One day, perhaps, I’ll figure out how the multi-national wine companies make brand decisions. For example, why would the company that owns Chateau Ste. Michelle also own two grocery store brands, Columbia-Crest and 14 Hands, that make the same kind of Washington state wine that sell for about the same price?

Until then, I will appreciate the value and quality that these wines offer. The 14 Hands ($12, sample, widely available) was just as pleasantly surprising as the Columbia-Crest cabernet was, making it yet another example of the first rule of wine writing — taste the wine before you decide whether it’s worth writing about.

Look for lots of cherry fruit in the 14 Hands, though the fruit is not as sweet as in similarly-priced California cabernets. It also has some heft and the appropriate tannins, and people who are determined to notice chocolate in cabernet will probably pick up a little of that, too. In this, the wine reflects Washington state’s style and terroir, which doesn’t happen much in $12 wine. Though it’s not as big a wine as its corporate sibling, the 14 Hands is definitely cabernet and not cabernet lite.

Call it a safety wine — something you can buy or order when you’re stuck somewhere and the wine selection is decidedly limited. It will pair with most red meat dinners, as well as a very gooey sausage pizza.

“A couple of years ago, I discovered the world of baking blogs, and I was hooked,” McCabe says.

Salado Mexican Grill, which opened in December 2010 at the northwest corner of Coit and Campbell, has closed.

Bacci’s Pizza and Pasta and more …

Here is the latest breaking news on the taco situation in our neck of the woods.

Burrito Jimmy just opened a location at the southwest corner of Coit and Alpha. The set-up is like Chipotle but with more varied ingredients such as zucchini, squash, red onion and peppers. The place calls itself the “home of the smothered burrito.” It’s hard to tell what that means until you’ve been there. After they wrap everything in your choice of tortilla, they’ll ask you, “Do you want it smothered?” That means you get a homemade sauce poured over the top. It’s a bit messy.

The Seattle-based Taco Del Mar has opened at the southwest corner of Preston and Belt Line. The restaurant is known for its fish tacos and the hand-rolled “mondo burrito,” which (unlike Burrito Jimmy) is a no-frills mix of meat, rice, beans, cheese and pico de gallo.

This one isn’t so new, but if you haven’t tried it – go. Taco Republic opened earlier this year at Central and Spring Valley, giving the typical taco Texas-inspired twists.

Sadly, Mexico City the Gourmet Taco at Hillcrest and Arapaho has closed. We featured the place in our June 2011 issue, which was about how to get out of the restaurant rut.

The new construction at southwest corner of Coit and Belt Line includes a Chipotle, which is scheduled to open in July.

Mariel Street opened her first Liberty Burger in November and already has plans to expand to Far North Dallas. Pegasus News reports the restaurant will open in the old Snuffer’s Snookie’s spot at Keller Springs and the Dallas North Tollway.

The environmentally conscious burger joint has been a hit at Forest and Inwood. We featured the place in our Preston Hollow edition not too long ago. There’s more than beef here. You can order veggie, turkey, chicken, lamb and even bison burgers. The new location will be a full-service restaurant and bar as opposed to fast-casual set-up, offering cocktails and fresh juices.

Mariel is the daughter of Dallas restaurateur Gene Street. Her brother owns the old Snuffer’s Snookie’s building that will house the new location. She is looking to continue expanding across the region.

Total Wine, a large regional chain, is supposed to open in Dallas shortly. Throw in Trader Joe’s, which is supposed to open this fall, and Spec’s, Texas’ largest chain, which opened at the end of last year (as well as all of the current retailers), and we have an abundance of wine choices — not just more than we’ve ever had, but lots and lots more.

Which will not only drive the retailers crazy (and probably put a couple out of business), but give consumers more choice and lower prices. How can I argue with that?

Case in point is the Vin Gourmand ($13, purchased, available at Spec’s), a white Rhone blend. It’s a style of wine not much sold here; Dallas is an oaky California chardonnay kind of town when it bothers with white wine, and that’s usually an afterthought to red. And, when you do find a white Rhone, it’s usually a couple of dollars more than in the rest of the country. So, when I saw the Gourmand and for less than elsewhere, you can imagine how quickly I scooped it up.

