Rodizio Grill in Braintree

If you dine at a churrascaria, a Brazilian grill where you can eat all you want, and you have room for dessert, then you just didn't try hard enough. When that parade of enticing meats on skewers marches by your table, you can't help but taste a bit of everything until your belly cries surrender.

Last week, I dined, as a media guest, at a new churrascaria, the Rodizio Grill, which is now open at the South Shore Plaza in Braintree. The Rodizio Grill is part of a chain, currently located in ten states, and it was established in 1995 by Ivan Utrera, a native of Brazil. This is their first restaurant in Massachusetts and as it is brand new, some leeway needs to be granted to them in my review, to give them time to work out any initial kinks. Overall, I enjoyed my dinner and believe it has potential to become a popular destination.

As you enter the restaurant, the fully stocked bar is right in front of you, with a couple of televisions behind the bar.

The dining room is medium-sized, simply decorated and with a casual elegance to it. It has an appealing ambiance to it, and even when the restaurant was fairly full, the noise level was manageable.

I like the interesting pictures on the wall, lots of colors and with a cartoon-like style. They help to brighten up the restaurant.

The grilling area is fully open so you can watch them preparing the various meats, or the pineapple, as pictured above. You only have two choices for the menu, either the Full Rodizio (dinner $34.99/lunch $22.99) or Salads Only (dinner $22.99/lunch $12.99), and children under 12 have different, lower rates.
Both choices are all-you-can-eat options.

There is a fully stocked bar though the wine list seemed rather ordinary, and did not have any Brazilian wines, though I liked the fact they have the Taylor Fladgate 10 & 20 Year Old Ports. You might instead want to try one of their eight specialty cachaca cocktails, such as the famed Caipirinha. I decided to try the Caipituba ($8.95), which is basically a caipriniha with the addition of Ubatuba Guarana, a carbonated beverage made from the Guarana plant. The drink was effervescent, not too sweet and you could not taste the alcohol. A fine summer sipper.

Before you go to the salad bar, you are brought three different appetizers, which are also all-you-can-eat. There are Polenta fries, a nice crunchy treat, and Pao de Queijo, a cheese bread made with yucca flour. The bite-sized breads were best when they were warm, with a dominant cheese-flavored interior.

You also receive a plate of Banana Frita, basically sweet fried bananas covered with sugar. Though I liked these, with a fine crunch to the exterior and a creamier, banana inside, I thought they might be more appropriate as a dessert because of all the sugar.

The Salad Bar is a large rectangle, with tons of dishes available, from rice to black beans, from parmesan cheese to slices of bread. One long side has a myriad of salad vegetables so that you can make your own salad. The veggies looked clean and fresh.

The other lengthy side contained a number of prepared salads, such as Artichoke salad, Roasted Edamame salad, and Garbanzo salad. Again, the dishes all looked fresh and appealing. If you only ordered the Salads Only option, you would have plenty of choices on the salad bar. For me, I chose to only sparingly select anything here as I wanted to save room for all of the meats to come. My dining companion though felt that the Couve, sauteed collard greens & bacon, were amazing, some of the best she has ever had.

The Gauchos then began to bring their skewers of meat to our table, slicing off our choices. As the restaurrant is new, the servers were a bit inexperienced, not as polished as you might find elsewhere. They were courteous, pleasant and eager to please, but a little bit raw. I am sure that will change with time as they grow more confident and experienced in their roles. If you like your meat cooked a certain way, such as rare or well done, they will ensure they bring it to you.

On your table, you have an hourglass-like block that is colored green on one side, and red on the other. If you stand it up with the green at the top, the Gauchos will continue stopping by your table with meat. If you need a rest, just turn the red side up and they will pass you by until you turn it back to green. Once you are fully done, you turn it onto its side. This is an excellent way to control the pace of your dinner.

Overall, I was impressed with their meats, which were tender, juicy, and cooked just right. I have been to other churrascaria where the meats were overcooked and dry. Generally, the meats were also seasoned properly, without an overabundance of salt, like some other churrascaria do. Plus, there is a good variety to the meat selection, with maybe 16+ options available each night. Despite the newness of the restaurant, they are on the top of their game with their grills.

Above, is a picture of a skewer of Sobre Coxa, marinated & seasoned chicken, which was quite good.

A skewer of Paiche, a South American freshwater fish, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. This fish is just starting to be seen on American menus and it has a nice white texture with a more subtle flavor. It reminded me a little of cod and was cool to see it on their menu.

They serve several types of beef, like this Fraldinha, a tenderloin. You will also see choices such as the Picanha, top sirloin, and the Bife Com Alho, garlic beef. The Garlic Beef may have been my favorite of the night, and I had several slices of it. The smell alone was alluring, though the taste was superb as well, with plenty of garlic on the exterior of the beef.

The Frango Agri-Doce, sweet and spicy chicken, definitely has a hot, spicy kick that is balanced with the sweetness. The marinade is delicious, and I loved the heat on the finish.

One of the few items not on a skewer is the Assado, a Brazilian pot roast with potatoes and veggies. Yes, it was tasty too, with tender meat, basically falling apart.

The Linguica were juicy and flavorful.

Some of the other meats included the Lombo, marinated pork loin; Peru Com Bacon, turkey wrapped in bacon; and Coracao, chicken hearts with a twist of lime. All were very good and even the chicken hearts, which sometimes can be tough, were relatively tender.

Besides the meats, there are a couple other grilled treats which you will enjoy. The Tomate Grelhado Com Parmesao, grilled tomato with melted Parmesan cheese, was good but my favorite was the Abacaxi, grilled glazed pineapple, The pineapple slices were still juicy and with only a mild sweetness. You might not think grilled pineapple is that good, but this is compelling and you will want to enjoy more than a single slice.

I didn't have any room for dessert though they looked appealing. The Brigadeiro Royal Banana Sundae is a chocolate cake topped with ice cream, sliced bananas, Brigadeiro sauce, whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and a cherry.

This is the Rabanada, a warm cinnamon pastry with a creamy center, served with vanilla ice cream and laced with caramel sauce.

The Rodizio Grill has made a very good showing during its initial opening and has potential. The most important aspect, their grilled meats, are already impressive and the rest will hopefully shake out during the next couple months. Come here and bring your appetite as there will be plenty you want to try. Don't load up too much on the salads, saving space for all of the grilled meats, as well as the delicious grilled pineapple.

Rant: Don't Buy The Same Old Cheap Wines

With the holiday season approaching, many people will stock up on wine to serve their guests at various holiday parties and celebrations. Often, because they are buying bottles in bulk, their primary concern is price. They generally want to purchase wine that costs $10 per bottle or less. That may mean they end up stocking up on brands like Yellow Tail and Estrella. I see a similar thing with people who bring a bottle of wine to a holiday party. They don't want to spend too much money and thus often bring those same brands.

