STAN’S PICK FOR MAY ’25

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Stan The Wine Man

It’s been a minute since I’ve had a pick of the month outside of Portugal or Spain. However, I have more than once chosen a wine from the Rhone region of France. This pick comes from Chloe Wines, one of my favorite portfolios. This wine emanates from the southern part of the Rhone, south of Lyon and north of Avignon. The region is known as Ardeche, getting its name from the river that runs through this IGP wine-growing area. Anytime I can find a good everyday table red that is under fifteen bucks, I get excited. This pick for June is a perfect wine to pair with almost anything cooked on the grill, from hamburgers to BBQ chicken to roasted veggies or steak.

2022 Domaine Couron Little Canyon Red (Ardeche) Rhone Valley, France… $11.

Aromas of smoke, plum, boysenberry, and cherry with hits of dried herbs. Sweet, nicely integrated tannins support notes of plums and boysenberries with an underbelly of smoked cherries. This is a smooth ride on the palate with a kiss of spice and dried herbs on the lingering finish, where notes of blueberries sneak in. It’s not super complex, but it’s definitely up there in the delicious category with good balance. It’s the quintessential everyday red that is sure to please the palate at a very affordable price. 50% Syrah, 50% Grenache (C+/B-)

P.S. The vintage on the picture is different.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

Posted in Main, Stan's Pick of the Month | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BITS & BOBS

Posted on April 7, 2025 by Stan The Wine Man

April showers bring May flowers. Boy, has it started out that way! My brother claims that we need the rain. He could be correct, but after living in the Pacific NW all my life (as he has), enough rain is rarely a problem. Hopefully, the sun will break out soon and warm things up. I’ll even attempt not to complain about how much grass mowing is required in the spring. One thing I like about April is the increase in visitors to the islands, as my department starts to rev up along with the rest of the store. As much as many islanders hate to admit it, tourism is a huge part of our economy, providing jobs and an influx of money that keeps us financially healthy throughout the year.

Tourism also changes the dynamics in my department. Wines that have sat on the shelves for months start to disappear as a different type of wine drinker peruses the aisle. I adore my regulars and certainly build most of the department to cater to their needs. However, it is always interesting to observe the different buying habits of the visitors, .

On the YouTube front, I loaded up several episodes featuring Washington wines. March is the original Washington Wine Month, so I spend most of that month talking about how fortunate we are to live in such a significant wine-producing area. Some amazing wines are made here in Washington, and they are not nearly as expensive as wines of equal quality out of California. If you can, please visit my YouTube channel and check out some episodes. I think you will like what you see.

Susie and I are in the initial stages of planning a trip to Italy, Puglia specifically. Neither of us has been to this area before, so we are really looking forward to learning more about that part of the world. I am a huge fan of the wines in that region, and I’ve been talking with a good friend who imports wine from there. He’s already given us many ideas on where to go and what wineries to visit. Being the consummate wine nerd that I am, I get giddy regarding the wine side of our travels. Of course, I try to balance things so Susie doesn’t have to deal with too much wine stuff. I will say, though, that she is a good sport and interested in visiting wineries and learning about the wine world. I’m a lucky man to have such a supportive wife who is also one of the best travel planners I know. Aside from the wineries, she will find some of the best places to stay and visit.

My article on my perspective as to why wine sales are sagging in the U.S. is still in the making. I’m giving it some serious thought. It will be primarily theoretical, but I believe I have a bead on why wine sales are struggling, besides the usual things being put out there. I hope you can read it when it’s published, and I would like your thoughts.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

Posted in Bits & Bobs, Main | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BITS & BOBS

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Stan The Wine Man

Washington Wine Month is just about here! We have one of the best wine-producing regions in the United States, hands down. I say this not because I live here but because it is well-known. The diversity and quality of wine made in Washington State is appreciated by many worldwide. Although I’m not a huge points guy, Washington State wine receives some serious scores from wine critics, and the prices are quite a bit less than those in our biggest wine-producing state…California, which also garners some serious scores from wine critics. The big difference between the two states is price. The top-scoring wines from California are typically close to twice the price of the top-scoring wines from Washington. Sometimes, it’s three times the price. We are fortunate to live here amongst such great wines.

