Natalie MacLean - delicious wine picks and pairings
www.nataliemaclean.com

Shopping List

Roger Ford

Increase Font Size | Decrease Font Size


Alamos Syrah 2013, Mendoza, Argentina: Full-bodied Argentine red wine with dark fruit and some dark spice. Smooth. This producer often creates very robust and spicy malbecs: this is the entry level wine for a range of wines from Catena that offers good value at different price points. This red wine finishes with dark fruit and some spice. Try it with a pepper steak tonight. Drink: 2015-2017. 183848 13.50% XD 750 mL  $14.95 Score: 89/100. October 3, 2015 Best Beef Wine Full Review
Trapiche Malkina 2014, Mendoza, Argentina: This pretty pink Argentine wine smells and tastes like fresh field strawberries with a dollop of rhubarb preserves. It's an off-dry blend of 50% Malbec and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Serve chilled as an aperitif or companion to seared seafood like salmon. Drink: 2014-2016. 406587 13% MD 750 mL  $12.95 Score: 87/100. October 2, 2015 Best Value Rosé Wine. Scrumptious Seafood Wine Full Review
Quarisa Wines Caravan Petite Sirah 2013, Australia: Lots of campfire hickory smoke on the nose and palate of this robust Australian red wine made from Petit Sirah grapes also known as the Durif grape. Don't confuse it with Syrah grapes which is an entirely different varietal and clone. French botanist Francois Durif first created the Durif grape when he cross-pollinated Peloursin and Syrah vines. Full-bodied and smooth with blackberry and black plum aromas. Pair it with steak. Drink: 2014-2017. 14.50% D 750 mL  $12.33 Score: 88/100. October 23, 2015 Best Value Red Wine. Full Review
Inniskillin Pinot Noir 2013, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada: Lively purple and black berries on the nose and palate. Smooth medium-bodied red wine. This Ontario red wine is made from Pinot Noir grapes. Drink: 2014-2017. 261099 12.20% D 750 mL  $15.95 Score: 88/100. August 3, 2016 Best Value Red Wine. Terrific Turkey Wine Full Review
Montes Purple Angel 2014, Colchagua Valley, Chile: There's a reason this Chilean wine has a cult following. Purple Angel will make you feel as though you've gone to heaven aloft a cloud of sensory pleasure. The 2014 vintage is a blend of 92% Caménère and 8% Petit Verdot grapes. Caménère was re-discovered only about 12 years ago, believed to be extinct after phylloxera hit its ancestral home in Bordeaux in 1880. That's why it's also called the "Jurassic Park" grape. The vines for this wine are planted on steep slopes. If you love full-bodied, juicy, fruit-forward wines, this is your apogee as it also has all of those other great hallmarks of superb wine: complexity, balance and finish. Pair with a juicy steak. Drink: 2017-2023. 62364 14.50% XD 750 mL  $96.95 Score: 99/100. September 30, 2017 Top Rated Red Wine. Glorious Game Wine Full Review
#05 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos (C. Moreau Per 2011, Burgundy, France  42366 13.50% XD 750 mL  $133.00. January 1, 2011 Full Review
Casal Thaulero Pinot Grigio 2014, Chieti IGT, Italy: Clean and crisp with notes of lime and white melon. Serve chilled as an aperitif or companion to seafood and suishi. Drink: 2014-2016. 73163 13% D 750 mL  $7.95 Score: 86/100. September 18, 2015 Full Review
Quinta Da Murta 2013, Bucelas, Lisboa D.O.C., Portugal  380279 13% XD 750 mL  $14.95. October 3, 2015 Full Review
Herdade do Sobroso Sobro Red 2013, Alentejo, Portugal: Full-bodied red wine from one of Portugal's premium dry red-wine producing regions (it's not all about port!). This number has a firm tannic grip on the palate and big black fruit. Rustic and tasty. Finishes with cedar, spice and black plum. Needs meat! Decant 2 hours. Try it with hamburgers. Drink: 2015-2017. 306563 14% D 750 mL  $19.95 Score: 89/100. October 3, 2015 Best Value Red Wine. Heavenly Hamburger Wine Full Review
Grace Lane Terlato Family Vineyards Riesling 2013, Yakima Valley, Washington, United States: Gorgeous petrol and white peach vibrancy -- I adore this style of Riesling. Very much like benchmark German Riesling but with the signature of Washington's Yakim Valley. Racy acidity for shellfish and seafood. Stunningly great price. Drink: 2013-2017. 420737 11.50% M 750 mL  $14.95 Score: 90/100. August 22, 2015 Best Value White Wine. Enchanting Feta Cheese Wine Full Review
J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, Paso Robles, California, United States: Lots of dark chocolate and espresso on this robust Californian Cabernet that has been oak aged. Pair this Californian Cabernet Sauvignon with meat lovers' pizza. This is the half sized bottle. Drink: 2015-2018. 313817 13.50% D 375 mL  $14.95 Score: 88/100. May 14, 2016 Best Beef Wine Full Review

© 2024 Natalie MacLean