I know most of you think of Margaritas and tequila when I mention a trip to Mexico. Trust me, I usually do too. However, I drank quite a bit of sparkling wine while visiting these past few days. I’m not going to lie – I didn’t have one glass of red or white offered by the resort, but the vino espumoso (sparkling wine) did surprise me.

The resort offered a Mexican produced vino espumoso called Dubois. While it was not a high dollar sparkler, it did serve it’s purpose. It was a brut with just a touch of sweetness, but relatively dry. My guess would be under $20, in fact closer to $10 if you were to look for it in a store. It looked to be part of the Freixenet family. For me, it was the perfect accompaniment to the sun and sand.

Winery: Domaine de l’Oratoire St. Martin
Wine: 2007 Cairanne Rouge Reserve des Seigneurs
Location: Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne, Southern Rhône
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $24.00

Jonathan and I first sampled this wine at the Rhône wine dinner hosted by The Corkscrew back in October. At that time, we noticed earthiness, slight barnyard, crushed cherries and raspberries on the nose. The palate featured cherries, barnyard and a medium finish. We thought this was a nice wine for the price. For this event, all the wines had been decanted at least two hours in advance so we were curious to see how the wine showed when it was first opened.

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Winery: Willamette Valley Vineyards
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

A few weeks ago, I received several bottles of wine from Willamette Valley Vineyards. I decided to sample two of the bottles of Pinot Noir at similar price point and compare them. I used the Willamette Valley Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir (selling for $25.00 from the winery) and the Willamette Valley Vineyards 2008 Whole Cluster Fermented Pinot Noir (selling for $19.00 from the winery).

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Winery: Olsen Family Vineyards
Wine: Viridian Pinot Gris 2007
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $14.99

Sometime, I get too caught up with sampling my favorite varietals in hopes of finding a new favorite or everyday drinker. In general, I’m more of a red drinker and in particular a Cabernet Sauvignon LOVER! However, there are times when I prefer a white….certain food pairings and most summer days. Every now and then, I’ve got to remind myself that I need to keep trying some of my less favorite varietals. Such is the case with the Olsen Family Vineyards Viridian Pinot Gris. I haven’t tried or enjoyed many Pinot Gris in the past, but if I keep trying them I might just find one I like.

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Winery: Briar Creek Cellars
Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon Vinter’s Cuveé 2005
Location: St. Helena, California
Purchased: Christmas Gift
Price: Christmas Gift

Jonathan and I received this bottle of wine for Christmas from Travis and Chelsea (Jonathan’s brother and his wife). Unfortunately, they weren’t able to join us for Christmas this year, but hopefully we can make a trip out to scenic Colorado soon! I’ve never been skiing, and told Jonathan it’s on my “bucket list.” I really just want to try it once, then sit by the fire with a nice glass of wine and read a book. Nevertheless, they sent us the perfect gift – wine and goodies. Do they know us or what? Unfortunately, we ate most of the snacks on our drive back so we couldn’t pair them with the wine, but the wine was enjoyable on its own.

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