There is nothing more fun than sharing wine with friends. If you’ve never done a wine tasting with friends then you’re really missing out.

An old friend in Frankfort, In., asked me to walk a group of friends through a half-dozen or so value wines this past Friday night at his home. We had a really great time!

It’s fun to ask what characteristics others are picking up from the grapes. It’s always fascinating to see who likes one wine and not another.

We tasted seven value wines: Casa de Vila Verde Albarino, Cruz de Piedra dry Rose’, Mark West Pinot Noir, Maipe Malbec, Castano Monastrell, Duck Pond Cabernet, and Patrick Lesec’s Bouquet. The price range on those selections is $7-$13. By the way, I’ve written about every one of those wines on this blog. You should be able to use the Google search at lower left to find those entries!

We had great food, great conversation, and a great time appreciating these wines.

You really don’t have to have anyone to lead the group through it, unless the group really wants a little education along the way. A group of friends can do it very simply. Just pick up some wines and talk about them! Google those wines and learn some detail.

There is really not better way or better fun to increase your wine appreciation than enjoying it with friends!

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I’ve been raving here and in the newspaper column about my new-found love affair with Albarino. It’s really growing on me. Albarino is a white wine too!

Much like the last red I posted here about, I picked up this wine for a short piece I’m doing for Palate Press – the national online wine magazine which will debut in September.

I found a Portuguese Casa de Vila Verde “white wine” for $10. I bought my first at Mass Ave. Wine Shop in Indianapolis. But today I picked up a couple more at Grape Vine Cottage in Zionsville.

This wine is very refreshing and crisp. It is great by itself or with seafood. I had it with some pasta, shrimp and fresh tomatos and it was great. I’m finishing it off this afternoon by itself. Chill this wine a little more than other whites and head to the porch.

Alvarinho is the Portuguese spelling of Albarino. It’s grown in both Spain and the coastal country known for Port and Cork near the coast. It has relatively high acid but low alcohol at 11.5 percent.

There is some peach and maybe green apple or something like that on the palate. I’ve been trying to describe this wine to friends and call it a delightful midpoint between a Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Or, big flavor with a lighter touch and higher acidity.

The Casa de Vila Verde rocks for $10. But find one from either country on any label and I think you’ll like it!

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Click on the image here … and it will take you to Wordle http://www.wordle.net/ and you can make your own cool word cloud!

I noted several weeks ago that I would be contributing to a new national online wine magazine, Palate Press. You can see the Beta site by clicking the logo in the left column. The site goes live and public in very early September.

I’m writing a piece I’ll submit about Portugal’s emerging table wines. I’ll keep this entry rather short since I’ve done all my research for that effort. But tonight I opened a Portuguese wine as part of my preparation for that effort.

Jill Ditmire, owner of Mass Ave Wine in Indianapolis, recommended I try Grilo 2007 Vinho Tinto. The grapes are a couple, I’ll admit, that I’ve never heard of before picking up this bottle. I paid $13 for this bottle of grape juice.

The blend is 75 percent Touriga Nacional and 25 percent Alfrocheiro. The wine really improved the longer the bottle was open. It had a big lovely nose that was bigger than the bang on the palate.

It is a smooth an interesting wine of soft red fruit flavors that is unlike other grape types I’ve tried. The finish wasn’t long but it was non-tannic, and non-acidic – very smooth drinking wine.

I’d recommend trying Portuguese red wines for that reason – it’s something different. Of course, Portugual is known for its Port – sweet dessert wines. Much of the Touriga Nacional is used to make those Ports.

I can’t wait to buy another Portuguese wine using native grapes. I just might do that this weekend!

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Back in May I tried my first taste of Argentina’s best-known white wine, Torrontos. I wanted a name I was familiar with so I picked up a Pascual Toso. I’ve had the Pascual Toso Malbec and it was quite nice at a very reasonable price.

Frankly, I didn’t think much of their white wine. It lacked acidity and I didn’t enjoy the balance of the wine. It didn’t have much of a nose and didn’t hold up to lightly seasoned grilled shrimp.

I had a second bottle in July from a different label that I have since forgotten. It was too sweet and I barely drank the first glass poured.

That brings me to Finca La Linda 2008 Torrontos which I opened tonight! It was definitely the best of the three. I thought the wine had a flowery scent and nice fruity taste on the front of the palate. It reminded me a bit of a Gewurztraminer with some mild spice on the finish.

It’s rather high in alcohol for a white at just over 14 percent. It has crisp characteristics and really balanced well with some grilled shrimp tonight! The wine can be found at $9-$11.

I still lean toward the Albarinos from Spain but some people who like a bit sweeter taste are going to enjoy the Torrontos.

Just get to your favorite wine shop and buy something white and different for these muggy August days!

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I’ve written several times about that little Spanish jewel, Castano Monastrel. I first discovered it back in May in Indianapolis. You can read my original comments here.

The 2006 got an 88 from Wine Advocate and was just an amazing glass of wine for $6.99. You’ll find it in lots of wine stores under $10 and usually at the $6.99 price point.

