My Sideways Moment…

Straight up here folks, I’m not a Merlot fan.  I’ve had one too many boring, blah and mediocre Merlot’s that have put me off.  So much so that when offered a free sample of it, I often turn it down.  Wow, I’ve been burned!  Last night was different though.  The Marques de Casa Concha wines from Chile peaked my interest.  I knew these wines (and I do mean ALL of) were high scoring wines and I’d had my first surreal moment with them a year ago at an industry tasting in Rochester.  It was the Carmenere and I couldn’t stop talking about, so short of telling me to put a cork in it, JR (the owner of Ryan’s) brought it into the store and said, “here, now sell it!”

Anyways, I sucked it up and held out my glass for a sampling of the Merlot last night.  All I could think while tasting it was, “would it be rude to ask if they needed to sample this bottle anymore to other stores?  Can I keep it?  Can I sneak it under my jacket?  Can I slip it down my pant leg without them noticing?”  It was to-die-for-licious!  It was huge!  So full of smooth tannins and richness that I thought I’d need a toothbrush afterwards to brush my teeth!  I got some great dark fruits and spice in the flavor, this was definitely a Cab-lovers Merlot (as the rep called it).  There was NO wimpiness to it and nothing to throw a hissy fit about outside a restaurant (Miles in Sideways).  So for all those that have said “I’m not drinking any @^*$* MERLOT!”, put the expletives away, back away from the Pinot (or not, if you really do enjoy it!) and try a GREAT Merlot again!

Hard pressed to find…

How hard is it really to find a great Cabernet for under $20?  This topic seems to keep coming up out on the floor of Ryan’s amongst the circle of us wine geeks.  You’ve either got to pay $30 or more for a nicely structured, highly rated Cab or pay around $10-15 (which the market is saturated with cabs in this price range right now) and get one that’s “ok.”  Really?  I think people are kind of getting sick and tired of paying through the nose for some of those $40 and $50 Cabs and getting something that leaves a lot to be desired, in return.  Why do wineries charge this much for a wine and get away with it?  First of all, they have made their wine into a “cult” wine.  A “sign up for a case before the wine is even bottled” kind of wine.  They may also source their grapes from very small parcels of vineyards.  They may hand pick vs machine pick, cut back their fruit to produce more concentrated flavors/sugars/acidity to the surviving bunches, and how long they age their wine in barrels (and what type of wood) also adds digits to the price of your wine.  And lets not forget to mention their name.  Doesn’t that glass of Opus One just taste better because you know its Opus?  I mean, it should taste like perfection because its pricey.  That’s the beauty of wine, its all personal!  Case in point, there is a rather expensive Champagne out there that sells for $175-$200 a bottle that I opened one night to celebrate my brothers engagement.  I was less than impressed to say the least.  I would have taken the $20.99 Chandon any day over this stuff.  I think most people buy it because of its status and it makes a statement, “Hey, look how much I spent!”  I enjoy cashing out folks at Ryan’s and saying, “Hey, you picked out a great bottle that’s cheap!  Cheers!”  Other times, wines can be made for much less because fruit is sourced from larger vineyards, the wine doesn’t spend quite as much time in oak, they don’t prune the vines (which results in more fruit per vine) and many if not most- pick with large grape picking machines.   

Here is a list of my favorite Cabernet’s for under $20 that you can readily find at Ryan’s:

Concannon Conservancy Cabernet Sauvignon comes in around $13 and is made from grapes sourced from sustainably farmed lands.  This cab is one of the best “cheapies” in our Cali section!

Hayes Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon for $9.99!  You’ve all heard of Wente Vineyards, right?  This is one of their labels and you won’t be sorry spending $10 on this!

Hogue Genesis Cabernet Sauvignon for $14.99.  I’m a huge fan of pretty much anything made by Hogue Cellars from Washington State.

B.R. Cohn Silver Label 2007 Cab for $19.99.  This vintage (‘07) is being hailed as the best of the decade, even more so than the 2005.  Of the “pricier” under $20 Cabernet’s on this list, this is probably my favorite.  I think.  I really haven’t met a wine I haven’t liked.

Marques de Casa Concha for $18.99.  This yummy Chilean cab is big and bold.  A nice big steak would be pairing pretty nice with this.

Sebastiani 2005 Cabernet for $16.99.  This would be one of the staff favorites around here.

