Got lucky with Lucky Duck Wine.....at Walmart!

So we didn't head to any wineries this weekend, but we did find a surprisingly good tasting wine at Walmart called....Lucky Duck!!  With such cute branding I couldn't pass it up.......and I guess the price was appealing as well!!! $2.99 who can beat that!!  So I grabbed a Riesling and a Cabernet Sauvignon and headed on my way!!

Imagine my surprise when Karl and I opened up the wine and didn't rush to the sink to dump it out!!!

So if you are on a budget and you are looking for a good wine, don't hestitat when you are in the wine aisle....pick up some Lucky Duck. You won't be disappointed!!

Treasure of the week - Carivintas Winery

Normally for the treasure of week I will talk about a bottle of wine, but I couldn’t this time because the treasure of the week is a tasting room in Solvang called Carivintas Winery a place where they blend wine with Philanthropy.

I found this winery while flipping through the pages of Wine Country This Month while at a winery we were visiting and what sparked my curiosity was a wine bottle labeled with picture of a dog …..and to an animal lover this was a place that needed to be checked out. So we headed into Solvang.  

Instantly I was impressed!! Not only by the fact that you could bring your pet….but that they are affiliated with non-profit groups such as Best Friends Animal Society, The HSUS, and  many local animal shelters around the county. A portion of their profits are donated to these groups every year. 

The dogs and cats that have been rescued by these organizations are featured on their wine bottles and their story are on the back of the bottle and the stories are so heart felt!! 

They believe in their causes and this place just nails both their love of animals and their wine!!!! 

Foxen Wine Trail, Santa Barbara County

One of my favorite places to venture into is Santa Barbara County so this past weekend Karl and I planned to hit the wineries on the Foxen Trail in Buellton, Ca.  On that day we hit 5 out 12 wineries on the trail, this gives us a reason to go back and enjoy the beautiful scenery, rolling hills and the slight scent of the ocean air.....and of course the WINE.

When we pulled into Firestone we were greeted by miles and miles of vineyards lining the estate. It took my breath away. The winery itself was very inviting and their employees were just as inviting. Their wine tasting was $10 but I suggest not to do a share tasting with your partner because it’s well worth it if you taste the reserve wine as well as the estate wine and compare syrah, Riesling, Chardonnay just to name a few. Their wines were a complete surprise to both of us; there wasn’t a wine we disliked. From their crispness of their Riesling to their boldness of their 2007 Lineage it was no wonder why we joined Firestones wine club and took home a bottle of their Riesling.

The next stop was Curtis Winery which to be honest with you didn’t look all quaint on the outside but lined up against the mountain with vineyards surrounding the grounds, we decided to try it anyways and I’m so glad that we did. The winery was so inviting, gifts lined the wall and different mustards from a local venue were out on display for people to taste and ohhhhhh myyyyy the mustard was a treat, oh and I can’t forget their truffles!!  The wine tasting was $10 and for an extra $2 you can add a chocolate to your wine tasting which was a good pairing their Heritage Series Blended wines.

The next winery we came upon happens to be one of our all time favorites, the Koehler winery. The entrance is so inviting, you can’t see the winery until you cross a little bridge, a little duck Xing sign and drive up a hill to the tasting room and once you get to the top you have the most amazing view of their vineyards and the neighboring vineyards. Don’t be surprised if you are welcomed by one of their two Koehler winery cats. The tasting is $10 which includes a logo glass (we are now owners of 6 glasses)….we were both in agreement that the Estate Syrah was our favorite red, with the many layers of the dark plum and spicy finish you could only imagine how great this would taste with a nice juicy steak. The other reds we enjoyed were the Grenache, Sangiovese, and Les Trois Cepages which is a blend of the Grenache,Syarh and Mourvedre it’s certainly soft and elegant.

Our next stop was Fess Parker the home of Daniel Boone! The grounds were just lush and beautiful and the winery itself was just huge! But unfortunately for Karl and I we were very disappointed in the wine selection. Nothing we tasted tickled our palate. I ended up purchasing some cheese and sausage just to see if that would work with the wine they offered, but still we weren’t impressed. I think I was more impressed with their coonskin bottle toppers and Karl liked their coonskin etched wine glass….which we took home.  

We decided to just take a short drive down the road to the next winery….well we THOUGHT it was a winery as we headed through the electric gates (which should have clued us in) we continued to drive through this amazing manicured estate, vineyards just as far as the eye could see, a lake with ducks waddling around….we finally had a hunch that maybe the winery wasn’t here and most of the wineries we had visited in the past didn’t have electric gates….that’s when we turned our car around and exited the property and then saw their sign “WINE TASTING 1.8 miles”…..which took us to Zeca Mesa a winery nestled in the hills of Los Olivos the Viognier was our ultimate favorite with the aromas of honeysuckle and white peach hint at sweetness, however this wine is dry on the palate with notes of ripe apricot which would pair up nicely with chicken, oysters or tuna.

 ~ Jolene  aka. Oenophile

Wine and Weekends with my wife

I always have had a good palette for food but I never thought I would have the taste for wine.

When I met my wife she was a red wine drinker and I like both white and red so I introduced her to

the white wine Riesling, she was very surprised at how much she liked the white wine, so in some ways are wine tasting and experiments began.

