With apologies to Piggly Wiggly, the Pig I’m talking about is the wild boar that adorns Gary Eberle’s wine labels: specifically his Vineyard Select Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008. Without fail, when I serve this wine people swoon. Well, almost. At a recent wine tasting I poured this wine and, as expected, the guests circled ‘round…”What is this? Where did you buy it?  How much does it cost?  Can I find it around here?”  Even the chef catering the event later cornered me for scoop on where to get “that freakin’ amazing,” Eberle Cab.

Eberle is something of a winemaking visionary. Shoot, he was one of the original UC Davis team members who mapped Paso Robles AVA back in the 70’s when we were all still drinking Blue Nun. He knows his dirt, and he swears by the climate (bright sunny days, very cold nights) and soil of Paso as ideal for growing amazing Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietals.

So what makes the Vineyard Select Cabernet so compelling?  Velvety edges at the beginning, a warm spice mid-palate tinged with chocolate and cedar, and a deep sigh of a finish heavy on the dark red fruits—all wrapped up in a vellum of earthiness. I’m also a Huge Fan of the price: $17-$19 bucks.  Now that’s something to snort about.

What to drink with Striper Bass?

Tohu Pinot Noir (2008). It’s a fine example of what I like to call the total New Zealand Pinot Package.  For whatever climatic reasons, New Zealand’s Pinot Noirs strike an almost pitch perfect balance between New World fruit forward cherry spiciness and the classic Old World earthiness. They play nicely together in the glass and it’s that balance that makes wines like Tohu pleasing to drink—and fantastic with food.  At roughly $22 a bottle, Tohu is one of the better values, consistent year-to-year and a great go-to wine if you’re having trouble deciding what to drink.  Of course we found it to be a perfect fit with our bass (brushed with olive oil, kosher salt, lemon and some pepper)…the fish was flaky, but a trifle steak-like too, so the wine didn’t overpower and the fish didn’t get lost.

Naturally we had to sample our fresh catch with a white wine as well. Abacela’s Albariño (2010) was the ideal fit. Heaps of mouth-watering citrus and some whiffs of perfume all held together with a zippy mineral backbone; this is one of the best Albariños I’ve ever tasted….and it’s crafted in Oregon. Pair it with fish, drink it alone, with friends, just drink it.

OK, a picture of my son on the slopes has nothing to do with wine.  But it’s been a long month of blazing heat and we all know it’s not over yet. I need to be prepared for the rest of summer with a libation that tastes as cold as this picture looks. Yet, I need more than just cold…I need refreshing, vibrant, crisp…like the air’s pureness after a snowstorm.

Enter Montinore Estate’s 2010 Borealis.  An Oregon white wine blend of Muller-Thurgau, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer.  $16

The first sip is something like taking a bite from a Granny Smith apple, followed by perfume and tropical notes.  There’s a lot going on in this glass, it’s just good fun.  As an added bonus, you’ll feel virtuous when drinking a Montinore wine, as all of the estate fruit is biodynamically farmed—that’s nothing to sneeze at.  Cheers!

At a recent wine dinner in Atlanta (at the lovely Dogwood Restaurant) I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing the dapper Clarke Swanson, proprietor of Swanson Vineyards and grandson of the Swanson frozen food empire (TV dinner anyone?).  Naturally, we drank some lovely wines, but the 2010 Rosato ($24) absolutely stole the show. Made from first run juice of Sangiovese grapes (the saignée method), it has a bold wild salmon hue. The wine literally bursts with notes of cherry and watermelon…calling to mind visions of myself at age nine lapping up the delicious coldness of a watermelon popsicle in the stagnant Midwestern heat.  Rich and fresh, it’s a craveable, gorgeous wine.  Alas, there’s only one place you’ll likely find it, on the Swanson website. It’s worth a visit and while you’re there, poke around and check out the clever Modern House Wines, with playful labels along the lines of: Just Married, Swell Swill, Lucky Night and Please Forgive Me. 

