Valentine Weekend Wine

With the opening of Fifty Shades of Grey movie on Valentines weekend, it set the stage for all kinds  of celebrations, parties and get togethers that will no doubt continue for weeks to come.

I can't think of a more perfect wine combo for upcoming viewing parties than these two: Fifty Shades of Grey and Casillero del Diablo Devil's Collection.

Both wines come in at under $20 so they won't break the bank for your parties.

Casillero del Diablo, means the Cellar of the Devil.....naughty. It is an award winning blend of carmenere, cabernet sauvignon and syrah from Chile, (from the well established Concha y Toro brand) with flavors of plum, cherry and chocolate, easy drinking on its own or with salty appetizers (insert joke here.)

Fifty Shades is obviously targeted to fans of the book and the movie, an obvious choice for pre or post movie parties. A blend of petite sirah and syrah, its both fruity and spicy, good for pizza and burgers for certain.

Enjoy the party. Cheers!

Wine Wednesday: B Cellars

Happy Wine Wednesday! What's in your glass today? I had four little yummies in mine from B Cellars in Napa. I couldn't pick just one, so here is a quick overview of all four.

I was even more excited to taste these after learning Kirk Venge is the consulting winemaker. I'm a big fan of his wines at Venge Vineyards.

The Blend 23 is a mix of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and viognier that smells floral but tastes a bit rich with honeysuckle and citrus. ($40)

The Blend 24 is a cab based blend made Tuscan style with sangiovese. Its a bit earthy with tobacco, cocoa and hint of blueberry. This would be consider B Cellars signature blend. ($55)

Blend 25 is also cabernet based but it is only blended with syrah to produce more robust flavors of jam and pepper. This one, smooth as it already is, definitely has good legs for aging. ($65)

The Synergy Cabernet takes grapes from three vineyards to produce this delightful wine with layers of flavor. The nose once again is a bit floral but the flavors are of cherry, spice and leather. ($65)

All of these wines are small production with intense flavors that will age well. B Cellars winery is about to move to a new location at Oakville Crossroads where there will be a daily Grand Pairing of food and wine for lunch. My reservation is in!

Wine Wednesday; NEW from Whitehall Lane

I've been a long time supporter of wines from Whitehall Lane in Napa Valley, California. So when I found out National Sales Manager Edd Lopez would be in Southwest Florida for a wine dinner at Cru tonight I was super excited. That is until I realized I couldn't go.

When I was invited to join him for lunch at Mereday's in Naples, the car on the roller coaster was back at the top of the track. Just as exciting, finding out Executive Chef and owner, Charles Mereday, is the former Executive Chef at South Seas Resort on Sanibel. I interviewed him when he first came to town. More on his new joint later this week, it is Wine Wednesday after all.

Whitehall Lane is well know for it's outstanding Cabernets among other things. However, they've never produced a blend with all of that good fruit, until now. Tre Leoni is a Cab based blend, made from estate fruit grown in Napa. Seven grapes flow together seamlessly in this new project. It's just being introduced to Florida this week.

Lopez said women were the inspiration for this wine. He used the words finesse and elegance, and that's all I needed to hear. I immediately smelled vanilla in the glass and tasted it too; along with plums and red fruit. There is a hint of cedar on the finish, it is fresh and darn good. Tre Leoni is already sold out at the winery so don't bother trying to order it. You can, however,  find it at Decanted in Naples and Mereday's will be serving it as soon as the delivery truck arrives.

Big thanks to Chef Mereday and his staff along with Heather from Opici Wines for pulling it all together. Happy Wine Wednesday! CHEERS!

Wine Wednesday, Big Basin

Balance is the key to most things in life, wine being one of them. It was the topic at a seminar I attended this week hosted by Premier Beverage and Augustan Wine Imports at Bayfront Bistro on Fort Myers Beach. I'll share more about the event later.

Since it's Wine Wednesday I wanted to feature one of the vineyards I was introduced to during the course of the day; Big Basin. These wines are brand new to Florida and I'm so glad they are here. Only 169 cases were produced of the Coastview Vineyard Pinot Noir ($45). It smelled a little like cola but tasted of raspberry, lots of minerals.

I also really enjoyed Big Basin's Homestead Red; a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. It smelled a bit sticky and juicy. It was a bit acidic with lots of dark fruit and a long delicious, cherry finish. Hate to be a tease, but on the winery website, it is sold out. Call your favorite restaurant or wine store to see if they can get it for you

What's in YOUR glass for Wine Wednesday?? 

Wine Wednesday, Sultry

Jerome is an old mining town in the mountains of Arizona; an odd center of wine culture in a state most people don't typically think of as wine producing. Arizona is more than a vast dessert, there are beautiful mountains, high elevations, volcanic soils and cool evening temperatures; all good for growing grapes.

I tried a number of wines at tasting rooms in Jerome last week but today will stick with ones from Bitter Creek Winery.  I was surprised to see the variety of grapes grown by this winery from Barbera to Pinotage and Tempranillo to Syrah.

Some are named after Tarot Cards such as Queen of Cups and The Fool, with elaborate drawings on the label. The tasting room also pours from sister vineyard, Jerome Winery. These labels stand out with vintage looking photos of winemakers and workers.


One of my favorites of the tasting was Sultry Cellars All Wrapped Up. It is an equal parts blend of Primativo, Malbec, Merlot and Tempranillo. It smells a bit chalky, like the powder of KoolAid or Necco wafer candy. It has fresh flavors of raspberry and blackberry. While enjoyable, I thought it was a bit pricey at $40. Maybe because it is limited production?

