The 2008 Valle de la Puerta Torrontes shows my eagerness for springtime! I enjoy white wines during the winter with specific dishes, but I really love them only in the summer when it’s warm outside and a white wine is just so refreshing.

The La Puerta Torrontes is a delicious light-medium bodied white wine with great apricot and peachy flavors. The sweet fruit flavors are prominent, so you won’t be bothered by too much acidity or alcohol. This wine went really well with the fried, battered scallops we had as an appetizer, although I prefer grilled scallops.

Check out their website if you want to see some of the gorgeous photos of the vineyards. These grapes are grown in the Famatina Valley, which sites between two mountain ranges of the Andes, so the valley is surrounded by these beautiful mountains every way you turn. The photos are spectacular.

Origin: Famatina Valley, Argentina
Where: Muss & Turner’s
Price:$6.50 glass/$20 bottle restaurant; probably around $9-$11 retail
Next time: Get a glass!

Atlanta has a new fabulous restaurant – Miller Union! They’re all about chef and local farmer partnerships and preparing dishes around the weekly harvest. Sustainability is key, and the food is absolutely fabulous. Naturally, they have some excellent wines to match their ethos. One of these wines is Quivira’s Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley in Healdsburg, California.

According to the Quivira Twitter page, Quivira is a family-owned organic & Biodynamically farmed winery specializing in Sauvingon Blanc, Zinfandel and Rhone varietals.

Definitely take some time to check out the Quivira website. First of all, the design is stellar and the writing just pulls you in to the magical world that is their farm and vineyards. They have some great information about their biodynamic farming techniques, as well as the history of the winery – even a great section about their farm animals! They also have a wine club that delivers twice a year, which is probably the best way to buy these wines retail unless you live down the street… they’re not exactly easy to find.

Origin: Healdsburg, Sonoma County, California
Where: Miller Union
Price: probably around $20-$25 retail
Next time: Get a glass!

This Juan Gil Monastrell caught my eye on the wine menu last night at Muss & Turner’s — I remember W and I tried this wine (2006 vintage) back in July 2009 at M&T’s Big Burly BBQ Reds wine tasting, and this was one of our favorites. Always good to put a wine from a tasting to the real test, so we shared a bottle of the Juan Gil Monastrell. What a great decision! The rich fruit, smooth tannins, and slightly smoky flavor made a perfect match with the Hangar Steak entree.

The Juan Gil winery is located in the Jumilla region of Spain, and is currently managed by the original winemaker’s great-grandchildren. According to their website, this wine is 100% Monastrell grapes, with 12 months aged in French oak.

Origin: Jumilla Region, Spain
Where: Muss & Turner’s
Price: $29 bottle (restaurant, not retail); probably around$ 12-$15 retail
Next time: Get a case!

For the past two weeks, I’ve attended two wine classes taught by Skip Williams from Highland Wine. The classes are held Wednesdays at Shaun’s, and there are three classes left! I encourage you to give Skip a call to sign up for one or more of these classes. 404.853.4731.

March 10 – Bordeaux and Cabernet – $50

March 17 – Italy and Spain – $35

March 24 – Champagne and Sparkling Wine – $35

This Deep Purple Zin is a really fun wine. First off, it tastes excellent. Second, the label is rockin’! If you’re into Mardi Gras, Jimi Hendrix, and Zinfandel, then this wine is for you. It’s definitely fruity and jammy but without being a horrible fruit bomb. It’s just very rich and tasty – not heavy on the tannins, much more focus on the fruit. Kind of a heavy version of a new world Pinot Noir.

Thanks, Kari, for sharing this wine with me!

Origin: Lodi, California
Where: From a Friend! Looking into it…
Price: around $13
Next time: Get a glass!

The Lot 160 Old Vine Zinfandel goes with the Sampler Case I ordered from Cameron Hughes – see this earlier post for more info. I really loved their Lot 147 Cab Sauv – just a great wine.

Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the Lot 160 Old Vine Zinfandel. Upon opening, you can just smell the fruit bomb that has exploded in your kitchen. Huge berry jam aromas overwhelm, without any tannins to really back it up. After a couple of days after opening, it improved some but next time, I’ll stick with a tried-and-true zinfandel or try something new.

