The sommelier for good wines under $10

Who is this blog for?
For the most part, a good wine is one you enjoy drinking. I assume that you are past the white Zinfandel stage and have at least graduated to enjoying Merlot's. But no worries, even if you are not, this blog can help you pick and enjoy good wines. SO if you need a good wine to drink at home or if you want to impress your friend without spending to much money, this blog is for you.
Why this blog?
I started this blog because I enjoy drinking wines, and for the most part, I have not seen any websites or blogs that advise readers what wines to buy in the under $10 range. The ironic part, is that, in my 35 + years of wine drinking, I have learned that, when you get past the hype, price has little correlation with the goodness and drinkability of wines. In other words, I've had very good wines that cost me $5, and I've had lousy wines that cost over $100.So the main purpose of this blog will be to help you buy and enjoy good wines without ever spending more then $10 on a bottle.
I will also promise not to bore you with all the wine jargon of the wine connoisseurs and wine critics. In fact having spent a lot f time in France, I can tell you there are more wine connoisseurs in the US then in France. But in France you can sit down in almost any neighborhood restaurant or cafe and enjoy a good glass of wine for less then you would a glass of bottled water. That's because most french folks start drinking wine at a very young age and expect a good drinkable wine.

Why listen to my advice on wines?
I was born in a small town on the Mediterranean sea. I lived a 100 yards from the water and across from our house was a winery. The wine maker was my Dad’s best friend and our house was always stocked with good wines. I started drinking wine at a very young age at the dinner table with my Dad. Needless to say my pallet is very, very experienced, lol...

Why not just go with the critics picks and scores?
Did you know that most wine critics test a lot of wines. Wilfred Wong, for example, tastes 20 wines a day, 8000 wines a year. Yes, that’s 8000... Obviously Wilfred is not going to drink 20 full glasses of wine a day. If he did, wine critics would have the shortest life span of any profession as they would all die of liver disease. So what wine critics do, is swirl the wine around in the glass, take a whiff (smell the bouquet) of the wine, and then take a sip or two. Then they give a wine a wordy description and give it a score. Now how accurate do you think this process is? Do you think a wine that scores 91 is better then one that scores an 88? The answers are not very and no.

How do I pick the wines that I recommend?
First and foremost, I drink them... Not a sip or two, but a few bottles. You can be certain I’ve had a serious relationship with any wine that I recommend.
Typically, I find new wines while having a glass at a restaurant or because of a friends recommendation or while cruising the BevMo, Trader Joe, or Barron’s isles...

I encourage readers to share their wines that they’ve discovered, I promise that I will try them, and if I like them, they might find their way on my recommended wine list.

Okay, without further due, Zino’s recommendations...

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Best Cab I've tasted in a long time

As some of you know I've been meaning to start this blog for a long time. For whatever reasons, I've always been approached by people in stores like Trader Joe and BevMo for advice on wines. I must look like I know my wines or perhaps I am just approachable. Anyway, I am always happy to help. Anyway, my last discovery was at BevMo, I found his incredible California Cabernet that normally retails for $16 but that you can get for $8 because of the special they are running buy one bottle, get the second for $.05...
-2006 Shiloh Road Cabernet Sauvignon
While I was there I also picked up a Shiraz that I am also very fond of that I first found at Eli's in Carmel Valley. It retailed at $4.99. This Shiraz is far superior then much higher prices Shiraz rated 90 and 91 by Wilfred Wong
- 2005 Delicato Shiraz
I also highly recommend a blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, and cab from the folit a deux winery. I've tried both the 2005 and 2006 and liked both, although I slightly favor the 2005. They retail for around $8
- 2005 Menage a Trois California red table wine
I will also recommend a couple of white wines from the Barefoot winery. Although, they are very enjoyable to drink, unlike my above three recommendations, they are not exceptional. They retail for around $4.99 at Trader Joe.
- Barefoot Chardonnay
- Barefoot Sauvignon blanc

Enjoy!
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