National Drink Wine Day: 5 Local Wines to Try Tonight

With February 18 being National Drink Wine Day, we reached out to the owners of Unwined and Vine & Grain on wine recommendations for today.

Alyssa Roost provided the following four wine recommendations and we provided a bonus pick.

1. Rippey Family Vineyards, The Crossing, Red Blend NV (Lodi):
   This beautiful “mistake” happened when two expensive barrels of Merlot and Pinot Noir were blended on accident! This Red Blend has incredibly balanced red berry flavors – and for the perfect price of $28!

   The Merlot from this blend comes from the Oak Knoll appellation of Napa Valley. The Pinot Noir is from a cool, fog influenced vineyard at the base of Napa Valley.

2. Cuda Ridge, Malbec 2013 (Livermore):
   As one of our favorite wines, this soft Malbec with a long finish pairs incredible with cheese! Our go-to’s are with Manchego or Cotswold Cheddar!

   It begins with gorgeous, deep-dark plum color.  It positively explodes on the palate with ripe plums.  The tannis are ample and plump, yet this is a soft wine with a long lasting finish. Only 392 cases of this wine have been produced.

3. Maley Brothers Petite Sirah 2013:
   This floral nose, jammy and dark fruit Petite Sirah is a year-round easy drinking wine that stands up alone or with dinner! [our top seller @ UnWined we go through this a case a weekend!]

4. Bloomfield Vineyards Viognier 2014 (Contra Costa Appellation):
   For the warm days ahead, this stone fruit Viognier with hints of honeysuckle makes you crave that second glass!

   ECT Editors Pick:

5. Michael David Winery, 2013 Petite Petit (Lodi):
   A blend of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot. Offering a joyous explosion of color and fun, it is a substantial, dense, full-bodied, whopper style of wine loaded with pure black fruit and vanilla flavors that coat the palate. It reveals remarkable richness with a finish that is slightly dry and seems to linger.

   The dark, inky wine that fills your glass of Petite Petit will capture you at first whiff! Brimming with aromas of dark fruit, vanilla bean and cocoa, this wine packs one jammy punch. Abundant fruit flavors and rich tannins create an exquisite blend of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot.

For more information on Unwined and Vines & Grain:

Unwined
1520 Discovery Bay Blvd, Suite 300
Discovery Bay, CA 94505
(925) 420-3188
www.unwineddb.com

Vines & Grain
The Streets of Brentwood
2475 Sand Creek Rd, Suite 112
Brentwood 94513
Phone: 925-513-5359
VandGbrentwood.com