Bodega Jario Rioja Reserva 1998

I picked up a bottle of Bodega Jario Rioja Reserva (Paid $12.83) during my last visit to Sam's. As usual, I grabbed a few bottles of this and that, one being this Tempranillo-blend Rioja.

We popped the cork last night with some sandwiches from a local pizza joint. After the Red Knot incident (she cant stand it either), my wife was hesitant on trying something new when she didn't recognize the Winery, but tasted it after I had a few sips. We both enjoyed the wine, very clean with light tannins and some very light cherry/strawberry notes, but it didn't finish long at all. It was gone almost as soon as it left your mouth. In some ways, it reminded me of an old-world style clairet, but without the body. A nice wine for when you don't want something overly heavy.
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However, my biggest surprise came when I started typing this blog entry.

It seems that Bodega Jario Rioja Reserva is a Sam's Club private label wine that can only be purchased at the clubs.

According to Private Label Magazine,In March of 2006, Sam's Club has announced two new wines bottled under their private label. Their press release bears this headline: "U.S. Citizens' Taste for Wine Continues to Grow Fueling Expansion of Private Brand Wines"

The wines are:
* Elder Vine Shiraz, Australia 2002 (approx. $12)
* Bodega Jario Rioja Reserva Rioja, Spain 1998 (approx. $13)


I think its interesting that Sam's Clubs (whose parent company is Wal-Mart) sees such a potential that they are willing to start offering their own labels. This may tie into a comment I made in an earlier post about how buying wine at Sam's is a crap shoot. You never know what's there and if you find something you like, you need to get back quickly to get more. With their own label - and I suspect volume and price guarantees - this problem may disappear. I can easily see a "special" bin in the wine section that only has their private label wines (there are 3 now) - promoting prince AND availability. Watch out Costco (The #1 retailer of wine in the U.S.) - looks like Sam's has you in their sights.

Wine Drinking Mice are Fat & Healthy

Check out this story that my sister just sent over to me.

It seems that overweight mice on a high-fat diet who consumed very large doses of red wine extract lived longer and healthier than the mice that didn't drink the wine.

Here is the video from the Associated Press.

Maybe there's hope for us all yet! :-}

Favorite BYO's

Being big time foodies, we try to find nice Bring Your Own (BYO) restaurants where we can enjoy some good food with a bottle of wine I bring from my cellar. I figured I'd start tracking some of those places here for others in the central New Jersey area.

Not in any particular order...

• Acacia - Located on Main St in Lawrenceville, Acacia (Pronounced A-kay-sha) is an absolute top-notch restaurant. I've eaten there many times and each and every time was quite enjoyable. Try the Filet or better yet, Sesame Tuna and wasabi mashed potatoes.
  2637 Main Street, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 - (609)895-9885   
  
  
• Rajin Cajun - Located in Belmar, NJ is the best Cajun food I've eaten since I lived down south. The Blackened Steak Bites appetizer is out of the world. The Red Snapper, Blackened Tuna, and Blackened Pork Chops are the favorites, but they only make so many each night, so if you get there late, the chalkboard (where the specials are written) may be bare.
  1102 River Rd., Belmar, NJ 07719 - (732)280-6828   
  
  
• Villagio Iccara - Known as just Iccara's to the locals. Years ago, this place started out as a hole-in-the-wall pizza joint (only 5 or 6 tables could fit) and has become a favorite restaurant in the area. A while back, the owner bought the building next door and completely renovated. The result was Villaggio Iccara, half pizza, half sit-down restaurant. The restaurant side is bright and airy, with a beautiful mural of an Italian beach front on an entire wall. The menu consists of what you would find in any above-average Italian restaurant, but most folks get the specials. You can definitely take the kids there - and they can still get pizza while you're enjoying a nice dish of Penne Paesana, Veal Vesuvio, or the Stuffed Pork Chops. Call ahead and make a reservation - its usually a long wait otherwise.
  104 Yardville Allentown Rd, Yardville, NJ 08620 - (609)585-6668   
  

I know - Pizza and BYO don't seem to go together, but there's not much better than a DeLorenzo's pie and a nice Chianti. There are 2 DeLorenzo's in Trenton, originally started by two brothers many years ago. While they may have started in the same family, they make very different pies. Read on for the details of each.

• DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies - This DeLorenzo's is in an old row house in the heart of Trenton. For the longest time, the family lived upstairs (not sure if they still do), and the original owner is there every night, even though the cooking is done by the younger generations. The menu consists of Tomato pie and soft drinks. That's it. Nothing else. If you want an appetizer, salad, or dessert - go someplace else. The focus here is tomato pies and it is a true tomato pie at that. The pie is sparse with cheese, has big chunks of ripe tomatoes, and crust so thin you can almost see through it. The place is small - 12-14 tables at most and you will easily wait 60 minutes to get a seat on a Friday or Saturday night - then another 30-40 minutes for your pies. This place is renowned for their pies - as all the awards on the walls attest to. One word of caution though - there isn't a bathroom in the place - so drink lightly. If you go, make sure you try the Sausage, Sweet Peppers and Onions - it will blow you away.
  530 Hudson Street, Trenton, NJ 08611 - (609)695-9534   
  
  
• DeLorenzo's Pizza - The DeLorenzo's on Hamilton Ave is honestly, the one preferred by our kids. The pie's served here are more like the pizza most people know. The pizza's are cheesier (though not much more)and more of a balanced pizza rather than focused on the tomatoes. They also have a wonderful White Pie selection for when you're in the mood for something else. There are a lot more tables here, but you'll still wait an hour on a Friday or Saturday, but usually the pizza's come out faster. They also have a bathroom, so its a bit more convenient with kids. Try the Fresh Garlic pizza or if you're going white, the spinach and ricotta.
  1007 Hamilton Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08629 - (609)393-2952   
  

Twin Fin 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

Every year for Halloween, a bunch of us meet at a friends house for dinner while the kids roam the neighborhood Trick-or-Treating. There's typically five or six families, with many others wondering in and out as the night progresses. This Halloween was no exception and once again we found ourselves in the midst of witches, hippies, rappers, and everything else you can imagine. While the kids went door to door, the parents hang out, get some dinner, and get caught up recent going-on's.

