I was at the liquor store in Sugar House, trying to find a new wine, when I came across The Gallo Twin Valley Hearty Burgundy. I couldn’t resist, as it was only $3.95. It reminded me of heading to Trader Joe’s in California, where I could find a decent bottle for a few bucks. So what do you get in Utah for $3.95?

A headache.

This wine had rated an 84 with one of the enthusiast magazines, which classifies it as a GOOD wine. I am not sure where that came from, but it was a drinkable wine. It tasted a lot like many of the boxed wines I have tried but maybe not quite as good. Very little fruit was apparent but there weren’t any tannins either (that dry puckering sensation you get on some red wines). It was very, very, very soft.

I had about two glasses of wine and left the rest. But the wine didn’t leave me.

The next morning I awoke to the worst headache, much like you got from Boone’s Strawberry Hill when you were 16. I suppose that isn’t surprising since this probably costs less than Strawberry Hill.

The experience re-affirmed the most important lesson about Salt Lake City Wine.

#1… Always go to one of the Wine stores
#2… If you want something cheap ($6-$7), buy a red wine from Spain

Tonight we are trying something different. We are live blogging the tasting of a wine we recently bought at the wine store. It’s a 2005 Seghesio Zin (Red). We have been to the Segehsio Winery outside of Sonoma and it was a great experience. It will be nice to see how this $25 bottle of wine tastes.

6:00

I opened the bottle and the cork looks absolutely fabulous. The wine gives you a clue about any damage that has happened to the wine. The cork will be saturated with wine. You just want to make sure that the wine has not moved all the way up from the bottom of the cork to the top (i.e. there should be red on one end, not all the way to the other end). Heat/Cold/Dry/Wet can make the cork allow air in. If so, the wine moves to the top, which means the air may have got to the wine, and the wine may taste flat or like vinegar.

6:02
We then decanted the wine. Decanting is just a fancy name for pouring the wine into another container. We decant every wine, by the way. Decanting usually makes a $80 cabernet or $7 grenache taste better. If you don’t have a decanted, you can use a pitcher (glass is always good) or you can by a $10 decanter at Amazon. We use a decanter we bought at our favorite winery in Australia, Elderton.

6:30
I just sat down and had my first taste. Pizza is on its way, but I am starting without food. The nose on this wine is very toasty and it doesn’t smell like there is much fruit. That is surprising since this is a zinfadel, which are usually very fruity.

6:33
First taste is wonderful. The taste is as toasty as the nose. It has a strong black cherry taste. Right now there is a small taste of anise.

6:40
I need some food with this wine. It is too big (i.e. fills my mouth too much) to be drank alone. I have some swiss cheese which should help.

6:45
The cheese helped. The toasty/oakey flavor is still there but it’s not overpowering anymore. A nice boysenberry flavor is developing.

7:05
This wine has completely opened up. The oak has turned into an earthiness that is subtle but also provides structure. Hopefully this wine will last until the pizza is here.

7:16
Glass #2. Now getting a little spicier and chewier.

7:45
The wife is now home and about to try her first glass.

7:46
She comments very cherry and strawberry (editorial note: she prefers blackberry to cherry).

8:45
Bottle gone. Overall it was a nice bottle that changed over the couple of hours. It started off fairly toasty, and overwhelming, but then softened up nicely.  I would get the bottle again; however, my wife thought it was a bit cherry.  I would rate it as a B-.

We are suckers for white wine from New Zealand. With that in mind, we are always looking for new sauvignon blancs from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. These wines are typically very crisp and have tasted of grapefruit, gooseberry, apple, and pineapple. It’s a wine pretty much anyone would like, which makes it a great holiday choice.

Each time we are at the wine store on 7200 South, we try to get a different New Zealand sauvignon blanc. This weekend we picked up a 2003 Lake Chalice Sauvignon Blanc for about $15. Wine Spectator rates the wine as an 86 (a rating of good), but as always different people have different tastes.

The wine tastes tart, with a sense of lime and grapefruit. There is initially a little spice on the front of my tongue that quickly goes away. I think it would cleanse my pallet very well if I was having food.
In general, I would recommend this wine to anyone who was looking for a wine to take over to a friend’s house or for a party. If you typically buy Yellow Tail red wines and like those, this would be a great white choice.

Tip: This wine is in the New Zealand area, which is next to the Australian Shiraz.