Category Archives: Red Wines

Kosher Wines for Passover (Red and White)

Kosher wines don’t have to taste “funny” any more. Recent developments in kosher winemaking has resulted in high quality, great-tasting wines fit for any occasion.

This year, Passover begins at sunset on April 8th, and will continue through Wednesday, April 15th. If you observe Passover and aim to keep kosher during this Jewish holiday, here are two excellent wines — one white, one red — that are both kosher and appropriate for typical Passover feasts.

Tasting Notes: Yarden Chardonnay 2006

Yarden Chardonnay kosher white wine Wide open, expressive nose of bright ripe pear, peach, honeysuckle, banana, vanilla. In the mouth it is velvety smooth, with almost sweet ripe pear, candied peach, vanilla, honey. Acidity is mild. Alcohol is surprisingly low considering the high level of ripe fruit. Finishes with spicy peach, vanilla, and a touch of zesty lime. This is enjoyable on its own, also good with leaner foods such as simply prepared roast chicken. Will be nice with spicy and sweet Chinese dishes (General Tsao, sweet and sour shrimp, sesame chicken), BBQ ribs. As far as the Passover table goes, this will be a nice match for a mildly sweet noodle kugel.

a-8 t-8 b-7 fc-7 v-7 ~ 87 Points

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Tasting Notes: Golan Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Golan Heights Cabernet Sauvignon kosher red wineOpen aroma of ripe plum, red raspberry, jam, chocolate. Jammy, juicy ripe flavors of sweet raspberry, blueberry, pomegranate. Tannins are mild, acidity is mild to medium. Texture is smooth. Finish is pleasant, full of raspberries and pomegranate, with a slight edge of tart acidity. Enjoyable alone, it will match well with lean meats such as roast chicken and fish but also has just enough structure to stand up to simply prepared beef — such as beef brisket. Will also be nice with turkey meatloaf, Chinese rib tips or beef with spicy and/or sweet sauce.

a-7 t-8 b-8 fc-8 v-7 ~ 88 Points

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Red Wine Review: Penfolds Shiraz-Cab

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet 2007

Every once in a while I get in the mood for a big, jammy, New World style red wine — something bursting with sweet red and black berry fruits — but at the same time, something that I don’t have to think much about. In other words, a bottle that I can pick up for around ten bucks or less and not feel guilty about drinking with a hamburger or cheap cut of steak.

When those moods strike me, I usually go either for a Ravenswood red or an Aussie Shiraz. In this case, I went down under, to Penfolds, which offers a nice range of jammy reds that are easy to find anywhere and won’t hurt your wallet. For the ten-buck budget (give or take a ducat or two), I recommend their Rawson’s Retreat, Thomas Hyland and Koonunga Hill lines for their consistency from year to year. In other words, you don’t have to be a serious connoisseur or have a vintage rating chart in your wallet to wonder what the wine will taste like. And often, even a geek like me doesn’t have the patience to put a lot of thought (or money) into a wine purchase.

Tasting Notes: Penfolds Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon

Open nose of ripe black and red berry fruits, along with some tar and earth. Similar elements on the palate: black raspberry, black cassis, plum, black cherry, sweet tobacco. Good weight in the mouth. Smooth texture. Tannins are ripe and medium, but not overbearing. Acidity is at an appropriate level for food matching. This is OK alone, but better with food. Drink it with protein — a burger, cheap steak, or cheese.

a-8 t-8 b-7 fc-7 v-9 ~ 89 Points

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Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz

Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz wine bottleYowza. And I feel it’s OK to use “yowza” as a descriptor for a wine called “Jip Jip Rocks”.

When I spend 12-13 bucks for an Aussie Shiraz, I expect to get a fruit-forward, jammy, flabby, cocktail wine which may or may not have a quick finish. And that type of wine is not necessarily a bad thing – in fact, it’s a profile that I occasionally am in the mood for. So when I picked up this bottle for $12.99, I wasn’t expecting much other than a big glob of black berry fruit.

Suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

This under-$15 surprised me because it is a beast. It’s huge – huge in nose, huge in flavor, huge in structure. I call it a beast because it is surprisingly big and has a distinct feral or animal character – something you generally don’t get with an inexpensive Shiraz. It reminds me more of a Rhone Syrah or a South African Pinotage, than a typical Australian Shiraz.

Tasting Notes: Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz

The nose exudes a complex aroma of ripe black fruits, tobacco, menthol, tar, earth, eucalyptus, and band-aid. In the mouth it is meaty – in weight, texture, and flavor. It has a smoked meat element, along with dried or cooked fruit (prune?), black cassis, tobacco leaf, and blackberry. Tannins are bold, acidity is medium. There is a bit of expected hotness in the tail end of the finish – but that’s what you get with a wine of this ripeness. Finishes bone dry with dried black fruit and spice flavors lingering. Tasty on its own if you like bold wines, better when matched with protein – burgers, cheese, roasted meats.

a-9 t-9 b-8 fc-7 v-8 ~ 91 Points

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Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2008

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2008 wine bottleBeaujolais Nouveau est Arrive!

