Wines, 1st Friday Tasting, June 4, 2010 Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava. Penedes, Spain Delightful Spanish champagne-method sparkler. Crisp, clean, delicate aromas of apples with hint of honey. Mouth-pleasing light fruit flavors with a creamy, foamy mousse.  (Traditional Spanish grapes from Penedes in northeast Spain.)  Wonderful aperitif. Try it with crab cakes, smoked fish.   Put your feet up, enjoy some bubbles, watch the lightning bugs and relax.    Chardonnay 2009, Cucao. Casablanca Valley, Chile A terrific Chard at a value price. Appealing aromas of white peaches, white flowers and fresh green apples with a light touch of sweet oak. Clean flavors of crisp yellow apple with an impressive mineral finish. Wonderfully balanced and refreshing; a perfect wine for lazy summer evenings.  Grilled chicken with a spicy herb rub, zucchinini and peppers. June White Wine Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2009, La Capra. Coastal, South Africa Full citrus aromas with herbal and grassy hints. Delicious fruit flavors, gooseberries and green figs, with a subtle minerality. Excellent balance. (La Capra wines--a whimsical label & a goat reference--are from Fairview Winery, another project of Charles Back, producer of Goats do Roam and goat cheeses.)       Sautéed shellfish. Fresh asparagus with Manchego. Tangy cheeses. Multiplicity Red Wine, Le Lapin. Paso Robles, California Lapin, French for rabbit, is the name of a new value line of non-vintage wines from Rabbit Ridge Winery in Paso Robles. Multiplicity is a blend of three of our favorite grapes, Zin, Petite Sirah, and Syrah--very good!. It is a plump juicy red full of black cherry, blackberry, and a little spicy plum. Soft, pleasing finish. Grill something: Italian sausages, burgers, Portabello mushrooms, beef or pork. Rioja (Tempranillo) 2007, “Ergo” Martin Codax. Rioja, Spain A terrific tempranillo! Shows the good character of traditional Riojas, but is more fruit-forward. Ergo Rioja has a wonderful complex, floral and ripe red fruit bouquet. Harmonious flavors follow: delicious ripe raspberry and dark plum flavors with subtle notes of cedar and toasty oak. Outstanding--and at an easy price! Very food friendly. Paella, pork chops, beef.                    June Red Wine Selection                          Pinotage 2008, La Capra, S Africa Sweet fruit, pepper and earthy cedar on the nose lead to rich flavors of blackberries and ripe plums well-integrated by supple tannins. Fairview winery produces this outstanding example of South Africa’s signature red wine. (Pinotage was first created in 1925 as a cross between pinot noir and cinsaut. Cinsaut is known as “hermitage” in South Africa, thus the name Pinotage.).  Have it with venison, ratatouille, or a hearty bean soup.  Great with grilled & smoked foods. Kebobs of Kielbasa and Vidalia onions and peppers.      Cheers,  Wine World Taste through the wines at your own pace. We are pleased to talk with you about the wines.