Online wine tastings, usually accompanied with social media especially Twitter, are becoming more popular. Kathy and I have participated in several of these online format wine tastings during the last two years. Last week we participated in an online tasting of the wines from Locations Wines. We were sent Locations E, F and I. Each wine was a blend. The E was from España (Spain), the F from France and the I from Italy. The online presentation included winemaker Dave Phinney, who talked about the Locations Wines’ philosophy and answered questions from the tasters as well as questions previously submitted.

The uniqueness of Locations Wines is the disregard of defined appellations and the rules that govern the use of those appellations on the wine labels. Rather, the blends created are from some of the best vineyards from a country or state, regardless of appellation. In most of the world these wines would be classified as table wine. In reality they are a creative blend of varieties from different vineyards in different appellations, and not common table wines.

The Locations E was a blend of Spanish grapes from different areas of Spain. The blend included Garnacha, Tempranillo, Monastrell and Cariñena. These grapes were sourced from Priorat, Jumilla, Toro, Rioja and Ribera del Duero.

The Locations F wine was a blend of French grapes sourced from Rhone, Roussillon and Bordeaux. The grapes in the blend consisted mostly of Grenache and Syrah with a splash of Bordeaux varieties. During the online tasting, Dave Phinney mentioned Cabernet Franc.

Finally the Locations I was a blend of Negroamaro, Nero d’avila and Barbera. Grapes were sourced from Puglia and Piemonte.

During online tastings, I commonly write haikus to describe the wines. Since I am constantly tweeting, the haiku format lends itself to a tweet. It is also a creative form of restricted description of a wine.

Locations E Haiku

Sunny Spanish blend
Dark fruits captured the landscape
Fruit forward, oak touch.

Locations F Haiku

Floral, fruity notes
Tobacco, licorice touch
Dégustation food.

Locations I Haiku

Bold kissing tannins
Black cherry, spices, leather
Bottle, rocking chair.

Both Kathy and I as well as a drop-in guest felt that our bottle of Locations F was off. On. Further review Kathy thought the wine had low levels of cork taint. I’ll comment on the two other wines. The Locations E did remind me of the time we spent in Priorat. It was a delicious blend that paired nicely with Spanish cheese. The wine would also make a nice aperitif. Our favorite was the Locations I. This Italian blend was bold, fruity and had the type of tannins, kissing tannins, that cause you to pucker. I enjoy these tannins and delighted in this particular blend. All three of these wines retail in the $16 – $20 price range at Total Wine. If you would like to experience uncommon blends of wines from Europe at reasonable prices,  consider Locations Wines.

On a side note, I did send the question: “Have you considered making an ancient wine in buried qvevri showcasing varieties and vineyards south of the Greater Caucasus Mountains?”  Dave Phinney did answer the question. He had not considered it but would keep the idea in mind for a possible future Locations Wine blend.

Cheers,
Terry