Forbes Wine of the Week Pick: Barra's Port

In addition to the Big Sale on its regular wines, here's a shout out to Barra for its Petite Sirah Dessert Wine, a port from Northern California, which was a recent pick as Wine of the Week from Forbes.

Read about the wine's success in a recent tasting or order it online here.

Bargain Hunter's Bonanza: Cases $49-99 in Barra's Big Sale

People often complain about spending $15-20 for a bottle of wine. We don't get California, organically grown wine for much less than that at retail.

But local organic producers should be the ones supplying our markets, not cheap imports (usually subsidized by their governments and not organically grown).

If you want to buy local and organic, and pay no more than you would at the supermarket checkout line wine price (or Trader Joe's), my answer is: hit the sales at Barra of Mendocino.

Muscat Canelli

Located in Ukiah, this winery (all organically grown wines, and bottle labeled as such) is sometimes distributed in Whole Foods stores - but not at closeout prices as low as their own winery sale.

This seasonal closeout sale makes their wines even more affordable. The only trick is you have to a. know about the sale, and b. order online. Even with shipping, you'll still be saving beaucoup de bucks.

If you're having a party (graduation, birthdays, whatever) these are great wines to serve. Whether you like red or white, they're perfect for a basic house wine to have on hand. I've bought cases of the Zin over the years as a house red.

Having pizza? The Zin is great. Serving up cheese and crackers on a hot summer evening, bring out the Pinot Grigio or one of the red wines. The muscat cannelli is a perfect summer sipper - just a little bit of sweetness (not the in your face BIG SWEET).

You can mix and match wines below so order a sampler case for yourself, see what you like and then stock up.

Even if you shop at Bargain Outlet, you can't do better pricewise than this sale.

Zinfandel

$49 Case ($4 a bottle; sold by case only)

• Sweet Thang (too sweet for me)

$69 Case ($5.75 a bottle)

• Muscat Canelli (usually $16 a bottle)
• Pinot Grigio (usually $18 a bottle)

Their Girasole brand has the following wines on sale:

• Zinfandel
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Hybrid Red (Cab, Merlot and Syrah)

$99 Case ($8.25 a bottle)

• Barra Zinfandel (usually $20 a bottle)


Barra was started by Charlie Barra, a grower who has been growing grapes for more than 50 years in Ukiah. In addition to his many accomplishments in the history of California grape growing and wine making (starting the first AVA, organizing growers, and more), he has been a great friend and supporter of Slow Foods and its scholarship fund, a very worthy endeavor.

He has about 200 acres of vines in Ukiah and a tasting room there by the side of Highway 101 where you can try all of these wines and more.

Winery is located at www.barraofmendocino.com or call the tasting room at 707.485.0322.

NOTE: This sale is not noted on their web site so you will need to contact the winery directly.

Amazon's New Wine Dept: A Place for Organically Grown Wines

Buying organically grown wine has been a bit of a challenge. Online, one can't always be sure that wine is grown from certified grapes (unless it says it on the label), and the checkout method for each winery or wine merchant is its own process.

Fortunately there's Amazon.com's new Amazon Wine department. This new wine outlet has some pros and cons.

The PLUSES:

You can accurately identify and order organically grown wines at a glance. I found 87 wines listed for U.S. organic.

Check the organic box on the left and up pops Paul Dolan, Patianna, Bonterra, Benziger, Snoqulamie and Pacific Rim, all solid domestic offerings. Other U.S. brands include high end Long Meadow, and low brow Orleans, Green Truck, Organic Wine Works and Cottonwood Creek (the Franzias' brand). Other listed brands include Carol Shelton, Yorkville Cellars, Heller Estate, Jeriko and Barra of Mendocino.

While Sterling is phasing out its organically grown wines, these are still for sale here; and Korbel's one and only organically sourced Brut was also offered.

No Added Sulfite (NSA) wines are available from Frey and Badger Mountain.

The ordering and shipping costs are displayed very quickly and in an easy to read visual format.

CONS:

No Added Sulfite wines are not a listed category nor a subcategory in the organic category - i.e. so if you are looking for "Made with Organic Grapes" (which you should be) on the label, you have to look more carefully. Frey and Badger do not make these wines, but are a significant portion of the bottles offered.

Despite the ease and convenience, shipping charges are only marginally cheaper than buying direct from the winery on the winery's own web sites - about $10 for 1 to 6 bottles. No merchants are offering wine via Amazon's Prime service (which ships all merchandise free after you pay an annual fee).

BOTTOM LINE:

For everyday wines
You're still better off becoming a wine club member at a moderately priced winery with ridiculously good wine - like McFadden or Horse and Plow - and getting wine club discounts. Most of the small winery clubs will let you pick your own selection instead of taking quarterly shipments and will let you buy cases as you need them. You'll get discounts in the 25% range (by the case) and when sales happen up to 40% off.