Order at www.swansonvineyards.com

One just has to love wines that taste fabulous and cost me about as much as a gallon of gasoline (which isn’t saying much these days, I know).  But, these two wines from Spain (Arocho Red and Arocho Sauvignon Blanc) are something special. At $8.99 a bottle there’s a lot to love here.  Hailing from Western Catalunya, the Sauvignon Blanc is crafted in a more flowery style. A wee spot of added Chardonnay and Viognier gfive it a rich backbone with a hint of perfume.  If you don’t care for the zippy grapefruity style of a New Zealand SB, this is your wine.  It also just won a double-gold medal at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America conference 2 weeks ago in Orlando.  Impressive stuff for $8.99.
The Tempranillo/Garnacha is my fave here. At first sip it came off a trifle plummy, but first impressions can be utterly off base.  Because I was hosting a party and serving the stuff I couldn’t just put it aside  for a different wine  I had to stay put, make small talk and stick with it.  Well, hello…over the course  of the glass it grew more lush and complex.  I tasted violets, spices and cherry.  This wine is my new best friend, we go to parties, we sit on my porch after a long Monday, we go camping.  At $8.99–-it’s a no-brainer wine, and you’ll suffer less angst at the gas pump knowing you are saving some green on cheap, but delicious wine.

Loosely crumpled paper cleans the class best...without breakage.

Who said newspapers were on the way out?  Make your paper do double duty…of course read it first, enjoy the look and feel of the printed word, and then promptly place it under the sink.  There it will rest until you wash the evening’s wine glasses.  I have struggled for years with getting my Riedels, Spieglaus Target Brands and Schott Zwiesels pristine.  My glassware ritual (which my husband finds extensively tiring)…involves smelling the glass and then holding it up to the light.  This is where the shock comes in.  Typically (in my before-newspaper time) the glass would be coated in a filmy residue and splotchy with all manner of spots, rather like a child with a raging case of measles.  Who wants their Oregon Pinot Noir touching that stuff?  I tried sponges, paper towels, drip dry, and dishwasher…

Then I discovered newspaper.

After rinsing my glass in a hot water with a mild soap I set it aside to drain a bit.  Then I crumple up a wad of newspaper, loosely crumple mind you, gently push it into the glass and wipe with care.  A gentle swipe of the inside and a more thorough one of the outside and my glasses are always spankin’ clean.  If I could explain the science of newsprint to you and why it makes glass so clean I would.  I picked up this little secret at the framing store where they told me they only use newspaper to clean the framing glass.  Cheers to spot-free, residue-free glassware!

• Skipped the perfume and smelly-good soaps in the morning shower.
• Wore no makeup—none—lipstick makes wine taste funny, and you’ll get rosy lips from all the red wine anyway.
• Ate hours before and kept the meal simple.

Smell free and ready to roll, this is what I enjoyed:

1.      Croze Cabernet Franc—I acre vineyard, small lot stuff. Sexy, just plain sexy wine.

2.      Croze Cabernet Sauvignon—aged for 55 months!  Silky, lush, good acidity for such a wine.  A very uncommon Cabernet S. from Napa’s Silverado Trail.

3.      Big Table Farm Syrah–Dang!  Elegant, ripe with loads of blue fruits, rich, and a serious crowd-pleaser.

4.      Cu’ello white blend—Georgia’s perfect summer wine, crisp friendly fruit, but some nice body too.  Lovely.

5.      The Scholium Project-—Petite Sirah.  Wow, what a wine…loaded with off-the-hook concentrated dark red fruits. Mostly Petite Sirah, but some Mouvedre, Cinsault, Merlot and Syrah for added panache.

6.      Stag’s Leap Fay Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon-–An exquisite example of how lush, complex and serious California wine can be.

I’m reaching for Bordeaux.

Chateau d’Issan, 2007, Margaux, Grand Cru Classé, (which means this vineyard was awarded a special ‘fancy pants’ designation by the French in 1855…so it’s got street cred as far as quality is concerned). $45

Tastes Like: First, decant and let it get comfy. This is a wine to get familiar with over the duration of an evening. Taste some now, let it sit, try again in 30 minutes. You’ll get layers of chocolate, warm cigar box spice and loads of round supple black fruits from start to finish…rather like enjoying the heady aroma of  freshly cut cedar deep in the forest. Made primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon this wine can easily age 10 years, but is delightfully drinkable now.

Sorry this image is so lousy---but the gold label is just not camera friendly, and I never said I was trying to be a photo journalist.