National Drink Wine Day - February 18, 2012

I guess I haven’t been keeping up with the Jones’ but I was just told February 18, 2012 is National Drink Wine Day.  What a great excuse to enjoy some vino.  Open a bottle of your standard stuff or even a new find.

The list of benefits for drinking wine is growing. A glass of wine a day has been shown to improve heart health, reduce forgetfulness, help you lose weight, boost your immunity, and help prevent bone loss.  Yikes, it almost sounds like a magical cure for all things bad.

Wine has been made for thousands of years and the making of it has been refined over the years.  European wine making dates back more than 6,000 years.  There are over 20 million acres in the world dedicated to growing grapes for the sole purpose of making wine.

To celebrate National Drink Wine Day, visit your local wineries, bars, restaurants and liquor stores.  Why not create an excuse to host a wine tasting party?  Either way, go enjoy some wine in whatever way you like.  

As my Italian mother would say, Cin-Cin!

Sebastiani Merlot '07 $9 (on sale)

Sonoma County, CA

I really haven't had a desire to pickup a Merlot lately and I have no good reason why. As some of you may remember the movie, Sideways and how it really hurt Merlot sales years ago...we should all be over that I hope. I guess I just think of the wine as being overly fruity and I must admit its not...at least not this one.

At first pour a musty kind of barnyard scent came at me. I almost turned away but it just needed 5-10 minutes in the glass to open up. A black pepper spice blended with ripe currants, toasted oak and a hint of fallen leaves made for a nice rounded aroma.

Flavors were full of ripe dark fruit, plums and a subtle spice. Medium tannins with traces of cocoa completed the finish. After an hour of tasting, the wine really opened up more to show a very smooth, medium body. The tannins softened along with the black pepper spice to really appreciate this wine. Very nice!

Borsao Crianza Seleccion '07 $12

Campo de Borja, Spain

As stated in text message language...OMG! This was an incredibly delicious, smooth drinking wine with character. Beginning with aromas of crushed dark cherries, hints of warm toasted wood and finishing with a subtle touch of vanilla, I was ready to jump into tasting this. Patience, I know isn't my best trait.

The flavors on this blend of 50% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon brought on dark cherries, as found in the nose, along with a creamy vanilla. Traces of plum and cocoa on the finish support the smooth tannins. The oak, on the finish is just enough to not be over powering. Aged in 50/50 French and American oak for 10 months, then 14 months in the bottle goes to show great care in producing a nice wine.

I'd like to give a big thanks to Andres at The Wine Barn for introducing me to this wine. I'm on my way to buy more before it's out.