#TGTaste w/ Bonterra Vineyards & @BeAThirstyGirl
Hello Friends,
I recently had an opportunity to participate in another fun-filled #TGTaste Twitter chat and virtual tasting with the wine-loving ladies at @BeAThirstyGirl. The tasting was sponsored by Bonterra Vineyards; a California-based producer located in Mendocino County, which is located north of San Francisco. Since 1987, Bonterra Vineyards has farmed and produced wine from 100% certified organic grapes. Which, @BonterraWine says, and correctly so, “is long before it was a popular idea.” Bonterra Vineyards’ winemaker Bob Blue adds, “We have learned that only organically grown grapes can express the purity and intensity of varietal character that a truly great wine requires.” Bonterra is probably one of the largest producers of organic wine grapes and currently makes eleven different varietal wines. For this tasting event, we poured their recently released 2011 Bonterra Mendocino County Chardonnay (SRP $13.99) and 2010 Bonterra Mendocino County Merlot (SRP $15.99).
@BonterraWine Tasting Line-Up
These two selections, in my opinion, are good everyday wines for the money – below the $20 consumer sweet-spot. Both are well-made, approachable, uncomplicated -- yet satisfying, selections that would partner well with a wide variety of foods – particularly the Chardonnay which has a nice brightness (acidity) about it.
The verdict is still out on alternative closures and I noticed that the Chardonnay uses a screw top while the Merlot was enclosed with cork. This makes sense to me actually – match the style of your wine with the enclosure you feel serves the wine and your consumer the best. During the virtual chat, @BonterraWine touched on this, tweeting, “We love using a screw cap for our white wines ... keeps it really fresh” and “Cork for the reds because we believe the cork allows the wine to develop and mature a bit better than a screw cap.”
During the event, we enjoyed southern fried catfish with the Chardonnay and grilled meats with the Merlot – though pizza and red sauce dishes may have served the Merlot better in my opinion. In closing, check the wine section of stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes (and I’m sure there are many more) to find the latest offerings from Bonterra Vineyards. See my tweets (brief tasting notes) below about both wines and have a grape day, my friends. Cheers!
Click here to learn more about Bonterra Vineyards.
@BonterraWine 2011 Mendocino County #Chardonnay … Baked pear, spiced apple, pie crust, bright citrus zest married w/ a nice nuttiness/toasty quality.
@BonterraWine 2011 Mendocino County #Chardonnay … Good mouth-feel and viscosity, short-med length finish w/ a touch of spice and vanilla. Good quality-to-price ratio at $13.
@BonterraWine 2011 Mendocino County #Merlot … Delightfully approachable w/ aromas/flavors of black cherry, raspberry, spiced accents, and cedar with a pleasant short-med finish.
Fall splendor in my corner of the world (Virginia)
Have a question about this post, friends? Feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail at myvinespot@yahoo.com, and as always, Happy Sipping! Stay tuned ...more to come. Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample. Thoughts are my own.
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