Wine & Words

Prices marked are the regular retail, followed by the Feature Price with a 20% discount.

Black Forest Girl Baden Dry (Baden, Germany) Regular $13.25/ Feature Price $10.60

This white and its Schwester, the Black Forest Girl Pinot Noir, are new ones from our friends at Turner Wine Imports in Morrisville. Nowhere could I find what grapes make up this delightful, dry wine, but the website says it is "a masterful cuvee of traditional white Baden varietals." The most widely planted white grape in Baden is Müller-Thurgau, followed by Rülander (Pinot Gris). That seems about right, with maybe a little Riesling mixed in. Whatever grapes it is, the crisp, clean taste is sure to please, whether paired with a salad or as an aperitif.

Green Path Chardonnay (Australia) – 1 L Tetra Pak $14.00/ Feature Price $11.20
This is something really new! Australian organic Chardonnay in a 1 Liter Tetra Pak. That's right, the box with the little plastic spout, like you get milk or orange juice in. The grapes are grown organically and with careful attention to water management and waste recycled as compost. The Tetra Prisma containers keep the wine fresh and are completely recyclable. And their light weight means less shipping cost (and a smaller carbon footprint). You're getting 1/3 more in the 1 L Pak, which makes the regular price equivalent to $10.50 for a 750 ml bottle. That's good news all around. Come in and try the wine and see if this is something new that you can come to love.

Chateau Capion 1C Blanc 2004 (Languedoc, France) Regular $15.75/ Feature Price $12.60

Chateau Capion has been making a name for itself as a purveyor of finely blended wines, from organically grown grapes, at reasonable prices. This blend of 40% Chardonnay, 40% Roussanne, 15% Viognier, and 5% Sauvignon Blanc brings out the best of each grape. The Chard gives it a firm backbone; the Roussanne lends a fat fruitiness; the Viognier a floral note; and the Sauvignon Blanc takes care of a clean, crisp finish. Aged a bit in French oak, this is bound to be a summertime favorite.

Erbaceo (Puglia, Italy) – Regular $17.75/ Feature Price $14.20

Erbaceo (air-BAHTCH-ee-oh) means “herbaceous” in Italian. It's that note of herbs and fresh cut grass that gives a truly distinctive nose to this stunning white. It's a blend of 60% Fiano Minutolo (a wine grape grown in southern Italy since before Roman times) and 40% Greco (originally Greek, as the name suggests). The result is a white wine with layers of complexity that offer myriad food pairing opportunities. The grapes are certified organic by the ICEA, the Italian organization that has been certified by the USDA as meeting or exceeding the American organic standards.

Black Forest Girl Baden Pinot Noir 2005 (Baden, Germany) Regular $16.50/ Feature Price $13.20

You don't usually think of Germany as a place for red wines. The weather is too cold. But there is one red grape that does well in Germany (especially now that the climate is getting warmer). We call it Pinot Noir; the Germans call it Spätburgunder, the “late Burgundy.” I was really surprised when I tasted this one. It's light in body, as you'd expect from a Pinot Noir, but it has enough fruit to be very pleasant drinking on its own. Make sure you try this one.

Green Path Shiraz (Australia) – 1 L Tetra Pak $14.00/ Feature Price $11.20

Same as the Green Path Chard – tasty, estate grown wine from organic grapes in a Tetra Pak. Very drinkable!

Castle Rock Columbia Valley Cab (Columbia Valley, Washington) Regular $14.98/ Feature Price $11.98

We've carried the Castle Rock line of wines for some time now, and they always bring premium California wines at very reasonable prices. Lately, they've branched out to Washington state's Columbia River Valley, from where we've gotten this delicious Cabernet Sauvignon. It's actually 80%, with 20% Merlot added for balance. Then it spends 18 months in oak for more mellowing. If you're tired of overblown, in-your-face Cabs, you'll like this one from the same latitude as France's Bordeaux region. It's only 13.8% alcohol and goes great with a lot of different foods.

Mazzaro 2004 (Puglia, Italy) – Regular $17.50/ Feature Price $14.00

Another new one from the same producer as the Erbaceo white, this Mazzaro (MAHTS-er-oh) is a blend of 80% Aglianico and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aglianico (ah-LYAH-nee-koh) is one of the higher quality red wine grapes of southern Italy, and it's been planted there since the 7th century BC. These are organic grapes, and the wine spends 24 months in oak barrels. The result is a big, smooth, bold wine that will go well with steaks, stews or chilly spring evenings.

And speaking of new…

Please welcome Mary Mehlich as the new manager of our Washington store. Mary comes to us from being our local representative of The Country Vintner, a wine distributor. She has also managed restaurants and is a home gourmet cook. She brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm about food and wine. So come into Washington Wine & Gourmet and give her a big Wine & Words family welcome.