Though those might be drinkable, they are not likely to impress your guests. Guests will drink them but no one will remember them after the party. I certainly would rather not drink them at a holiday party. My objection is not because of their price but rather that they are uninspiring.

Your guests want to drink better, more interesting, wines than these. When I attend my holiday parties, plenty of the guests seek me out specifically to find out what wines I brought. They know that I am likely to bring something delicious and compelling. My wines will be the first ones they drink and the Yellow Tail and Estrella is what they will drink once my wines are gone. What all these guests may not realize, is that many of the wines I bring are great value wines.    

Wouldn't you prefer to purchase inexpensive wine that will also impress your family, friends and other guests? That is definitely possible and is not too difficult to do. You have two primary options to locate such wines.

First, seek out one of the better discount wine stores. These places often carry a good selection of wines costing $10 or under, much more than you will find at a regular wine store. You can find plenty of variety in these inexpensive wines, whites and reds, domestic and imported. You will find wines comparable in price to Yellow Tail but which offer much more character, complexity and taste. They offer a much better value, and still at a low price point.

As one example, I would highly recommend Bin Ends in Braintree. On my last trip there, I bought over 20 different wines, all costing $10 or less. It was an excellent and diverse selection and I have yet to drink one of those wines which was not pleasing. Another example is the Wine Connextion in North Andover, where I attended an event last night. Roughly one-third of their wines cost under $10 and though that includes some major brands, there are plenty of much more interesting wines too.

Second, if you shop at a regular wine store, you still have options though it probably would be best to ask a wine store employee to help you find their value wines that cost $10 or less. They can identify those wines which will be more interesting and delicious than the usual Yellow Tail and Estrella wines. You should also remember that most wine stores offer a discount for bulk purchases, sometimes as few as 6 wines, which is another way to save money on your purchases.

But if for some reason you can't ask a store employee for some recommendations, then my best advice for selecting a good wine that is $10 or under, is to buy a Portuguese wine. At this time, I think some of the greatest value wines are coming out of Portugal, especially at the price point. Chances are that if you purchase a Portuguese wine costing $10 or less, you will find a delicious and interesting wine. And there are plenty of Portuguese wines available in that price range. There is no other wine region where you can find as many good wines at that price point. At the Beacon Hill Wine & Gourmet in Melrose, the wine store where I work part time, I often recommend Portuguese wines to people seeking great values.

So this holiday season, don't buy the same old cheap wines. It won't take much effort to select some better choices, and still very inexpensively. In the end, you will impress your guests and make your holiday party more memorable.

Wine Riot: Some Food & Wine Treasures

At any large wine tasting, I hope to find at least a handful of treasures, a few new wines which are extremely delicious, good values or especially unique. This past weekend, at the Wine Riot, a grand wine tasting run by the Second Glass, I found several such treasures. I was hoping that there might be some sherry and Saké there, like at their last event, but that was not the case this time.  Many of the same vendors from the last Wine Riot were at this event, so there was much duplication.  But there were still some new vendors, as well as some new wines.  

Prior to the Wine Riot, I had eagerly anticipated checking out the KO Catering and Pies booth, a new food vendor (which is not even open yet) that sells Australian-style meat pies. In the near future, maybe as soon as this week, they will open a store in the Fort Point neighborhood, as well as have a roaming food truck.  They will sell a variety of Australian favorites besides the meat pies.  At the Wine Riot, kind of their public debut, they sold Classic Aussie Meat Pie ($6), Irish Beef Stew Pie ($6), Curried Veggie Pie ($6), and Thai Turkey Sausage Roll ($4). 

I tried the Classic Aussie Meat Pie, which is filled with lean ground beef, cooked with onions and spices in a beef tomato sauce.  They do not provide you a fork or any utensil as you are supposed to eat it as is, just sliding it out of the aluminum tray.  Being careful, I was able to eat it without any utensils, and without making a mess or dropping anything.  I did see a woman having difficulty with her veggie pie, as it seemed to fall apart. I liked the light, flaky pie crust, and the meat was moist and flavorful, spiced well. The amount of sauce was restrained, providing moistness to the meat but not so much that it seeped out of the pie once you bit into it.  It was delicious, and I would recommend them to others.  I will definitely be buying more meat pies as well as checking out some of their other products.

Now on to some wine.  At the last Wine Riot, I had stopped by the Quady Winery table but they were out of their Dry Vermouth, so I moved on.  I had tasted a few of their wines before and had been looking forward to tasting their vermouth.  This time, I was able to taste the vermouth, as well as another exceptional dessert wine. Plus, I had the chance to meet Andrew and Laurel Quady, the husband and wife owners of the winery, which is located in Madera, California.

Quady makes two vermouths ($20 each), an Extra Dry and Sweet, both made with about twenty botanicals.  The Extra Dry is a blend of Colombard and Orange Muscat wines enhanced by botancials made primarily from flowers and leaves, including Angelica, lavender, rose petals, linden and citrus.  The Sweet is blend of Tinta Roriz and Orange Muscat wines enhanced by botanicals made primarily from seeds, barks and roots. Those places are supposed to be where the energy is concentrated in the plants. Andrew said that it was as if they used the "dark side" for the sweet vermouth and the "light side" for the dry.

I initially tasted the dry on its own, and it had a strong herbal taste, which is the style Andrew prefers.  I enjoyed the dry vermouth, though it had a bit of a bitter finish. But it is obviously something you drink with a mixer, and not on its own.  By balancing the bitter finish, you can then enjoy the herbal taste of the vermouth.  I then tasted the Vya Cocktail, which is a 50/50 blend of dry and sweet vermouth and it too had a nice taste, the herbal notes balanced by a bit of sweetness.  The two vermouths are versatile products and could be used in a variety of cocktails. 

But the highlight of this table, and probably the most unique wine at the entire event, was the Quady Deviation ($25/375ml), a blend of Orange Muscat with Damiana and Pelargonium. Damiana, also known as Turnera diffusa, is a shrub native to Mexico, Central America and South America, which has aromatic flowers.  The leaves were traditionally used to make tea which was reputed to have aphrodisiac properties.  The lemon-rose scented Pelargonium, also known as rose Geranium, is native to South Africa.  Both herbs are steeped in the wine for one week and then the wine is aged for a year before release.  It is made to be a dessert or after-dinner drink.

This was a fascinating wine, with some mild sweetness and citrus flavors up front, but ending dry and herbal.  I expected there to be a sweet finish too, so the dryness was quite surprising, and very enjoyable.  Offhand,I can't recall another dessert wine that has such a finish. Its complexity and unique taste made this wine really stand out and it earns my highest recommendation.

