Although Viña Carmen has been around since 1850, it was reborn in 1987 when it was acquired by Claro Group. Today, their main vineyards are in Maipo Valley, but they also have vineyards in Rapel, Casablanca and Curicó Valley. And they are one of the top producers in Chile. This wine continues the trend we’ve […]
You might be surprised to find out how many of the wine brands you see on the shelves come from the same company. There are a few giants in the wine business, plus thousands of small wineries. One of the giants whose brands you’ll come across in just about any grocery store that sells wine […]
As a publisher focused on reviewing inexpensive wines, we can’t ignore the “bag in a box” segment, also known as “boxed wine.” We’ve actually reviewed a couple boxed wines before and we’ve found some decent ones out there. Boxed wine doesn’t get much respect. In many ways, that’s deserved. There is some heinous stuff out […]
I don’t have a lot of background on Peñalolen to share. The winery was founded by Ricardo and Isabel Peña, who brought in Jean-Pascal Lacaze as their winemaker. Peñalolén also happens to be the name of a community at the eastern edge of Santiago, right up against the Andean foothills. This is part of the […]
It’s a quick review tonight—not that any of them are exceptionally long. I like to get right to the point. So, let’s get there. The 2006 Main Street Winery Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, with grapes from Lake County (54%), Monterey County (24%) and Santa Barbara County (22%). […]
When I’m not enjoying a bargain wine, in other words when I splurge, I have a preference for Italian wines, especially those from the Piedmont region. If you know wines from this region, you know that many of them have exceptional depth, structure, complexity and balance. Simply put, they’re beautiful wines. Most of them don’t […]
The general rule here is that most reviews are for wines that are $20 and under, but I have to admit that that’s not all I drink. After all, how could I legitimately compare bargain wines to higher-priced ones if I never tasted those. And every now and then I get samples sent to me […]
A lot of fun has been poked over the years at boxed wines. And rightfully so. Most of the wine sold in boxes over the past couple decades has been disgusting. But that’s starting to change. It’s not the container, it’s the wine… and there are a few producers now putting some tasty juice into […]
There’s not a lot of back story to this wine. It’s Turning Leaf, which is one of wine giant E.&J. Gallo’s many brands. You’ll find it in just about any grocery store that sells wine. It’s mass produced… so there’s lot’s of this stuff out there. There is not a quaint story about a family […]
OK, so first my apologies for letting over a week go by without a new review. While I can say, “I’ve been really busy,” ultimately that’s just an excuse and I hate excuses. Rather than that, I will promise to do better this week. If you’re a regular reader, it will come as no surprise […]
