Tre Amici - 2008 - Witch Creek Winery

Diversify your wine collection. Show some love to our wineries down south!

Witch Creek Winery, located in Carlsbad, sources grapes from Baja California, Mexico.

Last night I opened a bottle of their Tre Amici, and it exuded earthy aromas, inky-rich juices, and just the right amount of tannins.

Although, it doesn't give you a sense of San Diego or Mexico the way corona bottles do (you wouldn't imagine people relaxing on a hot, sunny, humid beach with this wine), but the wine does have a unique quality to it.

When you taste it, it's not Paso, or Napa, or even Temecula. It's something different, something special, something worth owning, and something DEFINITELY worth drinking.

Vina Robles - Red4 - Paso Robles

Table Wine.

Weak, quick finish, light-bodied, unimpressive.
Tastes cheap.

Technically, Vina Robles' Red4 is a "table wine", but I REFUSE to label it that way.

A Rhone blend - Syrah, Petite Syrah, and splashes of Grenache and Mourvedre - which is a hearty, medium-bodied wine with a soft, yet memorable, combination of dark fruit, cinnamon&spice, and the good ol' earth. The flavors and aroma have no notes of "cheap table wine"; you would think it's much more expensive than it actually is.

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Winery: Vina Robles
Location: Paso Robles
Wine Label: Red4
Price: $14

Milan Vineyards - Toganga Triad - 2008

Creating wine - the dream can be accomplished at the Camarillo Custom Crush Winery in Ventura County. Imagine walking into this crushpad and discussing your vision for your ideal wine with the winemaker. He suggests where to purchase grapes and reviews the best process of barreling with you, and in months to a year, your wine is ready for bottling with your own custom label! Best of all, it's all done at this Winery for you.

What I admire about this crushpad is that it promotes wine created from local grapes (Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu, and Topanga Canyon). Many new wineries are using this venue to get their labels off the ground until they can afford their own locations for barreling.

As you walk in the the Crush Winery, you may taste a variety of wines that are produced here.

We came across the Milan Vineyards' Topanga Triad, which was inspiring, complex, and flavorful. 65% Syrah and 30% Grenache exudes a lot of fruit with a nice round-off of earthiness, provided by the 5% Mourvedre, to finish off the taste. At $18 a bottle, we purchased 2 because we knew it would not be conveniently, readily available elsewhere.

Our local wines need more maturing, promoting, and aging but I'm proud of the direction they're heading.

Turnbull - "Old Bull" - Napa Valley

As my wine hobby grows, and I fantasize about immersing myself in the business. To learn details on how to get started, I sat through a Wine Business 101 lecture held by Ian Blackburn (LearnAboutWine).

Blackburn gave a lot of useful facts and anecdotes to clear up my questions, and I realized that I'd rather keep my day job and have wine remain as a hobby. I think I need that separation, I need that contrast. There is nothing like a great wine trip to look forward to to get you through the day. What if I had a career in wine? After all that stress would I really be looking forward to more wine?

It's true that there are plenty of people who build their lifestyles around wine and love it. Perfect example, our instructor, Ian Blackburn. His journey with the wine business has been a roller coaster, but his heights made staying in the business worth it.

To refer back to the class, we tasted plenty of wine, including a bottle of self-blended pinot noir (left over wines mixed in one bottle). But one that stood out was "Old Bull" by Turnbull winery. 

In response to the economy, Turn Bull released a bottle that the average person can purchase and enjoy ($19.99). The varietals are a mystery - a red blend with qualities of dark berries with a touch of cinnomin and spice. Full, easy to drink, and glamorous (Turnbull's reds usually begin at $35, and although the "Old Bull" is only $19.99, you still taste all the qualities that make Turnbull and expensive brand).

Maybe I'll change my mind about pursuing the wine business as my experiences deepen. 'Til then, writing about wine (for pleasure) is enough to keep the mind afloat.

Cline - "Cashmere" red wine - Sonoma - '08

Retail price: $16.99

When drinking red wine, you may notice grittiness on your tongue, notes of grape skin and seeds in your mouth, and a sensation to smack your lips at the end of the sip. Those feelings are "tannins."

Tannins of wine are similar to the bitterness of coffee, the hoppiness of beer, the stinkiness of cheese.

An acquired taste. Something you eventually learn to appreciate.

Too much of the above qualities shows carelessness in the craftsman. Just enough reminds what specialty food is taken, is enjoyed.

I once went to a food tasting in which I had a chocolate that eliminates tannins. True. Unrefined, unripe tannins can sometimes make a wine undrinkable, but you need to feel the tannins to understand the craftsmanship, or carelessness, of the wine maker.

So this leads me to describe Cline "Cashmere" red wine.  SMOOTH Rhone Blend (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre). The ripeness of red and dark purple fruit without the heaviness or viscosity. Instead, soft and light on your tongue. The winemaker really took time to experiment and make the absence of tannins possible.

This does not mean I dislike tannins - it adds a layer (or two) of interest on the wine. As for my coffee, I drink it black. Don't even get me started on why I can't stand Coors Light. And, hey- I like stinky cheese.

But it's cold outside, and I'm going to turn on my heater, curl up with a blanket on my couch, and warm my mouth with some "Cashmere".