At the prior Wine Riot, I recommended a number of wines from 90+ Cellars, and Kevin and Brett made another appearance at the latest Wine Riot, bringing some new wines.  Plus, they conducted a fun blind tasting which let the attendees have some input on what wine will be bottled in the future. There were five wines, marked "A" to "E." and the sample that garnered the most votes will be bottled and sold next season under the Second Glass Wine Riot name.  The samples included a Cava, Alsatian Gewurtztraminer, Italian Montepulciano, Australian Bordeaux-style, and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  My two favorites were the Cava and Gewurtz, both excellent values. We shall see in the near future though which wine won.   

I was also very impressed with one of their new wines, the first in their Collector's Series, a line of higher end wines but still at significant discounts.  Lot 24 is a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Oakville appellation, well famed for Cabernet.  The original wine sells for about $67 a bottle but the 90+ price is only $23.99, a very deep discount.  Only 240 cases of this wine have been bottled by 90+ Cellars. This was an excellent wine, with an alluring and spicy aroma, and a complex, rich taste of black fruits, spice, violets and a bit of smoke.  A compelling value, you will find few Cabernets of this high quality at this low price. Highly recommended!

I was also interested in checking out the hard ciders of Farnum Hill Ciders, located in New Hampshire.  At the recent Chef's Collaborative Summit, I had tasted their Farmhouse cider, and really enjoyed it, especially with pork.  The Farnum Hill "Farmhouse" is a sparkling hard cider, made in a pub style, and is very easy drinking.  It has a prominent fresh apple smell, which also comes out on the taste, and only has a little sweetness.  It is food friendly, goes down easily, and it is something I can drink all day.  The Farnum Hill Extra-Dry Still is dry, with a stronger apple flavor, and is also very easy drinking and food friendly. If you do not want something with bubbles, this would be a very good choice.  A more intriguing brew was the Farnum Hill Kingston Black Cider, which is made from 100% Kingston Black, an English cider apple.  This dry cider has more depth and complexity.  Along with the apple flavors, there are some herbal notes, as well as hints of other fruits. There are all ciders worth checking out.

During the Wine Riot, there are numerous Crash Courses, brief educational seminars on various wine topics.  They are free for all Wine Riot ticketholders, though seating is limited.  They are an interesting way to learn a bit more about different wine topics. 

I attended the "This Taste Like Roadkill, But I Like It" course, led by John Hafferty of Bin Ends, an excellent discount wine store in Braintree. The idea of this course was to taste three exotic wines, to open consumers to the diverse possibilities beyond the usual grapes like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.  That is certainly a sentiment I embrace and encourage.  The wines included: 1999 Lopez de Heredia Rioja Blanco Crianza "Gravonia" from Spain, 2007 Buscaretto LaCrima Di Moro d'Alba from Italy and 2008 Kanonkop Kadette, a South African blend of Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. I really enjoyed the first two, but the third was too vegetal for my tastes.  Though I have liked the Kadette before, so it might just be a vintage issue.

So my journey to the Wine Riot was a fruitful expedition.  If you went to the Wine Riot, what were some of your special discoveries?

Bin Ends: Fine Wine Flea Market

Bin Ends, the discount wine store in Braintree, announces its first Fine Wine Flea Market. This will be a fine wine tasting and sales event and it is free to attend. You will be able to taste dozens upon dozens of fine wines from many of the world's top wine producers.

Wines will be available for purchase day of the show and for pick up and delivery later that week. First come, first served. All wines will be available before July 4th weekend. These deeply discounted prices (up to 50% off) will be available day of show only. You can also enter a drawing to win a bottle of 2002 Roederer Cristal Champagne.

I expect this will be an excellent event with lots of great deals. I will probably try to attend and hope to see some of my readers there too.

The event will be held on Sunday, June 28, from 1pm-5pm. The first 100 folks to arrive will get a complimentary GoVino tasting glass. Please RSVP asap as space is very limited. To register, send an email to mailto:torsvp@binendswine.com, or call 781-817-1212

Bin Ends
236 Wood Road
Braintree, MA 02185

City/Town Recommendations #10

This is my tenth post of a planned series noting my personal recommendations for food/wine places in various towns and cities. This time I am touching on a few different cities and towns, including Acton, Andover, Belmont, and Braintree. This list might be expanded and/or revised in the future but I will note when it changes. Be sure to check my extended reviews of many of these places elsewhere on my website.

Acton

Wine Stores:

Acton Wine & Spirit Co.
305 Main St. (Route 27)
Acton, MA
Phone: (978) 263-9060
(Very good wine store, nice selection, and weekly wine tastings)

Andover

Wine Stores:

Wine••Sense
166 North Main Street
Andover, MA
Phone: 978-749-9464

Restaurants:

Yama
63 Park Street
Andover, MA
Phone: 978-749-9777
(Good Chinese and Japanese cuisine)

Glory
19 Essex Street
Andover, MA
Phone: 978-475-4811
(Creative, seasonal and delicious cuisine.)

The Cupcake Boutique
13 Elm Street
Andover, MA
Phone: 978-475-4429
(Tasty, moist cupcakes)

Belmont

Wine Stores:

The Spirited Gourmet
448 Common Street
Belmont, MA
Phone: 617-489-WINE
(Excellent wine store, great selection, free weekly wine tastings)

Restaurants:

Vicki Lee's Cafe
105 Trapelo Road
Belmont, MA
Phone: 617-489-5007
(Very good cafe and bakery)

Braintree

Wine Stores:

Bin Ends
236 Wood Road
Braintree, MA
Phone: (781) 817-1212
(Excellent wine store with great prices)

2007 Cerejeiras Regional Tinto

Prior to the Travessia wine tasting, I spent time checking the selection at Bin Ends, seeking some inexpensive, every day wines. With summer coming, I like to stock up on such wines, especially as I usually bring a bottle or two with me when I go to BBQs, parties or other summer get togethers. Bin Ends certainly had plenty of good choices and I quickly assembled a case of wine, including number of Spanish and Portuguese wines.

One of my choices was the 2007 Cerejeiras Regional Tinto ($5.60)! This had to be one of the most inexpensive wines in the store and the price was surely a compelling point. But, I also knew this was a Portuguese wine and have found many enjoyable from this country costing under $10. I might be more leery of a California or French at this price point, but with a Portuguese wine I had no qualms about buying it and taking a chance. And I was not disappointed.

The wine is from the Estremadura region of Portugal, not the more familiar Douro or Dao regions. Estremadura lies along the Atlantic coast and includes the capital city of Lisbon. The wine is a blend of Castelao, Aragonez, and Tinta Miuda. It is fermented and aged only in stainless steel and has an alcohol content of 12.5%. Thus there is no influence by oak, allowing only the fruit to shine.

The wine has a deep, purple color with a restrained nose of hints of dark berries and spice. It was not as aromatic as many other Portuguese wines I have tried so I was not sure how it would taste. But I was pleased with its flavors: ripe plum, black cherry, vanilla and intriguing spices. It had a rather unique taste, something I often associate with Portuguese wines. The tannins were moderate making it an easy-drinking wine with a fairly long finish.