I have always known that when it comes to food and smells that a taste and a smell can bring back a memory.So as we began our wine journey last year I was very surprised as to how wine and scents were able to bring back memories as far as my childhood. I’ve shocked a few of the employees and owners at some of the  wineries we have visited with my keen sense of taste and how a taste

of a wine could bring back memories, memories such as tasting honeysuckle when I was a child

how the Oak finish of a wine to bring back memories of cutting wood as a boy.

As I have been tasting wine some wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, may have a peppery

finish or perhaps a dark fruit finish, upon tasting this I can imagine myself on a warm spring or

summer afternoon enjoying a fine grilled juicy steak just rare enough so the meat and the wines compliment each other having tasting and sharing these experiences with my beautiful wife.

I hope as you go wine tasting can take some of these thoughts with you and begin to enjoy

The same things I have enjoyed on my weekends away with the one I love.

Until then enjoy good wine and good wine tasting.

Temecula Wine Map

As you can see above most Temecula Wineries are centrally located around Rancho California Rd near the 79 south and 15 freeways.

1. Hart Winery
2. Callaway Vineyard and Winery  (great winery, $12 tasting)
3. Bailey Vineyard and Winery
4. Miramonte Winery
5. Mount Palomar Winery
6. Falkner Winery
7. Thornton Winery
8. Churon Winery
9. Stuart Cellars Winery
10. Maurice Car'rie Winery   (wonderful tasting wines, $10 wine tasting)
11. VR La Cereza*
12. Briar Rose*
13. Bella Vista Cilurzo Winery
14. South Coast Winery (one of our favorite, $15 wine tasting )
15. Ponte Family Estate Winery (good wine, $20 wine tasting)
16. Weins Family Cellars (our personal favorite , $10 wine tasting)
17. Wilson Creek Winery (very beautiful winery, $12 wine tasting)
18. Palumbo Winery
19. Filsinger*
20. Leonesse Cellars ($12 wine tasting)
21. Keyways Vineyard & Winery

Tuscany in Tehachapi

 

Wine Tasting in Tehachapi

Most of our wine trips happen to be spontaneous fly by the seat of our pants ideas and today happened to be one of them. We couldn’t go very far because Karl had to be at work in the evening so we decided to just take a quick 40 minute trip to Tehachapi to check out two wineries that we came across last month but happened to be closed………………it was a Monday and a holiday.

We first came across Triassic Legacy Vineyard, a very interesting name for a winery I know, but it stirred our curiosity and as we drove down the dirt road…. I’m not going to lie I was wondering if I was going to see one of those little raptors run across the road but, all I saw were cute, furry squirrels scatter by.  Once we opened the doors to the winery we were quite taken back by the beauty of the place and a warm greeting by the owner, Chuck McCollough.

He shared with us about the making of the wine and how the winery got its name. Mr. McCullough a geologist recognized the characteristics of the terrain and soil as stemming from the Triassic Geologic Period.   He realized that it would be terrific for growing wine grapes, combined with Tehachapi's perfect climate for just this purpose and it worked!!! ……..and believe me, it certainly does.  From the Chardonnay to the Viognier, the Zin  to their mixed blend Syrah – Viognier blend there was never a disappointment. My taste buds were in love…………………..but wait!! I can’t forget the yummiest one of all! Their Port wine, now most Ports can be overly powerful but one little sip of the Port would make you crave a hot fudge sundae!! As I put a little bit of dark chocolate in my mouth just in that instant the Port just popped!! and I was in heaven!! ……..that is why it’s the treasure of the week!

The next winery we went to is Souza Family Vineyards. The view is just remarkable and the feeling that you get when you walk in is that you are part of their ever so growing wine family!! Bob and Patty Souza smiling from ear to ear welcomed us in to enjoy their wines and conversation! 13 choice wines to pick from …where should we start!!  From reds….to wines….to a Sangria….ohhhh the Sangria brought visions of me in the backyard swinging on the back porch sipping on this refreshing wine. We couldn’t leave without taking home Zin Del Sol a smooth red wine with a hint of a peppery finish which would pair so well with one of Karls steaks!

Wine DON'Ts...

Here are some informative "Wine Don'ts" adapted from the Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine, which is another good read and wine resource book! (The notes in the parentheses are ours.)

•  Don't store wine in hot places or in the sunlight.
• Don't keep wine in the trunk of your car.
• Don't store your wine standing up (keep the cork moist).
• Don't fill a wineglass more than halfway (so you can swirl it).
• Don't serve wine in new, unwashed glasses.
• Don't pop the champagne cork. Slowly twist it and pull it off.
• Don't serve a white wine too cold, or reds too warm.
• Don't buy wine from the store window.
• Don't give too much attention to wine snobs.
• Don't assume a vintage date means good quality
• Don't assume a cork in a bottle is a sign of good quality.
• Don't fail to ask when you don't understand wine terminology.
• Don't take the 100-point rating system too seriously.
• Don't assume all Napa wines are superior. (Notice the many awards Temecula wineries have won)
• Don't assume the words "reserve" or "classic" on a U.S. wine label have any significance.
• Don't assume all bottle-aged wine in a single case will be of the same quality.
• Don't accept a faulty wine in a restaurant.
• Don't accept a bottle in a restaurant that hasn't been opened at your table.