Budget Vino

Gotham Shiraz- A screwtop wine that actually tastes good

It's been almost a week since I've written a blog entry. Why? I swear I've been in a turkey coma since Thanksgiving last Thursday.

On Saturday, as I started to feel better, I went to BevMo to pick up some wine. This time, I bought a bottle of Gotham Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2004.

This wine has a really cool label and also a screw top. Typically, when you hear that a wine has a screw top, you come to the conclusion that it's probably no good. In the case of Gotham Shiraz, this conclusion holds no truth. It's a really good wine, and it's worth checking out. The thing I liked best about the wine was its finish. It leaves a really nice taste on your tongue, and I imagine it would pair really well with a nice piece of meat.

Recommendation: Definitely buy it

Note that I will not be posting again until Monday, December 4th. I promise it will be worth the wait!

Thanksgiving Wine Recommendation- Big Yellow Cabernet

Thanksgiving is arguably my favorite day of the year. I make myself sick eating far too much, and I love every minute of it! This year, I've been asked to bring 2 bottles of wine to the Thanksgiving festivities. While I'm not yet sure what bottle #2 will be, I have already decided on the first- Big Yellow Cabernet Sauvignon.

Why Big Yellow?

This wine isn't heavy like many Cabs tend to be. Instead, it is a little on the thin side, which should match it perfectly to the wide array of food i'll be stuffing myself with tomorrow. It doesn't make a bold statement, which is great when you're serving wine to a diverse group of people.

I definitely recommend you give this wine a try this Thanksgiving- or this weekend if you don't celebrate the holiday.

It is available at Trader Joes for $8.99, and also online through multiple wine merchants.

Come back on Friday, when i'll be reviewing my choice for the 2nd bottle.

Prosperity Red Cabernet- Cool label, mediocre wine

I admit it- I can definitely be suckered into buying a product simply because it has really compelling branding. I fell victim to this last Thursday when I went to Trader Joe's. I saw a bottle of Prosperity Red Cabernet Sauvignon, and was immediately taken in by the cool label.

Let's just say that the best part of this wine is its label. The wine itself is mediocre. I found the wine to be overly sweet, and it has an aftertaste that leaves something to be desired. It was definitely drinkable- as evidenced by the fact that I finished the bottle in only 2 sittings, but I never found myself truly enjoying the Prosperity Red experience.

Would I buy this bottle again? Probably not. Would I recommend it? Maybe for someone who enjoys very fruity wines or cool labels. However, I think there are far better options out there.

Recommendation: Consider buying it.

Weekend Wine Recommendation- Bogle Sauvignon Blanc 2005

People that know me know that I am not a big fan of white wine. Whenever given the option to order a red or a white, I nearly always select a glass or bottle of red. This is why I tend to ask my friends to review white wines on my blogs behalf.

For this reason, I am shocking even myself by recommending a white wine for this weekend. The Budget Wino weekend wine recommendation- Bogle Sauvignon Blanc 2005. This Bogle wine is a great white wine. It is a true find. It even tastes pretty good with meat. Give it a try this weekend and let me know what you think. It's available at the following places:

BevMo- $8.99
Valley Wine & Spirits- $7.99
Wine Library- $6.99

When Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz don't mix- Mattie's Perch

Austrailia is known for its excellent Shiraz wines. It is not known for its Cabernet Sauvignon's. After trying Mattie's Perch, I understand why.

I opened this bottle of wine as I was getting dinner ready the other night. I wanted a glass of red to sip on while I prepped my meal. I took sip number 1. It was awful. It was sour. It was burnt (but not corked or turned). I wondered if my pallette just needed to adapt. So with that, I took sip number 2. No better, maybe even worse. Sufficed to say, I did not get through even 1 glass of Mattie's Perch.

For me, this wine has joined an elite group- those wines that I have opted to dump down the sink rather than push through and finish the bottle. This is not a group I ever wish a wine to join!

Recommendation: Don't buy it

Shiraz vs. Syrah- The answer may surprise you!

I always thought that Shiraz and Syrah were different wine varietals. I was definitely, completely, and utterly wrong! Believe it or not, Shiraz and Syrah are the EXACT SAME type of wine.

In the U.S., France, and some other countries, we prefer to call the wine Syrah, while in Austrailia (where it is the most popular wine varietal), they use the word Shiraz. Why have these countries adopted different names for the same wine? To understand this better, I scoured the internet and found some interesting information at winelabels.org.

"Syrah is the French pronunciation and Shiraz is the Australian pronunciation of the same root word. And that root word is probably a corruption of the ancient name for the old capital of Persia - Shiraz

It is likely James Busby brought the original vines to Australia from France in 1832. At that time the name was spelled as 'SCYRAS.' Try pronouncing scyras in an Australian accent. Now try pronouncing it the way the French would do, not saying the last letter of the word. It got transmuted in Australia to Shiraz and Syrah in France

Recently in California fans of Rhone wines have begun using the name Syrah for wines made in the French style, while other winemakers use Shiraz for new world style wines.