I opened a bottle of this wine with my dinner, Shepherd's Pie, and it was a good pairing, especially with the burger. I think this would also make an excellent BBQ wine. It had plenty of character, especially at this price point. I highly recommend this wine as an excellent value. How can you go wrong when it costs under $6?

Travessia Urban Winery: Tasting at Bin Ends

Though a handful of states (such as California, Oregon, Washington and New York) get all the press for their wines, excellent wines are made in other states as well. In fact, all fifty states have wineries and Massachusetts alone has more than 25 wineries. And new wineries continue to open, including the Travessia Urban Winery.

I first met Marco Montez, the owner and wine maker of Travessia, several months ago at a Boston Wine Expo after-party held at the Boston Wine School. He was personable, down-to-earth, and genuine. He passionately talked about his winery, but in humble tones. It was not until recently though that I had the opportunity to taste some of his wines. Bin Ends held a special tasting of several wines from Travessia and Marco was there to talk about them and his winery.

Marco, who was born in Angola, has been involved with wine since a young child. When he ws young, his family moved to Portugal, about an hour north of the Douro River. His family made wine, generally for family and friends and Marco assisted. This was still a time when people stomped on grapes with their feet, which is not even legal in the U.S. any longer. Eventually, Marco moved back to Angola for a couple years before then moving to New Bedford, Massachusetts.

He acquired a degree in electricial engineering and currently has a full time job in that field yet his passion is wine making. In 2007, Marco began to assist Running Brook Vineyards, in North Dartmouth, with their wine making. This led to Marco opening his own winery in December 2008, deep in the heart of New Bedford. Though Marco lacks any official oenology education or degree, he has plenty of hands-on experience.

An important aspect for Marco is that he uses only local grapes. He does not want to import grapes from California or New York. He only wants to use grapes grown in Massachusetts, so that his wines will truly be Massachusetts products. Currently, he obtains his grapes from Running Brook, who have vineyards in Dartmouth and Westport. Eventually, Marco would like to own his own vineyards.

His wines are generally intended to drink young, thus he uses less sulfites as he does not need additional sulfites to ensure the wine will age well. All of his wines are also currently filtered though that that may not always be the case. It will all depend on the particular wine.

We got to taste five of Marco's wines, including one that is not yet available for sale. His wines are available for sale at the winery as well as Bin Ends. Note that the prices I have listed here are those at Bin Ends.

We began with the 2007 Travessia Unoaked Chardonnay ($10.40). This wine is made of 100% Chardonnay grapes. It was fermented and aged solely in stainless steel plus malolactic fermentation was prevented. It has an alcohol content of 13.6% and only 211 cases were produced. I found the wine to have a bright gold color with an enticing nose of citrus and apple. On the palate, the wine was crisp with an acidic bite. It had delicious fruit flavors, especially apple and almost some tropical fruit flavors, almost reminescent of hints of pineapple. A lively wine that will be excellent for the summer, as well as an accompaniement to food. I was impressed with this wine, especially at this price which makes it an excellent value.

The 2007 Travessia Chardonnay ($12) is also made from 100% Chardonny but sees some oak aging. All of the Chardonnay is actually fermented together and then later split, some being aged in oak and some not. This wine spent about six months in French oak, about 20% new, and underwent a partial malolactic fermentation. It has an alcohol content of 13.6% and only 440 cases were produced. The color of the wine was the same as the unoaked Chardonnay though the nose is much different. There was a mild buttered popcorn smell wth hints of underlying fruit. The taste was creamy with restrained apple and melon flavors. It was not overly oaked, not heavy handed. I liked this wine too, though my personal preference is the unoaked version. This is still though a very good value at this price.

We got to taste the Travessia Rose, which is not yet for sale. This is not a traditionally made Rose but is actually a blend of red and white wines. It is an area of some controversy as there are many traditonalists who don't think blending should be a permissible practice to make Rose. Marco would not tell us what type of grapes were used to make this wine, though he indicated two different grapes were used, as well as three different wine batches. The Rose has an alcohol content of 12.8% and only about 50 cases were produced. The wine had a bright pink color and a dominant smell of spice. I could not fully identify the spice, though it reminded me of Xmas cookie spices. It has a bit of residual sugar so there is a slight sweet taste to the wine, which also had those same spice flavors s on the nose. I generally prefer Old World style Rose so this wine was not that appealing to me though others at the tasting enjoyed it.

I did though enjoy the 2007 Travessia Vidal Blanc ($10.40), a wine made from a hybrid grape and was made to be a semi-sweet wine. It was fermented and aged only in stainless steel. It has an alcohol content of 13.6% and only 575 cases were produced. The wine had a rich golden color and an enticing, spicy nose. It had a full mouthfeel with nice tastes of apricot and spice, almost reminding me a little of Gewurztraminer. The sweetness was mild, not cloying, and this would probably make a nice accompaniement to spicy Asian cuisine. Another very good value wine.

The final wine of the evening was the 2007 Travessia Sweet Vidal Blanc ($11.20), a sweet wine that was fermented and aged only in stainless steel. It has an alcohol content of 11% and only 120 cases were produced. The nose on this wine seemed closed, and I could not really smell anything. The wine was sweet, like a dessert wine, with some tropical fruit flavors but there was a bit of bitterness on the finish. I preferred the other Vidal Blanc.

I recommend you check out Travessia wines, and visit the winery in New Bedford. I will be making a trip to the winery in the near future and will report back afterwards. Good wine can be made in many different places so give Massachusetts wine a try!

Travessia Tasting at Bin Ends

Bin Ends Wine has announced the exclusive retail launch of four locally-produced wines, the first-ever releases of Travessia Urban Winery in New Bedford, MA. Fully embracing the “treasure hunt” element of fine wine, Bin Ends identifies off-the-beaten-path, lesser-known wines and producers, allowing their store to offer customers superior wines at superior values. John Hafferty, co-founder of Bin Ends was drawn to Travessia for their innovative approach to wine making and affordable, high-quality wines.

Travessia Urban Winery began production in New Bedford in December of 2007. The winery was founded by Marco Montez, who hails from a wine making family based in the Trás-Os-Montes region of Portugal. Employing his family’s generations of wine making experience, Montez uses 100% Massachusetts-grown grapes to produce Travessia wines on-site at his urban winery. I have met Marco and he is a very personable and passionate individual.

The four wines, two Chardonnays and two Vidal Blancs, are available for purchase exclusively at Bin Ends Wine

· 2007 UnOaked Chardonnay: Made of 100% Chardonnay grapes, this is a dry white wine fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel tanks which helps preserve the true and original nature of the Chardonnay fruit.