Urban 2008 Cabernet for $11.99.  A Chilean cab that comes in on the cheap and just got 89 points from Robert Parker.  Better snatch this one up real quick!

Robert Mondavi Napa Valley 2006 Cabernet for $19.99 (sale).  We tasted this one in our Mondavi wine class and decanted it first.  There is a huge difference in taste if you drink it immediately after opening and if you decant it first and let it open up for an hour.  WOW!

Barnwood South Mesa Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 for $14.99 (sale).  This  cab has lots of tannins and structure and is drinking very nicely right now.  Bonus- you don’t have to walk far in the store to get it!  We have a nice big display right up by the register areas!

Rodney Strong Cabernet for $16.99.  This would be a favorite of JR’s, kind of his go-to-Cabernet!

Notes from the Wine Bin…

The lure of the wood wine bins.  Its like a car accident- you just have to take a peek to see what’s in it, no matter how ugly it may be.  Have you ever stopped to see if there are any good deals in there or are you one of those people that is embarrassed to be pawing through those “cheapy” bottles?  Don’t worry my friends, I was one of them.  But I’m here to save you all and share with you my recent discoveries while perusing through the wood bins.

First, we have the three new bins up in front of the lotto machine.  Believe me when I say that these are not “cheapy” bottles.  First, we have the Lamoreaux Landing Semi-Dry Riesling from Seneca Lake.  This isn’t an old vintage either folks, its a 2009 and its on sale at 2 for $14.  Yeah, pick your chin up from the floor now.  It got 87 points in the Wine Spectator and has aromas of tangerines and honeydew melons.  YUM!

Second is “The Crusher” Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from California and is one of the staff favorites.  You can save $6 a bottle and seeing how finding a quality cabernet for under $15 (let alone $20) is hard, we suggest snatching this up and trying it for yourself with a nice grilled steak!

Third, is the Marques de Caceres Rioja Crianza 2005.  You can enjoy saving $6 a bottle on this Spanish gem while its in the bin up front!  When I was stocking this one earlier today up front, the staff literally started jumping up and down when they saw it was in there and the price it was at.  Can you tell we love wine here?  Its got a little touch of vanilla on the nose, well-integrated tannins and a silky finish.  If your unfamiliar with this Spanish Rioja, its made from the Tempranillo grape. This should be drinking quite lovely right now.

Fourth wine is a $3.99’er.  That’s right folks, we grabbed a little Carta Vieja Sauvignon Blanc from the $3.99 bin, chilled it down (not too much to mask the flavors) and gave it a whirl.  Would I say its the BEST Sauvignon Blanc I’ve ever had?  Um, no.  It’s a little light, but it still has nice Sauvignon Blanc qualities.  Is it worth $3.99?  Absolutely,  I would definitely recommend getting a splinter trying to reach into the bin to find a bottle.

 

Wild on Riesling!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cPA47Lacb4&feature=player_embedded   

I thought I would do a different kind of blog entry today, seeing how I’m going viral!  No, no, I’m not sick.  I’ve just got the Riesling fever!  That’s right, its Riesling Festival time again on Lakeshore Drive in Canandaigua!  There is no better grape to celebrate in the Finger Lakes than our flagship grape.  The Daily Messenger asked about filming a fun “how-to” video on Riesling and of course being as “shy” as I am, I declined at first.  But after a few glasses of liquid courage, I decided to give it a go. Now, I’m not going to talk all about Riesling in my blog here, I want you watch my super-fun video instead!  I did want to point out a few things though because after watching the video, I discovered a lot of things were edited out.  Like what my favorite Rieslings were (I suppose I did too much name dropping!), and a lot of general Riesling information that would have ended up being repeated in the “Top 5 things you should know about Riesling” article my video is attached to.  Plus, the video would have been about 10 minutes long, and unless your sipping a nice glass of vino, you may not want to sit all the way through that…

So, to let you know what wine I’m talking about when I’m swirling, smelling and sipping, its the Eagle Crest Dry Riesling.  This Riesling is to die for, is probably the best I’ve had and it’s a screw cap wine.  I talk a little about screw caps and synthetics but unfortunately that’s edited out also.

I also talk about packaging and how its changing for Riesling (again, didn’t make the final cut). You’ll find it bottled in mag (1.5L) bottles now (I suggest the Wagner Riesling) and I talk a bit about the new Glenora Astra Pouch Trestle Creek Riesling.  Good news for fans of the Astra Pouch, Glenora is coming out with a Chardonnay this fall!  The Riesling is doing incredibly well here at Ryan’s, can’t wait to sample the Chard!!

