Have fun with friends at a local wine event

It's amazing how many wine events there are in town. We're in San Diego, but the same seems to be true nearly everywhere. There are special tastings, winemaker dinners, classes, and festivals. Huge crowds aren't our favorite scene, but the are plenty of smaller, low-key events to choose from.

Finding Fun Events

Start by signing up for The Juice. It's a free email newsletter from LocalWineEvents.com that can be customized to send you a weekly listing of wine events in your area.

Do you have a favorite wine bar? Many have their own email newsletters, Facebook pages, and Twitter feeds, so sign up to get their updates too. If you're in San Diego, we recommend Village Vino in Kensington. They were recently named the best wine bar in San Diego by San Diego Magazine and regularly have special tastings and classes that can be a lot of fun. For example, we attended a wine and cheese pairing class a few months ago that was edulicious! (That's educational + delicious.)

Elyse Winery at Village Vino 

I met our friends Dave and Sarah at Village Vino last Tuesday for a winemaker event. (Sally was on a business trip and couldn't attend.) Ray Coursen, Elyse's winemaker and owner, was on hand to pour his wine and chat about Vino. We split some hummus and a flatbread while sampling five of Elyse's wines. It was a great way to catch up with friends after work.

My favorite was the 2008 Le Corbeau. It's a Grenache blend that is very versatile with a wide varieties of food. The 2007 Le Corbeau was outstanding and Coursen told me that the 2008 will taste just as good after another year of aging.

2006 Ridge Lytton Estate Grenache

We've been on quite the Grenache kick lately. When done right, it can have a wonderfully complex flavor without being too overbearing. It pairs wonderfully with a wide variety of foods but is equally tasty on its own. 

A few nights ago we enjoyed a 2006 Ridge Lytton Estate Grenache. It had a floral nose that gave way to plum and other dark fruit flavors. It was a little peppery with subtle tannin throughout. That's one of the cool things about Grenache - it can take on a variety of characteristics.

We thoroughly enjoyed it with rack of lamb and filet mignon at Blue Boheme in San Diego's Kensington neighborhood. 

This wine was comprised of 80% Grenache, 10% Petite Sirah, and 10% Zinfandel. Only 49 barrels were produced, and this vintage is sold out. I'm not really sure how we got our hands on some.

What the heck is Third Bottle?

Even the smallest wine collection needs to contain some third bottle.

What is it? It's that bottle of wine you share with friends after you've already shared two really good bottles. By the time you get to the third bottle, nobody can tell the difference between a good wine and a great wine. That's when you need a bottle of wallet-friendly, palate-pleasing wine to keep the party going.

We first heard the term "third bottle" when we visited the Gustavo Thrace tasting room in Napa. Gustavo Thrace produces an excellent table wine that's simply called Third Bottle.

Incidentally, Gustavo Thrace has an interesting side story. The winemaker is Gustavo Bramblia. He was portrayed by actor Freddy Rodriguez in the movie Bottle Shock. The movie took quite a bit of creative license with the real story, but Bramblia really worked at Chateau Montelena. 

Need help finding some good third bottle wines to add to your collection? You can browse our list of posts on under $20 wines or try one of our go-to third bottles:

• Menage a Trois red table wine
• Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir
• Cupcake Red Velvet
• Layer Cake Primitivo (their Shiraz is good too)
• E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone

Domaine Girault Sancerre – “Le Grand Moulin”

Sauvignon Blanc is probably my favorite white wine varietal, especially this time of year.  These wines are medium-bodied, crisp and refreshing, with a flavor profile that ranges from grassy and mineral to citrus and tropical. When I find a really good one, it seems to quickly disappear. 

If you regularly read our blog, you know we like to hit up local wine bars to discover new wines.  Earlier this year we attended a wine and cheese pairing class at Village Vino.  While we did manage to learn a few things about pairings, one of the more rewarding moments was discovering the Domaine Girault Sancerre – “Le Grand Moulin”. 

This wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, and simply delicious.  It is very light and crisp, with flavors of lime and minerality.  In our class, they paired it with Bucheron (soft goat cheese).  We enjoyed our bottle with chicken and roasted vegetables.  It would pair well with any soft cheese, flavorful salad, and even sushi. But, it really needs no food at all.  Just a nice spot on the patio, and one big glass! 

Look for it in your specialty wine shops.  If in San Diego, try 3^rd Corner, or Village Vino.  

Perfect pairings for your Memorial Day cookout

The original Memorial Day was on May 30, 1868 when people were urged to decorate the graves of soldiers who died in the Civil War. The date is believed to have been chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country. Today, Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and many Americans observe the holiday with a barbecue.

Here are some of our favorite wines for a cookout. All of them are under $20 and are available at BevMo, Specs, Total Wine, and many other retail outlets.

Steak
Go with a Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon. This was one of our first go-to wines and remains a favorite to this day. It's also on our list of Great Wines Under $20.

Pork
We're huge fans of Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir, which won a blind taste test at our HalloWine party in 2010. It's a great match with Pork but is also enjoyable on its own.

Chicken
Simi Sonoma County Chardonnay is a good choice if chicken is on the menu. We often recommend this wine for gatherings because it is nicely balanced without too much oak or citrus.

Hamburgers
Our selection here is Cline Zinfandel. It's a repeat from last year's Memorial Day BBQ list, but it's also one of the few tasty Zins that's available at BevMo, Specs, and Total Wine.

Hot Dogs
Most of us will go for a beer if hot dogs are on the menu, but why not wine? Caymus Conundrum, a distinctive white blend, would actually make an excellent pairing. It's a perfect summer wine and we always try to keep some in the house.

National Moment of Remembrance
Let us not forget that Memorial Day is a time to remember all of the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. In 2000, Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act. It calls on all Americans to pause at 3 pm local time on Memorial Day for a moment of silence to remember those who have died while serving our country.

After the moment of silence, consider raising a glass of something good to honor the memories of our fallen heroes.