Bacchus & Beery Wine Blog

Dec 062012
 
2010 Rutherford Wine Company Rhiannon Red Wine, CA, $15 (S) – Rating 89

A rich red blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Barbera. Be patient, the wines needs about 30 minutes to fully open. The nose offers notes of plum, ripe strawberry and spice. Soft tannins and a slightly jammy mouth-feel with fruit forward flavors of dark cherry, blueberry and raspberry jam with complimentary notes of cocoa on the finish. Buy This Wine

 

Dec 062012
 
2007 Giordano Barolo, Piedmont, Italy, $39 (S) – Rating 90

An engaging nose of black cherry, dark fruit and spice. The palate is rewarded with rich flavors of dark cherry and plum with intriguing notes of chocolate and espresso. After decanting, the supple tannins and zippy acidity make for good food pairing potential. The long finish is highlighted with notes of saddle leather and smoke. Buy This Wine

Dec 062012
 
2009 Trione Vineyards & Winery Russian River Valley Pinot Noir,  River Road Ranch, $35 (S) – Rating 92

Proof that a big flavorful Pinot Noir can be very well-balanced and satisfying. The rich nose is a bit tight at first offering rich notes of dark berry, ripe raspberry, briar and spice. A superb round mouth-feel with supple and well integrated tannins. Flavors of cherry, ripe strawberry and raspberry are dominate with intriguing hints of cola, vanilla and baking spice combining for a mom’s Pinot pie sensation. As the wine opens, the nose becomes richer and the finish becomes more complex with leather and dark spice. Buy This Wine

Dec 062012
 
2010 Giordano Collection Primitivo Di Manduria, Apulia Collection, Italy, $14 (S) – Rating 89

Very Zinfandel-like in it’s jammy fruit-forward style. A rich full nose of black fruit, blueberries and spice. A soft, round mouth-feel with juicy flavors of dark berry, blueberry and plum with hints of oaky vanilla and dark spice. A good value and sure to be a party pleaser. Buy This Wine

Dec 062012
 
wine blogWinestyr and Amazon Wine Marketplace – A Comparative Review

So what is a “Wine Marketplace?” Think of the Marketplace like a Farmer’s Market for wine lovers and craft winemakers…with one simple checkout experience. This is the term being applied to a few websites where smaller boutique wineries can go to sell their craft wines directly to the public, bypassing the outdated and monopolistic three-tier distributor system. The Marketplace serves as a go-between by conveniently taking the orders, even for multiple wineries, in one easily navigated spot.

How does this differ from online wine sellers? The Wine Marketplace does not sell the wine. The wine actually comes to the buyer from the winery. The Wine Marketplace simply serves as a portal to bring wine lovers and winemakers together. Many of the wines found in the Marketplace are smaller production, unique and artistic craft wines you may not find in your local retailer.

To date, there are two main Wine Marketplaces Amazon Wine and Winestyr. They both have similar business models. The winery pays a subscription price to the site and a percentage of the online sales. In both cases the wines are priced very close to, if not exactly the same as they are at the winery website. The sites may offer promotions on certain wines when the opportunity arises. Both offer better shipping prices than you will often get from the winery itself. Wine shipping can get quite expensive. The few wines found on both Amazon Wine and Winestyr appear to have similar if not identical pricing. Continue reading »