Wine Reviews, Recommedations & Ratings |
Need to find the right wine for the
right occasion? Vino! Wine Reviews will tell you what's good
to drink now and what will taste great many years from now,
courtesy
of our resident wine reviewer, Ronn
Wiegand. |
Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Perfect
Pinot Noirs for
Romantic Wine Lovers
Pinot Noir is considered as “the most romantic of wines, with so voluptuous a perfume, so sweet an edge, and so powerful a punch that, like falling in love, they make the blood run hot and the soul wax embarrassingly poetic”. Pinot Noir distinctive aroma and flavor is irresistible. Its supple texture complements its complex and amazing character.
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Red
Wines for Winter from
South America
Red
wines to warm you up is the theme this month, and I have
gathered together here 20 recommendations from Chile, Argentina,
and Australia in a range of styles and from many different
varietals (including several blends). Most of them are also
moderately priced; 16 of them are under $20 a bottle retail.
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Wines
for Gift-Giving, Holiday Entertaining
Holiday gift giving always poses a great challenge for people to buy the most appropriate present to give friends or business partners. Wines, during this festive season are always appreciated. Wine plays a significant part in gift-giving, as well as, entertaining. This month, we will feature more pricey and special wines. We have three excellent New Zealand Gewürztraminers, four California Merlots of 2004 vintage, and five Pinot Noirs from California. These Pinots are finer and richer than the 2004 vintages.
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Low-Oak
White Wines for the Holidays, Under $30
Aside from festivities and fun, holiday also spells expenses of various sorts. There is the gift-giving, banquets, decorations and entertaining. In this article, I will feature great-value wines of exemplary quality but of reasonable price. We have a whole gamut of refreshing white wines that perfectly accompany holiday meals. We have unoaked and modestly oaked wines of various grape varieties, mainly from California and Washington.
The wines are listed in increasing order- from the lighter to the fuller in weight and flavor.
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Dry
Rosé Wines Perfect for Autumn Holidays
As autumn deepens, I think it time to focus upon that great cross-over wine, dry rosé. Not sweet rosé, but rosés that taste more or less dry, even if they contain a trace of residual sugar.
Dry rosés have improved dramatically in quality in recent years, both because more top wineries are producing them and because the wine type is being treated with “respect” (that is, wines are being produced from quality grapes, by experienced vintners).
Dry rosés are usually fuller bodied and more complex in flavor than most white wines (oak aged Chardonnay excepted), and are extremely versatile at the table. They are in fact extremely well-suited to ham and turkey dishes, suggesting that you should not overlook them during upcoming in holiday meals.
The following wines were made a year ago, and soon will disappear from the market, as their 2007 counterparts replace them. But the bottle aging they have received since their release has only benefited them, all of which are now at their best.
As usual, I have listed the roses here in approximate order of their weight and flavor intensity, within each group, proceeding from lighter to fuller. I end with four wonderful 2005 California Pinot Noirs.
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Paul
Hobbs Chardonnay,
2004 California Cabs
The
2004 vintage in California was excellent for Cabernet Sauvignon.
This month, I bring to your attention some of the best value
2004s that are currently available. Let’s begin, though,
with three truly special Chardonnays from Paul Hobbs Winery
in Sonoma County.
Below I have provided a broad range of selections that span
geographical regions of origin, styles, price points, and
brands (from well-known to little known). To help you judge
the relative richness of these wines, I have listed them
in terms of progressive richness (not alphabetically as I
normally do), meaning that the lightest are listed first,
the fullest last. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Pinot
Noirs & Merlots to Drink Now
Back
to drinkable red wines this month, and specifically
a range of splendid Pinot Noirs from California and Oregon,
and several top value California Merlots. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
2005
Vintage California Chardonnay
This month, a survey of excellent 2005 California Chardonnays.
