tropit

So, last night we celebrated Valentine's Day with a platter of noshes and a bottle of Spanish Cava. The Cava was recommended by our friend, Wendy, at our local wine store. OMG! It was so good and so different from the typical, sparkling wine. The color had a soft, golden hue. The bubbles were very small and the froth was soooo creamy. The taste was not super crisp, or harsh, but soft and delecate and absolutely beautiful! I often describe wines, not by their taste, but by texture, or other emotional trigger words. I would describe this as a luxurious, Spanish lace. (That's the fashionista in me.) The DH and I both wish we had bought a second bottle. But, we're on a budget and we weren't out to get drunk, but just enjoy a good bottle of bubbles.

The name of the Cava is: Raventós i Blanc, Blanc de Blancs, 2021. I don't know what my hubby paid for it, but it was probably under $37.

tropit

I found a good wine...rich, fruity, but not super sweet. It's a Trader Joe's wine priced at only $5.99.

Epicuro Primitivo Puglia IGP

Here's a description:
https://www.reversewinesnob.com/epicuro-primitivo

peaceandjoy

i don't get to TJ's very often (it's an hour away - I only go when we will be visiting the grandkids as they like some of their snacks), but next time I do, I will look for this!

tropit

TJ's is 2 hours from my house, so I never go there. I picked this wine up when I went to Oakland and my rental was just down the street from a TJ's. I didn't have any clue about this wine when I bought it. I kept saying to myself, "Wow! How much was this?" I looked it up this morning to see what others thought of it and found the website mentioned above.

tropit

I also got some pickle flavored popcorn. Geesh...that place is dangerous!

tropit

The reverse wine snob website is a lot of fun. The author goes around to places like Trader Joe's, Costco an Aldi looking for great wines at bargain prices. He does want you to sign up, but you can click around that and read his recommendations. https://www.reversewinesnob.com

Fizzle

Tropit - you are an amazing hostess! Your luncheon menu sounds Devine! I hope this wine is indeed the ONE.

tropit

So the hubby and I tried the reverswinesnob.com "Perfect Ten Reds" package...4 red wines delivered to your door. https://www.reversewinesnob.com/insi...-2024-edition/ The wines averaged about $22/bottle, after shipping and tax. We've tried 3 of them so far and all were excellent!

The 2019 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot was just what it was meant to be...rich, velvety...just beautiful! I've really missed Merlots. After the movie "Sideways" came out, Merlot became very unpopular around here and many of the vineyards pulled their vines and changed over to other varietals. So sad! It's such a great wine and grows well in CA. Anyway, this is a good Merlot.

2019 Gard Lawrence Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a really great cab! Very balanced, super rich, layers of flavors that just keep coming as you drink it. I can't believe it only costs so little!

2017 Peterson Winery GSM Blend...first of all...it's a beautiful label and sometimes that's all you have to go on when shopping for a bottle of wine...right? But besides that, this is a great table wine...a blend... very nice and drinkable. I would have no qualms of serving this to guests at my dinner table.

We haven't tried the Syrah yet.

All of these wines were rated over 94+ and normally costs over $45/bottle, so this is a big savings. If you like red wine, I'd recommend trying this package deal.

tropit

OH! I almost forgot to tell y'all. You know how much I love the Dollar Tree. Well, here's a great deal on wine glasses! DT has those big, balloon glasses for tasting and drinking red wine for only $1.25 a pc. Are they Riedel Crystal...no, but they're not bad and they're perfect to use for a party or wedding. Holidays are coming up. I'm not sure, but I think that you can buy them by the case at DT's online store. They also have white, rose and sparkling glasses as well. Super buy!