My enthusiasm was amply rewarded. This is quality wine at a terrific price — a blend of grenache, roussane and viognier that is fresh and clean, with lime and apricot fruit (the latter from the viognier). It’s not overly complex, but it’s not lacking in a middle or finish, either, and even has a bit of stoniness on the end. This is perfect warm weather wine that will pair with almost any kind of summer food. Given that we’ve already been in the 90s, this is a a welcome addition. Highly recommended. 

Whether you made money or paid money to the IRS this year, celebrate the end of the dreadful process with a free cup of coffee and biscotti at Whole Foods (our location is in Dal Rich Village at the southeast corner of Coit and Belt Line).

All Whole Foods locations will be handing out free 12-ounce Allegro drip coffee and a non-fat biscotti while supplies last 8-10 a.m. Tuesday. So, swing by on your way to work tomorrow morning (if you’re not already at work by then) and enjoy something free for a change.

A huge food truck festival outside of a dead mall surrounded by massive freeway construction? Sure, why not.

According to a press release we received this morning, U.S. Food Trucks (an affiliate of U.S. Restaurant Properties that specializes in food trucks) is hosting its first state-wide Texas Food Truck Fest May 11-12 in the south parking lot of Valley View Center between Preston and Montfort. The event features 30 or more food trucks from all over Texas.

This is the largest gathering of food trucks ever in the state. Here’s the list of some of the participating food trucks, including our most popular local ones such as Ruthies Rolling Cafe and and the Tin Star Taco Taxi.

There’s more – a Dash & Dine 5k run and 1-mile fun run will be held on a two-loop course around the mall, contained in the parking lot. Wristbands are $5 for the entire weekend, and 15 percent of sales benefit the North Texas chapter of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

I guess we can’t complain about an event like this coming to our area. Pretty cool, actually. I’m just glad I won’t have to drive very far to get there.

Planning on washing your pup any time soon? Enjoy some wine and cheese while your at it. The neighborhood dog-washing service Dirty Dawgs at Preston and Belt Line hosts Mutts and Merlot 5-8 p.m. Thursday. All self-serve dog washes will be half off that evening along with the usual free nail clip, ear wash and blow dry and cologne.

Oh and the best part? There’s free wine and cheese, plus treats for pooches. They do this event about every month or so.

During a #winechat discussion last week about local wine, one of the questions I got was how regional wine producers could make it easier for Americans to drink wine that wasn’t called chardonnay, cabernet, and merlot. Many regional wines are made with grapes most consumers aren’t familiar with, like blanc du bois, viognier and tempranillo; hence, they’re reluctant to try them.

My suggestion: Don’t call the wines by their varietal name, which too many wineries feel compelled to do for reasons I’ve never been able to figure out. Call them something fun or interesting or inventive.

Case in point is the El Posadero ($10, purchased, available at Central Market), a tempranillo blend that is more or less the Spanish equivalent of U.S. regional wine. It comes from a less respected region around Madrid, and not the better known tempranillo appellations of Rioja or Ribera del Duero. This means the wine starts out with an image problem, especially for U.S. consumers. Calling it El Posadero goes a long way towards fixing that. Even if you don’t know what El Posadero means (innkeeper, actually, and there’s a picture of an inn on the label), it sounds Spanish and intriguing.

And it’s a pretty nifty wine, too. The El Posadero is blended with syrah, but doesn’t have as much fruit as I thought it would (and is actually a little old-fashioned in spirit). Look for an almost spicy wine with some cherry fruit and lots of acidity — practically sour cherry tart. It needs food, like smoked chicken or beef, but that’s part of the appeal of the wine.

Again, the neighborhood diner Norma’s Cafe will celebrate Nation Grilled Cheese Day by giving away free grilled cheese sandwiches all day, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, April 12.

Norma’s grilled cheese is simple – just American cheese stuck between two pieces of  buttered Texas toast. No doubt there will be a line out the door. Last year, the cafe gave away more than 1,000 of the sandwiches.

The Far North Dallas location is at Trinity Mills and the Dallas North Tollway. The special is dine-in only.

Update: A portion of sales from other items that day will go to the North Texas Red Cross to support tornado relief in surrounding communities hit by last week’s storm.