Hello and Goodbye!

Wine is such a competitive market in Northern California that promos and advertisments are everywhere (just look at this site). So how do you make your wine standout? Label is EVERYTHING. This label intrigued me enough to pick up a bottle at $5.99.

So could clever (unusual) marketing help get the word out on a new and unknown product? Possibly, however this product is just too weak to bring repeat business or word-of-mouth interest.

True to the label on the back, it does provide more than simple fruit flavors. Unfortunately they clash like pink and plaid leaving no clear direction on where this wine is heading or who it could greet along the way. I recommend a pass on this unless you are looking for a rare collectors item. I can’t see this staying on the market too much longer.

A 2 on the Griffin Scale for taste and a 2.5 for value. If I met this wine at a party, I think I would say, “Nice to meet you. Pardon me, but I think I will stand over there now.”

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Oogle my Bogle

Bogle 2005 Chardonnay has won many awards, most notably by wine spectator, as a top value as low as 6.99. To me this wine is the closest thing to drinking a fermented pear. It has a rich textured flavor that numbs the tongue. I would really only pair this with a good aged cheese. I could see it matching perfectly with a gorgonzola salad.Despite the menu limitations, I do consider it a good value. Overall I give it a 6 on the Griffin scale for taste. A 7.5 for value. Well done Bogle, and I will keep you in stock!

Edna Aint No Old Lady

Edna Valley Vineyard 2005 Chardonnay is a real treat. This is a versatile wine with a sweet peach start to a spicy vanilla finish. It’s not as full bodied as the Wente Riva Ranch, however it holds it’s own on diversity and long life. It should be a part of any wine stock. Buy a case and keep it stored for 5.I give it an 8.5 on the Griffin Scale for taste, and an 8 for value at $14 and change.

Top 5 Wine Morons

So, after thinking about all these great places and restaurants that serve wine and have a magnificent wine selections, I started thinking about the worst restaurants for wine or wine service.

1. Hooters, Sacramento
I ordered Clos du Bois, which is a mediocre wine, but the waitress had to butcher it and say [start ditzy 17-yr old voice here--was she old enough to serve wine?--:]"Oh, theeee Cloooothes do Boys? Yeah um, that's a good wine." Ugh... stupid, stupid large breasted, muffin topped waitress.
No... no I don't want clothes doing boys.

2. Spaghetti Factory, San Jose
Every wine on their wine list (all 5? 6? of them) was listed to be excellent with spaghetti. Thanks Spaghetti Factory. Honestly, I wouldn't pair White Zinfandel with Spaghetti with butter but whatever. A better pairing is a lighter dish like a mixed greens salad, roasted veggies, halibut, etc. You get the idea.
The glasses were also midget portions... (no offense to midgets).

3. Chevy's, San Ramon
Yeaaaah um... imagine that same waitress from Hooters... (but at times with a Mexican accent or a similar big breasted ditz but no muffin top cause Chevy's people wear t-shirts.) Stick with their margaritas.

4. Any pub, anywhere
If you walk into a pub and the drink menu is written in scratchy chalk on the wall and all you see is "Wine 3.75", I can guarantee that house wine probably tastes like bitter grape juice or watered down merlot.

5. (Moooost disappointed)... Pyramid Alehouse and Brewery, Walnut Creek
I love Pyramid, I love the overly sweet chick cider, and I love going there for happy hour with the crew. But having a glass of small wine served to you by some pre-pubescent acne ridden high school kid who isn't sure if the wine is apart of the happy hour menu kind of kills the wine experience.
Also, the Ravenswood they let me sample tasted a little too bitter. They probably had the bottle sitting too long seeing as how msot people go to breweries for beer. But hey... evenso, you should do some QC with the vino every once in a while to make sure you're not serving vinegar. Word to the bartender-wise: keep tabs on when certain bottles are opened cause they age at different rates.