· 2007 Chardonnay: Made of 100% Chardonnay grapes harvested in mid-October 2008 (following one of the driest growing seasons in the past 15 years), this is a dry white wine aged in a combination of new and old French oak barrels for six months.

· 2007 Vidal Blanc: This wine is made of 100% Vidal Blanc grapes, harvested from Running Brook’s Westport and Dartmouth vineyards in early November 2008. It is a semi-sweet white wine fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel tanks.

· 2007 Sweet Vidal Blanc: This sweet wine is made of 100% Vidal Blanc grapes, harvested in early November 2008, with a sugar content above 27%. It is a sweet wine fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel tanks. All of the sweetness in this wine comes from the original sugar in the grapes at the time of harvest.

On June 2, Travessia founder and Portugese-born winemaker Marco Montez will join Bin Ends in-store to celebrate this launch with a special tasting event of all four wines.

Bin Ends: Wine Seminars

Bin Ends, one of my favorite wine stores, is introducing a weekly series of in-store tasting seminars exploring everything fun about fine wine! Created by wine guru John Hafferty, co-owner of Bin Ends, the events are designed to be engaging and unintimidating. Each week, guests will enjoy simple wine-friendly food pairings as Hafferty fills their glasses and opens their eyes to wine topics, such as up-and-coming growing regions, winemaking techniques and rare varietals.

SCHEDULE:

• June 4: Straight Dope on Fine Wine - An Irreverent But Spot On Intro to Wine Appreciation
• June 11: Californication - Decadent Pleasures From America's Fine Wine Heartland
• June 18: Is That a Magnum Or Are You Just Happy to See Me - Fine Wine in Larger Format Packages
• June 25 Bubblicious - Cava, Prosecco, and Other Super Sparkling Wines for Summer Entertaining
• July 2: Straight Dope on Fine Wine - An Irreverent But Spot On Introduction to Wine Appreciation
• July 9: Make Mine a Mutt - Fabulous Fine Wine Blends for All Occasions
• July 16: What the Heck is a Gooseberry Anyways? The Wonderful World of Sauvignon Blanc
• July 23: Last House on the Left - Great Value Bordeaux from Off the Beaten Path Left Bank Appellations
• July 30: Red Wine on the Rocks - Discovering the Simple Pleasures of Chilled Red Wines
• Aug 6: Straight Dope on Fine Wine - An Irreverent But Spot On Introduction to Wine Appreciation
• Aug 13: Turf Wars - You Don't Need a Mouthful of Dirt to "Taste the Terroir"....or do you?
• Aug 20: Those Crazy Calabrese - An Introduction to the Fine Wines of Southern Italy
• Aug 27: Don't Cry for Me Argentina - Discovering Wine Beyond Malbec from South America's Fine Wine Hotspot

Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Cost: $15 per class
Register: Email rsvp@binendswine.com, or call 781-817-1212

Bin Ends
236 Wood Road
Braintree, MA 02185

2003 Prats and Symington Chryseia

One of the joys of browsing the shelves of a wine store is finding a special bargain, a discounted wine that is worth far more than its price. At Bin Ends in Braintree, they have a special bin filled with assorted wines, all discounted 50%. Some of these wines were once rather expensive, over $100, so the discount can be quite substantial.

On one of my last visits to Bin Ends, I found a high-end Portuguese wine in this bin, the 2003 Prats and Symington Chryseia from the Douro region. It normally sold for $60 but was discounted to $30. I have tried many inexpensive Portuguese wines, but few higher-end ones so I decided to buy it and give it a try.

The Chryseia is the product of an alliance between the Symington family and Bruno Prats. The Symington family has been producing Port since 1882 and currently owns the Port Companies of Warre, Dow, Graham and Quinta do Vesuvio. Bruno Prats is a wine maker from Bordeaux and is also the former owner of Chateau Cos d'Estournel. The alliance between Symington and Prats began in 1998 with the objective of creating a high quality Douro wine. This led to their first vintage, the 2000 Chryseia.

"Chryseia is made from Touriga Nacional, a low yielding variety of great complexity and finesse, and Touriga Franca (was Touriga Francesa) which is more tannic. Also used are Tinta Roriz, known as Tinto del País (Tempranillo) in Ribera del Duero, and Tinto Cão, a variety with a most attractive aroma." The percentage of the grapes is generally not given and will vary from vintage to vintage. In addition, the Chryseia is only produced in good vintages. The 2003 vintage was notable for a very hot summer but some light rain at the start of September allowed the grapes to develop well. The harvest also took place under excellent conditions.

This wine had a deep purple color and the nose was a bit muted at first until it sat a bit. After some time, the nose gave hints of dark berries and floral notes. When I tasted the wine I found it rich and concentrated, with flavors of ripe plum, blackberry and a little chocolate. It was incredibly smooth, with very restrained tannins and a lengthy finish. An elegant wine that reminded me a bit of a Bordeaux, except it had its own unique taste in the background. That unique flavor is what I usually associate with indigenous Portuguese grapes. And the longer the wine sat and breathed, the more complexity it seemed to possess. I had some of the wine the next night and it seemed even richer and bolder.

On the first night, I paired the wine with some lamb tips, which had been obtained from a local arm. The lamb had a stronger flavor than the usual lamb tips but this wine paired well with them, its rich flavors complementing the flavor of the lamb. Overall, I was very pleased with this wine, especially as I bought it at such a great price. It is more than a simple table wine, having much more depth and flavor. With its mild tannins, it will also pair well with many different foods. If you can find this wine, buy it.

For more information, you can check out the interesting Catavino interview with Bruno Pats.

Stoneham Sun: Finding Value Wines

The first new column of "A Passionate Foodie" for 2009 can be found in the January 7 issue of the Stoneham Sun newspaper. This is a weekly column that concentrates on reviews of local restaurants though also sometimes discusses wine, provides recipes or otherwise addresses food and wine topics.

The new column has been published today and will soon be available online as well. The new column, Finding Value Wines, gives ten recommendations of excellent value wines, each costing under $15 a bottle. I also provide two wine stores where you can always find a value, as well as some other advice on finding value wines.

If you have any questions or comments about my column, feel free to add them here.

Drink with passion

Twitter Taste Live: The Bloggers Take Over

As I mentioned in my earlier post today, last evening was a new Twitter Taste Live event, The Bloggers Take Over! For this event, numerous wine bloggers volunteered to take the stage and discuss the wines of their choice. There were no restrictions on what they could choose. This was the first time for this format so there was a bit of trepidation over how it would work. Based on last night's performance, I think it was quite a success.

If you wish all of the notes and tweets from the event, you can check out Twitter Search or Tim of Winecast who also has everything collected. A diverse selections of wines were chosen, from my own choice of a Japanese sake to Spanish sherries. Most of the wines were tasted at the time of the event so you got the blogger's live reactions to the wines, and not always positive ones either. A couple of the wines which really intrigued me were the 2006 Marcel Lapierre Morgon (tasted by @binendswine) and the 2004 Cameron Hughes Lot 93 Tempranillo (tasted by @winecast).

