The Big Kahuna.......It's Kinda Good for a Screw Cap

Some good friends of ours recently introduced us to a wine that is exclusive to Fresh and Easy.  The Cabernet is good but they prefer the Merlot. 

They were recently at our home where they brought some of this wine to share.  The only information he shared was that it was called The Big Kahuna, poured me a glass of the Merlot, and asked me to taste and give him my thoughts.  It was pretty good!  Smooth, easy to drink, I thought it would pair well with many types of food.  His response was "It's kinda good for a screw cap" - and he was right. 

He then shared with me that he buys it at Fresh and Easy and that it is only $2.99 a bottle, every day.  Yes, $2.99 a bottle.  I'm normally not a fan of everyday wine with a price tag under $8 or $9, but this was decent.

If you have a Fresh and Easy in your area, I'd recommend giving these a try.  There are a number of different varietals and their website provides a description of each wine along with food pairing suggestions. 

14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon

I recently shared this in one of my columns for The Ledger but wanted to include here as well.  I had been taste testing wines for the annual wine tasting party that some very good friends of ours were hosting and I remembered another delicious Cabernet Sauvignon that I think you'll want to try.   

14 Hands Vineyards is located in the beautiful state of Washington.  This is a region that can really produce some quality wines.  I’ve even had the honor of visiting a few of the wineries in that area – I’ll save that for another column. 

The Cabernet in particular is smooth, fruity, and has just a hint of spice.  I think that this wine can easily be paired with a tender filet (with a blue cheese crust on top of course!), consumed with a nice selection of boldly flavored cheeses, or simply enjoyed in a large glass while sitting in front of the fire and enjoying the company of friends.  At just around $10 at Total Wine, you might as well give a bottle a try.   

This Columbia Valley vineyard produces many different varietals of wine including whites, reserves, and blends.  To learn more about 14 hands, you can visit their website at www.14hands.com.

Go here to read more about the 2012 wine tasting party and how to host your own.

McManis Cabernet Sauvignon - wine tasting winner!

We attended a wine tasting party in our neighborhood last night....although it turned into more of a "drink a lot of wine" party for many of the guests!  This is the 2nd year our friends have hosted this event - and for me - the 2nd year winning it!  The host announced two winners, I'm not sure if it was a tie or how all of that worked, but I was happy I was one of the winners!  We were not surprised by the other couple who won - we have consumed many bottles of wine with them over the years!

The rules are simple, everyone brings a bottle of wine to enter into the contest, the hosts places it into a paper bag that has a number on it.  Once everyone has tasted all of the wines, they vote on a small piece of paper noting their favorite bag number and place it into a voting box..  The hosts tabulates the votes and announces the winner!  It's that easy!

Everyone also brought an appetizer to share - there was SO much yummy food!  Check out the Bite Sized Baked Brie I brought!  The hosts supplied "drinking" wine (and beer of course for the non-wine drinkers) and lots of people brought extra wine as well. 

The wine I chose to enter into the contest was a McManis Cabernet Sauvignon that I bought from Total Wine.  McManis is one of my favorite winemakers.  We learned about them many years ago when we lived in Atlanta at a wine tasting we attended.  They also have an excellent Syrah.  The best thing about this wine?  The price.  $7.99 a bottle.  That's right - an EXCELLENT price for a delicious wine. 

In October 2013, Sunset did a feature on ways to score amazing wine - McManis was on the list!!!

I did another blog post earlier this spring about their Chardonnay - you can check it out here.

Give this wine a try - if your local wine store doesn't have it, see if they can get some for you, you won't regret it!

Now, I'm off to enjoy some of the amazing Gundrun chocolates we received as a prize.....

 

iPhone photo of winning wine at the party!

 

iPhone photo - me with the winning wine!