Enjoy the video, let me know what you think!  Here’s a link to the messenger-post article: http://www.mpnnow.com/features/x897605194/Five-things-to-know-about-Riesling

And, thanks for the props to my blog messenger-post!!

Tags: Eagle Crest Riesling, Finger Lakes Riesling, Finger Lakes Riesling Festival, Glenora Astra Pouch, How to taste wine, Riesling Festival, Riesling in New York, Ryan's Wine & SPirits, Stephanie Rudat, whinechick

Breaking all the rules…

Wine is one of the most enjoyable beverages on our planet, but also one of the most daunting.  Drink it this way, don’t drink it that way.  Serve it like this, not like that.  Don’t store it here, store it there… well, sometimes rules are made to be broken.  Wine is all about personal enjoyment and once in a while that rule book needs to be thrown out the window.

Rule #1:  When in doubt, buy a tried and true.  If there is one rule that deserves to be broken more than any other, its this one!  Do you always buy the same wine week after week (or day after day, hee hee)?  I see so many folks that come into the store, looking at all the bottles for 30 minutes, then yank a bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay off the shelf.  Seeing how I know it didn’t take them 30 minutes to find that KJ, they most likely were looking to try a bottle of something new, but didn’t dare.  My suggestion is this… either be brave and ask a Ryan’s staff member for a suggestion (because trust me, we do a LOT of sampling around here!), or shop from 90 selections in our 88 points and higher wood rack in the store!  You really can’t go wrong with one of these.  Some good substitutions are a white Rhone (French)blends for Chardonnay, Torrontes for Riesling, Verdejo for Pinot Grigio, Petite Syrah for Zinfandel, and older oak-aged Tempranillo for Merlot, a Cru-Beaujolais for a Pinot Noir and a Cava or Prosecco for Champagne (more budget friendly)!

Rule #2:  White with white, red with red.  While this may be a good general rule of thumb if you truly can’t remember anything about wine and food pairing, you can really break the rules here.  Why not try a nice tuna steak with a lighter bodied Pinot Noir?  How about fluffy, buttery scrambled eggs with a light and fruity red or a crisp white?  Bleu cheese with a sweet wine, like a sauterne or late harvest (my favorite is the Hunt Country late harvest with Bleu cheese).  If your going to a picnic with Zweigels, bring along a nice dry rose or Zinfandel (the dry, red kind).  Once your ready to move past the white with white and red with red pairings, look towards pairing protein rich foods with heavier, full-bodied wines (red or white).  This is why a hot-dog goes nicely with a Zinfandel, or why a big Chardonnay goes well with a juicy steak!  If you want the ultimate food wine, the wine that goes with everything, look no further than a nice dry sparkling wine, Cava or Prosecco.  I usually think of the sparklers as blank canvases that are incredibly inviting to most food flavors.  Just the other night I was drinking Freixenet (a popular Spanish Cava) with a nice steak.  Yum!  Also, pair acidic wines with acidic foods (think: foods you can add lemon too) and spicy foods with low-alcohol wines.

Rule #3:  Smelling the cork at a restaurant.  While this isn’t an absolute no-no, its not really necessary.  What you really need to do with that cork is pick it up and feel if its nice and  moist (not crumbling and falling apart) and if its a red wine, that there is hopefully a nice stain on the end of the cork.  All these things indicate proper storage.  I think it goes without saying you can skip the whole smelling and feeling part if its a synthetic or screwcap… unless you enjoy getting laughed at in a restaurant.

 

 