The vintage yielded finely flavored, even elegant versions
of the varietal, and most of these releases
are now in the marketplace. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
California
Zinfandels for Barbecue Season
As we head into summer and barbecue season, it is time for
a longer look at Zinfandel. As the 2005s are being released,
I’d like to have a last look at the 2004 Zinfandel
vintage in California, which produced many superlative versions
of the varietal that are drinking exceptionally well now. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
New
Zealand Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Noir
We look to New Zealand this month, for wines with intense
varietal character and refreshing acidity. Many of these
wines were released in the last half of last year, and are
beginning to drink extremely well. Known for its distinctive,
high quality Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand is quickly establishing
a reputation for other excellent white wines, and first rate
Pinot Noir. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
European
White Wines & Red Bordeaux
European white wines from Italy and Germany, and
moderately priced red Bordeaux (France) are my themes
this month. The 2005 vintage in Europe was an excellent
one, yielding white and red wines that are finely flavored
and well balanced—indeed, that are “classic” in
character. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
3
Types of Pinot for Pinot Month
As you probably know, Pinot Gris is the white version of
Pinot Noir, a mutation isolated several centuries ago and
propagated as an independent variety. Most of the Pinot
Noirs recommended here are from the 2004 vintage, which
yielded
in California richly flavored wines. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Flavorful,
Romantic Wines for Valentine's Day
This month, I’m recommending wines that are easy on
the palate—and pocketbook. These wines have quite intense
aromas and are unusually flavorful on the palate, whether
for romance or straightforward enjoyment. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Domestic
Wines that Won't Break the Bank
Tapped out after the holidays? This month some quality wines,
none over $20 a bottle. I know you may have heard what I
am about to say before, but it bears repeating: There are
many more top wine values available in the marketplace than
ever before. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Range
of Red Wines for Holiday Occasions
Happy holidays! Special occasions and cooler weather generally
calls for fuller bodied wines, and especially reds. Here,
then, are some red wine stocking stuffers, or simply good
value red wines you might want to savor with richer winter
meals. As usual, I provide a range of price points, styles,
and producers so that you can step in wherever you are most
comfortable. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
High-Caliber
Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Wine
As we enter the holiday season, I thought it time
to up the caliber of my wine recommendations, to put the
focus on some truly outstanding wines, which are somewhat
costlier than those I have recently recommended. For many,
they are special occasion wines, and they can help make those
occasions that much more special. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
A
Variety of Red Wines for Autumn
Back to red wines, at last, many of you must think, now that
we are fully into autumn, with winter on its way. I have
provided here a range of reds, from several regions, wine
types, and various prices; certainly, some of these will
strike your fancy. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Excellent
Chardonnays Under $30
There have never been better Chardonnays on the market. I
have been tasting dozens of them, and have these to recommend,
most from the excellent 2004 vintage, and most from California.
These are all excellent values, and, better still, none are
over $30. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
2004
Vintage California Chardonnays
The 2004 vintage for California Chardonnay was excellent,
yielding fruity, well balanced wines, with enough richness
to
make them somewhat more appealing than many 2003s. Moreover,
the wines are drinking very well now, having fleshed out
in texture and opened up in terms of aroma and flavor. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
White
Wines from Italy & California
Italian white wines have improved substantially in recent years,
in that they have more character and depth of flavor without
being so heavy or rich they are difficult to drink more than
one glass of. Here are some recommended Italian whites. Next,
some California Sauvignon Blancs that are very similar to those
produced in New Zealand. Finally, some Chardonnays with low
oak. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Summertime
New Zealand Whites & Reds
Our theme this month is “summer whites and reds”,
with the
focus being the refreshing wines of New Zealand. I’ve
long been a fan of this country’s racy Sauvignon Blancs,
but excellent Chardonnays, Pinot Gris, Rieslings, Gewurztraminers,
Pinot
Noirs, and Syrahs are regularly being produced here as well—as
you will see, if you sample some of the wines reviewed. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Italian
Whites & the "Thunder Down Under"
This month, some refreshing northern Italian white wines from
the 2004 vintage, which was much more of a typical vintage
than the hot 2003 vintage. And a range of Australian Shirazs,
from moderate to high priced, including at least two — excellent
for making comparisons — from Barossa Valley Estate,
Leeuwin Estate, and Yalumba. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Sideways-Inspired
Pinot Noir Wines
In the USA today, the movie Sideways is nearly synonymous
with Pinot Noir. Not that Pinot Noir, as a red varietal wine
was not already quite renowned among wine drinkers and well
established as one of the noblest red varietal wines of all. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Thrifty
Red Wines from California
& Washington
Already tax season is upon us, and with thrift in mind, I am
recommending a range of good value red wines this month from
California and Washington, all of them selling for $18 or under
per bottle. |
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Ronn Wiegand Recommends
Good
Values in California Chardonnay & Syrah
This month, we return to good value wines from California,
specifically Chardonnay and Syrah. I continue to be impressed
by the diversity and quality of Chardonnays from California,
and especially like those from the 2004 vintage. |
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