When I saw the name of this wine, it immediately made me think of Australia. And it turns out that the name StickyBeak is an Australian wine term. But StickyBeak wine is not from Australia. Most wine under this brand comes from California, except for this one which is from the Tuscany region in Italy. The […]
Red Wines
Picket Fence Pinot Noir – Light & Easy
When it comes to cheap wine, a lot of it comes from a handful of big companies. Although you probably don’t realize that because those companies own a lot of different brand names. Picket Fence is one of the brands in the portfolio of Bronco Wine Company, one of the biggest producers of cheap wine […]
Calcu Carménère – Clumsy, but Enjoyable
I’ve been posting carménère reviews lately and here’s another bargain carménère from Chile. This one comes from the Colchagua Valley, a region known for its red wines – including carménère. The spice is pretty heavy on the nose of this wine. It’s loaded with nutmeg, clove, toasted oak and vanilla. That’s backed up by plenty of blackberry, blueberry […]
Maquis Carménère – Big, Dark and Delicious
Following up from the last review, here is another Chilean carménère. This one comes from Maquis in the Colchagua Valley. The story of Maquis dates back almost 90 years to when the first vineyards were planted on the estate. For most of its existence the owners only grew grapes to sell to other winemakers, but in […]
Casillero del Diablo Carménère – Earthy & Spicy
Although carménère has in recent years come to be thought of as a signature Chilean grape, its roots go back to Europe. More specifically, it is thought to have originated in the Médoc region of Bordeaux. It was once thought to be the “lost grape of Bordeaux,” having gone extinct from phylloxera in 1867. But cuttings of […]
Kim Crawford, Small Parcels Rise and Shine, Pinot Noir – Superb!
I’ve raved about Kim Crawford wines from New Zealand in the past. The fact is, I have yet to taste a wine from Kim Crawford that I don’t love. Although they’ve only been around for about two decades, they know their stuff. They only make a few varieties of wine, and they make them really […]
Noble Vines 1 Red Blend – Juicy, Jammy Red
Red blends are where it’s at when you want a tasty red wine at a bargain price. And they seem to be all the rage too. I’ve hear people raving over red blends all the time, and some of my favorite wines are red blends. Although not all red blends are the same, so it’s […]
Brancott Estate Pinot Noir – Intensely Aromatic
Yesterday I posted a review of a bargain-priced pinot noir that was pretty good for the price. It wasn’t a wine that would totally knock your socks off, but it was good and a great value for a pinot noir. This wine from Brancott Estate is a similar story. This wine comes from Marlborough, New […]
Harlow Ridge Lodi Pinot Noir – A Well-Balanced Bargain
As I’ve commented recently, I try to make sure I post reviews of both unique (although perhaps harder to find) gems and more widely distributed, easy to find wines. This one comes from Bronco Wine Company, a producer I’ve written about a number of times. They produce over 100 brands of wine, including many of […]
Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon – Full of Spice
It’s no secret to regular readers here that I’m a fan of the good value wines that come out of Chile. I’ve reviewed a bunch of Chilean wines over the years. And I’ll probably review a bunch more in the coming years. One varietal from Chile that has been hit and miss for me is […]