Etim Spanish Blend is Rockin Red Wine

I have had this wine twice now and finally got around to writing about it - at least a quick post.

If you see Etim Seleccion, I had the 2006, on your wine shop shelf - buy it. I paid $14.99 at Village Bottle Shop in Zionsville but have seen it elsewhere at less since.

This is a great blend of 60 percent Garnacha, 30 percent Carinena and 10 percent Syrah from Spain. It's aged six month in oak. The wine had a nice rich black cherry and dark fruit flavor that is irresistable. You get some spice or herbs on the palate as well.

One post I found on the net had the wine available at Costco for $9. If you find that, buy a case.

The wine is from the prestigious Priorat region of spain. The area is known for more expensive wines.

There is plenty going on in this wine. It has 14 percent alcohol and you'll get the oak aging in this smoothie. It is not your typical $10-$15 bottle of juice. This wine is bigger and far more interesting than many at the price point. The wine will benefit from some decanting.

This is a nice rich, but not overpowering, glass of wine.



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Iconic Brands Banfi, J. Lohr Deliver Solid Choices

I wrote earlier this year that iconic brands become icons for a reason. A long history, stability, and consistency in product is a sure path to consumer's palates and pocketbooks.

I had two wines this week that are made by iconic producers - Banfi's new Chianti DOCG Superiore and J. Lohr's Cabernet.

Banfi is one of the oldest names in Italian wine. Their new Chianti Superiore is a debut wine from the 2008 vintage. Classifications in Italy and France are all about the national designations of geography. A Chianti Superior comes from the Chianti region, south of Florence, but not inside the very best Chianti Classico region. In simpler terms, it's a better Chianti.

This wine is 75 percent Sangiovese with Cabernet and Canaiolo added. The Superiore designation means the wine can be aged in just the bottles without oak. But Banfi treats this wine to a brief four to five months in French oak before bottling and release.

The wine is an easy drink, soft and smooth Italian wine. It's unremarkable but pleasing. This wine would pair nicely with most pasta, pizzas and stews. It's easy to drink and widely available. At $11 a bottle, it's easy to see this on wine shop shelves all across the nation.

I tasted this Banfi wine as a trade sample.

J. Lohr wines from Paso Robles, California, is one of the iconic names from Central California. The region has been "hot" in recent years after the movie Sideways exploded Pinot Noir wines and additional interest built for traditional Rhone grapes now grown in the San Luis Obispo area.

The J. Lohr Cabernet was simply one of the best Cabernets at the $15 price point I've ever had. The fruit was rich with cherry, plum and balanced tannins. I had this wine with a nicely grilled ribeye then enjoyed sipping it for the rest of the evening.

The wines of the Central coast area are rich and full bodied. Lohr has been producing great wines since the 1970s.

J. Lohr is easy to find and simply one of the best Cabernets you'll find at the $15 price point. Give it a try!

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La Devexe Cotes Like an Old Lover

I find Cotes du Rhone wines in general much like an exciting old love. Something you just keep coming back to that satisfies but not always the most exciting wine on the rack.

I opened an online Wines Till Sold Out purchase and gave it a considerable decant Sunday and found it remarkably quaffable. The 2007 La Devexe Cotes du Rhone is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault.

It has big enough fruit with uneven tannins that seem to hit you one minute as too oakey and the next as about right. It does come in at 14 percent alcohol.

It's dark purple with a hint of sweetness. It's really a nice pairing with food. I had the wine Sunday night with a sweet-sour marinated pork roast. It was great.

Interestingly, I bought this on WTSO's Cheapskates Day of value wine. They reported the normal list price as $19.99 but it sold for $11.99 with a four bottle minimum purchase for free shipping.

At $11.99 it's a great buy and a great wine. At. $19.99, the wine falls to just okay.
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Tucci's - A Great Columbus Dining Spot in Dublin

I travel for work on fall weekends and often get the chance to explore fun and interesting restaurants in large and small cities.

I haven't come across but perhaps one better than Tucci's Wood-Fired Grill in the Columbus, Ohio, suburb of Dublin. I found it through a simple internet search and am thankful now more than ever before for Google!

I joined two friends for dinner on the patio on a beautiful and cool October evening that proved as nice a dinner as I've had in a long time. I started with a glass of A to Z Pinot Gris from Oregon. The nice citrus-based Gris with very mild acidity, at $9a glass, was a wonder aperitif.

My appetizer was amazing seared scallops. Four small scallops on a bed of salad along with a crazy-good sweet and sour mustard vinaigrette. For dinner I selected the house special that night, a Honolulu Ono - a firm white fish that is a bit flakey.

Tucci's gets its fresh seafood from a Honolulu company that catches it, ships it, and then it's served fresh three days from the ocean. The great thing about the fish, that was frankly a bit over cooked, was the side dishes. The pineapple sauce, portabello mushroom salsa, bambo rice, grilled bok choy and wonderful Taro chips made this one of the more remarkable meals I've enjoyed in some time.

I ordered a bottle of Ponzi Pinot Gris for my Ono and my friends' salmon dish. It as a great pairing with slightly less fruitiness than the A to Z but a little more acidity. A word should be added that this restaurant did not mark up wine 100 percent. The Ponzi wine was $31. Most of the mark-ups appeared to be 50-75 percent.

Overall, a fabulous dinner. But the story doesn't end there. Earlier this week I was watching the Food Network, a special about the 10 best sweet things in America. The program did a feature on Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, which happens to be in five different locations in Columbus.

We treked just down the street and sampled many. The Reisling-Pear sorbert was crazy good. I ended up buying a very rich and dense dish of chocolate goodness that was decadent beyond all measures.

If you get to Columbus, Ohio, these easy to find spots are just off I-270 on the city's west side.

By the way, the wine list was off the charts. They featured everything from $20 red and white selections to Opus One.

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