August Wine Roundup

I find myself at the wine shop about once a month, despite having an enormous closetful of wine from our trips to Sonoma.

This month's selections tend toward fun bargain wines I hope will taste good. Nothing fancy, but I'm looking forward to each and every bottle.

From left:

2005 Bio-Weingut h.u.m. Hofer Grüner Veltliner. As recommended by the Los Angeles Times: "Crisp, minerally and delicious, this dry Grüner from Austria comes in a distinctive, fat, green one-liter bottle with a pop-top." Yes, this liter of wine comes with a beer cap. I guess that means you have to drink the whole thing once you open it. No cork to close it back up with! Shouldn't be a problem. I have yet to meet a gruner veltiner I didn't like. $11

Bitch 2004. Yes, the wine's name is Bitch. How could I not buy it? It's an Australian grenache, and the wine clerk told me it's actually pretty darned good for the price point. Spicy, like a bitch should be. $9

Thomas Fogarty 2004 Monterey Gewürztraminer. I've liked Fogarty wines in the past, and the wine shop described it as transcendently fragrant so I had to give it a try. Websites seem to tout its acidity and fruitiness, and someone even calls its minerality remniscent of Pop Rocks! $15

Lois Loimer Grüner Veltliner 2005. Austria is known for grüner veltiner, and this one is packaged in such a pretty green bottle! The wine itself probably isn't this green. More like a white wine that's green around the edges. I've actually been looking for a Portuguese style wine called vinho verde (green wine), but I didn't find any today. $11

Marquis Philips 2004 Vintage Holly's Blend. This is one of J's favorite white wines in any price point, but I first bought it at a $10 sale. This kind of bargain is why I continue to buy $10 wine. I would say eight out of ten $10 wines are drinkable but not worth buying again; one is be truly terrible, and one (if you're lucky) is wonderful. Holly's blend is intensely fragrant, light on the tongue, with a smooth finish. No funky sourness, no bite, just smooth. Unfortunately, the two entities (Marquis and Philips) who joined to make this wine are going their separate ways, so I got the last bottle at the store for a bargain $8, but was told there would be no more. I think Marquis figured out they (husband and wife) could make better wine, because their new wine (Marie something or other) is going for closer to $20. Good for them, bad for me.