Featured Wines

SUPERBOWL SUGGESTION: Beer-ish Wine

Donati Camillo Malvasia Dolce Frissante 2010 (Emilia Romagna, Italy):

This wine comes off  like a crazy cross between cider, beer and cream soda. It’s considered a sparkling wine, but it’s more foamy than full on sparkling. And yes, we have to tell the truth and admit that it’s the tiniest bit sweet. But don’t be scared. Because pretty much everyone who tries this stuff likes it.  Not just likes it, but loves it. Even becomes ridiculously addicted to it. And it’s the perfect companion to salty Superbowl-type snacks.  Admit it – you’re curious. So if you’re looking for an extra push to give it a try, just use the excuse that at least someone at every Superbowl party would rather be drinking beer, so serve this as a “sort of beer-like substitute.” And then just try not to like it.

Price: $19.99

SUPERBOWL SUGGESTION: Super-Duper Sauvignon Blanc

And Co. Ltd Supernatural Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (Hawkes Bay, New Zealand):

Super natural ‘natural wine’ for a super-duper Super Bowl. This is not your usual New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. To start, it’s from Hawkes Bay, which is further north and a bit warmer than Marlborough, home to most NZ Sauvies. Even more unusual, winemaker Gabrielle Simmers starts with organically grown grapes, makes no use of commercial yeasts, and makes minimal sulfite additions only at bottling. The result is richer, more opulent, and I’ll go ahead and say it…more complex than most. It’s super!

Price: $19.99

SUPERBOWL SUGGESTION: Pink "Beer"

Rene Mosse Moussamoussettes Vin de Table Rose Perlant
(Anjou, Loire, France):

OK, it's not really beer.  It's wine, slightly, naturally sparkling wine.  But for some reason, it puts me in a beer frame of mind.  The texture of the bubbles reminds me of a Belgium wheat beer.  And it has that same light, fresh, zesty citrus note - with a bit of a berry twist.  It even has a beer bottle pop top.  But it is indeed from grapes - don’t ask me which ones.  This is one of the rare cases where I don’t know – and I really don’t care!  It just tastes good. And it will play nicely with spicy things, like wings.

Price: $19.99

Wine You Never Knew You Needed: Rhone Valley Gamay

Domaine Romaneaux-Destezat “La Souteronne” 2010: This wine is from a small estate, founded in 1993 by Herve Souhaut.  When we say small, we mean a whopping 2,500 cases produced annually, across several wines.  (If you’re still learning wine math, that’s not a lot of wine.) Herve’s wines are considered darlings of the Paris natural wine bar scene, but are only just starting to make their way over here. (Perhaps because the Parisians prefer to keep the wines for themselves?)

The estate is located in the northern Rhone Valley, home to some of the best Syrah in the world – and  Herve does make some great Syrah-based wines.  But it’s his Gamay that we’re really crazy about.

There’s not a lot of Gamay kicking around in this region, but this little patch of old vines does very nice things in the bottle. The wine has the bright, vibrant red fruits typical of the grape, but on the finish, there’s a kick of black pepper more typical of the Rhone Valley. It’s complex, a little geeky, and highly drinkable – a mix that we find irresistible.

Pretend you’re a cool kid in a Parisian wine bar, and have yourself a taste.

MYSTERY BOTTLE BAGS: Las Vegas in a Bag

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: Try Something New - Wine Clubs!

Stuck in a wine rut? Get yourself out of it with one of our Wine Clubs. We have options…lots of them.

There’s our monthly Sampler, available in two different budget options. Or go for maximum impact with our Bubbling Over sparkling clubs. All are available in 3-, 6-, and 12-month options.

You can also pay as you go: our clubs are available on a month-by-month basis. Just sign up and we’ll keep sending you wine (and charging you for it, we’re not THAT generous) until you tell us to stop.

Click here for details. (Ignore the wonky formatting.)

REVERSE DETOX KIT

You’ve fasted. You’ve cleansed. You’ve completed your detox regime. It’s time to move beyond your New Year’s resolutions and make your way back into the real world – where food must be chewed and liquids are not the main course. The Frankly Wines Reverse Detox Kit makes this a bit easier.

Wine You Never Knew You Needed: Malbec....from France

Domaine Pepiere (Marc Ollivier) « La Pepie » Côt 2010 (Vin de Pays du Jardin de La France, Loire Valley, France): Yes, most Muscadet is white. But not all of it. There’s a tiny bit of red wine produced here – most of the best is from Marc Ollivier, of Domaine Pepiere. Now to get technical: this wine is not really a Muscadet. According to French wine laws, Muscadet must be white, it must be made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape and it must come from a specifically defined area. This wine is made from grapes grown in that area, but they’re Malbec grapes (in the Loire, it’s called côt) and the final wine is red. So technically…it’s a Vin de Pays du Jardin de La France. But we still like to call it “red muscadet” because it has much of the same freshness, vibrancy, and a bit of the minerality of the white version.

Now if you think Malbec = Argentina, then you’re in for a surprise. This one has the same plumy, purple fruit, but because it’s from a cooler climate, it’s lighter and pleasant flora/herbal edge. There’s also no oak to cover up the bright, juicy fruit. Although this version of Malbec is much lighter than the Argentine version, it’s still a good match with meat. Grilled burgers, grilled steaks. Even grilled veggies, especially mushrooms. And as with all good summer wines – it’s great paired with nothing more than a glass.

As for the rooster on the label? Apparently “La Pepiere” is a pun involving drunken roosters. Or maybe drunken chickens. The French keep trying to explain it to us. We just nod and sip.