By Rick Riozza
With all of the mothers, wives, grandmothers, daughters, etc., that surely deserve our utmost attention, in these sequestered times, we all may just have to spoil them with a delightful bottle or two or six of their favorite—not our favorite, bottles of wine.
Nothing gifts quite like wine. We can spend a bundle for some really popular high-class stuff, or, we can be judicious and find her an absolutely tasty and exciting wine where flavors dominate over price.
And the sky is the limit as to what hue the wine will be—for this time of year, every varietal is on board to be considered, from crisp sparkling wines and aromatic whites to refreshing rosés and silky reds.
However—because of all the breaking news and quarantine concerns inundating our minds, many of us missed the fact that Mother’s Day is right around the corner!! We don’t have the time to mess around. Below are some very good wine delivery services recently mentioned in Forbes Magazine. Don’t know if they can deliver in such a short time, but deliver they will, and sooner or a bit later we can all join in on the toast.
Winc.com: “If you already have a good sense of what your mom typically drinks, this is a great subscription service to set her up with.” You call the shots here by deciding the varietal, the region, or country of the world, the winemaking (i.e., organic, low-alcohol, low sugar, low sulfur, vegan etc.), dry, sweet or in between, full, medium, or light bodied. Right now their deal is: buy four bottles and get $20 off.
Blue Apron.com: “The same company that famously offers DIY meal boxes is now making a splash in the world of wine. For $66/month, mom gets six separate 500-ml bottles (2/3rd regular size), along with tasting and pairing suggestions for each. Shipping is included and there’s no contract to sign, so it’s easy to cancel at any time.”
Firstleaf.club: Does your mom enjoy her wine casually, but desires to delve deeper? Well—this is a real thinkum subscription service. They analyze hundreds of wines and billions of data points for every individual profile. With over 500,000 customer ratings to guide their learning, “Our system can predict what wines you will love with unprecedented accuracy. We utilize our inventory and match you to wines that resonate with your unique tasting profile, which updates with every single rating you give. We stand behind our product and will credit you for any of the wines you don’t like.” Can’t beat that offer!
HarryandDavid.com: “This purveyor of gourmet gift baskets is a good site to search if you want wine to be part of the present rather than the whole thing. For example, you can ship roses with a bottle of rosé, or chocolate truffles with a bottle of Oregon pinot noir. If you want to stick with simply vino, however, they do offer a great price on six reds or whites of your choice—$120. Purchase a $29 Celebrations Passport, and you’ll get free shipping for one full year on orders across all of its partner sites, including 1800Flowers.com and The Popcorn Factory.”
Saucey.com: This company delivers wine, beer, spirits, gifts, and more (bar paraphernalia). And it isn’t a subscription service; instead, it partners with local bottle shops in major cities including Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Washington DC. Such being the case, one can order something very specific. If your mom lives in one of these general areas, when they find a shop that has it, they offer to get it to her door as quickly as 30 minutes after you order.
Places out of the area, such as Palm Springs, the company offers to get the requested bottle(s) to the destination within two days. Since I’m running late on this particular mom’s day—I might be calling these guys up!
And finally, I’d like to recommend some delicious Mother’s Day wine picks for curbside service and/or whatever home delivery available—personal or not.
A wonderful still rosé wine to enjoy is the 2019 Bonterra Organic Rosé ($15). This is one fresh wine from California’s beloved Mendocino County. A Grenache-based blend with aromas of ruby red grapefruit, red cherry, and watermelon; and a palate of pomegranate, red berries, a hint of peach and a notion of cotton candy! Refreshingly crisp with a lingering finish; perfect for the hot days ahead.
For a wonderful sparkling rosé wine from Mendocino County as well, Scharffenberger Brut Rosé Excellence ($25) hits the spot for celebrations and pairing with every item on the lunch and dinner table. I totally agree with the Wine Enthusiast: “This crisp and classy wine tastes dry, tight but complex from the persimmon and raspberry aromas to the lively white-raspberry and white-peach flavors. It has taut acidity balanced by touches of spicy maturity that keep it interesting through the lingering finish.”
For a Fumé Blanc check out the 2018 Robert Mondavi Winery Fumé Blanc ($21) which is a richer style of Sauvignon Blanc displaying aromas of white summer peaches with juicy lemon citrus and tangerine zest in each refreshing, mouthwatering sip.
Staying with the same winery, the 2018 Robert Mondavi Winery Chardonnay ($24) is a velvety wine with notes of juicy peach, toasted pear, roasted pineapple, lemon peel and hazelnut on the palate. The wine’s long fruit forward and toasty complexity lingers luxuriously for a rich, creamy finish.
The 2016 Louis M. Martini Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($40) is our super tasty Cab choice for the day. The winery notes state: “Our 2016 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a distinctly layered wine with notes of ripe dark plum, black currant and sage. Rich and full-bodied, this superbly balanced wine has an expansive mid-palate and an exceptionally long finish. Already displaying a refined profile, this vintage’s well-structured tannins and ample acidity will allow it to age for more than a decade.”
Our Best Wishes! Cheers!
