This wine, available at Chow, comes from Portugal’s Douro region, an area known more for genuine Port than for its table wine.  It is produced by a major Port producer, using grapes generally used for Port, but not only is it a dry red, it is a rather light one at that.  This wine is not one of the best examples of this region, but for $7.50 it, it is quite pleasing. 

Rather sour, with a tame astringency, this is a great pairing for pots of beans; simple, light cheeses; rabbit and pork chops.   Nothing too special about it, with the fruit flavors being mostly grapey, with a bit of vague berry and cherry.  The finish is pleasantly toasty with a hint of chocolate beans.  Really, this is a wonderful food wine for the price, able to pair reasonably well with a wide variety of foods.

Posted under Local Picks

We are excited to welcome the Lamorinda community to our website.

How much time do you spend wandering through the boxes of wines at Jackson’s Wine & Spirits or debating between a $10 and $16 bottle at BevMo wondering if it’s worth the extra $6? Too bad there’s no public agency to evaluate wine and spirit deals in Lamorinda.

Now there is. The Lamorinda Wine Society is delivering unbiased appraisals of the wine deals in Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda. We scour the local wine shops for the best deals on wine and spirits and find out about local events. Check out our deals below and then read a bit about us.

Take a peek at our Wine School and The Notebook, full of information on many aspects of the world of wine and spirits. The Kitchen is where we keep our food-related articles. Information on the wine shops mentioned can be found at the end of this document.

Top Red Wine

Querceto L’Aura Chianti Classico

Full of black cherry and black plum, this wine has a great backbone. A wonderful accompaniment to red meat, which really brings out its earthy notes. As the wine opens up it becomes considerably more generous and supple. Finding a great Chianti Classico for this price is nearly impossible. Here’s a great one, just make sure to give it time to open up by decanting it and then pouring small pours into large glasses at least a few minutes before serving.

Top White Wine

2006 Dancing Coyote Albarino

This is an amazing wine for the price. Though it is full-bodied, it is also very crisp, with fresh acidity and a fruity aroma. Like a bowl of lemons and passionflower. The interesting duality of being crisp enough to go with seafood, yet full-bodied makes it ideal for scallops, lightly sauteed in butter; buttered swordfish steaks. It is also versatile enough to pair with both oysters and heavy cheeses.

Top Spirit

Prunier Axel Gay

Prunier is not one of the best known of the Cognac houses, but their Axel Gay Cognac, from 100% Grande Champagne grapes, is phenomenal, as good as many Cognacs two or three times its price. Many Jackson’s regulars already know about this great find, because they push it, and deservedly so. Currently, Bevmo has it for a bit less than Jackson’s.

How it works:

Please note that we do not include deals that are simply lower prices or sales on commonly known wines and spirits. For instance, Silver Oak is a well-known winery and we will not include a $55 bottle of Silver Oak in our deals, just because it is the best price in Lamorinda. Similarly, we will not carry items like Wild Turkey, just because it is on sale for $14 somewhere. Instead, we try to bring you deals that are a bit harder to find than just comparing prices. Please let us know if you find something we have here for cheaper at another source in Lamorinda.

Posted under Local Picks