Not documented is the link with the ancient city Shiraz. But this area had some of the worlds earliest vineyards and some people argue the Phoenicians bought the vines to Marseilles."

So there you have it. Next time you're drinking a Shiraz, you're also drinking a Syrah- and vice versa!

This week, try a couple of October favorites!

I've had a crazy week, and unfortunately haven't been able to try any wines worth recommending. So, this week, I recommend trying one of my two favorites from October. They are:

-Chateau Latour-Laguens Bordeaux 2003
-Hoya de Cadenas Tempranillo 2002

Try at least one of them, then let me know what you think. They're both awesome!

At what temperature should you drink each type of wine?

I've always been curious about what is the appropriate temperature to serve each type of wine. We always hear that white wine should be chilled, but how cold should it be? I scoured the internet, and found a great summary at Damngoodwine.com. It's a good little site that I'd recommend you check out when you have some free time.

Greg Meserole wrote an article entitled "Serving Temperatures." I have pasted in the highlights of that article below. The information in this article should help improve your wine drinking experience!

Serving Temperatures

The basic rule of thumb for any wine drinker to know is that your Red Wine is served at room temperature and your White Wine is served chilled. Many experts can break it down from degree to degree; at what temp each varietal should be drunk at, starting at 65° and working their way down to 36°.

Red Wine
65° is a good temp for you to drink most of your Red Wines at. That is a bit below the average room temp. The 65° room temperature mark, is ideal for the bigger, bolder, red wines like California Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Bordeaux, Aussie Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz, Red Rhone wines, California Red Zinfandel & Merlot, Barolo, Chianti Classico, Rioja, South American Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot. Lighter bodied reds such as Pinot Noir from North America & Australia, Burgundy, Valpolicella, and Beaujolais-Villages, can be served at 60°. Just put that bottle in the fridge for about 45 minutes and it's ready to go.

White Wine
The average temp of a refrigerator is 38°, so if you serve your Chardonnay right out of the fridge, chances are it is a bit too chilly. That chill will hold in many of the flavors that a White Wine has to offer. 50° is an ideal temp to serve your fuller bodied White Wines at. I leave mine out of the fridge for about 45 minutes at room temp before serving. You may enjoy your Chardonnay very cold and refreshing right out of the fridge, and then let it warm up a bit as dinner progresses. 50° covers wines such as North American Chardonnay & Pinot Gris, sweeter German Whites, Sauternes, Aussie & Chilean Chardonnay, New Zealand Chardonnay, Chablis, and Northern Italian Whites. Going down in temp to 45° is nice for Sancerre, North American Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc & Riesling, Alsace, dry German Whites, Aussie & New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and White Bordeaux.

Champagne & Sparkling Wine
Last but not least there is Champagne and Sparkling Wine. Right out of the fridge for these bottles is fine, and back into an ice bucket while you drink your fill. The ice bucket is made for Sparkling Wines [only].

Exception to the Rules
Young Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau are very, very light Red Wines that are generally intensely fruity and often times served at about 50°. [For] White Zinfandel. You can put as many ice cubes in it as you want. You can not harm this wine.

A terrible French wine- Chateau Haut Perthus Bergerac

Last night I flew home from visiting relatives on the east coast of the United States. This time, I did not make the same mistake I made a week before. Unlike last week, this week I did not order wine on the plane. Instead I opted to sleep for the entire 4 hour flight.

When I got home, I was totally motivated to unpack, go through my mail, and tidy up a little bit. I think the nap on the plane gave me a big burst of energy. As I started unpacking, I felt that something was missing. What was missing? A big glass of wine of course.

To reconcile the situation, I opened a bottle of wine I bought a few weeks ago at the BevMo 5 cent sale. The wine was a Chateau Haut Perthus Bergerac.
It was absolutely terrible. Now I'm not exageratting here. It reminded me of a really bad wine you'd get at a crappy Irish pub. It was bitter and tasted vinegary- and I'm positive it hadn't turned yet. It was bad enought that I did what is usually unthinkable for me- I dumped it. I figured if I kept drinking it, I would not only be annoyed by how bad it was, but I'd also be assured a massive hangover in the morning. Definitely avoid this one!

Recommendation: Don't buy it

The October Budget Wino Wine Summary

Looking back on the reviews, October was a great month. Of the 10 wines reviewed, 7 of them were definite buys! Many of these wines were $5 or less, and all 7 prove that a wine can be under $10 and still be fantastic.

My favorite this month- the Chateaux Latour-Laguens 2003 Bordeaux. I liked it so much, that I brought it to a dinner party last night. Everyone loved it. Pick it up at Trader Joe's if you want to give it a try.

Here it is- the October Budget Wino wine summary. Unfortunately I couldn't get the full size image into this post. So, too view the summary in its full and readable size, click on the thumbnail below.