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| WINNER, WINNER, CAVA DINNER! |
I attend three wine tastings in as many days. Usually I can find one wine that I like a lot, maybe two or three. This week, though, I cannot chose.
I'm serious!
It could be the fabulous wines that the sommeliers choose. It could be the fact that it's summer, so it is naturally wine time. I don't know. I just don't know!
So, this week, I am nominating eight wines. Yes, eight wines for the eight weeks of summer break for teachers everywhere. And, since it's an unpaid break, I'll try to keep the wines reasonably priced.
8. In eighth place, I recommend Cigar Box Pinot Noir. Aged for six months in French oak, this wine is black cherry and spices. It's smooth for a Pinot without the sharp bite at the end. A great red all around and reasonably priced at $12.
7. Another great red is a blend, but it's also a limited production. Washington state's winery 14 Hands Kentucky Derby Red Blend is a mix of dark berry and cocoa on its nose. Wonderfully drinkable and a little sharper on the finish than the Cigar Box Pinot, this is a bold yet approachable red and completely affordable at $15.6. Mionetto Il Spriz is an Italian aperitif that combines the flavor of blood orange and frizzante, which is referred to as a semi-sparkling wine, but it's either sparkling or it's not. I say, "Sparkling!" I also say, "Bravo," especially since it's only $14 a bottle.
5. Number five actually comes home with me. I like to taste wine with my reading glasses on top of my head, then I put my glasses on properly and read the price after I've tasted the wine. This one almost k'o'ed me. Borsao Blanco, a Spanish white, has notes of pineapple, pear, and ginger. It's a medium bodied white that presents well and is even better at $7 per bottle. Yes, $7 per bottle!
3. I like Italian wines, but I am also very partial to Spanish reds. Sue me. The only reason this wine doesn't come home with me is because my red wines are backlogged, and the weather this week doesn't support a hot house full of reds. Make no mistake, this wine, also known as Torres Sangre de Toro Garnacha, is bold, deep, and aromatic with a hint of chocolate. Yes, chocolate. I'm going back for this as soon as a space opens up in the wine rack, and, at $11 a bottle, it's thievery on my account.
2. It's getting down to the wire here. The top two are both sparkling wines. Second place cheats a little because I love this wine and I cannot possibly leave it off the list: Italy's 7th Cielo Prosecco. Fruity and bubbly, this NEVER disappoints and the price ... get ready ... not kidding here .... $9.
1. Coming in at the top spot in a fabulous field of 8 is another bubbly. This wine is from the Catalunya region of Spain, and its second fermentation mimics the process used on Champagne. It is ... drum roll ... Bohigas Cava at only $14 a bottle. (And it goes perfectly, and I do mean PERFECTLY, with a pool party!)
PHEW!!!! Eight to choose from. Go forth and drink!
