Today was a product research day. As we custom etch wine bottles for our many customers, we believe it’s essential that we understand our product so that we can faithfully represent what we sell to our clients.
We work with many suppliers. For the most part we offer whatever you see in your local supermarket or wine shop. We work with the same distributors, so we have access to the vast majority of wines that you will find when strolling down the aisles.
Each of our distributors works with the winery representatives. Often they will make an onsite visit to bring us up to speed on new offerings and goings on with their brands. These visits are invaluable because they provide the backstory to many of the wines that we sell. I personally love the snippets of history and how certain wineries and wine came to be and what is the philosophy of the winemaker or owner. It’s fascinating getting the low down on the unique terrestrial and climate conditions affect many of our favorite wines. How subtle changes have big impacts.
Today we did a tasting with Heike from Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery. I learned that a husband and wife team started the winery about 25 years ago after making their fortune in the casino business. They are second generation Italians and their winemaking is reminiscent of Italian style from Tuscany. All their wines are estate grown; they don’t use grapes from other growers. When they wanted to add wines varieties such as Pinot Noir, they simply bought another vineyard. Oh, and the name has nothing to do with the car.
On to the tasting: We tried the full range of Ferrari-Carano wines from the Fume Blanc and Chardonnay whites to the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to their flagship Tresor which is a Bordeaux blend. I can honestly say all their wines from top to bottom were exquisite: Very flavorful, full-bodied, smooth and without any harsh after taste. For the whites, the Chardonnay from Sonoma County really stood out. It was fruity, smooth, slightly buttery, but not harsh at all. One the red side the Siena Sangiovese Red Blend stood out as a great table red. If you are not sure of what wine to bring to a dinner party, this is the wine that will appeal to a wide variety of tastes: Very smooth and fruity for a red with no harsh tannins like many cabs. The Tresor is of course top of the food chain. It was an incredible red blend and an amazing value compared with the many other high-end blends found in Napa and Sonoma.
You cannot go wrong with any of these wines. If you have a project or gift need, we can custom etch and custom label any of these bottles. Personalized etched and personalized labeled Ferrari-Carano wine bottles will definitely grab anyone’s palate and attention.
