Most wine is released the year it is ready but Smith-Madrone Winery has an interesting approach, it re-releases its older Rieslings. This year the winery is re-releasing its 2002 Riesling. Why re-release? The winery's founder and General Partner Stuart Smith says they do this because "we love how Rieslings age and develop and we want to give people the opportunity to taste what a moderately aged Riesling is like." He says that Rieslings age just as well as Cabernet Sauvignons and can age for 10, 15 or even 20 years adding depth and tonality to the flavor. The 2002 is available for $60 a bottle with a three bottle limit. If you posses a bit more patience, you can pick up the 2008 for $27 and cellar it yourself for a few years.

California Chardonnays sometimes get a bad reputation for being overly oaky. While big, oaky Chards definitely have their place, especially with richer foods, an unoaked Chardonnay can offer a light and fruity taste that is perfect for summer. Summers Estate Wines in Calistoga has released their "Le Nude," a limited-production un-oaked Chardonnay which is fermented in stainless steel and produced from grapes grown in the Alexander Valley. This is the first time Summers Estate Wines has produced a "naked" Chardonnay. The wine is made from grapes grown in the Alexander Valley and has flavors of tropical fruit and yellow flowers. This wine sells for $24 and has a screw cap, making it an easy choice for outdoor picnics.

If you are particularly attached to some of wine's most sacred cows you might want to steer clear of The Upgrader's list of the ten most overrated wines. The article is an equal opportunity offender for those who pride themselves on their taste and selections. It's also a ripping fun read. I was delighted to see them name Australian Shiraz. It's not generally that overpriced but it is certainly overestimated. Ah, but then my ego took a blow as the next slide on Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, which I drank so much of this summer for its minerality, was illustrated by a picture of a cat box. Ouch. The rest of the list includes the Super Tuscans (which I agree are overpriced), Albariño, Chilean Cabernet and the auction favorite Screaming Eagle. It's a list bound to generate a certain amount of controversy and grumbling but it all boils down perhaps to one thing, if you are drinking what everyone is talking about, you are probably paying too much for it and there is a cheaper, lesser known and better tasting wine with a similar taste profile out there somewhere.

Wine goddess and author Natalie MacLean has made her picks for wines for this year's Thanksgiving feast. MacLean, the author of the book Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass also has some simple rules for Thanksgiving wine pairing:

Starting off with a Champagne, Prosecco or other sparkling wine sets a festive note and makes a great aperitif.

Red wine or white wine with the turkey? You can do either. A crisp white like a Riesling or Pinot Grigio works but a juicy red like a Zinfandel also works well (it sort of mimics the berry note of the cranberry sauce). You can also go for the practically fruit juice appeal of this year's Beaujolais Nouveau.

You can also match your wine to the sides, offering other wines such as a buttery Chardonnay to complement the stuffing and veggies or a Sauvignon Blanc to add a little pep to a palate numbed by too many cream sauces. .

She suggests a late harvest wine or ice wine to pair with dessert to add the perfect finishing touch. In my experience, I have found that a Port or a late harvest Zinfandel works well with pecan pie while a late harvest Chardonnay can work with pumpkin pie.

After the jump, her top picks for reds and whites for the table.

At the start of the year, I tasted the wonderful Eroica, a Riesling that is a collaboration between Washington's Chateau Ste. Michelle winery and Germany's Dr. Ernst Loosen. Now that I have found out that there is an ultra version, I simply must have it. The Eroica Single Berry Select Late Harvest Riesling is described as being like liquid gold, with scents of apricot, pear and spices and a rich flavor of honey, apricot, baked apple and tropical fruit. At around $200 for a half bottle it demands a very special occasion.

Honestly I'm surprised it took her this long but Martha Stewart is finally getting into the wine business. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. has announced a partnership with E.&J. Gallo Winery to create wines known as the "Martha Stewart Vintage." The first launch of 15,000 cases includes three wines: a 2006 Sonoma County Chardonnay, 2005 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvingon and 2006 Sonoma County Merlot. The wines will be available in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Phoenix and Portland starting in January and will sell for around $15.

