Thanksgiving Wine Picks from our Blog!

Sure, you might think pairing wine with Thanksgiving is a difficult task, but it doesn't have to be! There is such a wide variety of foods, from turkey (white and dark meat) to sweet potatoes to stuffing. The trick is to find wines that are versatile, so the wine and food compliment each other, elevating both the flavors of the wine and food.

To you red-wine drinkers: Take a break from your cabernet if that's your usual suspect. Lighter varietals like Pinot Noir compliment well without overpowering the dishes. To you white-wine drinkers: You're in luck, white wines are easier to match with Thanksgiving foods. This might also open you up to the lighter bodied reds that you wouldn't normally think of trying! To everyone: This could be an opportunity to expand your palates!

Many of these wines are widely distributed, so you should be able to find them. If not, try something similar! Rhode Islanders, no excuses! You should be able to find these everywhere!

2008 St. Ludwin Riesling - Our top pick for Thanksgiving. This riesling will stand up to the wide variety of delicious dishes on Turkey day! Even white wine naysayers will enjoy this wine. Bursting with flavor!

2009 A to Z Pinot Noir - Excellent Red to pair with your diner. Medium in body, it will pair well with just about everything on your table. It's spicy and loaded with black cherry!

2008 Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages - We originally passed on this red wine, but we think it'll go great with Thanksgiving dinner. It boasts a medium body packed with cranberries! Pretty interesting now that I think about it, in the spirit of Thanksgiving anyways!

2009 Hunt Country Vineyards Valvin Muscat - The flavors were bursting with juicy ripe peaches, grassy notes, and slate. The wine had good mouthfeel--dry with a long finish--similar to Dry Riesling. Truly a delightful white wine your guests will love!

2009 Big House White - Refreshing white wine with just enough citrus, honey and spice to go well with your bird and sides! Oh, and you don't need to buy it in a box; it comes in bottle!

2009 Newport Vineyards Select Riesling - Yet another great riesling for Thanksgiving! Again, riesling is a very versatile wine when pairing with food for the holiday. This one in particular makes Rhode Island proud!

2008 Dona Paula Estate Malbec - This red from Argentina will be great for your red-wine drinkers. Its medium body and black cherry flavors serve as a wonderful pairing for Thanksgiving dinner. This is a great wine by itself and could be even better when paired with a meal!

2005 La Vieille Ferme Cotes du Ventoux - Layers of different flavors make this French red wine a wonderful pairing for your turkey dinner. A bit of earth, raspberries, cherries, and herbs make this a great candidate for your pairing!

2009 Le Grand Pinot NoirThe only decent pinot noir that we've found under $20. The flavors are intriguing enough without being overpowering for your meal. It can create a very nice balance with dinner.

2007 Bonterra Vineyards Zinfandel - Spicy, full bodied Zinfandels can pair very well with dinner. It may run the risk of overpowering some of your dishes, but its richness will surely pair well with most recipes.

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Fun Halloween Wines!

Halloween is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with SPOOKY SCARY wines? Add a twist to your Halloween party with wines your guests will surely enjoy!



1) The Big Red Monster Wine - We thought this was a great wine with a great label to boot! From the winemaker: In the nose, the wine exhibits aromas of ripe plum, cherries and raspberries with a hint of rhubarb. In the mouth these aromas carry over in the flavors with added nuances of chocolate and spice. Great full structure and mouth feel.




2) Apothic Red California Blend - One of our all time favorites, this blend of syrah, zinfandel and merlot is a treat and definite crowd pleaser! From the winemaker: Apothic Red reveals intense fruit aromas and flavors of rhubarb and black cherry that are complemented by hints of mocha, chocolate, brown spice and vanilla. The plush, velvety mouthfeel and smooth finish round out this intriguing, full-bodied red blend.

3) Casillero del Diablo Reserva Wines - A sure thing at your Halloween party! These Chilean varietals offer flavors for every taste, pleasing all (or most!) of your guests! The story behind the name of these wines is spooky enough itself. From the winemaker: A Premium wine line elaborated with selected grapes from the richest Chilean valleys. Each creation expresses all the essence and core features of its variety, in a blend of bouquets, flavors and style worked on with delicacy.

4) Seven Deadly Zins Zinfandel - Super smoky and delicious! You'll be a fan of this wine if you like full-bodied wines and smoky flavors. From the winemaker: A sinful blend indeed! Our flagship Zinfandel was devised by the two Phillips brothers in their search for a blended Zin so captivating that no one could refuse.




5) R Wines EVIL Cabernet Sauvignon - A must have for your Halloween gathering! Pure EVIL! From the winemaker: Dark rich red, with bright crimson hues. Fresh, yet rich classic varietal nose, consisting of black olive, fresh blackberries and raspberries. The soft palate displays complexity of fruit and oak, with blackcurrant and spicy clove characters, balanced with a fine tannin finish.


