Today I'm thrilled to share a few bargain wine picks from the amazing Leslie Sbrocco, author of Wine for Women and the Simple & Savvy Wine Guide. I met Leslie last summer and she's a total sweetheart. I used her Wine Guide to help choose our wedding wine (the book is a fantastic resource.) Considering the state of our depressing recession economy, I'm guessing there are more couples opting to dine at home for Valentine's Day this year. I'm taking a night off cooking-duty on Saturday, but I've been craving wine this cold winter. And when I go to pick up a bottle, my local wine shop simply overwhelms me. So I called on Leslie for some guidance.
Leslie gave me the scoop on a few of her favorites (she tries out thousands of wines a year!) that cost $20 or less a bottle. She also tipped me off to Wine Searcher which is an easy site to search wines by name (and then find a supplier near you.)
With Valentine's Day coming up, a rose sparkling wine goes well with chocolate and, of course, anything sparkling says celebration. Leslie's picks: Cava Aria Rose and Lucien Abrecht Cremant D'Alsace Rose (made from pinot noir, she called "gorgeous")
As for reds, Leslie said she loves a good merlot, especially when paired with chocolate.
This Washington State homegrown winner called the Velvet Devil is Leslie's pick for a merlot. I also happen to love the cool wine labels from Charles Smith Wines, which are so graphic (check out the Holy Cow label.)
[special thanks to Leslie for taking time to share these finds!]
{photograph above by abbyladybug}