A unique winery in Washington, Long Shadows Vintners has been named Winery of the Year by Food & Wine magazine. The winery is actually more of a collaboration in which famous winemakers from around make wines from Washington grapes. Allen Shoup, the former CEO of Stimpson Lane (owner of Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest) is behind the project which creates luxury wines at the winery facility in Walla Walla. The wines include Pedestal, a Merlot-blend from Michel Rolland, Poet's Leap, a Riesling from German winemaker Armin Diel and Saggi, a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, Syrah and Barbera from Italian producers Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari. Basically it's like getting wine experience from all around the world made from Washington grapes. Prices for the wines vary but start at $20 for the Poet's Leap. There is a membership club for those who want to be the first to get their hands on the latest releases since these popular wines quickly sell out. A situation that will undoubtedly only get worse with this award.

[via Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

Like Kendall-Jackson, Blackstone winery is seeking to seek the next level of the wine market with a new line that appeal to a different price point than their main line which is generally under $10. The Blackstone Sonoma Reserve is produced at Blackstone's Kenwood Winery in the heart of Sonoma Valley and includes a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Bordeaux-inspired red blend, Rubric. The wines use grapes sourced from premium vineyards found upon the hillsides, benchlands and coastline of Sonoma County and are made by winemaker Gary Sitton.

The 2005 Sonoma Reserve Chardonnay uses grapes from the cool climate areas of Russian River Valley and Carneros, with small percentages drawn from the Sonoma Coast and sells for $16.99. The 2005 Sonoma Reserve Merlot uses grapes from the Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Sonoma Valley and also sells for $16.99. The 2005 Sonoma Reserve Pinot Noir uses fruit from the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley region and is aged for 12 months in French oak. It sells for $18.99. The 2005 Sonoma Reserve "Rubric" is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah. It is matured in a combination of French and American oak barrels and sells for $18.99.

Summer is in full swing and it's hot out there. It's prime white wine drinking season. But when the temperature spikes even the California Chardonnays can seem a bit heavy. If you have run through your New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs and looking for something else that is light and refreshing on a summer evening, the wines of the Vinho Verde region in Portugal may be just the thing.

I recently attending a tasting of Vinho Verde wines held by Tasting Panel magazine. There I made the acquaintance of a new grape to look for in summer wines, Alvarinho. The Alvarinho grapes produce a wine that has a light straw color and a scent of fruits such as peach, lemon and passionfruit. The taste is a bit like a Pinot Grigio or perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc but without the minerality that the Sauvignon Blancs are famous for. The name Vinho Verde means that they are green wines, not in color or in eco-friendliness but in youth. The wines are meant to be drunk in their youth. They are also much lower in alcohol than many California whites and are value priced at generally under $10.

Wines to look for to explore Vinho Verde wines include:

The Portal Do Fidalgo 2006 is a deliciously juicy white with tastes of peach and honey. It would be outstanding on one of those nights when it is too hot to cook and you end up nibbling on cheese, bread and vegetables.

The Quinta del Avelada 2006 is a little less sweet and more citrusy than the Portal Do Fidalgo. The low alcohol level (around 10.5%) means you could pair it with a salad or a light meal and not end up overly tipsy.

The Sogrape Gazela Vinho Verde is light and refreshing with a bit of a fizz. It's only 9% alcohol so it's almost like a readymade wine spritzer. This makes it a great drink for an afternoon garden party, it's as thirst-quenching as a light beer but with more elegance. And it's cheap (around $6) so you can throw a bunch of bottles in an ice-filled tub out on the lawn and let your guests go wild.

