I’m dreaming of the Italian countryside with my bottle of 2008 La Tancia Sangiovese

There are a few wine varietals that just take you away to a specific region just by mentioning the name. France has its Bordeaux and Burgundy and Italy has Chianti and Sangiovese. With my latest wine selection I’m whisked away to the Italian countryside with a wedge of cheese, a loaf of bread and with a nice bottle of 2008 La Tancia Sangiovese. Too bad I’m really just sitting on my couch but the wine is still delightful.

In my younger years I would have described this as someone swept up the attic and bottled it. As my palate and my senses have matured, I recognize this as a nice well balanced dry wine. The aromas are intoxicating as they tease the senses you know this could be the start of something good. The flavors are full bodied with lots of Earthy flavors. While it’s very dry, it’s still very well balanced and easy drinking.

I only had one glass the first night (I must have been ill or something) and on the second night the flavors had become much tamer as the wine was allowed to breath. I don’t advocate opening all red wines and allowing them to breathe as you may actually be missing out on the best features of that wine. So if you open a bottle of wine and feel the flavors are a little unbalanced, leave the bottle open or pour into a glass and let it rest for a few minutes. Swirling may even smooth the flavors and you can enjoy immediately.

Either consumed the same night or the night after, found at ABC Fine Wine & Liquor for $8.99, I think I’ll purchase this bottle again and enjoy with that cheese and bread I was dreaming about.

2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.

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Toasted Pheasant and Truchard Vineyards wine maker’s dinner

What exactly goes into a well orchestrated wine maker’s dinner? Well, good food and good wine are the obvious answer but it takes a little bit more finesse to pull off a dinner that must pair well enough to highlight a wineries selections. On a recent Wednesday Tampa’s own Toasted Pheasant and Truchard Vineyards nailed both components. Chef Peter prepared a five course meal that married beautifully with wine maker Anthony Truchard’s II five wine selections. Five courses with five wines for only $45, talk about budget friendly.

In a Carrollwood area over flowing with eateries, it was a pleasure to see every seat filled in the small French Bistro style restaurant. Toasted Pheasant doesn’t just concentrate on well prepared and creative culinary meals but also has a strong emphasis on wine and the wine experience. In January the bistro hosted a Beaujolais nouveau dinner on the day of the young wines release. Another wine maker’s dinner is planned in February around Valentines Day with an Italian wine maker.

Truchard Vineyards is a family-owned winery in the Carneros region of Napa Valley, where owners Anthony Truchard I and his wife Jo Ann have run the winery for over 30 years. A converted barn, serves as the winery and the symbol for the vineyard. The Truchard family originated from France and settled down in Houston in the 1885. After realizing Houston was not conducive to wine making, the later generations sought a climate more suitable to grape growing in Napa Valley. After years of growing grapes for other wineries, Truchard began making their own wine in 1989. The grapes are grown in a European style with more acidity than others and with close to 400 acres, Truchard is the largest family owned winery in the area.

The dinner began with seafood bisque paired with Truchard Rousanne, a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc made in a Northern Rhone style. The flavors were clean and crisp with hints of apple. Course two consisted of a Poricini mushroom and chicken ravioli paired with Truchard Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir was in a Burgundy style with Earthy aromas and a subtle and elegant finish. The salad and main course of duck confit were paired with Truchard Chardonnay and Truchard Cabernet Franc respectively. The Chardonnay consistently scores 90 pts or higher from Wine Spectator. The Cabernet Franc is only sold at the winery and in the state of Florida. The dinner ended with a dark chocolate truffle paired with Truchard Merlot made in a Bordeaux style with floral aromas and a smooth mouthfeel.

Toasted Pheasant has many budget friendly wine events throughout the year. While they do have an events section on their website, it’s best to sign up for their emails as you’ll be one of the first to know about these great bargain basement dinners and wine pairs. In addition to the great meal, many times you’ll be able to purchase the wines at a discounted price when many of the wines are never sold outside the winery.

Toasted Pheasant, located at 14445 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa, FL, 33618.