Rule #4:  Use the right glass. So some people are very particular about the drinking vessel their wine is in.  Others, not so much.  Their wine tastes just as good straight out of the bottle  as it does from a Riedel glass.  These people are called lushes and wino’s.  I am one of them.  When I am drinking a $30 wine (or at least one that I know is supposed to be REALLY good), then I’ll drink it from the proper glass.  But a light, refreshing cheap white wine (or red!) tastes just as fantastic if not better, out of one of my kids sippy cups.  Why?  Because I’m on the boat, and if you’ve ever tried drinking wine from an open top cup on a moving boat, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Rule #5:  Don’t pop the champagne cork too loudly.  I was one of the biggest proponents of this rule for years, until last year when we did a champagne class with the folks from Moet and Chandon.  I popped open one of the bottles with a soft little “pooph” and the host jokingly berated me in front of the class.  He said Champagne (or any sparkling) is for celebration!  Open it with gusto and let the world know.  You know what?  He is exactly right!  Just be sure to open it pointing away from anyone (and anything), and make sure the sparkling is good and cold when you open it.  I brought a bottle of Dr. Frank Brut up to Buffalo for my sister-in-laws bachelorette party, and even though it was in a wine bag with an ice pack, it had warmed up a little along the way.  I went to open it and as soon as I took the wire cage off, the cork came flying out and dented the ceiling of the hotel room!  Although this can be seen as the start to a good party and was a tell-tale of things to come that night, it also almost hit me in the face. Not good.  This isn’t saying anything negative about Dr. Frank, its just a fact that when sparklings warm up, you need to watch out for crazy corks! So go ahead, pop that champagne like you just won NASCAR!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly…

So last week, I wrote about decanting wine and how you should all invest $20 in a decanter at TJMaxx.  When writing that blog, I decided to do a little investigative journalism and find out what other contraptions there are that you can use to decant your wine.  Well, just short of telling you to dump your Pinot Noir into a pasta pot and funnel it back into your bottle, I found some pretty funny inventions.  This inspired me to see what other crazy wine gadgets are out there on the market that make promises of a more fulfilling wine experience and that state they can turn your $5 Malbec into a $50-tasting one…

 “The Wine Clip” 

What it is: a silver clip that has powerful neodymium magnets in it.

How it works: The Wine Clip uses principles of magnetics to improve the taste of wine as it is being poured out of the bottle.

What it looks like to me:  A cheap piece of silver painted plastic embedded with magnets that resembles an old ponytail clip of mine from high school.  A very expensive ponytail holder, that is.  This little refrigerator magnet on steroids will set you back about $40. 

“The Clef du Vin”

What it is:  hails from France, available in many shapes and sizes, its made of stainless steel, pewter and metal alloys that they don’t disclose.

How it works:  you dip it into your glass of wine or wine bottle (depending no which model of product you bought) and the “Clef du Vin” tells you if your wine has aging potential.  This means you have to have a couple of bottles of this wine and be willing to open one now and test it

What it looks like to me:  A fancy swizzle stick.  If you go to their website, you can download their sales sheet that they use to sell this to people.  It tells the sales reps how to answer questions and basically, how to give stupid, roundabout answers that don’t really answer the question.  This was my favorite… “What if my wife sticks it in her mouth?  You’ll see what she’ll look like as she’s getting older!  Before, to know what a young girl would look like, you had to look at her mother. No need to do that anymore.  But be careful, the effect is irreversible!!! We still haven’t invented the fountain of youth!”  Yeah, at this point, I’d take that fancy swizzle stick and stick it where the sun don’t shine… 

“Wine Flip Flops”

What it is:  yarn crocheted into circles, with a thong on top to slip the base of your wine glass into.

How it works: soaks up condensation from your glass so you stop getting whacked in the back of the head at Mom and Grandmas house.  Water rings are hard to get off a wood table!

What it looks like to me:  a way for Grandma to supplement her social security check each month.  Instead of crocheting mittens, hats and booties for the poor, she’s taken up knitting these darn Wine Flip Flops that her slacker grandson convinced would be the next best thing to those “Wine Charm” that everyone had to have (I swear, I’ve seen some people wear them as earrings!)

“Wine Jewelry”

What it is:  a cork from a used bottle (usually)

How it works: you can make it into bracelets, earrings or a necklace.  An anklet, perhaps?

What it looks like to me:  I’ve seen some cute ways to make cork jewelry and some plain cheesy stuff.  Guess which pile this one falls into?  Luckily, this piece of jewelry doesn’t fall far from the wearer’s mouth, so you could easily tell them to “put a cork in it” when they won’t stop talking about their cork jewelry that they paid $30 a pop for.   Even worse, is when these gigundus corks hang from earlobes.

“Boxed Wine Stand”

What it is: a small wooden stand with a surface on top to set your box wine.

How it works: You unfold it, and set your box wine on top of it.  Put your glass underneath and pour your wine without holding onto it.

