Beware of supermarket wine "sales"

I'm still upset about this. Today, I stopped by a local supermarket to check out their "one day, 20% off" wine sale. Now, I know this store and I generally keep track of their stock and prices and I was disappointed to discover that along with the 20% discount, a shocking number of the wines had seen price increases from previous week of around...20%. To the observant eye there were very few wines that turned out to be really good deals, most were no lower than you could find on any other day of the year. But the allure of a discount is a powerful thing, as I discovered later that evening when I stopped by the store again to pick up something for dinner. To my even greater shock, the wine aisle was full...full of people taking advantage of the "sale"; buying wine by the case. Buyer beware. There are loads of good deals out there (I have been particularly impressed by uncorkdeals.com), but supermarket wine isles can often be misleading because the "retail" price (which you almost never pay) is artificially high, often higher than you would pay at the winery. So, let's say you have your favorite wine X and the price on the shelf says that it's price is "normally" 15 bucks. But this week the supermarket is running an advertised special that marks wine X down to 12.99. Now, on top of that they have a one day 20% off sale. That brings the price of wine X down to 10.39. Wow! That's a great deal, right? It is unless you happen know that discount stores routinely sell wine X for 8.99. Compared to 15 dollars, 10 seems like a nice savings, but the deception is that no one in their right mind pays 15.00 for wine X. Don't be fooled by great savings on artificially high prices. The blessing and curse of supermarket wine pricing is that it is constantly changing. Which means that sometimes you can find a really super deal and at other times you can get taken to the cleaners. And a lot of folks today got the feeling of a great deal without really getting one. This explains why, at times, supermarkets can afford to sell wine below their cost. They make up for it later. Do your homework on your favorite wines and watch for a good price, not a good sale.   

Why I love WLTV...

Wine as freedom and grace

"Wine represents and encourages this elevated life beyond necessity and calculating rationality. Its very existence depends on surplus; one does not ferment the grapes or grain needed for survival. At a meal, too, it is a sign of freedom and grace, and also their cause. Offered to guests it betokens easy generosity, demonstrating that one clearly has more than the necessities for oneself. Indeed - to reconnect this discussion of the human food more explicitly to the humanizing custom of hospitality - drinking wine with someone goes beyond breaking bread. For wine permits and encourages us to let down our guard, to be at ease and in intimate communion with one another; the offer of wine expresses trust in and desire for such intimacy. For only with certain kinds of people, those who already are or we hope will become our friends, do we let wine dissolve our prudent caution. If basic hospitality, as was said, is an assertion against the dog-eat-dog character of the world, sharing a bottle of wine lifts us to the next step: the assertion of the friend-loves-friend possibility of the world, of human intimacy founded on more than common neediness." The Hungry Soul - Leon Kass

Wine tasting...

From a friend...

A meal as a rite

"A meal is still a rite - the last 'natural sacrament' of family and friendship, of life that is more than 'eating' and 'drinking.' To eat is still something more than to maintain bodily functions. People may not understand what that 'something more' is, but they nonetheless desire to celebrate it...they are still hungry and thirsty for sacramental life." For the Life of the World - Alexander Schmemann

"Try before you buy" may change the way you buy wine

Recently, uncorkdeals.com rolled out a new "try before you buy" program. Like many discount wine sites, uncorkdeals offers great discounts and free shipping on 6 or more bottles. But if you are like me, I'm reticent to commit to 6+ bottles without having tasted the wine even if it is a great deal. Now that problem is solved. Uncorkdeals will send you a half case or a full case and let you try the wine before deciding if you want to keep it. If you don't enjoy it, they will send you return shipping and you can send them back the remaining bottles. Free shipping both directions and you only pay for the bottle you tasted. Now that is a great deal and great customer service.

Kiona Cabernet/Merlot 2004

This is was great find. Every once in a while the great ten dollar wine hunt turns up a gem. The folks at Kiona say that in crafting their Cabernet/Merlot they "wanted to make this the best Tuesday-night wine in Washington: easy to drink, goes well with everything, won’t break the bank, and not boring." Well, S and I agree that they've done that in spades. This wine is anything but boring. The first thing you notice when you pour it into your glass is its color: it's got a beautiful copper tinge to it, showing that its got some age. There is definitely spicy notes of oak on the nose mixed with red fruit. And here's the amazing thing: this wine ages in oak for 36 months! At first I was worried that this was going to be too oaky, like the 2003 that I had tried previously. But on the palate the 2004 is much more restrained, the oak is there but it is balanced by lovely tart cherries and tobacco. Given a little air time, the wine becomes even more integrated. It is far more complex than most wines in 10.00 price range. My wife was really seduced by this wine, especially its tartness/dryness (almost like a barolo) . The tannins were nicely integrated and the fruit comes across with an attractive restraint giving it the feeling of refinement rather than power. It was even more enjoyable with savory food which highlighted the flavors of red stone fruit. The blend is interesting too: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 2% Syrah, 1% Sangiovese. If you are looking for a wine with complexity, food friendliness, and maturity built in, and all for under 10 bones, then seek this out (folks in our neck of the woods can find this for 8.00 at Winco). We loved it and will definitely buy more.  You can find the Kiona page (complete with a video from the One-eyed wine guy) here. 

Two Really Satisfying Washington Wines

The other night we had a special family dinner after a long day of moving a generator and two sets of batteries. To go with dinner we choose two bottles of wine from Washington State that none of us had tried before: Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 and Northstar Columbia Valley Merlot 2006. Both bottles were priced in the low 20s. Since they were about twice as much as the bottles I normally drink, I was interested to see if we would like them well enough to buy them again (which in my book is always a sign of a good wine regardless of the price point). I am happy to report that we all loved them and not only would buy them again, but would heartily recommend them to our friends. I opened both bottles a couple of hours beforehand to let them breathe and was immediately impressed by the color of the Ste. Michelle; the cork was stained a really dark purple/red. The concentration continued on the nose too: dark cherries and tobacco. It's beautiful in the glass, very dark and viscous looking - almost brooding. Wow, it is a joy on the palate. Full and rich, like riding in your grandpa's Cadillac, but at the same time quite supple and balanced (defying its brooding appearance). The tannins were amazingly well integrated for a 2007. All in all, this was really enjoyable to drink, a beautifully crafted wine with power and elegance. You can read Ste. Michelle's profile sheet here. The Northstar showed well too. It reminded me of why I really enjoy Washington St. Merlot. Though lighter in color than the Ste. Michelle, it was equally intriguing on the nose. The winery's description matched my impressions (not always the case): "Elegant and medium-bodied with bold aromas of raspberry, mint, maple, chocolate, clove, coconut and licorice. Dense, muscular, cherry fruit flavors culminate in a rich, smoky, coffee-mocha finish." The only thing they don't mention is the oak, which was prominent on the nose and added spicy notes to the finish. However, it was not overwhelming and became even more integrated with air time (I would decant this next time). This was also very satisfying to drink and really grew on me as the evening progressed. You can view the Northstar fact sheet here. Find these wines if you can, they would make excellent companions to Thanksgiving dinner (for those of you who are not Pinot fans) or Christmas prime rib.