Surdyk's Price

Spanish red wine from the Rioja region has always been popular at Surdyk’s. One of our best is from Hacienda Lopez de Haro. It’s a great, robust take on premium wine at a bargain price. I’ve personally been drinking this Rioja for years. It is a rounded, full palate of flavors with a core full of spice and a smooth, long finish. The Tempranillo grape is its signature, with some Graciano added for color and body. The flavors are bold with plum, cranberry, and raspberry fruit expressions. You’ll find a bright acidity that balances a medium/firm tannin that adds good structure to this red wine. Deep in the middle is a spice rainbow of vanilla, crushed tobacco leaf, and a touch of balsamic. This carries a “Reserva” classification, which in Spain means the wine spent one year in oak cask and two more years in the bottle before being released for sale. Here’s classic Rioja flavor just waiting for you to set your table to serve up hamburgers all the way to a nice steak. Grilling that steak over charcoal would make this a smoky wonder.

Surdyk's Price

With summer grilling season in full swing, my red wine favorite is California Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s the perfect pairing with everything beefy on your barbecue menu. This Sonoma County Cab is an expression of Dry Creek and Alexander Valley grapes. The Prati name means “meadow” in Italian and nods to the old world roots of the Louis Martini family. This particular wine is 85% Cabernet and 6% Petite Sirah with small amounts of other varietals. It’s ripe in style, light in body structure and has velvety tannins. Rich, smooth, and packed with plummy fruit flavors of cherry and boysenberry. Oak barrel aging gives it some sweet toast and caramel on the finish. This Cabernet is easy to like and ideal for everybody’s picnic - well-balanced with solid acidic structure that features lots of fruit notes. Louis Martini goes way back to the early days of California winemaking with over 90 years of Italian mastery of Cabernet Sauvignon production.