Frugal MacDoogal

Wine 101

Frugal MacDoogal

Wine 101

Yes, wine enthusiasts have their favorites. But, could you ever learn too much about wine? No, not even possible. Below you’ll get a little education and even find some of the Frugal MacDoogal’s staff’s most recommended wines.


Red Wines

Red Wines

  • Cabernet Sauvignon

    The world’s most popular red wine which can age for decades. Makes a full-bodied red wine, dark in color, high in tannin, dry, and maintains good acidity. Sometimes blended with other grapes like Merlot, most notably in Bordeaux France, and other times remains on its own, most notably in Napa, California. Can taste of cherries, black currant, smoke, tobacco, baking spices, green pepper, and graphite. Usually oaked and therefore can put out flavors of vanilla, cedar, and mocha.


    Staff Favorites

    • Sojourn Oakville Napa Cab 2016
    • Ridge Estate Cab 2016
    • Second Growth 2016 Columbia Valley Cab
    • Hayes Valley Central Coast Cab 2018
    • Fog Mountain California Cab 2019
  • Merlot

    Often confused with Cab when tasted side by side. A full-bodied dark red wine with softer tannins and more red fruit notes than Cab. May have notes of chocolate, plum, and baking spices. Its home is Bordeaux, France, where it is grown more than any other grape. Often blended with Cab and other varieties.


    Staff Favorites

    • Greetings Columbia Valley Merlot 2016
    • Château Lanbersac Saint-Emilion 2015
  • Pinot Noir

    A light bodied red wine dominated by red fruit and earth flavors. A dry wine, mostly higher in acidity and lower in tannin. Its home is Burgundy, France where it is grown with Chardonnay. Pinot and Chardonnay are often grown together as both enjoy a nice cool climate. Can taste of cherries, raspberries, mushrooms, potting soil, rose petal, and vanilla (oak).


    Staff Favorites

    • El Molino Rutherford 2016
    • Patricia Green Cellars Balcombe Vineyard Dundee Hills 2018
    • Pin It Monterey 2018
    •  Fly By California 2018
  • Malbec

    A full-bodied, dark, often purple-toned, red wine that now calls Argentina home. Tastes of black fruits, plums and blackberries, cocoa, and sweet tobacco. Typically higher in alcohol and lower in tannin.

  • Sangiovese

    Italy’s most planted red grape and makes a medium to full bodied red wine that is dry and tends to be higher in acidity. Most famously grown in the Tuscan region of Chianti, Sangiovese can taste of red fruit, tomato leaf, clay pot, oregano, and leather. Sangiovese based wines include Chianti, Super Tuscan (Toscana), and Brunello di Montalcino.

  • Syrah

    Known as Shiraz in Australia. A full-bodied red wine, dry and very dark in color. Can taste of black fruits, olive, clove, vanilla, mint, meat, tobacco, and smoke. Its Old World home is the Rhone Valley in France where it is often blended with Grenache. Its New World home is Australia where it tends to have higher acidity, higher alcohol, and fruitier flavors.

  • Zinfandel

    Known as Primitivo in Italy, makes a full-bodied red wine that tends to be higher in alcohol and lower in acidity. Enjoys a warm climate and is most famously grown in California and Southern Italy. Tastes of black and red fruit, cinnamon, sweet tobacco and spices. (This grape also makes the famous White Zin, which is a rosé of this red grape. Traditionally White Zin is inexpensive, massed produced, very sweet, and lower

    in alcohol.)

White Wine

White Wines

  • Chardonnay

    A white grape that is grown all over the world but calls Burgundy, France home. A

    medium to full bodied white wine showing flavors of pineapple, yellow apple, along with

    butter and vanilla, if oaked. Most of the world ages Chardonnay for a time in oak barrels

    which gives it the big round buttery taste that has made California Chardonnay famous. Other places, like Chablis in France, traditionally do not use any oak in production so that the natural flavors of the grape (lime peel, quince, chalk, and white flowers) shine.

  • Sauvignon Blanc

    A white grape that finds its origins in the Loire Valley of France. Has recently made a name for itself as a New World wine in New Zealand. High in acid and throws aromas and flavors of grapefruit, lime peel, honeydew, and fresh cut grass right in your face. Delicious on a hot summer day when nicely chilled.

  • Riesling

    An aromatic white wine that can have flavors of apple, stone fruit (peach), jasmine, and petrol. Most famously produced in Germany but grown all over the world. Many people believe all Riesling is far too sweet, when it is in fact not. There are tons of producers of dry and off-dry Riesling out there that are delicious. Much of the Riesling from the Finger Lakes in New York, Washington state, and Australia is dry, as well as many from Germany. Sweetness that is left in Riesling is left to help soften the high acidity in the wine. This high acid/sweetness combo makes it a great wine to

    accompany a meal, especially those with a little spice.

  • Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris

    The same grape, Grigio being the Italian variety and Gris being the French variety. Makes a dry white wine, high in acidity and easy drinking. Pinot Grigio can taste of bitter almond, lime, lemon, pear, apple, and white peach. Should be served very cold and pairs perfectly with lighter fare like fish and salads.

Other Popular Wines

What Is Rosé Wine?

Pink or blush in color. Usually made using red grapes but can sometimes be a blend of red and white grapes, like in Champagne. To get that classic rosé color red grapes are pressed, and the juice is immediately poured off so that it takes very little color from the skins of the grapes. Rosé can range in aroma, taste, and sweetness as it can be made from a wide variety of grapes and in places all over the world. The famous home of Rosé is Provence in the south of France. Anytime you see Provence on the label you should expect a very light-colored rosé that is dry and shows flavors of berries, citrus, and flowers, and with good minerality.

What Is Sparkling Wine?

Wine that has been carbonated by either yeast or CO2. Champagne is an example of a sparkling wine made using the “Traditional Method”, where a small amount of yeast and sugar are added to the still wine before it is capped. Before the yeast is removed, it feasts on the sugar and creates bubbles. Time spent on these yeast cells in the bottle is what gives some sparkling wine, like Champagne, a bready or toasty note. There are less expensive ways of producing sparkling wines by doing that second fermentation in a large tank instead of individual bottles or by pumping CO2 into the tank where the wine has fermented. Sparkling wines are made all over the world using a variety of grapes. Most often you will see Cava from Spain, Prosecco from Italy, Champagne from France, and sparkling traditional style wines from the U.S.

What Is Moscato?

Made from varieties of the Muscat grape, mostly Muscat blanc. When hearing “Moscato”, many people think of the very sweet inexpensive bottles of Moscato that can found at the local grocery store. Though dry versions exist, most Moscato will be sweet. It’s also made into sparkling wine, most famously in Moscato d’Asti from Italy, which will also have some sweetness to it. Serve very cold with Asian food for a great night!

What is Dessert Wine?

Dessert wines are made all over the world using many different grape varieties. Sauternes is the most famous. It is made using the white Bordeaux varieties Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle. These grapes are left to hang on the vines for an extra period where they grow a fungus called Botrytis. This fungus dehydrates the grapes leaving them shriveled like raisins. These raisins are pressed, but because most of the grape's water is gone, only delicious sweet nectar is leaked from the grapes. This process leaves us with a very rich and very sweet golden colored wine that is perfect for dessert. These wines are very hard to make because they must be hand harvested and sorted, and they require more vineyard space and time to make. Difficulty of production = more expensive, but definitely worth it. We also carry other famous dessert wines like Tokaji from Hungary and Ice Wine (Eiswein) from Germany.

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