Award-winning wines and tops in blind tasting from Modesto wine columnist

Hope Family Wines announced that it has been named “American Winery of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast magazine’s annual Wine Star Awards, the industry’s premier global awards celebration.

Hope Family Wines is one of the pioneering heritage wineries that helped spearhead the creation of the Paso Robles AVA and later the Paso Robles Vintners & Growers Association. Chuck and Marlyn Hope began planting vineyards in 1978 and later became among the region’s largest growers of wine grapes. In 1986 the family started making wine knowing that the region had the potential of making world class wines.

Today, Hope Family Wines produces six brands: Austin Hope, Treana, Quest, Austin, Liberty School and Troublemaker. All exemplify the quality and diversity of Paso Robles. In 2019 and 2020 the Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon was ranked among Wine Enthusiast magazine’s Top 10 Wines of the World. Austin Hope, second generation owner and winemaker stated, “This award is an honor for all of the dedicated people at Hope Family Wines who have helped make it happen and for all of the partner growers who have taken this journey with us.”

Kirkland’s signature brands score

I recently held a blind tasting of six wines for 24 people. I decided to use the house brand wines of Costco. If you haven’t tasted these wines, you should. The Costco wine hunters are tracking down excellent juice from all over the world: Pinot Grigio, Italian, the Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, a Sonoma County Chardonnay, a Napa Valley Carneros Pinot Noir, a Malbec from Argentina and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma’s Alexander Valley. Most of the tasters had never purchased the Kirkland Signature brand. The voting for favorite white was a tie between the Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay. The favorite red was no surprise, the Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The real surprise came when tasters found out no wine was over $10.

What’s on our table

We’ve been enjoying Portuguese red wines from the Grocery Outlet. They have a good selection and almost all are under $7. The Vinho Tintos (red wines) are a blend of various grapes, but Touriga Nacional is usually the most prominent. Here are three good deals: the 2020 Costa Lusa from the Lisboa Region, the 2019 Quid Pro Quo from the Alentejano Region and the 2017 Silent Oak from the Tejo Region. If you still need wine for turkey day and happen to have a Trader Joe’s nearby, all Bogle Wines are priced $7.99, and that’s a deal. Have a Great Gobble-Gobble Thanksgiving. Cheers!

Questions? Comments? Find me on Facebook or at rgwinton@yahoo.com.

This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 9:00 AM.