6) Stephen Vincent Crimson - Another one of our favorites, this full-bodied syrah, petite syrah, and cabernet blend is excellent! The fruit forward flavors and toasted oak is delicious! From the winemaker: he 2010 Crimson has a rich nose of ripe, dark berries, dark chocolate, and a black tea mineral essence, followed by beautifully earthy ripe plum and blackberry flavors, accented with hints of cassis and toasty French and American oak.



We hope you enjoyed our Halloween Selections; we think they'll make your party or gathering that much more fun! Use the "Share" buttons below to share with friends and family!

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Great Wines for July 4th!

A day on which we celebrate our Independence could only be better with the perfect glass of wine! The key to choosing the right VINO for your 4th of July bash is dependent on a few aspects the party. Is it a cookout or indoors? Are you having a few close friends, or will there be 20+ party goers? Is there a main "entree" (e.g., a pig roast!), or a smorgasbord of cookout fare? We hope to extinguish all your worries when picking up the "right" wine. Check out our Top 4th of July Picks below!

2007 Bonterra Vineyards Zinfandel
This is an organic wine from Mendocino County in California. Lovely nose--raspberries and strawberries with some nice meatiness and earth! Ripe black cherries, plums, dark chocolate along with a little toasted oak make for a wonderfully balanced wine. The mouthfeel is excellent, with subtle tannins, great structure, and lingering finish. It's great on its own, but would pair even better with BBQ or Steak! For $12, this wouldn't break the bank at your gathering!

Body: Medium to Full
Pairing: Barbecue anything, Hamburgers, Grilled Steak
Approximate Cost: $12-14

2010 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc
Holy grass! Something that's very common in New Zealand Sauvignon blancs, this white from Cupcake isn't shy about its herbaceous grass aromas! We found lots of pear and peaches on the nose, too. Very nice aromas all together! This sauv blanc reminds us of Summer! We tasted super juicy peaches, pears and granny-smith apples and that wonderful freshly cut grass. The mouthfeel is great: smooth, yet crisp with great acidity! This isn't a very complex wine, but could easily be a crowd pleaser. It's just simply delicious. Perfect party wine! For $8, any downfalls are easily outweighed by the tastiness! It's an exceptional value. The cool crispness of this Sauv Blanc is sure to please at any cookout!

Body: Light to Medium
Pairing: Lobster, Crab, Steamers, Grilled Vegetables, Grilled Chicken Breast
Approximate Cost: $8-10

2006 Cruz Andina Malbec
This Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina is super dark, almost like ink! We got aromas of dark ripe fruits and mocha. Pretty good nose! We tasted black currants, blackberries, chocolate--all wrapped in a nice level of oak and vanilla. It had a very good mouthfeel with tight firm tannins! This malbec is rounded and smooth. The finish is long, and paired very well with our big Texas BBQ dinner! It was a crowd favorite for sure! For $20 you're getting a decently complex rich wine with delicious flavors. We'd suggest you save this for a smaller gathering if that's what you're planning. Unless, of course, you can afford stocking up for a big party, go for it!

Body: Full
Pairing: Barbecue Spare Ribs, Grilled Steaks, Short Ribs
Approximate Cost: $19-20

2003 Chateau Tour de Guiet - Cotes de Bourg
Heavy flowers on the nose--take a huge whiff in the glass and it's like sticking your nose into a bouquet of flowers! We taste a lot of interesting flavors in this Bordeaux! Rose petals, permanent markers, plums, moss and driftwood dominate the flavor. Its medium body is soaked in fine tannins! This is a really great approachable QPR from Bordeaux, where you'll rarely get decent wines for $12. The crowd loved it, which makes it an even better value. This wine will pair well with most appetizers and entrees, and is inexpensive enough to stock up on!

Body: Medium
Pairing: Could be approached by anything!
Approximate Cost: $11-12

2009 Big House White
Box Wine? This isn't Franzia! Here we have a 3L box of 2009 Big House White, a blend of Malvasia, viognier, gruner veltliner, pinot gris, riesling, and gewurztraminer! What a mouthful... Of delicious flavors, that is! The wine is well rounded with just the right of acidity and length. I get a lot of peaches, pears, melon, a little honey, and a tiny bit of citrus. This is a very interesting wine, featuring layers and layers of flavors. VERY serviceable for about $17. Don't forget, this is for 3L. Chill this in the fridge and let 'er rip! Expecting a lot of people? Grab one (or two)!