This event was like having wine blogs come alive, and getting an immediate reaction. What was also very cool was the ability to interact with the blogger, to ask questions, make comments and hear the thoughts of others. Unfortunately, that interaction is often lacking on actual wine blogs. Far too people post comments on blogs, yet clearly the readers have questions. Posting comments will help blogs be more interactive, more responsive to their audience. We should not have to wait for these events to interact with each other. Blogs should be a give and take, not just a place to read a single person's thoughts.

Some of the most amusing comments came later in the event, maybe because people had been drinking more by then, or possibly because of the individuals involved. For example:

1WineDude: #ttl Back to the Dry Cream - this wine is like concentrated Fig brandy. It's almost as good as sex (almost.. it's a close call).

winehiker: @1WineDude And, verily, a Wine Bloggers' #TTL should end in viscous lust.

So many people contributed to the success of this event that it would be difficult to list them all. The Twitter Taste Live events continue to prosper and there are many more planned for the near future so you should check out the list of upcoming events.

Thanks to Bin Ends for giving us wine bloggers this platform to discuss our wine selections. I am sure there will be more Blogger Take Over events in the future.

Twitter Taste Live: The Bloggers Take Over

Join us on Saturday, November 15, starting at 6pm when Twitter Taste Live lets the Wine Bloggers Take Over! Consider this Open Mic night at the Improv. A number of bloggers, from all over the world, will take the stage one at a time and discuss a wine they have specifically chosen to highlight. There were no restrictions on which wine they could choose. Each blogger will tell everyone about that wine and you are also encouraged to ask questions.

I actually will begin the tasting (Twitter @richardpf) with the Masumi Okuden Kantsukuri "Mirror of Truth" Junmai Sake. My love of Sake is well known and I hope to get more people to embrace this compelling drink. I have never tasted this particular Sake so it will be new to me as well.

The rest of the tentative schedule looks like this.

@binendswine --Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2006

@saltlinestudio --Onix Priorat 2006

@bloviatrix --2005 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Right Bank

@chinawinelover --Huadong Vineyard 2000 (China) and Great Wall red 2002 (China)

@vinquire, @brixchick @drxeno will be tasting through selections from Hahn

@winecast will be tasting Carmeron Hughes Lot 92 and Lot 79 (maybe more)

@mmWine --Zen of Zins 06 Old Vines Zin (Ravenswood), Cline Ancient Vines 07 Zin, Estancia Paso Robles 05 Zin, 7 Deadly Zins 06 Old Vines (lodi)

@1winedude --Sherries, and other stickies!

Please join us and learn about some new wines. Thanks to Bin Ends for giving us wine bloggers this platform to discuss these wines. I hope to chat with some of my readers, and others, during this event.

Twitter Taste Live #4: Jed Steele

For the first few Twitter Taste Live events, I have participated from the comfort of my home, sharing the wines with a few family members and friends. Though I have enjoyed it, I felt it was time for a bit of change. So I decided to visit Bin Ends for Twitter Taste Live #4, especially as they were having the guest wine maker, Jed Steele of Steele Wines, at their store.

At least 40-50 people showed up at Bin Ends for the tasting and John and Craig had a diverse selection of cheeses for snacks. They also set up, with the help of Chris from Saltine Studio, a large screen to show all of the Twitter posts and the video feed. Twitter was certainly quite active that night and the tasting was the #1 topic for a time. There were people from all over the world participating. It was great to sip wine and chat with all of the people at the store, including other bloggers like Dale of Drinks Are On Me.


As for the guest of honor, this is Jed Steele’s 40th year of being involved in making wine in California. Jed began working in the wine business at Stony Hill Winery in the Napa Valley in 1968. He also worked for 10 years for Edmeades, then a small independent winery in Mendocino County, as winemaker and vineyard manager. He then moved on to become the founding winemaker, general manager, and VP of Production at Kendall Jackson for the first nine vintages of that company. He eventually founded Steele and Shooting Star Wines in 1991. You can see Jed below, the very tall man in the center. He was very personable, passionate and down to earth.

The winery has a minimalist winemaking style, believing that will better highlight the aromas and the flavors of the fruit they source. The fruit they source for the Steele and Shooting Star labels is the same. They get grapes from vineyards in Washington and California. The primary difference between the two labels is that the Shooting Star wines are more appellation blends and less common varietals. They are also generally fermented in stainless or aged in oak for a short period of time so the wines are more bright and fruit forward. The Steele wines are single vineyard or specific vineyard blends that age longer in oak.

The winery produces quite an extensive and diverse portfolio of wines, though their total production is relatively low. Many of their wines are produced only in very small quantities. When I asked Jed about this, he basically stated that he enjoyed experimenting with different wines, that he preferred to produce a nice variety of wines.

One thing that impressed me was Jed's commitment to making reasonably priced wines. Even his top end wines are less than $50, and most of his wines are under $25. In Wine Spectator (3/04), Jed stated: "People expect value. It's not that I envision making wines for the masses, but I've always felt wines should be reasonably priced." His wines may be inexpensive, but they are far from "cheap." You get good value from these wines.

The wines we tasted included:

2006 Shooting Star Aligote (Washington): Aligoté may not be a grape you are familiar with as we don't see much of it in the U.S., except primarily as a blending grape. But it seems Washington is producing some now. This Aligoté was barrel fermented but they use older oak barrels. I found the wine to have a nice golden color and a bit of a floral nose. It is a crisp wine with green apple and mineral notes and a touch of tartness. An interesting wine that has some character and is worth checking out. Price is usually $15 but it is only $12 at Bin Ends.

2006 Steele Pinot Blanc (California): This wine is fermented in neutral oak barrels, to give it weight and mouthfeel. The wine is then aged for just under four months in neutral oak. The nose of this wine reminded me of some creamy Chardonnays. It had a nice gold color and the creaminess came through on my palate as well. I detected some green apple and melon flavors and it had a short finish. This is not my preferred style of wine so I did not care for it that much. Price is usually $17 but it is only $14 at Bin Ends.

I should note that an informal poll of the people at the tasting showed they were equally split in their preferences between the Aligote and Pinot Blanc.

2006 Steele Cuvee Chardonnay (California): This wine was also fermented in oak, though 20% of the barrels were new. It then remains in barrel for eight months, the lees stirred regularly, and the wine finishes malolactic fermentation. The art comes when Jed must select which lots and barrels to blended into this Cuvee. I enjoyed this Chardonnay because it was not overly oaky and the fruit flavors were allowed to dominate. It still had some creamy smoothness to it but not that huge buttery taste. If you generally dislike California Chardonnays, you should try this one and maybe it will change your mind. Price is usually $22 but it is only $16.80 at Bin Ends.

