To put it the way our local merchant did: this is easily a $25 or $30 wine.  I mean, honestly, it really is.

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Wine Impression in the Laurel Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.  You can also find one using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.

Check out the bottle for yourself: Thomas Fogarty Gewurztraminer 2006. Interestingly, the alcohol content (14.5%) was no predictor of what we could expect from this wine. We found lots of lychee and crisp acidity, which successfully tamed the relatively high alcohol content and somehow made the wine seem light! There was also a little bit of residual sugar that meshed beautifully with the acidity.

Alas, we’re not expecting to have internet service in our new apartment until Thursday, so it’s possible that this will be our last post of the week. We’ll see how it goes!

In the meantime, you can find the bottle described above at Plumpjack Wines on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, among other places.

Tune in Monday!

• California
  • Mendocino
    • Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show: September 12 - 14, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.  We’ve never been to an apple show before, but we have visited the Anderson Valley.  It’s picturesque and low key, and we imagine that a county fair up there showcasing Mendocino wine (not to mention, apples and many other events) would be the perfect excuse for a spontaneous weekend trip.
• New York
  • Hudson Valley
    • Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival: September 6 - 7, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Saturday) and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Sunday).  Eventually, the weather in New York is going to S-U-C-K.  So why miss out on a chance to sample New York wine outdoors in the beautiful Hudson Valley?
• Virginia (approximately 3 hours from Washington, D.C.)
  • Rockbridge Food & Wine Festival: September 6, 12 - 5 p.m.  Taste Virginia wines in an outdoor venue built into the ruins of a 19th century lime kiln and quarry.  There’s buzz about the Virginia wine scene these days, so here’s a chance to judge for yourself.  We’d attend if we could…
• Atlanta and Philadelphia: Nothing of interest happening this week.  Tune in next Wednesday!

The Viu Manent was hardly as fruit-forward or heavy as the Malbecs that we’ve had from Argentina (which is more famous for the varietal), and the alcohol content of 14% reflected the lighter style.

Overall, we felt that our money was well spent.  Heck, we’ve paid twice as much for other wines that weren’t half as good!

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley.  They ship.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.

Our return visit with friends this past Labor Day weekend only reaffirmed these glowing memories.  This time, we were able to spread our picnic on one of the several picnic benches dotted along the front lawn.   As our son clapped in delight to the sounds of the live band playing at the foot of the lawn, the four of us relaxed underneath the umbrella’s shade and sipped our delicious Zinfandel.

Visitors to the winery taste Bella’s wines from within the cave, which is built seamlessly into the side of the vineyard’s hill.   As further described on Bella’s website, the caves feature barrel storage, working space, and entertainment space (complete with a dining room, tasting area, and music room).  The atmosphere within is somehow spacious (in light of its being a cave) and romantic, with flickering candles used to light the space.

The combination of great wine, a stunning backdrop, and a picnic (and family) friendly lawn, make Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves a top destination for a day trip to wine country from San Francisco.

www.BellaWinery.com
9711 West Dry Creek Road
Healdsburg, California 95448
(866) 572-3552

We found the wine to be wonderfully complex, with layered aromas of green pepper, nutmeg, mellowed cherry, and hard apple cider, and flavors of apple, cherry, and nutmeg.   The acidity was remarkably brisk given the ageing, and that convinced us that this wine was probably still relatively young.

The merchant that sold us our bottle was adamant that it constituted one of the best values that he had in his shop.  Quite honestly, it was very easy for us to understand why.

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley, but note that the store was running out quickly.  You might also try using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.

• California
  • Sonoma
    • Sonoma Wine Country Weekend: August 29 - 31.  Sonoma food and wine… all weekend long.  If you have a Visa Signature card, you get a big break on the ticket price.  By the way, this time of year up there is gorgeous!
• Atlanta
  • Corks and Forks: August 30 - 31, 1 - 5 p.m. on both days; $35 in advance/$45 at the gate.  Frankly, it was this event’s catchy name that drew our attention more than anything else, but anyway, interesting wine and beer ought to pair well with food prepared by some of Atlanta’s top chefs.  We’d attend if we lived in the area, especially given the reasonable entry fee!
• New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.: Nothing of interest happening this week. Tune in next Wednesday!