Body: Medium
Pairing: Hot Dogs, Pig Roast
Approximate Cost: $16-19

2008 Doña Paula Estate Malbec
Black cherries and herbs dominate this wine, along with a hints of oak and delicate tannins. It's medium bodied with an unusually long finish. Good to PAIR WITH pork, grilled chicken, or a night in front of the TV--and for only $12 a bottle, you can afford to do just that! This is another wine that will fit with almost any party. It's inexpensive, pairs well with most, and tasty!

Body: Medium to Full
Pairing: Pig Roast, Grilled Chicken, Grilled Pork Chops
Approximate Cost: $12-14

2006 Cosentino 'The Zin'
Definite crowd pleaser! We've tried this wine on numerous occasions, and it has been a hit each time. Dark, full bodied, and delicious!! The Zin displays some really nice juicy (almost jammy) ripe blackberries, creamy smoothness, delicate tannins, and long finish. Layers of complexity keep you going back for more. Don't be alarmed by its alcohol content (15.1%) either, as its balance is unreal for such a high level! It's $20 per bottle, so it may work better for smaller gatherings.

Body: Full
Pairing: Barbecue anything, Grilled Steak
Approximate Cost: $20-22

2007 Alamos Torrontes
The increasingly popular Torrontes grape shines in this wine. Unbelievable color. It's crisp and refreshing, with a little apricot and citrus. It has a fantastically long finish, rounding out a very well balanced white. If you want a white to drink this summer, THIS is it! Don't drink many whites? Give this one a try; it'll be the TRUE test. Oh yeah... and it's only $10! A lot of people will ask first what Torrontes is, and they'll leave your party knowing it and loving it! Body: Light to Medium
Pairing: Seafood! Lobster, especially!
Approximate Cost: $10-11

2007 Spier Discover Steen
We're huge fans of this wine! At about $8, this Chenin Blanc offers medium body, citrus and grassy notes, nice crisp acidity, and decent finish. Please do yourself a favor and try this wine from Spier; it's a hit! If you're having seafood at your party, this would be your wine.

Body: Light to Medium
Pairing: Seafood! Lobster, especially!
Approximate Cost: $8-10

We hope you enjoy these wines! If you have any questions about a wine you're thinking of getting, drop us a line! Cheers and Happy 4th!

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2007 Bonterra Vineyards Zinfandel

This is an organic wine from Mendocino County in California. Lovely nose--raspberries and strawberries with some nice meatiness and earth!

Ripe black cherries, plums, dark chocolate along with a little toasted oak make for a wonderfully balanced wine. The mouthfeel is excellent, with subtle tannins, great structure, and lingering finish. It's great on its own, but would pair even better with BBQ or steak! $12 by the way! Excellent QPR! Top Pick!

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2004 Sebastiani Zinfandel

This Dry Creek Valley zin had some really interesting characteristics on the nose that intrigued me. We smelled some dry-erase marker with some really nice herbal notes right off the bat.

Had a nice mouth feel, full body, and fine tuned tannins. Tasted a ton of dark chocolate-covered raspberries and blackberries, along with some subtle oak tones. There was a little bit of heat that went away after being opened for awhile. It went really well with these chocolate truffle style cheesecake balls that we were served for dessert.

At about $23 a bottle, there ARE better values, especially for zinfandel. This is a pretty good effort, though, on Sebastiani's part. I'm torn between a 3/5 and 4/5. You be the judge... though I'd probably tell you to take your money elsewhere, more specifically for a similar full bodied zin reviewed here: Cosentino The Zin

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2008 The Other Guys Plungerhead Zinfandel

This is a nice medium to full body RED (I say it like that because many people think Zinfadel is only a rose/blush wine). We found some nice smokey flavors, along with oak, spices, and ripe fruits. It stands out with a nice balance of flavors and a VERY long finish! In our journey of tasting Zinfandels, this proves to be one of the better ones. At about $15, a bottle of Plungerhead is a pretty good value. PAIR THIS with grilled meats, hamburgers, pizza, or pasta!

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2006 Cosentino 'The Zin'

Definite crowd pleaser! We've tried this wine on numerous occasions, and it has been a hit each time. Dark, full bodied, and delicious!! The Zin displays some really nice juicy (almost jammy) ripe blackberries, creamy smoothness, delicate tannins, and long finish. Layers of complexity keep you going back for more. Don't be alarmed by its alcohol content (15.1%) either, as its balance is unreal for such a high level! This zinfandel would go excellent with bbq chicken, beef, or just as well without food! Even at about $20, it's an excellent QPR! We don't give out many 5/5's, but this deserves it.

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2007 7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel

This tasted like a Campfire!!! Very smokey! This is definitely an interesting wine! It's not your typical zinfandel, and while many people wouldn't like this (the smoke flavor), there are plenty that would. Pair with grilled meats and you'll be good to go.

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