All Set in Massachusetts

World Series Wine Sipping

Jean-Luc Colombo
Les Abeilles, 2001 Cotes Du Rhone

Purchased: Atlas Liquors, Medford, MA
Regular Price: $7.99

Drank: October 23, 2004- Red Sox World Series Game 1- as I write this Ortiz just hit a bomb into the right field seats- 3 run HR bottom of 1st Sox 4- Cards. 0

Whom: Thadd and Alice

Comments: Light fruity white – one of the best affordable French wines we’ve tasted. Reminds us of a white wine we drank along the canals at Versailles on a sunny September afternoon in 2000. Soft flavors make this wine great for every day drinking. Good aftertaste. We enjoyed it without food as we prepared dinner, but it also worked well with our salmon and shrimp dish. This is not an overpowering wine, yet it still offers good flavor.

A&T Ranking: 7.5/10

French Kissing

Perrin Reserve, 2002
Cotes Du Rhone

Purchased: Giles Liquor, Winchester, MA
Regular Price: $9.99 We paid $7.98 (Wine Tasting Special Price)

Drank: September 18, 2004

Whom: Thadd and Alice

Comments: In our quest to expand beyond our “California comfort zone,” we took a liking to this affordable French table wine, primarily because it’s different than anything we’ve tasted before. It’s a blend of five types of grapes: Grenache Blanc (50%), Bourboulene (20%), Marsanne (10%), Roussanne (10%), and Vioginer (10%), all of which are harvested from French Vineyards cultivated for more than 2,000 years. Because it combines so much, this wine is a bit hard to describe. It’s soft and dry throughout with mellow fruit flavors. It is golden-hued and peach scented. We enjoyed it with grilled salmon but think that shellfish and certain white fish would also work well with it.

A&T Ranking: 7.5/10

French Blend

Domanine Du Prieure D’Amilhac
Pinot-Chardonnay, 2002 Limited Release

Purchased: Atlas Liquors, Medford, MA
Price: Not much

Commnets: In the summer of 2004, we tried to break from our California Chardonnay tendencies and try some different grapes and regions of the world. We struggled to find Pinot Grigio we enjoyed that was less than $20 (the best bottle we had was exactly $20). Therefore, we decided to try our luck with this French sub $10 bottle. The blending of grapes created a light, fruity combination, but the experience wasn’t entirely memorable. We’re still curious to learn more about French wines, but we wouldn’t rush back to the store to purchase another one of these bottles.

A&T Ranking: 5/10

Summer Time Sipping for $4.79

Columbia Crest
2001 Semillion-Chardonnay
Columbia Valley

$7.99
$5.99 – NH liquor store sale price
$4.79 (with NH liquor store summer sale discount)

New Hampshire Liquor Store

Comments: Exceptional value for an everyday drinking wine. Fruit flavors blend with hints of Chardonnay (30%) and stronger flavors of crisp Semillon (70%). Flavors of apple, vanilla and citrus – although we didn’t taste much vanilla.

T&A Ranking: 7.5/10