Case shipment runs about $20.

For special wines
Shop online; the best prices are often from wine merchants but they don't provide the online know how to help you find and select wines (nor do clerks in most wine stores).

Mendo Wine Winners: Listed By Varietal

REDS

Bordeaux Blend (2)
Bonterra's flagship wine over the new/old Testa, which has been growing for decades, but bottling under their own name only recently.
Double Gold
Bonterra McNab, 2006
Bronze
Testa, Black (blend with Cabernet)

Cabernet Sauvignon (4)
Gold
Paul Dolan, 2010
Bronze
Barra, 2009
Bonterra, 2010
Terra Savia, 2009

Carignane (2)
This is an impressive debut for Testa's Carignane.
Double Gold
Testa, 2010
Bronze
Frey (NSA), NV

Charbono (1)
An old Italian varietal showcased.
Double Gold
Testa, 2010

Italian Varietals (2)
Chiarito's dry farmed, organic vineyard produced high quality deep flavors.
Double Gold
Chiarito, 2009 Nero D'Avola (not certified but organic)
Silver
Chiarito, 2009 Negramoro

Malbec (1)
A boutique, small production of 100% Malbec.
Silver
Saracina, 2010

Merlot (1)
Bronze
Bonterra, 2010

Petite Sirah (1)
Silver
Chiarito, 2009

Pinot Noir (8)
A surprising "Gold" for Girasole.
Double Gold
Handley - Anderson Valley (Estate), 2009
Gold
Girasole, 2010
Silver
Barra, 2009
Bonterra, 2010
Paul Dolan - Filigreen, 2007
Paul Dolan - Potter Valley, 2009
Bronze
McFadden, 2007
Naughty Boy, 2009

Red Blends (3)
Silver
Paul Dolan, Deep Red, 2008 (Petit Sirah, Primativo, Syrah, Grenache)
Bronze
Bonterra, The Butler, 2007 (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre)
Testa, Black, 2009

Rose (4)
Yorkville Cellars' rose is on the sweet side; the others are relatively dry.
Gold
Testa (Carignane), 2011
Silver
Barra, 2011
Naughty Boy, 2011
Yorkville Cellars, 2011

Zinfandel (3)
It's surprising that Zins haven't done better in Mendo.
Silver
Bonterra, 2009
Patianna, 2009
Paul Dolan, 2010

WHITES

Chardonnay (7)
More surprises - Bonterra's takes the top spot; and McFadden takes a silver, as high as benchmark Chardonnay producer Handley.
Double Gold
Bonterra, 2010
Silver
Barra, 2010
Frey, 2010
Handley Cellars, 2010
McFadden, 2010
Bronze
Girasole, 2010
Paul Dolan, 2010

Gewurztraminer (1)
Silver
McFadden, 2009

Muscat (1)
Warning: This one's way too sweet for my taste. (Girasole's sister wine, Barra, has a muscat that is better.)
Silver
Girasole, 2011

Pinot Blanc (1)
A notable achievement.
Gold
Girasole, 2010

Pinot Gris (1) 
Silver
McFadden, 2011

Riesling (1)
Silver
McFadden, 2010

Sauvignon Blanc (6)
All three top winners are very different - you might enjoy a taste-off comparison tasting.
Gold
Patianna, 2010
Paul Dolan, 2011
Saracina, 2011
Silver
Bink, 2011
McFadden, 2009
Yorkville Cellars, 2011

Viognier (2)
The Bonterra is a personal favorite of mine - particularly in the summer.
Gold
Bonterra
Bronze
Campovida

Sparkling (2)
My favorite go to sparkling wine is the McFadden, of course. (I have never seen the Patianna for sale anywhere, but would like to try it.)
Double Gold
McFadden Brut (NV)
Silver
Patianna, 2008

New! First Ever Coro Mendocino Farm to Table Dinner: August 18 at McFaddens in Potter Valley

Like what you see from below (from the previous post photos)? Another tour/feast will happen again - in a new way - August 18 when the Coro Mendocino gang gathers for its first annual Farm to Table dinner.

Two of the participating wineries offer organically grown Zin blends - Barra and McFadden. The event will be held at McFadden's idyllic Potter Valley paradise.

For more on the 2009 Coro Mendocino, see the article here.

Get the event details here.

Seize the Weekend - Carpe Chocolate!

Wine and chocolate for Valentine's Day - yeah baby.

Two wine regions in the hinterlands are celebrating with festivities.

Up in Mendo, Barra of Mendocino, in Ukiah, is offering delicious treats this Saturday. Tickets are $25 and include assorted goodies. See details here.

