Researching Wine from California

I came across this today and thought it was very informative.  It has a good  description on California wine / region.  Special thanks to the wine-searcher site!! Enjoy.

http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-california

2010 Villa Maria Dry Riesling Marborough

I am a big fan of Villa Maria's Sauvignon Blanc wine so I decided to pick up their 'Dry Riesling.'  I used about a 1/4 of the wine for cooking today (Cream Chicken dish) and the rest for imbibing. 

At the nose, there's a slight hint of apricots, pears, apples and grass.  I think this is fairly typical for Chardonnay's; so I was a bit surprised given that it was a Riesling.  The first whirl of the 2010 Villa Maria Dry Riesling -- indeed, quite dry as the label suggests.  Interesting--  Had you blindfolded me I would have to say that this was a Sauvignon Blanc.  Nice balance of grapefruit, nuts, and pears. 

I'm going to give this one 3.5 stars.  A very descent, dry Riesling.  If you're looking for something on the sweeter side, this is definitely not it.  I purchased this one at Kinokuniya for Y1,680.  I did some googling and found one at Rakuten for Y1,239.  Maybe it's time to venture out a bit and start buying from online stores.

Summary: Very dry, reminds me of their Sauvignon Blanc.  Good value, but cheaper sources out there...
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y1,680 (Kinokuniya International)
Other Japanese Retailers: Y1,239 (Rakuten website)
USA Retail Price: $12.95
Food:  Cream Chicken with white rice

2010 Andeluna Malbec

My apologies for not posting anything recently.   Today I decided to try an Argentinian wine.  I think this might be the first review for an Argentinian wine on this blog.  I really enjoy wines from South America -- good bang for your buck.  

Having some homemade pasta (bacon, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, salt/pepper to taste) I decided to open a full body red wine.  This 2010 Andeluna Malbec has aromas of blackberries, cherries, and plums at the first sniff.   The first swirl -- wow, very intense and yes, a full body red. The tannins are well balanced and the finish is slightly spicy (black pepper).   Not bad.  The second swirl was a bit alcoholic, but still spicy and a good balance.  


I am going to give this one 3.5 stars.  I think this is a great table wine and one which you could bring to a casual dinner party.  I purchased this one at Nissin World Delicatessen for Y1,440.   In my personal opinion, a good value for what you are getting.  I'd recommend letting this one open for about 30 minutes.


Summary: Full-body, good balance and slightly spicy finish.  Good value
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y1,440 (Nissin World Delicatessen Groceries)
Other Japanese Retailers: Y1,659 (Rakuten website)
USA Retail Price: $9.95
Food:  Bacon and tomato pasta