Whole Foods carries some of these wines. If you like trying different things, give them a go. The tasting room has a beautiful view of the valley. It will cost you $10 for four pours. It's worth a pit stop if you are in the area.

Wine Wednesday, Sexual Chocolate

When I got an email from my friend Steve this week to taste a wine called Sexual Chocolate I have to admitted i pursed my lips and furrowed my brow wondering what the heck I would be drinking. I could not have been more pleasantly surprised today to sip on this cheeky red blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Petite Syrah.

It wasn't just the wine that got me, but also the lively winemaker, Brandon Allen, on the left. He started making wine in his backyard at the age of 19, while he was in college. Allen says, "I was trying to impress the girls." Hence the name. Before long, his friends started buying the wine, their friends started buying it, their parents started buying it and now people are buying it thousands of miles away, in Southwest Florida.

Allen's goal is to make a wine that is "fun and not pretentious. It is both. The blend is smooth and easy to drink, with lots of dark fruit. It retails for under $30 and you can find it at restaurants like Blue Coyote, Twisted Vine and Yabo in the Fort Myers area, to name a few. Happy Wine Wednesday. CHEERS!

Wine Wednesday, Steelhead Red

I'm working on a wine article about blends and came across this interesting one from the North Coast of California. The Steelhead Red consists mostly of Zinfandel but also Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah.

It was a little hot at first, lots of alcohol in this baby. But as it opened I got more dark berries, some cocoa and easy tannins. Another good BBQ wine in my opinion and an affordable one in the $15 range.

But perhaps best of all, you may just feel better when you drink this wine. Not because of the 14.2% alcohol content, but because a portion of the sales from each bottle helps to fund conservation efforts for the steelhead trout and coho salmon in Northern California. Cheers!

Not Much Bump in "Goosebump"

I do a live broadcast every Wednesday night at The Edison Restaurant and Bar in Fort Myers, FL. It's a wildly popular Ladies Night where the girls drink free vodka and get all kinds of cool freebies. Last night we also got to taste a wine new to our area, Goosebump.

It's a curious blend of Nero d'Avola, Syrah and Merlot. I smelled lots of dark fruit and a little cocoa in the glass. It was pretty jammy; no bump in the Goosebump, just smooth fruit. I was hoping for a little punch from the Syrah but it was more like a poke. Nothing wrong with a poke. :-)

I can see putting a little chill on it and drinking with BBQ chicken at a summer cook-out. I also think it is a good entry into the world of red wines for those friends who can't seem to get passed the whites. Cheers!


***COMMENTS: Thanks to all my Facebook friends for posting so many great comments. Post your comments here as well. Many people tell me they posted and it never showed up. Disappointing for us both. So click comment, type your comment, check the box that says "comment as" then hit post. If a word verification box does not appear next (a scrambled word to retype) your comment did not post. Thanks! 

We Be Big Pimpin' We Be Hangin' with G!

I love changing song lyrics. I also love birthdays! I love them so much my celebration has a one-week minimum. This past weekend I experienced the Yin and Yang of parties. Friday involved everything from bubbly and tequila, to red wine and vodka. Throw in a little dancing on the tables, Taco Bell at 2am and you’ve got a party. (Additional activities will remain confidential to protect the identities of the not so innocent!)

Saturday’s blowout was big pimpin’ at the other end of the spectrum. One of my dearest friends opened his cellar and more than $1200 worth of wine. We were also celebrating the birth of his wife and another wine loving friend.

Not one of the bottles poured had aged less than 10 years; all were red blends or Cabernet Sauvignons. Here’s a short list of the heavy hitters: 2001 Insignia, 2001 Dominus, Artemis, Silver Oak Napa Valley (1999 & 2000) and 2001 Far Niente Oakville.

We lined up the bottles, decanted the wines, poured them one at a time and savored every sniff and swish! I loved the white pepper and coffee on the finish of the Insignia. We enjoyed the Dominus so much we had 2 bottles, each tasted slightly different.

While trying the 1999 Silver Oak one of my friends said, “It’s so good I don’t want to swallow.” Can’t you just hear the pause in conversation and the comments that followed?

My second favorite comment of the evening came after the first bottle of Far Niente, “It tastes better if you pet it.” It was a most memorable night full of laughter, savory food, outstanding wine and priceless friendships! Thank you Jonathan and Ali! "I love you more than my luggage."

Double Fisting It

I love trying wines of the same or similar varietals side-by-side. I also love watching the looks of others at the bar when I gleefully line up two or three glasses to have with dinner. Last night I lined up two big blends while dining at the USS Nemo in Naples. Yes, big red blends at a seafood restaurant!

We picked The Prisoner and the Duckhorn Decoy.

I was interested in trying The Prisoner primarily because it is the first bottling under the winery's new ownership. It was a juicy blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Syrah, Charbono with a touch of Grenache and Malbec. It was velvety with dark fruit and a touch of cocoa.


The Decoy was also juicy but more toasty and spicy with hints of cedar. Its blend consisted of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. I enjoyed The Prisoner but preferred the Decoy with our appetizers: mini tacos of Peking Duck and BBQ Pork.You can order both by the glass at Nemo's

Nemo’s is another one of those restaurants that looks a little suspect from the outside but is stylish and fabulous on the inside. The menu is more exotic than  you would think. Although you can get BBQ Tacos and Veal Sweetbreads, the cuisine is primarily seafood with an Asian flair. The Seabass is some of the best you will find in Southwest Florida! On the Tuesday night I visited, there was standing room only at 7 p.m.  Reservation or not, Nemo's is definitely worth the wait!