Wine for a special occasion

[V]

Later this month, I'll be observing a special occasion, and I wondered if any of you could help me with a wine recommendation?

It should be a dry red wine, available locally, and not too expensive- which we can define as under 300 pesos, since we're talking about my wallet.

(However- and even if I must go to the bank, beforehand- if you feel you've got something really special, that everybody should experience, please feel free to suggest it. Who knows how "liberal" I'll be feeling on that day!)
______________________

I was virtually past middle-age before I truly learned to appreciate wine. Before that, it had just been one more thing to drink with a little alcohol in it.

But, in 2001, we made a trip to the wine country of South Africa, and that changed everything. Going from vineyard to vineyard, trying as many of the wines as we cared to try, we spent an entire day, occupying ourselves with little else. It was a memorable day, the scenery grand as the wine country there, near Cape Town, is nestled in the mountains; the vineyards, many of them dating from the 1600s, with fields running up the slopes, green with vines, the historic outbuildings stuccoed, and painted white, in contrast. A sight and taste to remember.

[GONZO]

I think you will need to consult the best fed AAOC nominee Chicago Tom!

[CancunMole]

A couple of Chilean Wine suggestions:

GatoNegro and Concho y Toro

[mixz1]

Norton Malbec Reserve, from Mendoza Argentina. It's one of our favorites. Try La Europea or Soriana. Not available all the time. See my next post for another choice.

From the San Diego Wine Examinar, August 19th, by Bill Eyer:

I've been wanting to write a review on Argentinian Malbec's for sometime and never really came across one that I could recommend as hardily as the one pictured to the left of your screens. Well I encountered this one last night, Bodega Norton Malbec Reserve 2006 and folks let me tell I was nearly ready to run up to my PC and write this review, right then and there. But after uncorking the bottle a wave of dark black fruits wafted delightfully towards me and I knew almost immediately that I had a amazing taste on the way.
Just like catching the glimpse of some attractive person on your peripheral vision you just know, a second look will confirm your suspicion, this was the case with this wine, a real stunner!
In the glass the core was a dark ruby and fading away to the rim a veil of Crimson. As I gave it a swirl the aromas of dark cherry, currant, melding harmoniously together. Weighing in at 14% Alc. and funny the winery must have forgot to add that to the label, so the distributor had it lasered on after shipping.
After the first sip, it displayed its wonderful bounty of well-layered ripe blackberry and dark plum flavors, with a touch of dark chocolate and a splash of coffee. This wine is well integrated and immediately approachable, while the finish is long and persistent. But a decant time of an hour only enhanced the the experience.

This wine demonstrates everything which is wonderful about the Argentinian Malbec, the ability to offer a wine of this caliber for so few dollars! I know once WS and RP get a hold of this wine their reviews could mirror my own closely. I would guess they would give it a 91 and I would say I must agree, because the QPR is through the roof! Folks seriously I picked this up @ Costco for a mere $12.89 each. I was totally caught off guard, but enjoyed every swirl, sniff and the very last sip! Once this review is posted folks are going to run not walk to get this gem while it last! I broke open the piggy bank, and rooted around under seat cushions just to acquire a few more.

[V]

Thank you, Mole, for taking the time to offer some suggestions.

Those are both good lines of wines: the problem for us would be that we drink those, among others, frequently, if not a lot.

For this occasion, to make it seem special, it will need to be something not found on our menu at home.

Please feel free to post again, if you have some other ideas for us.

[mixz1]

Casillero del Diablo from Concha y Toro. Try the Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah Reserva . Take a look at http://www.casillerodeldiablo.com/en/home.php (and if RG is reading this, check out the Flash coding) and the navigate to http://www.casillerodeldiablo.com/en...os_reserva.php for a run down on this specific wine. It needs to rest for an hour after it's open and shouldn't be decanted after that.

[V]

It needs to rest for an hour after it's open and shouldn't be decanted after that.

Mixz1, you made me laugh out loud with that one. I don't know wine terminology, could that be called a "fragile" wine? Either the wine's fragile, or the taste very discriminating, in this case! I promise I won't serve you either one that's less than 59 minutes, nor more than 61, if you visit me, and we serve this wine!

We also drink Casillero del Diablo, from time to time, in our home, and we like it. It was our "house" wine when we were in Panama, where it is sold quite cheaply. Here it tends to cost about 50% more.

Is the Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah Reserva rare, and therefore more expensive, as a result? What does it cost? Is it sold everywhere, like other bottles of that line?

That's a beautiful website, and description of the wine you recommended, as well as a very substantial looking bottle. I know my wife would be impressed if I produced that: she'd recognize I'd gone to some trouble, with a little help from my friends!

[RiverGirl]

I will second the Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon from Concha y Toro. That's a standard for my book club, cheap and good.

And I will withhold the snarky comment I was going to make about web sites that play music...but you do have to admire how hard they tried with that site, a lot of work went into it.

[V]

Hi, RG, I think the one Mixz1 was recommending, the Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah Reserva, is a little different, maybe more rare and perhaps more expensive, than the one the book club uses, routinely. If not, how can I join the book club!

I'm still waiting to hear from him how much it is, and where I can get it, locally, before I get too excited.
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Mixz1, for some reason, I missed your first post, suggesting the Malbec, with details. We like Malbecs, and that could prove to be a good choice, too. That was quite a recommendation the writer gave it!

What does it sell for locally?

[RiverGirl]

My book club requires genetic testing and a 3 year waiting period to get into. Seriously. Plus you have to be a girl, I think.

[mixz1]

Originally Posted by V

Mixz1, you made me laugh out loud with that one. I don't know wine terminology, could that be called a "fragile" wine? Either the wine's fragile, or the taste very discriminating, in this case! I promise I won't serve you either one that's less than 59 minutes, nor more than 61, if you visit me, and we serve this wine!

We also drink Casillero del Diablo, from time to time, in our home, and we like it. It was our "house" wine when we were in Panama, where it is sold quite cheaply. Here it tends to cost about 50% more.

Is the Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah Reserva rare, and therefore more expensive, as a result? What does it cost? Is it sold everywhere, like other bottles of that line?

That's a beautiful website, and description of the wine you recommended, as well as a very substantial looking bottle. I know my wife would be impressed if I produced that: she'd recognize I'd gone to some trouble, with a little help from my friends!

And now I'm laughing. In all seriousness, some wines need to sit with the bottle open to a) vent what's been trapped in the bottle and b) to get a small amount of air into the bottle to provide some aeration and oxygenation. Most wines improve in flavor if left to "rest" for an hour or so, stopwatch optional. There are some wines, such as a Malbec Reserve that I recently read about, that taste better 24 hours after being opened.

As for not decanting, I'm in the minority, preferring to let the wine in a bottle that is about to be consumed completely remain in the bottle. The majority carefully "decant" the wine, that is pour it into another container being careful to leave the sediment in the bottom of the bottle behind. My personal opinion is that if you're going to finish the wine in an hour or so, just be careful with the last pour. Salud!

As to the Cabernet/Syrah Reserva; Most of the time you're going to pay a premium for a Reserva. The vinyard/producer held it back because they thought it was special, and they feel they can charge you extra for it. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're just ripping you off. In the States, I'd say talk to the guy behind the counter to see if the Reserve is worth the premium. Down here, I don't know if the guys in Europa know anything beyond the price. I've not had many productive discussions with them and therefor judge my critical purchases by what I've read. As for table wines, anything goes. Prost!

And V- figure around 235 pesos maximum for the Reserva Privada, considerably less for the non-Reserva, but still very good wine.

[V]

Mixz1, you made those two recommendations sound so good, I decided to buy them both. I found them at Soriana, as you said I might.

They were both under the price I mentioned, so I didn't even have to go to the bank for them!

Thanks for helping out with such a quick response.

For the rest of you, please consider posting any further bottles you'd like to suggest. There will be other events in the future! I might as well be stocked up!

V.

[T.J.]

I like the Santa Carolina Reserva in both Chardonnay and the Merlot. I think the quality is quite lovely for the price. For whatever reason, I always seem to look at a wine list starting with Chilean.

[V]

Isn't that the truth, T.J.? They often represent a real value, with a good price/quality balance. I guess we lack imagination, but something like 90% of what we buy here is Chilean.

I'll be happy to add a bottle of your recommendation, as well, to what we have at hand.

[CancunMole]

Originally Posted by V

Thank you, Mole, for taking the time to offer some suggestions.

Those are both good lines of wines: the problem for us would be that we drink those, among others, frequently, if not a lot.

For this occasion, to make it seem special, it will need to be something not found on our menu at home.

Please feel free to post again, if you have some other ideas for us.

No problem. As primarily a beer drinker, I should have known/guessed that I was out of my league...

[V]

Not at all, Mole, I being from Texas, where Czech and German immigrants taught us how to make, and enjoy beer.

I much prefer beer, myself, but who gives a toast with beer, on an anniversary?

So, we'll have our glass of wine for the occasion, then it's back to the beer!

[V]

Today, I had a chance to act on T.J.'s recommendation, at Europa. They carried the brand he'd recommended, Santa Carolina, from Chile. I wanted a Chardonnay to go with the reds I'd bought because my wife's real preference is for white wines, over red; whereas, I like the more robust flavors of red. I thought I'd hit the jackpot when I saw that if you bought three, you only paid for two. Then, I noticed the year, 2007. I asked the cashier about the age, and a very tall, handsome and winsome man of a about 50, with graying hair, possibly the owner of Europa, approached me and offered to see if they had some from 2008. After a look round he reported they did not, but that the 2007 was still good. I decided to trust him, and bought three bottles. I'll have a report for you, later. With three bottles calling to me, it may be sooner, rather than later!

Since those who offered recommendations seemed shy about mentioning prices, I can tell you, myself, in case you'd like to try any of these. All were under the 300 peso limit I'd started with, in this thread.

Casillero del Diablo, Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah Reserva, 2007, was the most expensive, at 289 pesos a bottle; Norton Malbec Reserve, 2006, was 239 pesos; and, the Santa Carolina Reserva Chardonnay, 2007, was just 66 pesos!, on discount, if you bought three bottles. (With this post, and T.J.'s recommendation to go on, there may be a run on this, now!)

So you won't be under any misimpressions, I don't normally buy such expensive wines as these first two, but these came highly recommended, and it is a special occasion. Normally, I would be, when it comes to wine, what might be termed a, "bottom feeder," looking for the least expensive of the wines that is still potable.

By the way, the mood everywhere I went today was very good. There seemed almost to be a festive atmosphere. Can it be Cancunenses are this used to hurricanes, that they're just a little bit excited about it?

[V]

Well, our special occasion has now come, and gone: my thanks to those who offered some of their "favorite wine" recommendations.

The Casillero del Diablo, Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah Reserva, 2007, was a big hit with my little audience. The Santa Carolina Reserva Chardonnay, 2007, also turned out to be a crowd pleaser, as well as being inexpensive- on special, at Europa.

We haven't yet had a chance to try the Norton Malbec Reserve, 2006. We'll wait for another special occasion to break that one open! (Where did we learn to talk like that, "pirate" movies??)

By the way, for those of you who didn't get your own recommendations in "on time," we're still open to suggestions, for the future!

[T.J.]

HELP

Last week I bought a couple of bottles of the best Malbec ever. $338 at La Europea. Went back today and there was no more and I forgot the darn name.

I knew I would recognize it and I went all over the store. It is Argentian and something like Fioro, Fiorni, Fionti. OMG it was FIO SOMETHING.

Is anyone getting a flash on what I cannot?

Gracias