During March, most of my episodes on my YouTube channel will focus on Washington wines. It will be fun to discover some of the great wines from the state. I’ll start with red blends since it is such a hot category. The cool part is that I will be able to find a lot of well-made wines under twenty bucks. That is super exciting for me! However, there is one varietal that will not make it on my channel in March. Do you know which one? That would be Pinot Noir. Yes, there are a few producers out there, such as Savage Grace, that can make good Pinot Noir. However, they are few and far between. I have tried quite a few and most should not have made it in the bottle. Just Saying. The one region where we may see some good Pinot is from the Columbia Gorge AVA, where Savage Grace resides. It makes sense since it is very close to the great Pinot-producing state…Oregon. However, I find it interesting how winemakers are drawn to the challenge of making Pinot Noir, which is known to be a tricky grape to deal with. All that aside, make sure you check out my reviews of Washington State wines on Stan The Wine Man TV during March.

I’m still intent on tackling the issue of declining wine sales in the U.S. and many other countries. My goal is to keep young people interested in wine. How can I and others do that? We must come to grips with the fact that one, they do not have a lot of discretionary income and two, they may feel intimidated by the wine world. Movies like Somm are focused on the intricacies of wine and how difficult it is to understand this most interesting subject. As wine writers and YouTubers, we need to dumb it down a bit. Understanding what’s in your glass is not rocket science. It can be, of course, but to attract the new wine drinker, we need to appeal to their desire to buy a good wine at a reasonable price. Their appreciation for the story behind the wine and what they should be looking for in a certain varietal will come later. The subject of wine can go into the geek zone for sure. Enjoying wine does not have to be geeky. I have so many thoughts on this subject and am working on an article addressing this issue. It’s in the works and will be out soon.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

Posted in Bits & Bobs, Main | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BITS & BOBS

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Stan The Wine Man

I can’t believe it has been so long since I posted anything on this blog. What’s wrong with me? Believe it or not, I have loads of information to share with all of you. I love to write, so it’s about time I get busy doing just that.

I’m about to change my studio for my YouTube channel once again. This will be studio number six if you need to know. I have been shooting episodes in a barn/shop loft just down the driveway from my house. I’ve got my bar in the back of the garage, and it’s time for me to start filming there. I think it will be fun for my audience to follow along as I prepare the studio in stages. It’s a little rough right now, but I have some ideas about what to do with the background. It will be a process, but having my studio closer to where I live will be better. It will help me to be more consistent with episodes. It takes some time for me to haul things down to the shop, climb the stairs to the loft and get things set up for a shoot. If you remember, I shot several episodes in a garage about nine years ago. Tempus Fugit!

We are fast approaching March, the original Washington Wine Month. I, of course, support this and will be reviewing a number of Washington Wines on my channel. At some point, they threw in August as an additional WA Wine Month. I really believe one is enough, don’t you? At any rate, it’s always interesting to find gems from our great wine-producing state. With the studio being easily accessible, I should be able to get a few more episodes out there in March.

I will begin working on an article about the recent downward trend in wine consumption in the United States and other countries. I believe that this trend can be reversed if we understand why it is happening. I have deep feelings about why this is happening, especially with the younger crowd. We all know the ready-to-drink cocktail and hard seltzer categories have taken a chunk of wine sales. However, there are other reasons that I would like to elaborate on in the article.

I really appreciate all of you who continue to follow me despite my lack of content lately. My YouTube channel continues to grow, and I get new subscribers each month to this blog. Thanks for your support, I promise to make it worth your while. Recently, I uploaded an episode featuring a blind tasting, pitting old-world GSM blends against new-world GSM blends. It’s interesting to see which came out on top. I also put out an episode featuring Malbec from Argentina. I’ve noticed a decline in sales of Malbec and address that issue in this episode. My next episode will be shot in the garage studio (in its rough stage), where I will review wines made from the Corvina grape. This grape shines in northeast Italy and is one of the main components of the famous Amarone wines that come out of this part of Italy. I hope you can check it out and follow me as I turn my studio into what I want it to be. I have some ideas and will start on them immediately. It will be a fun and challenging endeavor.

Recently, I got shingles, something I’ve never experienced before. Because of this, Susie thought we needed to go away and relax in the sun. The shingles have gone away, but one thing that can cause them is stress. With all the things I try to accomplish, stress is bound to rear its ugly head. I am thankful to have Susie in my life; she looks out for me. We will soon be off to a sunny location to enjoy some serious relaxation. It won’t be a long trip, but it should do the trick. No more shingles please.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

Posted in Bits & Bobs, Main | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment