Stu's Non-Snob Wine Guide

I’ve been trying to tell anyone who will listen – though they may be in short supply these days – that California is currently going through a wine crisis. There is a huge California wine grape glut going on right now.

NO! Don’t wait for the usual suspects to put it quite this simply. They are doing what they do for PROFIT! But let’s look at it in a way that the common wine enthusiast can use. In the past several years there have been not only great years in California for growing grapes but way, way too many vines.

So what does this mean to you? What it means is that wine enthusiasts who used to be too poor to own vineyards, are now able to buy wine grapes and make their own wine. What is even better is that many of these “enthusiasts” are turning what used to be their life-long hobby into a quest to make the wines they always knew they could make. Well enter the era of extremely good fruit at prices cheaper than you can grow them at and – voila – you have some of the most amazing wine bargains – especially if you are looking at California and grapes such as Zins, Cabs, and Sirahs.

So this review is not so much about a particular wine – but about encouraging you all to go out and try some wines from some winery you may never have heard of before.

So let’s get back to the roots of this column and try a few bargains.

First up – the 2002 Rock Rabbit - Syrah - Central Coast, CA

Here’s a wine that gets right at the heart of why this column was created - big fruit, nicely crafted, good character, and downright bang for the buck attitude.

Apparently, a couple of American blokes really like the Aussie style of Shiraz. And their toilets must swirl backwards because they nailed it with this one mate.

I have always been impressed at how the Aussie bastards – (HEY! That’s a term of endearment in them parts! Don’t go getting mad as a cut snake on me! Go up to an Aussie and call them one. REALLY - try it. Just make sure it’s not a Kiwi – you never know what THEY might do.) Now… where was I? Oh yeah, I’ve always been impressed by how the Aussies can put together a pretty damn good Shiraz (and some other wines) for such a bargain price. But these dunny rats have – in my not so humble opinion – beat them Auzzies at their own game. This wine is a real corker!

OK. Now that I have shown that I can Google Australian slang, I guess I’ll say a little something about this wine. Man it is just packed with fruit. I taste blueberries in bunches, ripe black berries, cherries, tobacco, and a hint of licorice. Finish this off with tannins that wrap the tongue nicely and you simply have one bonzer of a plonk. Hell, I’m crackin a fat in my daks right now!

Great news is that you can be full off your face for $7 per bottle if you buy a case.

Editor's Note: Don't mind Stu - he's a Larrikin. But for the record, opinions, commentaries and words expressed are exclusively those of Stu Miller and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, commentary, or words that would be used by JD, the publisher of this web site - not that I'm a sook or anything...

This one was an accidental find. I happened upon a wine with Toasted Head on the label. It’s got a bear breathing fire on the label. What’s not to like? Had to try it. So I bought a bottle and… oh my! Could it really have been that good? So I bought another bottle. And it was THAT good. So I went down to buy a case (it comes in half cases actually). To my extreme sorrow and dismay, however, I could only get seven bottles. Apparently all remaining stock has already gone to retail. Alas, I can’t even order any more. So if any of you find some of this in the Greater Portland, Redding, or San Luis Obispo areas, please let me know. I WANT MORE!!! In fact, let me know if you find it – period. imsauced@oregonsbest.com.

A little about the wine. It is a meritage consisting of 51% Malbec, 35% Petit Verdot, 8% Merlot, and….let’s see… carry the one, yep…6% Cab. The wine boasts of 18-20 months on toasted-head American and French oak barrels. This wine has bold fruit, tons of character, richly blended tannins, and complexity way beyond its sticker price.

Say hello to my little friend - a Petite Syrah from… south of the border? What in the name of San Felipe is going on here!

I first became enamored with Petite Syrah (Pet for short) just a few years ago when I tasted a bottle of EOS 1999 Pet - Mmmmmmmmm. As late I have noticed there is somewhat of a Pet craze going on. So why not bandwagon? Hey – I liked the grape before it was popular anyway. Who are YOU to point your finger at ME?

ANYWAY, I have tried a number of Pets in the past couple of years but with mixed results. Some are too sticky. Some have absolutely no character. And most are just too damned expensive. And you know there are few things I hate more than finding a really good bottle of wine and then not being able to afford to buy a bunch of it. Why bother?

All this brings us to the land known for sunny skies, watered down beer, Tequila, and…er… red… wine. Of course… Mexico is synonymous with red wine. Did I miss the grape vines growing alongside the agave plants?

OK, so I thought my local wine steward was kidding when he mentioned this Pet from Mexico. To tell you the truth I didn’t even know they made wine in Mexico. But in the spirit of international brotherhood – oh, and the $8 sticker price – I figured I’d give it a shot.

What I found was a wine that is downright – dare I say? – MACHO! It does lack some of the complexities of other Pets and don’t expect anything approaching the ’99 EOS, but it has some pretty impressive fruit and it holds up well against several much higher priced wines. Say hola to this one for $8 per bottle!