2006 Shooting Star Blue Franc (Washington): This was the stand out wine of the evening for me, for several reasons. First, it was a more unusual wine. Second, I like the story behind the wine. Third, the label is cool. Fourth, it had an incredible nose on it that I could have just sat and smelled for hours.

While visiting Austria, Jed was impressed by a wine made from the Lemberger grape, which is also known by its older name Blau Frankisch, literally “blue grape from France.” He later found Lemberger growing in Washington’s Yakima Valley and decided to make a wine from this grape. Now, to avoid any relation to Lember, the stinky cheese, he decided to refer to the grape as Blau Frankisch and call the Blue Franc. He was also able, after some wrangling, to use a French Franc note as the label. The label looks very cool.

The Blue Franc receives little or no oak aging. When I first smelled this wine, I fell in love with it. Such lush berry scents with hints of exotic spices. It seduced my nose and brought such sensory pleasure. I enjoyed the taste of the wine as well, though its nose still was more compelling. It has plenty of rich berry flavors with hints of spice, maybe a bit of cinnamon and almost anise. Very smooth and easy drinking wine and an excellent value at the price. Price is usually $15 but it is only $12 at Bin Ends.

2006 Steele Pinot Noir (Carneros): Their approach is to produce a classic “Pinot-lover’s Pinot.” After fermentation the wine is aged for nine months in a combination of French, Oregon and Hungarian barrels. This was a dark red colored wine with a nice nose of black cherry and raspberry. It was a very juicy wine, with lots of ripe berry flavors and nice touches of pepper and other spices. A decently long finish and a very smooth wine. More Californian than Burgundian in style. I very much enjoyed this Pinot and definitely would recommend it. Price is usually $23 but it is only $18.40 at Bin Ends.

2006 Steele Zinfandel (Pacini Ranch): Jed has spent 25 years crafting Zinfandel from the Pacini Vineyard so he knows the vineyard very well. This wine is aged in American oak barrels for 12 months, using 25% new barrels and 75% neutral barrels. This selection of oak allows them to maximize the fruit component while rounding out the structure of the wine. This was an absolutely delicious Zin, big, bold and spicy. Lots of flavor and complexity for the price. A real knock-out wine. Price is usually $19 but it is only $15.20 at Bin Ends.

This was another successful Twitter Taste Live event. The wines were delicious and excellent values. Jed Steele came off very well and is an easily likable person. I will be drinking more Steele wines in the future and recommend that you check them out as well, especially that Blue Franc.

Stay tuned for next month for the next Twitter Taste Live event on November 15. The Wine Bloggers Take Over and I will provide more details soon.

Bin Ends: Around the World Wine Tasting on 11/2

On Sunday November 2nd, from 1pm-4pm, Bin Ends will be holding an Around the World in 40 Wines tasting. They will be showcasing wines from all over the world, some of their top current selections.

If being able to taste that many wines is not enough incentive, they are also giving a special bonus discount that day. Mix and match any 6 bottles and save an additional 10% off their already discounted price. This 10% discount does not apply to beer and liquor.

If you can't make it to the store, you can still learn about the wines through Twitter Taste Live. Throughout the tasting, you can check up their live tasting notes.

Bin Ends
236 Wood Road
Braintree, MA
Phone: (781) 817-1212

Twitter Taste Live #4

Twiiter Taste Live #4 approaches and now is the time to order your wines from Bin Ends if you wish to participate. On October 23, at 7pm, Jed Steele of Steele Wines will be the featured guest. Six of his wines will be on the tasting schedule.

"Steele and Shooting Star Wines was founded in 1991. Prior to that time, winemaker/owner Jed Steele was the founding winemaker, general manager, and VP of Production at Kendall Jackson for the first nine vintages of that company. Prior to his adventures at Kendall Jackson, Jed worked for 10 years for Edmeades, then a small independent winery in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County, as winemaker and vineyard manager. Jed began working in the wine business at Stony Hill Winery in the Napa Valley in 1968.

From mid-1991 until mid-1996, Steele Wines co-leased a small winery in Lake County. In June of 1996, Jed purchased the old Konocti Winery between Lakeport and Kelseyville in Lake County. The winery is located on Highway 29, exactly one hour driving time from downtown Calistoga, driving north-northwest, 45 minutes directly east of Hopland in Mendocino County, and one and a half hours from Santa Rosa, driving north-northeast.

The list of the wines for the tasting include:
2006 Shooting Star Aligote (WA)
2006 Steele Pinot Blanc
2006 Steele Chardonnay
2006 Shooting Star Blue Franc (WA)
2006 Steele Pinot Noir (Carneros)
2006 Steele Zinfandel (Pacini Ranch)

There should be plenty of participation for this event, including wine lovers from all over the world. It is very simple to participate in these Twitter Taste Live events. Just sign up for a free Twitter account and then follow "Binendswine" on Twitter. You should also check out their Twitter Taste Live site for additional information.

Twitter Taste Live #4 & #5

The upcoming schedule for the next two Twitter Taste Live events has now been announced by Bin Ends.

On October 23, at 7pm, Jed Steele of Steele Wines will be the featured guest. Six of his wines will be on the tasting schedule.

"Steele and Shooting Star Wines was founded in 1991. Prior to that time, winemaker/owner Jed Steele was the founding winemaker, general manager, and VP of Production at Kendall Jackson for the first nine vintages of that company. Prior to his adventures at Kendall Jackson, Jed worked for 10 years for Edmeades, then a small independent winery in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County, as winemaker and vineyard manager. Jed began working in the wine business at Stony Hill Winery in the Napa Valley in 1968.

From mid-1991 until mid-1996, Steele Wines co-leased a small winery in Lake County. In June of 1996, Jed purchased the old Konocti Winery between Lakeport and Kelseyville in Lake County. The winery is located on Highway 29, exactly one hour driving time from downtown Calistoga, driving north-northwest, 45 minutes directly east of Hopland in Mendocino County, and one and a half hours from Santa Rosa, driving north-northeast.

The list of the wines for the tasting will be announced soon and you can purchase them at Bin Ends.

On November 15, at 6pm, The Bloggers Take Over event will be held. This promises to be an intriguing event. Though the details are still being put together, it should involve wine bloggers from all over the world showcasing some of their favorite wines. Stay tuned for further details.

It is very simple to participate in these Twitter Taste Live events. Just sign up for a free Twitter account and then follow "Binendswine" on Twitter. The first three Twitter Tasting events went very well and were lots of fun so why not join us for the next events.

Twitter Taste Live #3: Michel Schlumberger

This past Thursday, the third Twitter Taste Live event, hosted by Bin Ends, took place and it was even a bigger success than the first two. The special guest was from Michel Schlumberger winery in Sonoma County, California. The co-host for this Twitter Tasting was wine blogger Megan of Wannabe Wino.

