Vilarnau Brut Reserva Cava NV ($15) Vilarnau is a small artisanal handcrafted Cava house located just outside Barcelona Spain. This Cava  is made the traditional way with 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada and 15% Xarello. It is a dry Cava with so
2015 Foggy Veil Hillside Selection Santa Barbera County Red Blend ($13) This red blend is 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, in a traditional Rhone style. And the California Central Coast, Paso Robles and Santa Barbera, are doing tremendous Rhone blends
2016 Josh Cellars Rosé by Joseph Carr ($10) We're quickly coming up on Valentine's Day, and what better wine to have in your glass than a rosé. This "Josh" rosé from Joseph Carr is a nice one. At 12.5% alcohol by volume (ABV), it's a dry wine bu
2016 Cloudline Pinot Noir ($15) Oregon's Willamette has become quite well known for its Pinot Noir and this one from Cloudline is a fine example. The Cloudline wine was created in 2002 by Dreyfus Ashby who have been This Pinot is part of the Drou
2015 Hess Select Monterey County Chardonnay ($9) Several wines from the Hess Collection of wines have been featured in my reviews, and this Chardonnay from Monterey County shows the consistency of their wines.  With just a bit of a chill on
2015 Godelia Godello-Doña Blanca White Blend ($17) I must admit, I had to do a little research on this one. The Godello and Doña Blanca grapes were ones that I wasn't familiar with, but am so glad that I had the opportunity to learn something new
2014 Godelia Mencia ($19) In a recent Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week  I reviewed Godelia's White blend of Godello & Doña Blanco. I had to admit that I needed to do some research on these grape varieties. Here again, I need to do so
2016 Daou Chardonnay Paso Robles ($13) I was well aware of the excellent red wines being produced by Daou in Paso Robles, but was extremely surprised by their Chardonnay. This wine seems to fall somewhere in between a bright, crisp, fruity Chardo
2013 Elevation 1250' Paso Robles Red Wine ($7) This Elevation 1250' is a nice blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah from Paso Robles. And, as with all Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week features, it's a great value. I must admit this is a unique fi
2017 Beronia Verdejo ($13) This Beronia Verdejo (Vehr-DAY-hoh) is imported to the USA from Spain's Rueda region by González Byass ( www.gonzalezbyassusa.com ). Rueda, located in Spain's northwest, is home to the largest number of plantings of Ve
2017 Beronia Rioja Rosé ($13) This wonderfully refreshing Rosé comes from the Rioja region of Spain, is produced by Beronia winery and distributed in the U.S. by González Byass wines. It's a nice blend of 40% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo and 30% Viu
2016 Lusco Albariño ($25) This 100% Albariño by Lusco is from Rias Baixas, in the Galicia region of northwestern Spain, located along the Atlantic coastline. Imported into the U.S. by González Byass, this wine is fermented with natural yeasts pr
Tio Pepe Fino ($20) This Tio Pepe Fino Sherry is from the Jerez region of Spain. Jerez is the home of sherry and all true Sherry comes from the vineyards around Jerez. Made from the Palomino grape, this Sherry uses only the free run and first pr
2016 Matsu El Pícaro Tinto de Toro (Tempranillo) $14 From the D.O. Toro in Spain, this 100% Tinta de Toro is grown in 50 to 70 year old vineyards and manually harvested. It is fermented in concrete with natural yeasts. Matsu pays homage on thei
2015 Matsu "El Recio" Tinta de Toro ($22) This is the second in the lineup of 100% Tempranillos from Matsu. This one also comes from the D.O. Toro in north-western Spain. The grapes used in this wine come from 90 to 100 year old vineyards that a
2015 Matsu "El Viejo" Tinta de Toro ($47) I saved the best for last! In previous Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week reviews I've featured Matsu's " El Picaro " and " El Recio " wines, both of which are very nice Tempranillos from the Toro
2013 Hacienda López de Haro Reserva ($16) This Rioja Reserva is a blend of 90% Tempranillo, 5% Granacha and 5% Graciano. It's grown in vineyards located near the heart of La Rioja, surrounded by the Sierra de Cantabria mountain and the river Ebro
2015 Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon ($20) This Cabernet from Hess Select is from California's North Coast. The wine is produced from Hess estate vineyards in Napa along with grapes from Lake County and Mendocino County. Hess states that " The ro
2016 Hess Select Pinot Noir ($20) This Pinot Noir from Hess Select is from California's Central Coast. Specifically, the Sarmento Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands region. From the Gablian Mountains in Monterey, these grapes experience the cool
2017 Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina ($22.99) I always enjoy learning something new about the wine world and this 100% Falanghina from Feudi di San Gregorio in Italy is just another example. Prior to this bottle, I was not aware of the Falanghi
2016 Oremus Mandolás Furmint ($25) Tokaj ( toe-kay ) is Hungary's most famous and respected wine region, mostly due to its super sweet, botrytized Tokaji dessert wines. But, a new set of wines has emerged from the Tokaj region that are dry. This
2016 Rancho Sisquoc Santa Barbara "Sisquoc River Red" ($10) Now here's a red blend that recently caught my eye. Not because of any fancy label or special promotion in the store. According to the Rancho Sisquoc website this is 35% Cabernet Sauv
2015 Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato Aglianico ($19.99) Aglianico (Ahl-YAH-nee-koh) is a native grape to southern Italy. This one, from Feudi di San Gregorio, is from the Campania Irpinia region of Italy, near Mount Vesuvious. After being hand-har
2015 1000 Stories Zinfandel ($18) I’ve had my eyes on this one for a while now. It differentiates itself by noting on the front label that it is “Bourbon Barrel Aged.” Aging wines in oak barrels is common, but I’ve not seen a wine aged in Bourbon
2015 Z. Alexander Brown Uncaged Pinot Noir ($12) This Pinot Noir sources its grapes from Monterey County, Napa County and Sonoma County. Not a bad set of sites for growing Pinot Noir! The back label states "... wines that offer big and bold flav
2015 Beronia Crianza Rioja ($15) The Rioja region of Spain is noted for its Tempranillo and this one from Beronia is indeed noteworthy. This is a typical Rioja blend of grapes consisting of 91% Tempranillo, 8% Garnacha and 1% Mazuelo (a.k.a Cari
2017 Citra Trebbiano d’Abruzzo ($10) This wine is produced from the white grape called Trebbiano Abruzzesa, a grape variety from the Abruzzo Chieti province of Italy. Codice Citra wines are estate grown and bottled from a collection of family ow
2017 Citra Montepulciano D’Abruzzo ($10) This wine is 100% Montepulciano from the Abruzzo region of Italy. Hand-harvested grapes are vinified in stainless steel tanks with a long maceration at a controlled temperature. The must is frequently pum
2010 Viñas Del Vero Secastilla Garnacha ($40) The vineyards in the Secastilla valley are located in the north-eastern part of the Somontano region in Aragon Spain. The name Somontano means "under the mountains" which is appropriate since the re
2017 Bodegas Castillo de Monjardin La Cantera Garnacha ($12) This Garnacha is from the DO Navarra region of northern Spain that is known for its beauty and diverse terroir. It is sourced from 70 year-old vines on the estate’s “La Cantera” vineya
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