottle: 2006 Louis Jadot Macon-Villages Chardonnay

Price: $10.00

Would I Buy This Wine Again: Yes – and I’d choose the same people to drink it with again too!

Even Max, my parents' dog, got in on the fun!