Last night, my buddy opened up a bottle of 2003 Twin Fin Cabernet (Retail $10.99)for dinner, which consisted of everything from homemade chili to buffalo wings to stromboli - and the Twin Fin went wonderfully with everything. This wine definitely on the lighter side, but big enough to stand up to chili and wings. This Monterey County Cabernet is fruity and light - a great summertime red which is what you think of every time you see the surfboard sticking out of the convertible on the label. While some may not care for the twist-off cap (which we did debate a bit), all they need is a sip to convince them otherwise.

My buddy said he bought a case of Twin Fin at the beach a while back, but hasn't seen it around here. Well, I think its time to go searching.
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Red Knot Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 - I'd rather not!

My first thought as I picked up this rather highly recommended Cab was "That's an interesting closure". My kids thought the top was "cool" when I put it on the table, and I have to admit, I was intrigued. The 'Zork' enclosure resembles an actual cork - so much that it actually pops when you open it.

Sadly, that's where the enjoyment ended.

As with most wines in this price range (Retail $12-$14, Paid $10.02), I expect to open the bottle and drink the wine. Unfortunately, Red Knot left a rather acrid knot in my throat on the first sip. Now, recognizing that my tastes could be off, I muscled through the first glass and poured another. Being so put off however, I found something else to do for about 30 minutes before I decided to taste it again. On the second taste, it definitely got better, but it still isn't anything I would recommend to anyone that enjoys wine even in the least bit. I will give it another try again and post an update when I do, but tomorrow I'm returning the other 2 bottles. The troubling thing is, with all the rave reviews this wine got, I really did expect better. Could this be just a bad lot? Not sure, but the next bottle will come from a different place - just in case.
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Beaulieu Vineyard Napa Cabernet 2003

The other night, I opened a bottle of the Beaulieu Vineyard Napa Cabernet 2003 (Retail $17, Paid $14.42) and I have to say - What a nice treat! Full bodied, yet slightly fruit forward, this Napa Cab was beautiful right out of the bottle. The aroma just lifted out of the glass - so much so that you could smell it from just sitting there. Based on the smell, I expected a very jammy wine, but yet it was solid and full-bodied. It was so good that my wife even questioned how much I spent on it - and didn't believe me until I produced the receipt. We both enjoyed the wine so much we finished the entire bottle - which is rare these days. Needless to say, I'm going to buy a case and plan on stocking more in the cellar.
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Sam's Club - The last place you'd think about for wine..

...but that would be a mistake. We have two Sam's Club's (like a Costco or BJ's elsewhere) nearby, one can sell wine and liquor and one cannot, so I guess it depends on the local availability of licenses.

We go to Sam's pretty regularly, but I usually only buy wine about once every three or four months. The typical purchase is about 3 or 4 cases, and unless I find a real steal, it tends to be no more than 2 or 3 bottles of the same wine. As I mentioned in my first post, I love finding good-to-very good wines for $20 and under, and Sam's Club is an absolute smorgasbord of inexpensive wines. The big challenge in purchasing en-masse at Sam's in that you'll never know if the same wine will be there when you return. Since I suppose they purchase what they can get their hands on, the wines change pretty frequently, but I consider that a good thing.

I've had some friends worry about the way the wines might be handled, but I've never had a problem that I can attribute to mishandling at the retailer. I have gotten home and found some bad corks under the foil, which they happily replaced, but that could happen anywhere, and with the number I've purchased, it's no more frequent than anyplace else I purchase from.

So, the next time you looking to re-stock the cellar, check out your local warehouse store - you may be able to find some big savings and big selection in the same place.

The obligatory first post

Greetings all. Being the first post of the blog, I figured I should explain the reasoning behind why I decided to start writing it and the madness behind it.

For many years now, my wife and I have shared a common passion for wine and have had a great many wonderful experiences traveling all over and tasting the local product of many a winery. We have shared the luxurious silkiness of some great bottles, and have had chills run down our backs from some not-so-great ones. I've found that, while I appreciate all of the 'Experts' opinions, wine is, by its very nature, personal experience. While my wife and I share a lot of common tendencies, yet we definitely taste different things in each bottle.

The object of this blog is to document some of our tastings and share it with anyone who cares to read. I'm not an expert by any means - just an average person who enjoys a nice bottle of wine. Lately however, I've been on a hunt for top quality wines under $20. Why? Well, anyone can drop $130 on a bottle of Caymus Special Selection and know they will get a great an extraordinary wine. I'm looking for wines that I can truly enjoy everyday and not sacrifice my children's college fund.


Hopefully, others will find some everyday wines to enjoy and even suggest their own favorites. We're always looking out for solid, inexpensive wines that can be readily found by anyone.

All the best
JM