2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.
http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/
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It’s time for some Chilean wine

Let me start by saying I really love Chilean wines and tonight’s wine choice, a 2008 120 Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon, is no exception. The region’s long history of viticulture dates back to the 16th century. In the 1980’s stainless steel fermentation tanks were introduced along with the use of oak barrels for aging. This resurgence truly primed the region for both inexpensive and expensive great tasting wines.

The colors are a ruby red with hues of purple, aromas are full leather, currants and black pepper. Flavors are boasting of berries and a touch of spiciness. Good mouthfeel with smooth tannins and a nice oak flavor on the finish. This is one I’ll be picking up again.

Technical Details :

pH: 3.72

acidity: 3.19 g/l (exp. sulfuric acid)

alcohol: 13,9 % vol

residual sugar: 2.6 g/l

Santa Rita was founded in 1880 by Domingo Fernández Concha in the area of Alto Jahuel where the main winery is still located. He introduced French varieties, winemakers and the most advanced winemaking techniques. In 1980, Grupo Claro acquired the Santa Rita property, introducing technological improvements and wine elaboration techniques unknown in Chile at that time.

In the late 1980’s, Chili experienced a winemaking resurgence due to the low cost of labor, mostly disease free conditions and the mild climate. All of these factors allowed the region to produce and ship inexpensive wines to the United States with the familiar Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay labels. The number of wineries has grown over time with just 12 in 1995 to over 70 in 2005. Chile is now the fourth largest exporter of wines to the United States.
Next time you’re at your local wine store or any store with a decent wine selection, step away from the California wines (just for a little while anyway) and look for some of the great Chilean wines. I have many more at home just waiting to be opened, consumed and hopefully enjoyed.

I found this wine at ABC Fine Wine & Liquor for less than $9.99.

2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.

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2007 Chateau Montet Bordeaux

It’s pizza night at my house, that’s the night we make pizza dough from scratch and clean out the fridge. Thinking a nice Bordeaux will pair perfectly with the pizza.

Classic Bordeaux aroma of oak and leather, already I can tell this wine is going to be dry, dry, dry. Soft fruit flavors and high tannins swirl around the palate providing for a nice but somewhat short finish.

My biggest problem with the European wines is the lack of online information. All I can tell you is on the back label. Seems the winery has been run by a family of women for seven generations. Their main goal is to produce quality wine using control yields, strict supervision over the winemaking process.

If you like the classic dryness of a Bordeaux, this wine won’t disappoint. I found this one at Total Wine for less than $9.

2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.

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Marnier family wines, hit me with your best shot

Throughout my months of tastings, there were some wines that were awful, some that were drinkable and fine for that night and then there are those that are added to my rotating wine repertoire. Tonight’s wine a 2007 Lapostolle Casa Cabernet Sauvignon from Rapel Valley, Chili, is definitely one I will be purchasing again.

The color is a deep decadent ruby red with aromas chock full of ripe plums, figs, vanilla and oak. Flavors are smooth with just a hint of dryness along with luscious raspberries createing a great long lasting finish.

Lapostolle is a joint venture between the Marnier-Lapostolle family from France and the Rabat family from Chile. That is the same Marnier family famous for the liqueur Grand Marnier. The Marnier-Lapostolle family was looking for a new venture when they discovered the Clos Apalta vineyard located in Colchagua, Rapel Valley. In the previous century, original French cuttings were on the vineyard and are still healthy and growing to this day, making this a Chilean wine with a French lineage.

Lapostolle makes wine under three other labels and operates and owns three vineyards producing around 200,000 cases a year. The Casa Cabernet Sauvignon is made up of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah, 5% Carmenere and 2% Cabernet Franc. Grapes are hand harvested in April then aged for seven months in oak barrels.


If I can find the other labels and they fall into my price range, I’ll be sure to let everyone know. I found this wine at a local wine store for $9.99.

2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.

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Kiwi Cuvee Pinot Noir is it Northwestern or New Zealand? Neither, it’s French

When I see Pinot Noir by default I think Oregon, Washington or California. When I see Kiwi, I think New Zealand or maybe Australian. So when I saw 2008 Kiwi Cuvee Pinot Noir was a French wine, I didn’t know what to think.