For those who don’t speak French, what that means is the first wine of the 2008 vintage — made from grapes picked only weeks ago — has been bottled and is available for sale right now.

Many snobs scoff at Nouveau, belittling its existence and poo-pooing it as “simple plonk”. I’m not going to try to change the minds of such cement-heads, but rather explain the purpose of Nouveau to those who have open minds.

First, before you taste a Nouveau it is important to have ZERO expectations. To meet its peak quality, wine — any wine — must spend some time aging, be it on its skins and lees, and/or in a barrel or other container. But with Beaujolais Nouveau, the goal is not to bottle a perfect wine. Rather, its purpose is to give a “sneak peek” as to the quality of the year’s vintage. A second focus is to celebrate the fruits of the most recent harvest through the holiday season.

So, bottom line is this: Beaujolais Nouveau will most likely not knock your socks off. This is not a wine to contemplate by the fire, nor to match with filet mignon. At the same time, it’s not a wine to put in the most proper crystal glassware (though you can if you want), and not one to worry much about. Pour it over ice in a styrofoam cup and drink it with hot dogs — it’s totally OK. On the contrary, it is a wine to have fun with, to enjoy with friends during cocktail hour or with a holiday dinner. Turns out, Beaujolais Nouveau is an ideal partner with just about everything on the Thanksgiving table.

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2008 Tasting Notes

The nose is a little more mature and deep than I expected — more like a Beaujolais Villages than a Nouveau. Let’s not get crazy, as it doesn’t smell like a 8-year-old wine — but then, it doesn’t exactly smell like an 8-week-old wine, either. What I get is fresh red cherries, sweet strawberry and red raspberry, and a mild touch of overripe banana. On the palate it has a glassy smooth texture, with bright cherry and strawberry flavors finishing quickly into a mouthful of dry, tart cranberries. Tannins are nonexistent, acidity is firm. If you are going to be a discerning, condescending geek, don’t bother with it. However, if you are seriously interested in the Beaujolais region, this Nouveau suggests that 2008 will be a wonderfully ripe and delicious vintage. If you fall into neither of those categories, pick up this wine, pour it over ice, and enjoy it with simple apps, a cheap “wine soaked” cheese wheel, or, ideally, for the Thanksgiving table. There’s no wine that goes as well with both pigs in blankets and the cranberry sauce (and everything in between).

a-6 t-6 b-7 fc-8 v-8 ~ 85 Points

Website: ChilledRed.com

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Rocca delle Macie Morellino “Campomaccione”

Rocca delle Macie Morellino di Scansano “Campomaccione” 2005

Rocca delle Macie Morellino di Scansano wine bottleDo not be intimidated by the long, somewhat threatening words on the label of this wine. It’s nothing to be afraid of — in fact, it’s something with which you’re likely very familiar.

Morellino di Scansano seems difficult to pronounce on first glance. It’s not — it sounds the way it looks, just say it slowly the first few times (alone, in a dark room, of course). And remember Vino Joe’s general rule of thumb: any wine with five or more syllables HAS to be good (and this one has eight!).

Seriously now, a little background. Morellino is a grape grown in Scansano, which is a hilly village inside an area called Maremma, which is sits partly in the Italian region of Lazio, and partly in the southern part of Tuscany. Geography lesson complete, and we mentioned Tuscany, a place you may have heard of before.

It gets better. Morellino is what the people of Scansano call Sangiovese, which you may know is the main grape of Chianti wines. That said, if you enjoy Chianti, there is a good chance you will also like Morellino di Scansano.

Since it’s not a trendy wine (yet), it doesn’t make sense for an importer to bring in any old plonk from Scansano — so if you see a Morellino di Scansano on your wine shop’s shelf, chances are very good that it’s a quality bottle. This example is no exception. It comes from an estate called “Campomaccione”, and is made with 90% Morellino, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot.

Tasting Notes: Rocca delle Macie Morellino di Scansano “Campomaccione”

Nose is open, rich with ripe black cherry, some stemmy vegetal or herbal aroma, earth, and a hint of vanilla spice. On the palate the texture is glassy smooth, carrying ample black cherry and red raspberry fruit. Tannins are mild but firm, acidity is medium. The wine finishes with good red fruit flavors mixed with earth and hints of bell pepper and spice. This is a wonderful alternative to Chianti – at about 14 bucks it’s as good or better than most Chianti at five dollars more. Don’t drink it alone – have it with pasta in marinara and meatballs, sausage and peppers, pecorino, grana padano, or anything else you’d normally eat with Chianti. At around twelve bucks, a great value.

a-7 t-7 b-8 fc-10 v-9 ~ 91 Points

Importer: Palm Bay Imports

Winery: Rocca delle Macie

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