Wine Tasting By The Glass - Stonehorse Cafe

A restaurant with a strong wine program can provide the setting for a by the glass wine tasting, and potentially turn you onto your next go-to bottle. Recently at Stonehorse Cafe, three of us shared the following wines and observations.

Cultivar Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 - This was the unanimous favorite. Very dark and powerful, with spicy sweet finish, and requisite vanilla note. $28 (retail)

Coppo L'avvocata Barbera d'Asti 2012 - My top pick, but I'm a Barbera fan. Red fruits and a spicy effervescence. $14

Scarpetta Barbera del Monferrato 2012 - We all agreed on this for our bottle with lunch. Fruity, though darker, with earthiness. $16

Telmo Rodriguez LZ Vinedos de Lanziego Tempranillo 2011 - Jammy with smoke. Very pleasant and lengthy. Only one of us was a fan. $18

Recuerdo Malbec 2012 - Full of dark berries and currant, a little grassy. $16

Chateau La Hase Bordeaux Blend 2012 - Very mild, suffering against the bigger and fruitier opponents. It had no chance in this lineup. $14

Tasting several wines the glass can be an informative and fun social experience, and our impromptu session led us to a few bottles to seek out for the full experience. Take advantage of your dining out opportunities to experiment, and find the next big wine on your list.