What it looks like to me:  a child size folding spectator chair. This would be a fun thing to have around the house on St. Patty’s day, “Its a wee chair for my leprechaun!”  Seriously, are people too lazy to keep their box wines on their countertops and pull them to the edge and actually hold onto their glass as they pour?  This is laziness at its best.

 “ VacuVin Wine Tender”

What it is: a counter-top storage unit for your boxed wine (bag-minus the box) with freezer packs in the walls

How it works:  remove the bag of wine from the box, place it inside this, add freezer packs (if you want, perhaps for a party?) to keep it chilled for hours.

What it looks like to me:  just about the best invention since sliced bread!!  No snarky comments here folks, I’m loving’ this design!  It would be great for red wine too, just don’t put the freezer packs in!  The only downfall is that I can only find it on European websites

 

 

“Winestein Glass”

What it is: a wine glass inside a beer mug

How it works: you get to hold onto a beer stein looking like a jerk, but your happy because your drinking your favorite Pinot Grigio.

What it looks like to me:  a bad joke?  How did someone actually think this was a good idea?  It says its a great gift for those who want something more “manly to hold on to” when drinking their wine.  Uh, my husband wouldn’t be caught dead drinking wine from this.  This definitely goes into the gag gift pile, but at $20 a pop plus shipping, my husband can take a chance at looking like a “wuss” holding his wine glass.

Tags: funny wine accessories, Stephanie Rudat, stupid wine accessories, whinechick

The best and worst to spend $20 bucks on…

Stop reading right now.  Go to TJMaxx and invest $20 in a decanter.  If there is any advice that you take from me when I dispense words of wisdom, it is to buy a decanter.  I worked in the industry for 7 years before I finally bought one and now I use it ALL the time.  Here’s what most people envision when they think of decanting wine:

1.  Its only for the rich and snobby and those who purchase $100 bottles of wine that are 20 years old and have an inch of sediment on the bottom.

2.  Its used for port.  I always saw people pouring port from a decanter on soap operas.  Again, there’s that rich and snobby aspect.

So why would a chick like me who enjoys $10 bottles of Cabs, Malbecs and Zins, want to decant?  First, pretty much every red wine that has tannins can benefit from the good aeration that decanting provides. Do you have a young, big red wine (like a Cab or Malbec or even a nice Beaujolais?) that is a bit tannic, but your just dying to drink it now?  Open that puppy up and pour it into a decanter letting the wine mix with air and “breath”.  Don’t put the top on it, just let it sit open.  I usually give my decanter a few swirls and leave it for at least 1/2 hour before pouring my first glass, but I’ve even left it out for 2 hours and it opened up wonderfully.  Once you put it in that decanter though, you better finish it that night or by the next (which is not a problem in my house)!  If you also have a wine that burns your nose hairs because of the high alcohol content, decanting will take care of this, as it allows the alcohol to dissipate.  Decanting a young wine will add about 4-5 years worth of cellar aging onto it.  The wine will open up and those tannins just smooth right out.  If it still tastes bad after doing all this, then guess what.  You may just have a plain old bad bottle of wine!

Second, it helps to remove sediment that is in the bottle from not being filtered at the time of bottling.  By and far, a great deal of wines these days are filtered already.  But many wines that are made for aging, like great Bordeaux’s and California Cab’s to name a few, do not get filtered.  When wine is filtered, they are removing sediment from the wine and it is this sediment that adds complexities and more ageablity.  If stored correctly, the sediment will buildup in the neck of the bottle.  I won’t bore you with instructions on how to properly decant, so click on the video below to see.

Sometimes you might open a bottle and see either tiny crystals on the cork or a slimy substance in the neck of the bottle.  Wipe out the neck and taste the wine.  Probably still tastes just fine, huh?  Quite honestly, I always feel that if a wine isn’t filtered, the winemaker WANTS you to get the best wine possible, but most of the New World drinkers, by and far, are not ready for unfiltered wines.  Anything that looks unsightly is unforgivable! We want our pretty, clear, clean wines and we want them now!