Colors in the glass are a deep Garnet; aromas are lightly filled with berries and a hint of cherry. The flavor is thin like so many inexpensive Pinot Noirs but it is well balanced with a hint of sweetness hitting mid-palate and light but lingering tannins on the finish.

Kiwi Cuvee is bottled by Lacheteau in France’s Loire Valley and derives its Kiwi Cuvee name as it's produced in a modern style based on New Zealand Pinot Noirs. Lacheteau owns and monitors over one hundred estates in the Loire Valley. The wine was produced under the 2007 classification Vin de pays Vignobles de France. In 2007 France’s national organization for fruit, vegetables wine and horticulture voted for a new wine category allowing the blending of varietals to be classified as more than table wine. This ruling met with some objection and was annulled in 2009.

One of my New Years resolutions was to find more inexpensive wines outside of the US. I found this wine for $8.99 and it’s not bad for an everyday wine.

2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.

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The Italian connection, Poggio San Pietro

I often find the Italian wines in my price range, aka cheap Italian wines, to be extremely dry for my palate. You know when the dryness hits you and makes you click your tongue on the roof of your mouth kind of dry. Well last night I cracked up a bottle of 2008 Aziende Piazzini Poggio San Pietro Toscana to see if my tongue would react the same as with most of these styles of Italian reds.

Typical of the Sangiovese style, it was on the dry side but it was also light on the tongue and I have to wonder if it would mellow out a little after a few years of bottle aging. Colors were a garnet red in the glass, red cherries, berries and oak caress the nose. Tannins are bold and hit you right off and an unbalanced finish lingers long after you’ve put the glass down.

Wine: 2008 Aziende Piazzini Poggio San Pietro Toscana IGT
Type: Red
Producer: Aziende Piazzini
Varietal: Sangiovese
Designation: Poggio San Pietro
Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Appellation: Toscana IGT

I was unable to find a website or any additional info on Poggio San Pietro so you’ll just have to experience this for yourself. Priced at around $6.99 it's worth the experiment. It’s a decent everyday table red but I think I will have to try a higher end Italian wine very soon.

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Baby it's cold outside, perfect time to warm your insides with port wines

This past Christmas my Father-In-Law sent us a bottle of W.& J. Graham’s 20 year aged Tawny Port. I must confess, ports are a wine I have overlooked in the past but after just one sip of that warming liquid, that has all changed. Lucky for me and you, this is truly the perfect time of year to dabble in a little Port tasting. With the temperatures dropping, fire pit going strong, sweaters and gloves donned, a few sips of Port will truly warm your soul.

Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine meaning the wine has been blended with Brandy. In the latter part of the sixteenth century, red wines from Portugal were shipped to Britain only to discover the wines did not travel well. The British market grew tired of the poorly exported wines and the Portuguese king didn’t want to lose this potential financial windfall. Long story short, a monastery in Douro frequently added brandy to stop the ongoing fermentation. The blend produced a thick, sweet, high alcohol wine that Britain loved.

After some arguments with the British over adulterated port wine, Jose de Carvhallo e Mello, established the first government controlled regional demarcation for wine production in Portugal. Much like Champagne, to be called a port, the fortified wine must come from Portugal. There are several styles of port, too many really to list here, but I’ll cover a few.

Barrel-aged ports:
Tawny ports are wines made from red grapes that are aged in wooden barrels, gradually turning a golden-brown color.
Colheita is a Tawny port from a single vintage and will mention the actual year on the bottle.
Bottle-aged ports:
Ruby port is the most inexpensive style of port. After fermentation it’s stored in tanks and does not improve with age.
Reserve port is a premium Ruby port approved by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto.


Port doesn’t come cheap but then again nothing is when aged for 10, 20 or 30 years. So go ahead and imbibe, it’s a fine sipping wine which means the bottle can easily last up to six months after opening. Pair with some pungent and great tasting cheese and enjoy.

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