Serena Sweet Red

By Chris and Sherry Hardie

We enjoy the challenge of conquering the big, in-your-face red wines that declare war on your taste buds. Then there’s Serena. As its name suggests, this wine is quite serene.

Serena is made in the Piedmont region of Italy from the brachetto grape, known for its aromatic and slightly fizzy wines the Italians call frizzante. It must be related to concord because that’s the dominant flavor of this wine, which is low in alcohol at 5.5 percent.

Fortunately, there’s more to this wine than fizzy grape juice, as other red berry flavors fill out the palate. We don’t see this wine pairing with dinner, but it would make a perfect summer sipper or as an after-dinner dessert.

Sherry: “Very sweet grape and strawberry.” 3 stars

Chris: “A sweet fizz of strawberry and cherry.” 3 stars

Available locally for about $11.

Coming next week: Purple Cowboy

Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Sauvignon blanc is a white wine that is famous in France and New Zealand, with California also making its mark. But if this sample from Washington is any indication, there’s a new kid on the fine wine block.


Horse Heaven Hills is a wine region east of the Cascade Mountains along the Columbia River, where irrigation is used to provide precise watering for the volcanic-based, sandy loam soil.


Most of this wine is fermented in stainless steel to preserve the fresh fruit character, and the remainder is barrel-fermented in oak.

The result is a zesty, fresh and crisp wine with a tasty blend of citrus and orchard fruits; it’s a delightful, thirst-quenching sipper.


Sherry: “Dry lime and grapefruit with floral notes.” 3-1/2 stars

Chris: “Notes of melon with grapefruit and green apple.” 3-1/2 stars


Available locally for about $13.

Coming next week: Serena red

Clayhouse Adobe Red 2009

By CHRIS and SHERRY HARDIE
Blending red wines is certainly an art and subject to the winemaker’s discretion. Some wines are co-fermented from the start so the wine can slowly develop the flavors of all the grapes.

Others — like this California wine from Paso Robles — are fermented in separate lots in stainless steel tanks and aged in oak barrels before being blended prior to bottling.
There are six grape varieties — zinfandel (32 percent), petite sirah (25 percent), malbec (13 percent), cabernet sauvignon (11 percent), syrah (10 percent) and petite verdot (9 percent) — in this juicy and fruit-forward wine. It displays lots of red fruit and berry flavors and is easy on the palate.
Sherry: “Medium-bodied with flavors of cherry, licorice and rose.” 3 stars
 Chris: “Smooth tannins, with strawberry, cherry and red licorice.” 3-1/2 stars
Available locally for about $13.
Coming next week: Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc