Cameron Hughes Lot 321 2010 California Field Blend
Price: $10
Maker: Cameron Hughes Winery, Geyserville, California
Variety: Red Blend
Packaging: 750ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.5%
Our Rating: 9.0 out of 10
Cameron Hughes Lot 321 2010 California Field Blend is a really, really nice wine for a mere ten bucks. It's a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Carignane. Its aroma includes berries and licorice. The Zin is the predominant grape, and on the palate the first impression is lots of fruit - blueberries and raspberries. But then, the flavor expands into a rich complexity, with chocolate and chewy tannins. If you like complex Zins that exhibit good fruit without being simple and too sweet, you'll like Lot 321.
Amazon & Online Wine Sales
Reports today suggest that Amazon is targeting the wine market as ripe for picking. According to the Wall Street Journal, the ecommerce giant held a workshop earlier this week that was attended by 100 wineries.
Stackable, Prefilled Wine Glasses
Wine merchants are always trying to come up with novel and convenient packages, and Stacked Wines has done just that: a 187ml container that is shaped like a stemless wine glass. The containers stack securely, and four of them are equivalent to a standard 750 ml bottle of wine. That's a slightly larger pour than you'd get at your local restaurant, but I suspect they'll get few complaints.
Stacked describes their container, dubbed Vinoware:
Vendi Pinot Grigio 2009
Price: $6
Maker: CL Dolo, Italy
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Packaging: Bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 12%
Our Rating: 8.2 out of 10
Vendi Pinot Grigio 2009 Delle Venezie isn't typical of the varietal. It's pale straw color doesn't lead you to expect an overwhelmingly fruity taste. Its flavors are pear and tropical fruit, and this wine is far less dry than most Pinot Grigios. Light acidity clears the palate, preventing it from being overly cloying.
Barefoot Zinfandel (Update)
Price: $5
Maker: Barefoot Cellars, Modesto, California
Variety: Zinfandel
Packaging: Bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10
It's been five years since we looked at Barefoot Zinfandel (non-vintage), and it's good to know that not much has changed with this very inexpensive wine.
Buying Wine at Sam’s Club
I've always found Sam's Club to be a good place to buy wine. They have an interesting, if limited, selection ranging from inexpensive, mass-market wines to pricier fare. Some of their best offerings are inexpensive wines that are hard to find elsewhere. For example, after trying one bottle of the rather amazing Cameron Hughes Lot 250 Meritage 2009 that cost a mere $8, I hustled back for another half-dozen bottles. That wine is a one-shot deal - when it's gone, it's gone.
Wine Gift Ideas
I love this season, because all sorts of wonderful wine accessories pop up in stores. Plus, it's a time of year when you can get something a little odd or extravagant. I searched my own accessories plus a variety of sites to come up with some clever ideas for a few wine-lover oriented gifts!
Tilia Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Price: $9
Winery: Tilia, Mendoza, Argentina
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, screw cap
Alcohol: 13.9%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Perhaps the strongest appeal of Tilia Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 is the ripe berry and licorice nose. On the palate, it combines cherry, red berry, and woody notes with an reasonably long finish. It's on the light side for a Cab, though I didn't really see the sweetness that a few reviewers noticed. This Cab definitely improves with some air. Despite aerating and a little breathing, the first sips were a bit harsh and not all that flavorful. An hour or two later, the wine was more pleasant and pleasantly drinkable. At first taste, I was thinking a sub-8.0 rating on my personal scale of 10, but after the wine sat for a while I found it more to my liking.
How Long is Boxed Wine Good?
How long does box wine last?
One of the huge advantages of boxed wine is that it lasts for a month or even more after being opened. This makes it very practical for glass-a-day drinkers who would find storing partially opened bottle wine problematic or wasteful. But, box wines aren't perfect - it turns out that the bag-in-box packaging is very slightly permeable to oxygen, and after a period of time the wine will oxidize and darken.
Cameron Hughes Lot 250 Meritage 2009
Price: $8
Winery: Cameron Hughes Wine, Geyserville, California
Varietal: Meritage
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.6%
Our Rating: 9.0 out of 10
Cameron Hughes Lot 250 Meritage 2009 is a big, tasty red wine! It is fruity up front, with cherry and blueberry flavors, but maintains some complexity as it eases into a long, peppery finish with chewy tannins. If there's a flaw, it's that the nose is surprisingly minimal. It's a Meritage, which means it's a red blend that must adhere to a set of specifications.