One thing I’ve heard since Tennessee started selling wine in grocery stores is that a lot more of the burden of selection has fallen on the consumer. That’s fine; you get what you pay for. The extra convenience of shopping for merlot and melons on one trip is offset by the fact that there’s probably nobody standing there to offer advice like you can still receive at your favorite wine or liquor store.
So it pays to select a few go-to bottles that you know you like, or even better, wineries where you can depend on all the wines they produce. That’s why Toad Hollow out of Healdsburg, Calif., has become an old reliable for me. When I went to college in Northern California a loooong time ago, wine tasting was actually a cheap date for two couples with a station wagon and a picnic basket full of cheese and sourdough. But even then, Napa was starting to get a little commercial and a little expensive.
I discovered that Healdsburg, two valleys over from Napa closer to the coast, was still the domain of the farmer/vintner. Instead of having to make appointments or (horrors) pay for tastings, you could still just drive up a gravel lane and knock on the farmer’s screen door to see what was chilling in the barn. I’ll always miss those days.
Toad Hollow offers a flashback to my youth, albeit at a much larger operation than the ones I used to visit. The winery was started by two retirees who purchased some beautiful vineyards along the Russian River Valley, and it's still operated by the widow of one of the original proprietors today.
The winery produces a nice variety of affordable wines made from different varietals, and every one I have tried is a solid bargain at liquor store or grocery prices. Three that I am particularly enamored of are their merlot and chardonnay and the fun Amplexus Cremant Brut sparkler. The 2014 merlot is a great table wine, fruit forward and full of dark berry flavors that are excellent to pair with a steak, whether a fine filet or a minute steak with dark gravy.
The chardonnay is probably their best-known offering, crisp and clean and not as buttery and overoaked as many California chards. Aged in steel instead of in barrels, this wine lets the acid of the grapes shine through and is fantastic with almost any seafood. For a special occasion, we pop the sparkling wine, even though it’s less expensive than most Champagnes or proseccos. The tiny bubble structure reveals the French style used in the méthode champenoise of production.
The next time you are scanning the wine shelves for a bargain, look for Mr. Toad. He won’t steer you wrong!
