Cupcake Vineyards is based in California but sources fruit all over the world. Whether it’s Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or Malbec from Argentina they look to key spots for particular grapes when acquiring fruit. Over the last couple of years I’ve had their wines on numerous occasions and have found that they’re delivering consistent quality in wines that retail for under $15. Today I’ll look at two whites that would both be perfectly suited to serve on Valentines Day. And with the prices so reasonable, there’s no reason not to grab both, it is a holiday after all.
The Cupcake Vineyards Prosecco D.O.C. (NV) was produced using 100% Glera grapes. This wine was made utilizing the Charmat method. 20,000 cases of this sparkling wine were produced and it has a suggested retail price of $13.99. White melon and citrus aromas emerge from the nose of this Prosecco. This wine has a lovely mouth-feel and a fresh lively palate that shows off honeydew, stone fruits and citrus plentifully. The finish is crisp and refreshing with a pleasing final lemony note that begs you back for additional sips. This is a light and delightful Prosecco that drinks beautifully all by itself but will also work nicely with appetizers, a cheese course or certain desserts. The Cupcake Prosecco would be a nice choice to either begin or end the Valentine’s Day celebration with.
The Cupcake Vineyards 2010 Angel Food was produced using fruit sourced throughout California. This wine is a proprietary blend of white varietals with the largest contribution coming from Chardonnay. Each varietal was crushed and fermented separately after which the final blend was assembled. The blended wine was then barrel aged. 10,000 cases of this offering were produced and it has a suggested retail price of $13.99. Yellow Delicious and Granny Smith Apple aromas are omnipresent on the nose of this 2010 blend where they’re joined by a bevy of baker’s spices.Bartlett pear, vanilla bean, continued apple characteristics, clove and nutmeg are each in evidence throughout the palate of the 2010 Angel Food. The finish is lush and creamy with a pleasing conclusion that made me want to keep on drinking. This wine is fruity and gently layered. While it’s a completely different wine of course, Angel Food is as good of a value as the Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc which has impressed me for several years now. For right around $10 if you shop around this wine is a party in a bottle. There are countless wines in the “white blend” category coming out of California. Angel Food is going to be hard to beat on QPR. It’s a super appealing wine that will work equally well on its own or paired with food. Angel Food knocks out long standing blends, like “Conundrum” that sell for twice as much, on value. Angel Food is a great choice to serve on Valentine’s Day with your main meal.
Both of these wines continue the growing trend of Cupcake Vineyards providing value driven wines that are both appealing and well made in their respective categories. By sourcing fruit all over the world they’re building a portfolio of diverse wines affordable for everyday drinking that consumers can count on. So whether it is for Valentine’s Day or it’s next tuesday with some takeout, I highly reccomend considering these releases from Cupcake Vineyards as everyday selections or house wines. Your tastebuds will thank you.
Sparkling wine comes in all shapes and sizes. France of course has a legendary tradition when it comes to this style of wine. Today I’ll look at selection from Maison J.J. Vincent.
I don’t need an excuse to drink Sparkling Wine, but warm weather certainly gets me to think about it more often. And when I’m thinking about a specific type or style of wine that means I’m much more likely to reach for it as well. Casual warm weather gatherings call for something fun. And fun is definitely one of the words I associate with Prosecco. Today I’ll look at a Prosecco from the Veneto that is perfectly primed for warm weather drinking.
With the end of the year near my mind and my appetite is still pretty focused on Sparkling Wine. 
First up is the Pol Roger Brut Reserve “White Foil” (NV). This wine is a blend of equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. All the fruit was sourced in sub appellations of the Champagne region. After crushing the grapes are fermented separately at cool temperature. When the final blends are assembled at least 2 vintages are represented and the wine ages a minimum of 3 years prior to release. This offering has a suggested retail price of $55. A host of aromas leap from the nose of this Non Vintage Brut; candied ginger, clover honey, almond, hazelnut, citrus and a hint of yeast are the most prominent. The full flavored palate is loaded with character and flavors such as lemongrass, hints of peach and a nice wallop of spices. The finish is crisp, layered and gentle with light yeast notes and continued spice that lingers persistently. This is a terrific example of NV Brut that blows away its price point by a fair clip.
Finally we come to the Pol Roger 1999 Brut Blanc de Blancs. This offering was produced from 100% Chardonnay sourced in Grand Cru vineyards around Champagne. Each lot is aged separately in stainless steel followed by blending and bottling. It then ages in the Pol Roger cellars for 7 years prior to release. This Vintage Champagne has a suggested retail price of $130. This wine has a gorgeous straw color. The nose is welcoming with hints of smoke, brioche and flowers. Apple and orchard fruit in general emerge on the palate which is creamy and ethereal. They’re joined by hazelnut and almond flavors as well as spice. The finish is amazingly layered and complex with minerals, spice, yeast and more. After swallowing a sip the flavors seem to continue forever. This wine is fresh and vibrant and really at the very beginning of its drinkable life cycle. There are champagnes in this price range that have bigger names, this selection from Pol Roger may not be quite as well known to the general consumer but it should be. It’s got impressive flavors, depth and complexity to spare. In short a lot of wow factor going on here. Value in my opinion is relative to quality provided. In this case the 1999 Blanc de Blancs from Pol Roger is a relative steal at $130.
Most great wine producing countries have their own Sparkling Wine traditions. Spain is no exception and they give us Cava. Segura Viudas sits on close to 450 acres in the Penedès region. The Cava tradition there dates back many years and there is high regard for the sparkling wines from Penedès. Today I’ll look at one of the many that 
Every time I travel to California Wine Country I undergo a lot of internal tussling. Honestly long before I even book a flight I’m thinking about where I want to go to taste wine. There are of course hundreds of options. But making the choice even tougher is the lure of old favorites, sitting on my shoulder and whispering in my ear like a comfortable, well known angel. There’s something to be said for revisiting something you love, particularly the attraction of new vintages. On the other shoulder sits the unknown. This angel doesn’t look familiar but he whispers to me about unusual delights that I have yet to experience. In the end I try to strike a balance between the two with the unknown angel getting a little more of my attention. Each trip I also attempt to come up with some places I have been meaning to visit but somehow have managed to elude me. I visited one such spot a couple of days ago, 
Claude managed to connect on some level with every one of them. Along the way he showed us around the facility and told us about the history of Domaine Carneros as well as the Carneros appellation itself. We tasted a quartet of Sparkling Wines on our journey, from their most widely available release, to wines that are a bit harder to come by on store shelves. In short a well planned cross section of their Sparkling Wines. In an engaging and easy to follow manner that never spoke down to anyone Jean Claude went through the production of Sparkling Wine. As we did this we made our way through the facility and saw different parts of it. It was an A to Z on Sparkling Wine that provided good basic knowledge for a newer wine lover but also a level of detail that would hold the attention of a more veteran taster.