I never knew that the Jacuzzi family , famous for the Jacuzzi spa also made wine but they do. In fact they have just opened a lavish new winery in the Sonoma Valley in partnership with the Olive Press. The two businesses are setting up shop on Highway 121 in an 18,000-square-foot Italian stone villa on 190 acres along Highway 121, directly across the road from Cline Cellars. red Cline is the maternal grandson of Valeriano Jacuzzi, one of the five brothers who took part in the creation of the Jacuzzi Spa. Fred and Nancy Cline also own Cline Cellars. The wines so far are from separate vineyards but according to an article in Sonoma News the two labels may share some vineyard sources in the future.

The new winery takes its inspiration from the Jacuzzi family home in Italy and has stone buildings assembled around a central coutryard. One wing is devoted to the Olive Press which makes high-end olive oil. The Jacuzzi winery uses "Green String" biodynamic farming practices with no chemical pesticides or fertilizers. The winery produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Nebbiolo, Primitivo and others at prices starting around $20.

The new Hayman & Hill Interchange wine from Cellar Door intrigues me because it has a bumper crop of white varietals. Interchange is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Malvasia Bianca, Semillon and Gewürztraminer grapes. The grapes are meant to represent the diverse terrain of Santa Barbara county. The wine is described as having a floral nose and a tropical palate with just a hint of oak.

Hayman & Hill is named for its winemakers, David Hayman and Dennis Hill. David Hayman has seventeen years of strong international winemaking experience and is Blackstone Winery's Senior Vice President of Operation. Dennis Hill has over twenty five years of winemaking experience with many leading Sonoma wineries and is the Chief Winemaker for the Blackstone Winery. The Interchange wine is priced at $13.99.

We've talked before about the fusion between Nascar and fine living. Check out this article on Bloomberg about Nascar wines and the Bennett Lane Winery, the first winery to back a Nascar racing team. Former race car driver Randy Lynch is now a successful winery owner. He and his wife Lisa started off in th Napa Valley with a weekend house and a small vineyard but then picked up a nearby winery. The Lynches are part of an overall wine drinking trend in the Nascar crowd with the numbers of wine lovers rising steadily and wine now being sold at concession stands.

If you are looking for a light summer white wine the recently released 2006 Bennett Lane Maximus Feasting White wine is a nice choice. It is a blend of 87% Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Chardonnay, and 2% Muscat. It's a bit fruity but with a nice mineral snap to keep it crisp and refreshing. It sells for $28.

As the weather gets warmer the need for a chilled bottle of white wine increases. Waiting for your bottle to chill can be frustrating and the old shove-it-in-the-freezer trick can be both risky and haphazard. Instead the Waring Pro Chiller can handle the task. And you don't even have to think about what temperature your varietal should be set at. The chiller has 33 preset varietal temperatures for reds, whites or sparkling so that your wine is at the optimal drinking temp. The electric device is attractive enough to due duty at the table keeping your wine cool on a warm summer night. It sells for $99.95.

I'm no fan of the Fat Bastard wine but I am curious about Click Wine Group's higher-end line called the Global Wine Collection. The wines are aimed meant to appeal to the "Millennials," people 21 to 30 years old. The portfolio continues the group's tradition of innovative naming. The wines include Flying Fish (from the Pacific Northwest), 2up (from Australia) and Mad Dogs & Englishmen (from Spain). Their Clean Slate, a German Riesling from the Mosel-Saar- Ruwer district won a Double Gold medal at the 2006 San Francisco International Wine Competition. The Clean Slate sells for around $10.

[via The Daily Report]

There have been a lot of exciting wine auctions this spring. The Spring auction from Zachy's in New York on May 11 gives you the chance to own wines from the cellar at Montrachet, a wine-oriented restaurant in New York which closed last year but may yet reopen at a later date. Meanwhile they are selling off a bunch of their cellar. Decanter reports that the 536 lots Zachy's hopes to sell include 383 of red and white Burgundy, ranging through the 1980s, 1990s and the current decade. The restaurant had been open since 1985, plenty of time to stock up on a wealth of treasures. The Zachy's website has details of the lots and the absentee bidder form.