There are also a few contraptions out there that allow you to decant without using a bulky crystal decanter… such would be the Vinturi Wine Aerator.  The wine goes from bottle, to aerator, to glass.  No waiting it says.  Well now, I’m a big fan of not waiting for my wine…

Another pretty one, and I think my favorite, is the Soiree Wine decanter.  Our friend Will from Eagle Crest Vineyards uses this on his reds and sells them at his shop I believe.  He used it at the wine class he did with us.  His wines are fantastic anyways, but the Soiree looked great on the bottle just as well! (see below, right)

Perhaps the funniest ones I’ve seen, and probably the biggest waste of $20 is the “Wine Wisk” and “Catania Wine Enhancer” for $65-$130.  Let’s start with the $20 wisk.  I do agree that whisking your wine is probably an ingenious way of aerating it on the fly, but I can do without a $20 whisk, thank you.  I’ve seen some very nice 3-packs of whisks at Wal-Mart for $5.  One for home, one in my purse and one in the car so I can “aerate on the fly…”

The Catania Wine Enhancer that supposedly uses sound waves to get enhance the flavors of wines, make it more harmonious to drink, and most importantly, get rid of red wine headaches.  I have no problem drinking my wine harmoniously, thanks.  You slap this pretty copper disk onto your bottle with a suction cup and put the bottle on a round slab of stainless steel or granite looking piece (can’t really tell for sure by the picture) and wait a few minutes, depending on white or red wine.  During these few minutes here, you get to psyche yourself up about how much better this wine is going to be, how much more flavorful it will taste.  You also get to think happy thoughts about the sun, moon and stars and your horoscope of the day…  perhaps you’ll plant a tree and start a neighborhood recycling center… thanks to the Wine Enhancer, those headaches won’t be in your horoscope anymore either.  Finally, you pour yourself a glass, transfer that copper suction cup thingy to your “Mommy’s Sippy Cup” and pound back 3 glasses,  all the while thinking to yourself that you really can taste a difference.  You think.  At least with this gigundas copper disk on your glass, no one will mistakenly think its theirs…

 

Press B13 for Barefoot Merlot

Anyone who has gotten a major face lift living in the state of Pennsylvania, beware.  You may not be able to purchase wine if the camera doesn’t like what it see’s.  Welcome to the wonderful world of vending machine wines. 

Are you a hermit that likes to live in your cave, hate talking to other people and avoid any human contact?  Do you only shop at stores that have self-checkouts?  When a sales person approaches you, do you run the other way?  Do you like knowing that the state liquor authority tracks all your purchases and knows not only how much you drink, but what your drinking?  (I can just see the SLA employees laughing at peoples wine purchases, “there goes another white zinfandel!”)  Do you like to make wine decisions based solely on a flowery label description that is purposely trying to sell you what may be junk, instead of asking a knowledgeable salesperson who has quite possibly tasted the wine for themselves (like a Ryan’s staff member)?  Then why don’t you move to Pennsylvania! 

Here’s how the “Wine Kiosk” (a nice name for wine vending machine) works:

1.  Press B13 for Barefoot Merlot.  This is after having to call your spouse and ask if they remember liking it, or what it tasted like (look at the dude in the picture, he’s doing this right now!)  You already tried finding an employee at the supermarket, but something tells you all the 16-year olds stocking the shelves won’t be much help.  Wow, this whole automated wine vending machine thingy sounded like a good idea!  Talk about customer service.  Oh well, guess you’ll just have to keep pushing buttons on the screen for 10 minutes till you find what you want (this is if your undecided on your purchase.  If you do know what you’d like, then your all set.)

2.  Swipe your ID.  This is so the government can keep tabs on who the wino’s are.  We are a dangerous bunch you know; starting bar fights (“you said what about my merlot?!”), waiting for the clock to tick “9am” so we can purchase our first of many bottles of the day…  but more importantly, its so they can provide good customer service to us the next time we shop.  What?  Can’t I call up the Pennsylvania State Liquor Authority and ask them what case of wine I purchased last week? 

3.  Hand us your money.  Better hope you have a debit or credit card on you.  Your cash ain’t good here son.

4. Blow.  Better hope you didn’t just use some Listerine or cough syrup with alcohol in it!  Do you want me to walk in a straight line and stand on one foot counting to 50 also?  You know us wino’s, we like to down a bottle at 9am and then stumble in to buy more an hour later.

5.  Smile for the camera!  Hmm, my license picture was taken 6 years ago when I had short hair and was 30 pounds heavier because I was pregnant.  I look a little different now, but hopefully that state employee sitting 300 miles away in Harrisburg, PA (remember, I’m buying this wine somewhere in PA) thinks I look somewhat the same. 