"Michel-Schlumberger lies off the beaten track in Wine Creek Canyon, a sylvan side pocket of Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California. Each of the wines from our benchland, hillside, and mountain vineyards illustrates the French concept of terroir, or the expression of a specific place. We take pride in the wines produced from this all Estate, organically farmed fruit. Here, tucked away from the mainstream in Healdsburg, you find artisan vineyard work and winemaking at its finest. We hope you enjoy your exploration."

There were many wine bloggers, including myself, and many others, from all over the world, who participated in this event. Craig of Bin Ends led Twitter Taste Live from the Wine 2.0 New York event, garnering even more participation. A few bloggers even attended the Wine 2.o event too.

As I mentioned in my review of the second Twitter Tate Live event, one of the most fascinating elements of this tasting is that you get to hear so many different descriptions of the same wine, showing how people clearly smell and taste wines differently. That was very evident this time as well, especially with the first wine of the tasting.

Practically, this event was a bit more chaotic than the prior two events. That may be partially due to the fact the event was being run from the Wine 2.o conference, creating some logistical issues. It may also be partially due to the growing number of people who are participating in these tastings. There were no major problems, matters just did not run as smoothly as before. As these events are still relatively new, this is probably more a matter of growing pains and it will work itself out in time.

The wines that were tasted included, with a few of my notes, the following:

2006 Chardonnay "La Brume" ($29.60): This wine certainly tasted differently to many people. For me, it had too much of a buttery flavor for my preferences. That buttery flavor overwhelmed the other flavors of the wine. Yet there were other participants who tasted little if any butter flavor in this wine. They raved about the wines exotic fruit flavors, the touch of spice, and minerality. So it truly is a matter of preference. Though I did not care for this wine, there were plenty of others who loved it.

2005 Syrah ($22.40): This wine is a blend of 81.5% Syrah, 5.3% Zinfandel, 5.9 % Petite Sirah, and 3.2% Viognier. This was my favorite wine of the evening, just a luscious wine with plenty of alluring flavors and complexity. Blackberries, blueberries, plum and even raspberry filled my mouth, assisted by touches of pepper and spice. The tannins are restrained and the finish is long and delicious. Despite all the fruit, this is not a fruit bomb wine. I think this is an excellent value at this price and I highly recommend it.

2004 Merlot ($22.40): This Merlot has a little bit of Petit Verdot and Carmenere and was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels. This wine can benefit from a bit of breathing as it can seem too overpowering when the bottle is initially opened. But, after an hour or so, the wine is more tame and smooth. And it was even better the next day. Lots of black cherry and vanilla flavors in this wine with undercurrents of clove and leather. More complex than many comparable Merlots, this stands as another good value wine.

2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ($33.60): Spice seemed to dominate in this wine, with undercurrents of dark berries. It kind of reminded me of the spices in apple pie yet atop a blueberry/blackberry pie. Tannins were moderate and the finish was long and spicy. An intriguing Cabernet that I enjoyed, especially as it seemed a bit more unique in its spice-driven flavors. Much more of an Old-World style than what usually comes from California.

All of these wines are available for sale at Bin Ends.

Stay tuned for the next edition of Twitter Taste Live in October. I will be posting the details in a separate post, as well as details on the November event. I strongly urge you to get involved. Sign up now for Twitter (it's free) and get ready for the next live Tasting.

Bin Ends: Free Wine Classes

Bin Ends, a discount wine store in Braintree, will soon begin a monthly program of Free Wine Education Seminars. (For more info on Bin Ends, check out my most recent post).

Owners John Hafferty and Craig Drollett want to make wine fun for all, eliminating the snob-factor and intimidation many experience when shopping for and learning about fine wines. Their new classes are designed to educate consumers in an engaging way with delicious tastings, wine history and insider tips and tricks to finding great wines at a great price.

I think this is an excellent opportunity for people to learn more about wine and it won't cost anything to do so. Plus, you will get to taste some wines, which is an added bonus. I do recommend you take advantage of these classes.

Here is the upcoming schedule of class:

October 14–Bargain Hunting for Fine Wine Treasures
Whether perusing your local package store, specialty shop or even shopping for wines on the web, self-proclaimed treasure hunter and Bin Ends co-owner, John Hafferty, will share his expert advice on helping you maximize your fine wine dollars. Taste top-notch selections that pack a punch well beyond their price-tag, all the while soaking up some insider tips for bagging those big name bargain bottles.

November 11–Holiday Entertaining on a Bin Ends Budget
Having some trouble deciding on a red that will sit well with the StoveTop this Thanksgiving? Bin Ends provides a wonderful tasting to introduce holiday hosts and hostesses to delicious offerings that will pair perfectly with your festive meals and most importantly – won’t break the bank!

December 9–Fine Wine Gift Giving
Bin Ends presents a tasting seminar to showcase perfect wines for holiday gift giving to satisfy everyone on your list - from your bubbliest of friends and family to the richest and most full-bodied! Bin Ends will provide an educational and delicious session to simplify your holiday shopping this year, no matter what your budget is. From grab gifts and holiday swaps to elaborate treats for your loved ones, Bin Ends will make you an expert in shopping for wine gifts sure to delight this holiday season.

Each class will run from 6:30pm – 8:00pm and is free but you must RSVP to rsvp@binendswine.com as space is limited.

Twitter Taste Live #3: Michel Schlumberger

The time nears for the third Twitter Taste Live event! Bin Ends has announced the guest and line-up for the new Twitter Taste Live which will be held on September 18 at 7pm. The special guests will be from the Michel Schlumberger winery in Sonoma County, California.

"Michel-Schlumberger lies off the beaten track in Wine Creek Canyon, a sylvan side pocket of Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California. Each of the wines from our benchland, hillside, and mountain vineyards illustrates the French concept of terroir, or the expression of a specific place. We take pride in the wines produced from this all Estate, organically farmed fruit. Here, tucked away from the mainstream in Healdsburg, you find artisan vineyard work and winemaking at its finest. We hope you enjoy your exploration."

The co-host for this Twitter Tasting will be wine blogger Megan of Wannabe Wino. There will be plenty of other wine bloggers, including myself, who will be participating as well.

September 18th is also the date of the Wine 2.0 conference and tasting in New York City. There will be a team of bloggers tweeting live from the event throughout the day, and Bin Ends will be streaming Twitter Taste LIVE from their table beginning at 7pm. Live participants in New York will include @binendswine, @1winedude and @saltlinestudio.

The wines that will be tasted include:

Chardonnay "La Brume" 2006
Syrah 2005
Merlot 2004
Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

All of these wines are available for sale at Bin Ends.

It is very simple to participate in this event. Just sign up for a free Twitter account and then follow "Binendswine" on Twitter. The first two Twitter Tasting events went very well and were lots of fun so why not join us for this third event.