Three Delicious Jewels from Tisdale Vineyards

I found these bottles of wine at a local store. Simply delightful!

The Pink Moscato is appropriately described as a fruity wine with a light body, delivering flavors of raspberry, peach, and passion fruity with a smooth mouth watering finish. Price $3.00 each!!

The Shiraz is described with overtones of black raspberry and pomegranate, medium body and great finish.

 Finally, the white wine Pinot Grigio, with a flavorful citrus light body.

The Taste of Terroir

Witness the water which falls from the skies upon our vineyards; and then passes into the roots of the vine, to be converted into wine; a constant proof that God loves us,  and that he is pleased to see us happy.
— Benjamin Franklin, 1779. 

$11.99 and $895.00

The Difference

Today we understand better the missing components in Ben Franklin’s quote. We know now that besides water passing into the roots of the vine, water incorporates the particular chemical composition of the soil where the vine grows. There are many factor that affect the flavor of the grape including its micro climate. Have you ever wondered why a 750-ml bottle of an Australian Rosemount Merlot costs $11.99 , while a bottle of Chateau Margaux 1989 from Bordeaux, France costs $895 (at 20-20 Wine Merchants; 2012 prices), even though the vintners use the same grape? What makes a Chablis from France, made from the Chardonnay grape, have a metallic, minerally, austere taste while a California Chardonnay frequently has a fruit forward nose with hints of vanilla and spice? Or even more pertinently, why do American wines prominently displayed  not the region but the grape variety on the label, while European wines rarely do, preferring to cite the region of production, e.g.,  Brunello (in Tuscany), Chablis, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and Rioja? The answer is clear,the region where it was produced!

The Terroir

Have you been lately to a well-supplied wine store? In addition to the standard wines from the US, whole sections of the wine stores display offerings from the major wine producing regions including France,  Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, representing thousands of producers.  It is true that wine grapes mostly grow between the 30th and the 50th degree of latitude, in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, but grapes will sometimes grow beyond this range and minor amounts of wine are produced in some very unexpected locations. So, If it were not for the profound effects of geography in growing grapes and producing wines, we would not enjoy this incredible variety. We are literally tasting the unique physical environment the wine came from! The terroir.

French Terroir

 

Perfect Company

What should my first blog on wine universe be about? The answer turned out to be easier that I thought. I will blog with a different mindset, let high inspiration go and the ambition to write a jewel blog every time. I will be what I call more "experiential" and less literary. 

Imaginative but impractical thoughts aside, let us get to the business of wine.

Ménage à Trois California Red Wine 2010

The Winery

Initially I thought the suggestive name Ménage à Trois was an unhappy marketing effort. Not so! It resonates well with the winery’s name. This wine is vinted and bottle by the Folie à deux winery; the French expression meaning "a madness shared by two" or collective psychosis. According to Wikipedia, Folie à Deux was founded in 1981 by two psychiatrists, who took the name from a psychiatric term for a fantasy or delusion shared by two people. In 2004 they sold the winery to the Trinchero Family Estates, a Napa Valley wine company owned and operated by the Trinchero family. Trinchero Family Estates was named American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine in December 2009. The wine comes from grapes growing in Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley. For the winery website go to http://www.folieadeux.com/visit-us.php

Under the Ménage à Trois label the winery bottles several three-grape blends: California Red, California White, Chardonnay, Rosé, Moscato, Pinot Grigio, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The expression “vinted and bottled”, according to winetaster.com, means the same as "made and bottled by.” For more info on these wines go to http://www.menageatroiswines.com.

The Wine

The California Red wine featured here is a blend of three grape varieties: Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon. Hence the name Ménage à trois of this product line. Here are the details:

Prices go from $7.99-12.99. Suggested $18.99

Alcohol content: 13.40% v/v

Bottle volume: 750ml (fifth)

Napa Cellars tasting room:

7481 St. Helena Highway
Oakville, CA 94562

GPS Coordinates: (Long.)122.401742 , (Lat.)38.4356068

Producer's Tasting Notes

"Our 2010 Ménage à Trois exposes the fresh, ripe, jam like fruit that is the calling card of California wine. Forward, silky and soft, this delicious dalliance makes the perfect accompaniment for grilled meats or chicken."

Tasting Notes

"This bottle is well priced, goes in smoothly, not very complex, bright and fruity with scents of cherries and other red fruits. If you enjoy drinking reds on the sweet side, this is your kind of red wine. A very delicious and enjoyable wine!"

Folie à Deux

Appearance

The bottle is slender at the bottom and wider at the shoulders giving it a "barrel-chest" look. The bottle shape, satin dark red foil, and label design give it a conservative and formal look. The front and back label design is simple and elegant with monochrome burlesque dancers embossed in deep red at the top.

Wine Country. The Beginning.

The South Coast wine region is home to many small vineyards, with grape growers clustering on places where the warm Californian climate is moderated by the cool water of the Pacific Ocean. Here blankets of morning mists, long sunny days, cool summer nights and steady ocean breezes combine to produce high quality wines full of fresh and authentic flavors.

Healdsburg, CA

The good news is that superior wines can increasingly be found from the small town of Julian to the outskirts of Los Angeles. The not so good news is that not everybody knows it. This blog is an invitation to discover these scattered jewels where superior wines can increasingly be found. Here we are sure to discover a rich history and new beginnings in the art of wine making bound to the character of the people and the history behind them.