I like a Merlot. She Likes a Cabernet Sauvignon annnd we also like Red Blends. Guess What?? They are all Red Blends!! In most of America only 75% of the grape that is listed on the outside of the bottle has to be inside the bottle. Then even if it were 100% of the grape on the outside, what about the YEAR ? We spoke about that in previous blog entries. The single most important factor in a wine is the year. Rainy year= diluted unripe grapes. Sunny year= Ripe plush wines with layers of complex fruits. There are only around 400,000 grapes to make wine in the world but an ABC Wine Specialist like myself or one of my colleagues can recommend a wine that will meet your style of wine not your grape preference ( or what you thought was your grape preference before you knew the 75% law) and your budget. That’s when you find the wines that drink like 3 times what you paid for in Quality.
This wine in our Argentina Section is one great example. This is Bordeaux, France comes to Mendoza, Argentina!
Cuvelier Los Andes is owned by Bertrand and Jean-Guy Cuvelier, part-owners of renowned Bordeaux Chateau Leoville-Poyferre in Saint Julien. The estate is located in the Uco Valley at the foothills of the Andes and encompasses 115 acres of still pretty young vines. The consulting winemaker is none other than the FAMOUS Michel Rolland. The 2011 Coleccion Blend is a multi-grape blend consisting of 58% Malbec, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot ( MY FAVORITE RED GRAPE), 8% Syrah and 4% Merlot partially aged in French oak barrels (60%) and is the top wine produced in 2011….the best fruit went into this cuvee.(Blend) …The nose is a powerful combination of dark plums, espresso coffee, Belgian chocolate lots of Violets from the Petit Verdot and shy hints of red cherries with a full-bodied palate and abundant, fine-grained tannins, In Other Words…SMOOOOOTH ! 15% Alcohol and not a single ounce of HEAT just really really silky and delicious. Time to put the Ribeye or the Churrasco on the grill with some sauteed mushrooms. I have this wine in our Sunrise location for free sampling by the Wines Of Distinction Try Before You Buy Area. Buy it online direct from ABC and pick it up at a location nearest you http://www.abcfws.net. $19.99 and one of the sexiest wines I have tasted in a long time.
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Larry The Wine Guy 
“There are only around 400,000 grapes to make wine in the world”
What do you mean here? As in there are many types to choose from?
Craig
What I mean by having now explained the 75% rule and that a Merlot or Cabernet is not really 100% and even if they were the weather is different every year and every wine tastes 100% different every year so what’s the point ? I didn’t mean 400,000 grapes that make wine gives you more selection. What I am trying to accomplish or teach is to ask for wine recommendations based on a flavor profile and budget instead of show me a Cab or Merlot or a Chardonnay. When a guest asks for a medium soft red with not too much tannin at under $20 I can offer them an Agliancio or Tinta de Toro or Barbera D’Asti aged in oak casks and they all would meet the style of wine the guest asks for and the budget if I pick the right vintage for those wines. Who goes to a wine shop asking for the section where they have Xynomavro blends from Greece ? So if they ask not for a specific grape (25% blended anyway ) or brand maybe a Xynomavro would be just right. It’s the only way to buy wine or order in a restaurant and expand one’s palate.