This wine has a little stink on the nose but really opens up to a nice smooth floral and spicy wine with a little time. It sings with dark fruit and a mild mid-palate. The finish will linger while you savor a great under-$10 wine.

I repeat my comments about it here because I tried the 07 Castano tonight. Wine Advocate gave the 07 vintage a 90. They were right; it’s even better than the 06.

If you see it, buy it. I consistently call this red wine the best under $10 wine I’ve ever tasted. I think you will too!

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Very good friends were bringing pizza over tonight so I pondered my wine choice carefully. It wasn’t just because we were having pizza but the gentleman and his wife are southern California residents and I knew he really enjoyed his big California wines.

So I went to the wine storage cooler and reached for what I think is really great and iconic California vintner. I pulled out a bottle of Joseph Phelps Le Mistral, a Syrah-blend wine, that I had brought home from a 2006 visit.

It just got better and better as it remained open but the wine certainly didn’t disappoint as something really special. The 2004 Le Mistral is 70 percent Syrah, 20 percent Grenache, and small amounts of Alicante Bouche and Petite Sirah.

It is a rich, juicy, jammy and beautifully balanced bottle of juice. It’s big yet smooth it has the strong and spicy finish without any harshness you’d expect from a Syray-Grenace blend. The grapes for this wine came from Monterey County.

Phelps is known for its great Cabernet and signature “Insignia” wine. Insignia is premium Napa Valley Cabernet with the price to match. I’ve visited the winery twice and the wines are stunning.

This is obviously not wine in the usual price range I write about in this blog or my newspaper column. But every now and then I open such a bottle and want to share the difference. This is a $40 bottle of wine that is big, rich, and smooth with great body. It reminds me why I like good wine. The Phelps’ Le Mistral consistently scored around 90 with the major wine publications.

Phelps sold the brand in 2008 so its no longer their label or wine. I’m glad I had this bottle of 2004 stashed away.

You can find Phelps’ Cabernet in many finer Indiana wine shops for around $55. Their Insigina blend of Cabernet is just an awesome glass of wine. It’s probably the most amazing single glass of wine I’ve ever tasted. The current 2005 release retails around $200 a bottle.

Tonight, I’m one happy wine geek!

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There are so many choices when you look at the Cotes du Rhone wines in the French section of your favorite wine shop.

I’ve found several lately that I think are really nice choices. Andezon’s Cotes du Rhone red wine is mostly Syrah from vines that are more than 100 years old. The Domaine uses 90 percent Syrah and 10 percent Grenache which comes from 60-year-old vines.

It has the big bold dark fruit flavors on the front of the palate with a medium-bodied, smooth taste all the way to the moderate tannins. It has a smooth feel in the mouth from start to finish.

Robert Parker gave this an 89 in Wine Advocate. It’s a very nice bottle of wine.

I recently had a wine retailer speak highly of the Eric Solomon selections saying she liked everything he finds. Solomon is known for importing wines from smaller producers and bring real gems to the U.S. It’s hard to argue with Andezon.

This is great table wine or even special occasion wine at the price. You’ll find it under $15 at better wine shops.

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The Summer of 2009 is becoming transformative for me as I’ve developed a much better appreciation for white wines. I think the newspaper column and this blog have a lot to do with that. I’ve always felt that I need to touch on some whites to maintain a wider interest and credibilty in building my wine knowledge.

I’ve tried several very different white grapes this summer but the beautiful Albarino is emerging as my favorite.

Here is a great link to a blog talking extensively about the albarino grape. I trust other bloggers more than Wikipedia! Ha!

This afternoon after an afternoon in the heat working in the yard, I wanted something refreshing. I grabbed an albarino from the rack and put it in the fridge. The one I grabbed was a 2007 Burgan Albarino from Spain.

Albarino is a thick-skinned grape grown largely in the Rias Biaxas region of Spain and in the Vinho Verde area of Portugal.

The Burgans had a medium body with some lemon flavors. I picked up hint of orange as well – an unusual taste in most whites. I’d call it creamy yet still a crisp finish with some tartness.

Robert Parker liked the juice alot giving it 90 points. This wine would rock with seafood.

Almost any good wine shop will have some Albarino – give it a try. And don’t ignore the ones from Portugal. The little country by the sea is an emerging story in the wine world, but more of that to come!

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I have not opened any Rose’ lately so I grabbed a bottle from the rack for some left over pasta.

This was 2008 Za Za Rose’ of Garnacha from Spain.It was just a little flat for my taste, the berry flavors were a tad muted and the finish undistinguished. In other words the fruit tasted bland and there wasn’t much acidity on the finish.

It has big flavor and will hold up with some food okay, but with all of the wonderful choices in Rose’ wines this one disappointed.

I bought in for $9.99 in Indianapolis.

I found a few online reviews that largely liked this wine and rated it in the high 80s. I respectfully disagree. It’s not bad wine, it’s just not really good Rose’.

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