So, there must be an upside to buying wine in a vending machine, right?  You can:

1.)  look at all the bottles through glass doors and wire cages.  I mean, really, I  can’t tell you how many times people have come into Ryan’s and asked us to put all of our wines behind forboding wire cages and glass doors.  Look only; don’t touch!

2.)  rely solely on a pretty label and intuition to help you pair your Beef Bourguignon with a wine.  Wait, what’s that?  You can’t see the pretty label through the wire cages?  Sorry!  Maybe “Chaz” or “Taz” or whatever his name is mopping up the bathroom floor can help you pair up your meal with a nice bottle!

3.)  hope that 16 year old stock-boy can give you a better description other than, “yeah, it gets you drunk quick” or “tastes like Bubble-Yum bubble gum”.

4.) succumb to buying really cheap wine at a higher price!  Not only do you get your pick of every Yellow Tail and Alice White flavor out there, you get to pay $1 more per bottle!  Yippee!  The $1 is a “convenience fee”, because nothing say’s convenience like looking at wines through wire cages and glass doors, getting no help from 16 year pimple-faced stock boy, and blowing into a breathalizer and feeling like a criminal to get your cheap wine at a higher price!

5.)  stand in line for 20 minutes as Grandma in front of you figures out how to work this newfangled contraption.  Little whipper-snappers and them dang computerized thing-a-mabobbers!  It’s taking Grandma 10 minutes just to flip through the on-screen pages of wine to find out if her Alice White Chardonnay will pair with her Werther’s originals, meanwhile your bottle is right in front of you.  B-13; Barefoot Merlot.  Behind the 3rd glass door, second shelf down, 3rd wire cage over.

and the best advantage over all others?

6.)  watch the person who was in front of you get denied their wine because they failed their breathalizer test and then get nabbed by the cops outside the grocery store.  Maybe there is a use for this contraption after all

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/06/wine_vending_kiosks_open_for_u.html

Tags: pennsylvania wine in grocery stores, pennsylvania wine kiosk, Stephanie Rudat, whinechick, whinechick ryan's wine & spirits

Get it while its hot…

Summertime is the perfect time to try out a new, refreshing wine.  Whether your looking for that quintessential bottle for the back deck, the boat (only while anchored of course!), backyard barbecue or you’re just up for trying something new, summer is a great time to explore all the tasty flavors that wine has to offer.  Do you like citrus, such as grapefruit?  Got you covered.  More of a just-picked-off-the-tree peach person?  We’ve got a wine for you too!  Whether its sweet and smooth or minerally and acidic, the wines of summer definitely deliver.

Grapefruit in a bottle…  Who doesn’t love Sauvignon Blanc?  This is one of the most versatile white wines out there when it comes to food pairing.  Its bright acidity and typical citrus flavor is a great match for the lighter foods of summer (think seafood, pork and chicken), but steer away from the creamy and buttery foods like Alfredo.  Salty and sharp flavored cheeses are also an excellent match for this wine, like a nice Pecorino (sheep’s milk) or sharp cheddar.  Here are a few recommended SB’s to try this summer:

 

 

CUPCAKE SB, New Zealand (around $9)- reminds you of lemon chiffon cupcakes and because of all this nice citrus acidity it pairs well with seafood’s (like lobster!), SANTA RITA 120 SB, Chile (around $6)- this is an absolute steal for the price and one of my favorite cheapies for the summer!!  CHASING VENUS SB, New Zealand (around $15)- just tried this one and it’s packed with citrus flavors and absolutely delish!  Its made by the guy who created the Toasted Head line of wines. MULDERBOSCH SB, South Africa (around $18) – with some grassiness, flintiness and a touch of citrus, this wine is one of my favorites!  Try pairing this up with some grilled veggies as well as seafood, pork and goats milk cheese!  This one scored a sweet 90 points from Wine & Spirits magazine!