Origin: Lodi, San Joaquin County, California
Where: Cameron Hughes Online
Price: $13
Next time: I’ll pass

A while ago, I got a promotional email from Snooth.com, advertising a special on Cameron Hughes wine – a case of 12 (3 each of 4 wines) for a great price, and it included free shipping. I’d never heard of Cameron Hughes, but I decided to give it a shot. This purchase is also my first time ordering wine online and having it shipped – now that the state of Georgia finally allows wine shipments via mail (too bad their other alcohol laws are still 1800s prudish!).

Cameron Hughes bottles a huge amount of wine based on a method they call the Lot Series. Here’s how it works – for several reasons, high-end wines often have an over-supply of grapes from a variety of vineyards. Cameron Hughes strikes a deal to bottle the juice from these premium vineyards. Rather than blending the various lots, they bottle each vineyard exclusively of the others. So, for example, this Lot 147 is 100% juice from only one specific premium vineyard. The various lots and their respective Cameron Hughes wine Lots come in a variety of price ranges and varietals. Interesting concept… but also one that you often can’t really get a lot of information about each specific lot or who the original/primary bottler would be. Cameron Hughes also sells to places like Sam’s Club and CostCo, so check it out.

This Cabernet from Sonoma County was delicious! It’s 100% Cab grapes and just very drinkable – a great balance – not too fruity and not too tannic. I’m glad I have more than one of these very drinkable wines.

Origin: Sonoma County, California
Where: Cameron Hughes Online
Price: $12.75 through the online special
Next time: Get a glass!

This beautiful label portrays a blended wine of 50% Monastrell and 50% Syrah from Spain. I’ve had some great Monastrells before, but Syrahs are often too pungent for my taste. Unfortunately, the Nabuko was on the too-strong side for me, being very pungent, spicy, and smoky. If that’s your style, go for it! You can learn more about the winemakers on the importer’s website.

Origin: Spain
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $15
Next time: I’ll pass.

This Finca el Origen Reserva Malbec was another star of our Superbowl Party. Not so much a wine for appetizers, this wine paired well with the turkey and veggie chilis. Bold oak, subtle tannins and fruit make this Argentinian Malbec a delicious beauty thanks to winemaker Gonzalo Bertelsen.

Check out their website, too – There’s some great information there as well as some amazing photos of the vineyards. I learned that portions of the Andes Mountains, including the location of these vineyards, was under water at one point during the formation of the continents. As such, there are a plethora of fossils to be found, particularly ammonite, a now extinct marine creature related to today’s octopus and squid. It is the shell of the ammonite creatures that inspired the beautiful spiraled logo that decorates this beautiful wine.

This winery produces a wide range of varietals, ones that I’m eager to taste after enjoying this Malbec Reserve. Keep an eye out for their Chardonnay, Viognier, Cab Sauv, Malbec, Syrah, Cab Reserve, and Malbec Grand Reserve. I’m definitely going to look out for their Cabs and Malbec Grand Reserve. It would be a fun taste test to try their Malbec, Reserve, and Grand Reserve against each other.

Interestingly enough, I’d tasted this wine before at a BBQ pairing tasting — and didn’t love this wine! I guess it’s just an example of how your opinion of a wine can vary based on the situation and tasting environment – what food it’s paired with, temperature at which the wine is served, your mood, etc.

Origin: Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $11
Next time: Get a glass!

To tag along with my Fave Red Wines of 2009, here are my star whites from this past year:

• Man Vintners Chenin Blanc – $9
• Minini Orvieto – $9
• Le Chat Rouge Chardonnay – $11
• Starborough Sauvignon Blanc – $12ish?
• Luna Argenta Prosecco (bubbly) – $12
• Kiona Vineyards Riesling – $12
• Cavas Hill Brut Rose Reserva Artesania Cava (bubbly) – $12
• Borgo Boschetto Pinot Grigio – $13
• Terra Antiga Vinho Verde – $13
• Pascual Toso “Toso” Brut (bubbly) – $13
• 071 Prosecco Veneto (bubbly) – $14
• Villa Cornaro Prosecco – $14 (this is the bubbly that went with Wyatt’s marriage proposal!)
• Fonty’s Pool Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon – $14
• Fonty’s Pool Chardonnay – $16
• Holly’s Garden Pinot Gris – $20
• Wolf Mountain Vineyards Plenitude Chardonnay-Viognier blend – $20
• Wolf Mountain Blanc de Blanc Brut (bubbly) – $25