Port, muscat and homemade truffles are on the agenda.

"Please join the wine and spirit-makers of Redwood Valley for their third annual chocolate and wine extravaganza. Professional chocolatiers will present tastings of exquisite dark and milk chocolates, truffles, dipped strawberries, heart-shaped cakes and more, paired with Redwood Valley's dark, rich ports, cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah, muscat canelli and world-class liquers and brandies. Via Magazine has called this an "Esteemed Wine and Chocolate Event". Admission is $25.00 and includes an embossed wine glass as well as entry to all listed wineries and distillery. Designated drivers admitted free."

Out in Lodi, 45 wineries are participating in the Lodi Wine and Chocolate weekend. Among them is the sole certified organic Lodi grower/winemaker, Lucas. I look forward to touring it sometime soon.

The Lucas Winery
18196 N. Davis Road, Lodi 95242
(209) 368-2006
"Turn your tasting glass into a very personal memento with help from our expert tole painter, Ester Torrens, who was a huge hit during our First Sip activities.  Truffle Gateaux will be here to provide samples of their fine chocolates for pairing with our wine and purchasing for your sweetie.  Artist Mike Tate will be creating very affordable art for our guests."

Slow Foods Dinner at Masa's to Honor Charlie and Martha Barra

Charlie Barra, the famed Mendocino wine grape grower and vintner, and his wife Martha will be the guests of honor at a special winemaker's dinner Sunday, August 28 at Masa's, a Michelin one star restaurant, in SF.

Chef Gregory Short will be creating four courses to that feature these Barra wines:

• 2009 Pinot Grigio
• 2008 Chardonnay
• 2007 Pinot Noir
• 2006 Sangiovese
• 2007 Muscat Canelli

Each of these wines will be featured in my new iPhone app due out in a few weeks. (Yes I am madly scribbling).  Be sure to subscribe to this blog to be notified when it launches.

The August event is a benefit for the Youth Food Education Project.

Details here.

Mendocino Wine Competition - Organic Winners! (Gold and Double Gold)

Mendocino's annual wine competition was held last week with a distinguished panel of judges including: Linda Murphy, wine editor for the SF Chronicle, Virginie Boone, Dan Berger, Peggie Christiansen, wine buyer for Whole Foods, and many others.

The organically grown contenders made a very strong showing in the pack of all the wines, winning a number of double golds and golds in addition to the silver and bronze categories.

Here's a list of all the winners on the competition web site. My own list of the organic-only double gold and gold winners is below.

DOUBLE GOLD


Cabernet Sauvignon
Paul Dolan, $25

Where else can you find a double gold Cab for $25? Only in Mendocino. Paul Dolan is such an industry veteran. It's nice to find quality and value together in the same bottle - and at this price. One more reason to pay a lot of attention to Mendocino's wines.

GOLDS

SPARKLING

• Terra Savia Blanc de Blanc, $23

[TIED with French powerhouse Roederer Estate]

This is nothing short of astonishing.

Last year, another "local yokel" (I exaggerate), McFadden Vineyard (a 3,000-case winery) TIED the multimillion-dollar, French-owned Roederer Estate (100,000 cases a year) in the  sparkling wine category. This year humble McFadden scored a silver (more on that in a later post).

I have thought for awhile that Terra Savia's sparkler was hot (in previous posts) but this confirms it. Being tied with French giant Roederer must really be something for Terra Savia's Jim Milone to celebrate.

WHITES

• Blended White
Atrea The Choir, $20

This wine, on a number of top tier restaurant wine lists, keeps proving itself over and over to be a great bargain. It's a white Rhone blend. And affordable!
• Sauvignon Blanc
Patianna, $15.99

Year after year, Patianna keeps getting critical acclaim for their SB. This year is no exception. Hmmm...wonder what they are doing right over there? Is it the vineyard? The winemaking? Or both? Also, nice to see another affordable wine top the list.

REDS

• Blended Red

Testa Black, $20

Paul Dolan - Deep Red, $45

Atrea Old Soul Red, $25

The Testa win here is a surprising and exciting story. This little newcomer, ranking right up there with the likes of veterans Paul Dolan and John Fetzer (Atrea)? A real human interest story there. (You've heard about Testa's story in previous posts here...)

• Cabernet Sauvignon
Barra of Mendocino (2004), $42

Barra put its best foot forward and got the recognition it deserves. This was Charlie Barra's 59th Harvest wine.

• Petite Syrah

Frey Wines, $14 (Sulfite free)

Frey took the gold last year in this category, so they must be doing something right, too, to win gold year over year on this wine.