A Tisket, A Tasket… Riesling makes the perfect wine to complete your picnic basket!  Just look at all the great picnic foods it pairs with; cold cuts, prosciutto with melon, chicken and  potato salad, and LOT’S of cheeses like Parmesan, mild cheddar, gouda, Swiss and brie’s.  Look for a nice off-dry to semi-dry style of Riesling to pair with spicy foods!  A few delicious Rieslings to pack up for a picnic are…

 

 

TWO PRINCES RIESLING, Germany (around $12)- has a nice balance between sweetness and acidity.  WAGNER VINTNER’S RIESLING, Seneca Lake (Ryan’s VIP price around $12 for a 1.5L)- its no wonder this wine is so popular!  Its very refreshing, easy drinking and with its nice medium sweetness, its great all on its own too! IMAGINE MOORE LOVE RIESLING, Naples (around $15)- A very tasty semi-dry Rieslings that has enough bright acidity, it will satisfy those who like the drier style Rieslings as well (like me). GLENORA TRESTLE CREEK RIESLING 1.5L ASTRA PAK (see store for price)-  just about the most buzz-worthy wine this summer!  To learn all about the Astra Pak and why its SOOOOOO cool and revolutionary, read the other blog I just posted called “someone stole my box!”

Pinot Grigio and beyond… its said by many people that Pinot Grigio is an incredibly boring wine with no personality.  I think that like any wine, there are ok representations and fantastic representations of it!  Did you know that Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are actually from the same grape, Pinot Gris?  They are just usually made in different styles, Pinot Grigio’s tending to be more crisp and acidic and Pinot Gris can have a little more body and substance to them.  They both tend to make great aperitif wines, but also pair well with seafood’s, Asiago and Mozzarella cheeses!  I’ve also thrown into this grouping a Spanish Malvasia.

 

 

 

 

BANDIT PINOT GRIGIO 1L TETRA PAK, California (around $8)- looks like a giant juice box minus the straw!  A crisp, flavorful Pinot Grigio from the Three Thieves Winery.  A great little package to throw in the cooler for the park where you can’t bring glass in!  And when your done drinking your Bandit Tetra Pak?  Look for a recycling bin; she shoots, she scores!  ACROBAT PINOT GRIS, Oregon (around $13)- just got a sweet little rating of 89 points from the Wine Enthusiast and is a second label from the King Estate Winery in Oregon.  It’s a fruit forward Pinot Gris, easy drinking and definitely worth picking up a bottle!  CERMENO MALVASIA, Spain (around $11)- if your looking for dry, crisp, minerally and refreshing this summer, this is your wine!  Head on over to Spain and grab one of these guys, you won’t be disappointed! BANFI CENTINE BIANCO, Italy (around $11)- A blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay.  It’s dry, has nice acidity with notes of tomato (sounds weird, but its one of my favorite characteristics of a wine!)  Rated 88 points in the Wine Spectator!

 

Tags: dry summer white wines, Ryan's Wine & SPirits, Stephanie Rudat, summer sauvignon blanc, summer white wines, whinechick

Someone stole my box

So, if your a devoted reader of my blog (which you all should be, hello!), you know that I love funky and outrageous packaging.  From funny labels, to unique colored and shaped bottles, to 8-sided boxed wines… I love them all and I’m not afraid to try them!  Sometimes I get truly annoyed with dumb packaging that is trying to sell me junk, but I think that Glenora may have started something revolutionary in the U.S.

The newest, latest and greatest to hit the market is the Astra Pouch, made in Penfield (the packaging, that is).  The first wine in the entire U.S. to be daring enough to market this, is Glenora, with their “Trestle Creek” off-dry Riesling.  It has the IRF (International Riesling Foundation) sweetness scale on the back that indicates it is Medium-dry, which can have residual sugar between 1 and 2%.  The double-layered, juice-pouch-on-steroids, holds 1.5L and works on the same concept of a bag-in-a-box, but without the box.  The Astra Pouch has a stiff bottom that helps it to stand up in your fridge, but is soft and pliable all the way around and can go from the Ryan’s store shelf to my cooler in 2.2 seconds.  Need to go to a park where glass isn’t allowed?  Not a problem anymore with the pouch. 

These types of bags are already popular in Europe (of course they are!  Premium box wines are also completely acceptable and the norm as well!) and are probably the CLOSEST we’ll ever get to environmentally sound packaging for wine.  Unless they come up with a bag that has flower seeds in the packaging so you can plant these in your garden and you can sprout little Glenora Riesling flowers or something.  Mmmm, tasty!  I bet they’d smell really good anyways.

They only thing this package is missing is the giant straw attached to the side

Call the Ryan’s store for availability!!  Update:  We just got in 5 cases, come and get ‘em!

 

 

Tags: Astro Pouch, Glenora, Glenora Astro Pouch, Glenora Thistle Creek Riesling, Stephanie Rudat, whinechick