I love wine. Maybe you do too.
I grew up near the Napa Valley and was blessed
with parents who pushed wine on me when I was a toddler. Stepping out of short
pants, though, I've bumped into a few problems, namely the incredible gulf between
what regular people can afford to drink and what is worth drinking. I may not
have the answer for all that is wine: After all, I'm just one person with oddly
formed tastes and cranky opinions. But each month, I'll shop for grape in the
same grocery and wine stores that regular people frequent; then, I'll praise
the good and gut the bad and try to avoid most of that insane wine-guy talk.
This month, I'll start with several table wines. Making good table wine doesn't
require the best grapes; all that's required is a wine-maker who knows how to
blend anywhere from four to six wines together like the Cut Chemists mixing
and scratching on record. This is something French and Italians do in their
sleep. But can Americans? The answer is yes and no.
1997 Côtes d'Oakley, Cline, $9. Anyone who knows the Bay Area
can tell you that the town of Oakley is dusty and dry--about as promising for
wine as Portland is for speed skating. And yet straight outta the dust bowl
comes a blend that can compete with ones from France. This is a nicely balanced,
Rhone-inspired wine that really shows the craft of blending six varietals.
1998 Faux Estate, Preston of Dry Creek Valley, $9. Despite being made
by a winery that sounds like a bad hair salon, this is the best of the class.
Pour the French wine down the drain and raise your glass to Dry Creek.
1999 Red Table Wine, Coppola, $9. I've never tried any of the wines
Brought to You By the Director/Producer/Executive Producer of Apocalypse
Now because I'm hugely suspicious of wine that trades on its owner's name
for curb appeal. But this is no fruitless vanity project. Heavy on the cabernet
and sangenovese, this one's so well-crafted that Don Corleone would allow it
at table.
1999 Big House Red, Ca' del Solo, $9. OK, this wine is made in Santa
Cruz, so you cannot expect too much, right? Strangely enough, they do more than
legal reefer in Slug City. This is a nice blend of Italian varietals--nothing
too aggressive, nothing too weak, nothing too spicy--just a nice middle-of-the-road
red.
California Old Vine Red (no vintage), Marietta Cellars, $12. Since this
one carries the loftiest price tag in this class and is grown from 50-year-old
vines, shouldn't we get excellence? Unfortunately, this wine is a major disappointment.
Its very pushy, cab-heavy blend tastes like aged syrup. Call out the bomb squad.