• Pinot Noir
Masut, $40

Already a heavyweight winner in several other competitions, it's nice to see this wine getting local recognition in a region where there are more than a few powerhouses in Pinot. There were nine Pinot Noir golds this year. Masut was the only organic one. In fact, this is not only organic, but also biodynamic.

• Italian Reds

Chiarito Nero d'Avola, $32 (not CCOF but practicing organic)

I have to say this is one of my personal favorite wines. Join the wine club and get it for $25 a bottle! It's also on some prestigious restaurants' wine lists.


DESSERT

• Yorkville Cellars Sweet Malbec, $22

Yorkville Cellars won a number of silvers and bronzes - but this one took the gold. It was a one-off experiment of a wine, since this is a pretty unusual sweet wine to make. See more about it in this video.

I will post the silver and bronze winners in a separate post.

I just, for reference, checked the Sonoma Wine Competition winners from 2010 to get a feeling for how many organically grown wines were entered and won. One gets the feeling in reviewing the lists of winners in Sonoma that many of the best wineries do not participate in the county competition and are not represented. Only about 1-2 percent of the winners are from organic wineries, mostly Imagery with the occasional wine from Hawley or Michel-Schlumberger.

As for Napa, I searched online for a Napa wine competition, but didn't find one. Does one exist? If you know, let me know.

The Mendocino County Competition appears to have broader participation among the region's wineries, which makes these winners all the more outstanding in their field.

Photos from a Taste of Mendo: 19 Wineries with Organically Grown Wines Participated

It was a warm, breezy evening when hundreds filled Fort Mason to taste wines from Mendocino's three main areas: Ukiah/Hopland, Redwood Valley and Anderson Valley. More than 19 wineries offering organically grown wines participated.

Here are some photo highlights of the event.

It was a warm summery evening...

The exhibit hall was broken down into geographical
sections with Hopland/Ukiah in the front, Anderson Valley
on the left, and Redwood/Potter Valley in the back

Only a small map up high by the bathrooms
gave visitors an overview of the region
and its wineries; it would be nice to see
something more elaborate in future events

Here's the Ukiah Hopland section; there was no labeling for organic producers

Parducci poured

Fetzer poured a number of its wines, including its Coro

Paul Dolan booth

Yorkville Cellars is one of the few organic wineries in Anderson Valley
I was glad to meet the owners after visiting last month

Guinness McFadden (in the turquoise shirt) was on hand to pour
McFadden Wines; many of his organically grown grapes also
go into prestigious wines from Napa's Paris-tasting winner
Chateau Montelena and other wineries

Martha Barra of Barra and Girasole, affordably priced wines 

I finally got a chance to meet Maria Testa of Testa Wines; she makes
a natural, organic "Black" wine, which is 89% Cabernet ($20)

The event is great for bringing together all of Mendo's producers in one hall - a chance you won't find if you visit the region. However if you do want to visit the region, next weekend would be a good time to visit - it's the annual Taste of Redwood Valley, when 9 participating wineries open their doors. One fee gets you a two day pass in to see all of them. More than half are organic and some (small premium Cab producer Oster) open their doors only for visits on this day.

Mark Your Calendar: A Taste of Redwood Valley - Open House of 5 Organic Wineries June 17-19

The annual Taste of Redwood Valley takes place on Father's Day weekend every year - June 17-19 this year. Five wineries in the event offer organically grown wines.

Barra/Girasole
Frey
Oster (generally not open to the public)
Testa (generally open only by appt.)

(Graziano also has one organically grown wine - the Eddie's Vineyard Zin.)

There will be a winemaker dinner on Friday night anx two days of tasting, art and music. The cost is $80 for all the events (advance online ticketing) or $55 for the winemaker dinner and $35 for the two day tasting pass.

Redwood Valley is just east of Ukiah. It's about 2 hours and 15 minute drive from the Bay Area.

Five Great Summer Wines - Organically Grown, Under $20

My new book Drink Green: 101 Organically Grown Wines for $20 or Less will feature the best American wine values that are organically or biodynamically grown.

Here's a sneak peak at some of the world class wine listings:

1. Albarino, Verdad, biodynamic, $18
2. Tocai Friulano, Cooper Mountain, biodynamic, $14 (free shipping on $200+ orders)
3. Muscat Canelli, Barra, organic, $16
4. Vermentino, Tablas Creek, organic, $15 (older vintages available online)
5. Grenache Rose, Cowhorn, biodynamic, $19

To learn more about when the book comes out, sign up to receive blog postings via email. It's coming in May or June!

It's Hot Here in Oakland

Yesterday's 84 degree weather put it at just 4 degrees away from the all time high of 88 degrees. Time for some of those cooling summer wines. I'm dipping into Barra's organically grown Muscat Canelli - a great way to chill.