Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2015 Foggy Veil Hillside Selection Santa Barbera County Red Blend ($13)

This red blend is 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, in a traditional Rhone style. And the California Central Coast, Paso Robles and Santa Barbera, are doing tremendous Rhone blends.  This one is full-bodied with big fruit flavors of plum, fig and blueberry. It needed a bit of time to breathe in the decanter, but smoothed-out and was quiet enjoyable. This appears to be a Trader Joe's wine and a great value worthy of being featured in Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

Vilarnau Brut Reserva Cava NV ($15)

Vilarnau is a small artisanal handcrafted Cava house located just outside Barcelona Spain.

This Cava is made the traditional way with 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada and 15% Xarello. It is a dry Cava with soft fruity flavors. It is classified as a "Reserva" because it was aged for 15 months.

The bottle art honors the winery's Catalon roots with avant-garde imagery of Antoni Gaudi.

Vilarnau is one of several family-owned wineries of Gonzáles Byass. Established in 1835, their wineries span across most of the important wine producing regions of Spain.

This Vilarnau Brut Reserva Cava is a perfect bubbly for the any occassion and goes well with most any food or snack (works really well with popcorn!).

Give it a try. It's a really nice Cava and, as with all Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week features, a great value.

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

Vilarnau Brut Reserva Rosé Cava ($16)

Vilarnau is a small artisanal handcrafted Cava house located just outside Barcelona Spain.

This Cava is made from Trepat, a red-wine grape variety indigenous to northeastern Spain, and Pinot Noir. It is a dry Cava with delicate flavors. It is classified as a "Reserva" because it was aged for 15 months.

The bottle art honors the winery's Catalon roots with avant-garde imagery of Antoni Gaudi.

Vilarnau is one of several family-owned wineries of Gonzáles Byass. Established in 1835, their wineries span across most of the important wine producing regions of Spain.

This Vilarnau Brut Reserva Rosé Cava is a perfect bubbly for the holidays and beyond. I'm thinking about this one again for Valentine's Day!

Give it a try. It's a really nice Cava and, as with all Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week features, a great value.

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission:  I received this wine at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2015 Erath Pinot Noir ($13)

This Pinot Noir is from Oregon, a state that has gotten and continues to get a lot of attention for Pinot Noir.

While the Willamette Valley has gotten the most attention for their Pinot Noir, this one is a blend of different vineyard sites in Oregon.

Erath's goal with this wine is "to make the best Pinot Noir in the world for under $20."

As Pinot's should, this one has nice flavors of raspberry and cherry. It finishes with a bit of tannin from its aging in French oak.

The best Pinot Noir in the world for under $20?  I'll leave that up to you to decide. But it certainly qualifies for meeting the criteria to be featured in  Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week. It's a very affordable Pinot Noir that you should be able to find everywhere that wines are sold.

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2016 J. Lohr Arroyo Seco Monterey Chardonnay ($10)

I recently visited J. Lohr in Paso Robles and gained a whole new appreciation for their wines and the man behind them all, Jerry Lohr.

This 100% Chardonnay from J. Lohr exhibits aromas of peaches, baking spices, a hint of vanilla.

While it was oak fermented and aged, it has retained nice acidity with white peach, apricot and subtle orange flavors.

As is always the case with the Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week features, this wine is very affordable, easily attainable and a nice accompanyment with any meal.

Definitely worth checking out.