15
Jun

Review: Firefly Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon – Worth a try?

redglass Firefly Ridge wines have become fairly popular over the course of the last six months and so when it went on sale at Vons I was eager to try it and write up a review.  As it turns out the most interesting aspect of this California Cabernet Sauvignon is that it is named “Firefly Ridge” and as far as I know there are no fireflies in California (although virtually every kid growing up here wishes there were).  The Firefly Cabernet is just “okay”.  It’s drinkable – don’t throw it out if you already have a bottle – but seeing how it isn’t particularly cheap there are quite a few other cabs out there that warrant more attention than this one.

Interested in a better option?  Take a look at some of the other wines we’ve reviewed from Safeway/Vons by clicking here.

10
Jun

Help us help you!

by Phil in General

Working hard to promote the blog!  Make sure to let your friends know about grocerywine.net!  The more readers we have the greater chance it can become a full time job and the more likely we are to be able to drink wine all day (oh, and write reviews about it!).

We’ve just been added to the Technorati Directory. You can see our profile at Technorati Profile!

9
Jun

Poll: Does Popular = Good?

by Phil in General

questionAre the most popular wines at a store likely to be ”good”?  While doing some research for the blog I ended up spending 40 minutes talking with the guy who runs the wine department at the supermarket (Vons).  He walked me through the shelves and pointed out all the wines which he had to restock frequently.  So here’s the question are popular wines likely to be good?

Coppola Wines: An offer you can't refuse?

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5
Jun

Top 5 Grocery Wines for the Week

It’s Friday and what better way to celebrate than by swinging by the grocery store on your way home and picking up a bottle or five of wine.  Listed below are our picks for the week.

  1. Champagne – Gloria Ferrer (on sale $15.98 at Safeway / Vons until 6/10)
  2. Chardonnay – Bogle (on sale $8.98 at Safeway / Vons until 6/24)
  3. Sauvignon Blanc – Dry Creek Vineyard (available at Safeway / Vons)
  4. Cabernet Sauvignon – BV (on sale $7.76 at Safeway / Vons until 6/10)
  5. Zinfandel – Edmeades (Costco)
2
Jun

Review: Dry Creek Vineyard Fume Blanc – Buy It!

drycreekfumeblanc_smallWarning this wine could cause relationship issues!  Read on for details, but first a quick tangent:  A couple of years ago we were out to dinner with some friends and our waitress recommended a wine to us.  Very excited about the wine, the waitress came back seconds after pouring it asking how we liked it.  Someone mumbled something about it and the waitress said Keep reading »

26
May

The Research Agrees: Grocery Wine Wins!

by Phil in General

blind tasting Just came across an interesting article in the New York Times regarding some research on wine tasting.  Links to the article are below but the basic gist is of the 6,000 blind tastings performed people tended to enjoy less expensive wine more!  The following is quoted directly Keep reading »

23
May

Review: Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

Kim Crawford Summer is here (even if the calendar still shows it being a month away).  And with summer comes warm weather, and with warm weather comes a desire to put off running the air conditioner for as long as possible, and with no a/c comes a house which is broiling by evening, and with broiling comes a need for a cool refreshing drink.  Some might say water is a logical choice but those people have clearly never had a tall cool glass of Kim Crawford. Keep reading »

22
May

Review: Edmeades Zinfandel – Buy It!

by Phil in Red, Zinfandel

2007 EdmeadesLike an old friend you can count on in a pinch, we turned to the Edmeades Zinfandel after the Rijckaert Chardonnay debacle.  This California wine has become our favorite zin of late, the one which all other zins are being judged by.  Very tasty and goes with any meal we’ve throw at it (confession: Keep reading »

22
May

Review: Rijckaert Chardonnay – Blech!

We’ll keep this short and not so sweet.  Amy’s review “This wine stinks, literally!”  Hopefully, there was something wrong with the bottle.  There was definitely an unpleasant “cooked cabbage” odor happening.  At $15 from Costco it was definitely a disappointment.  As ever though, Costco rules.  We returned the half empty bottle for a full refund (which we promptly invested in the always delicious Edmeades zinfandel.  If you’ve tried the Rijckaert chardonnay and had a better result than us definitely drop a note in the comments and *maybe* we’ll give it another try.

19
May

Review: Sea Ridge Chardonnay – 100% Drinkable!

You’ve probably spotted this one on the bottom shelf at your local grocery store with a price somewhere under $4.  Four dollar wine?  I figured there was a decent chance I might go blind from drinking the cheap stuff but in the name of science (and cheapskatedness) I thought I’d give it a try.  Because of the inherent danger involved in drinking this stuff Keep reading »