In keeping with my old brownie song, I love making new friends but also love to visit with long time friends. This last week I opened on of my Armida 2006 One Oak Vineyard Zinfandels. It just gets better. I savored it over a couple days and wish I still had more. Oh, I do! Yay.
Today, I'm working on a new Viognier we bought earlier this year from Demetria. This is one of the few wineries I've been to that I truly loved every wine they served us. And the Viognier isn't disappointing me today.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Make New Friends But Keep The Old
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Two New Wines
This week I've opened a couple of wines from a new winery we discovered last time I visited Santa Barbara. Actually, two, two, two vineyards in one.
The first is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Star Lane Vineyard. I have to confess, it is unlikely I would have purchased this wine if we hadn't gotten the inter winery discount. Not that is isn't yummy.
The second is a very mellow Chardonnay from Dierberg. This one I accompanied with some scallops sauteed in butter with the same wine. Very drinkable. And it made the scallops.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Thumbprint
Yesterday I opened one of the Thumbprint viogniers I pick up last time we were in Healdsburg I really like this viognier and if I were better at describing flavors I'd tell you about it. For me it has a nice citrus background and smooth taste. I used it the other night in this yummy pasta and, of course, had some with my meal.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Cooking With Wine
When I made this casserole the other night. I added some nice Barbera from Tre Anelli. This tasting room nestled in Los Olivos has some very nice reds, like the Barbera I used. I also picked up a nice Grenache from them. Somewhere I read/heard that Grenache is the new Pinot Noir; a new favorite of the masses. I've also read you should never use wine in cooking that you wouldn't drink. I followed that rule and I had a glass of the same wine with my meal. Delicious!
Monday, June 29, 2009
I'll Be Back
Though I really do enjoy wine, I've discovered I can't really drink enough to post very often. And I only take about 3 wine trips each year so that won't fill up a blog. I'm going to step back and decided what to do with this site. I may use it to point out experts who are able to drink much more than I can. I've also thought about cooking with wine. So hang in there, and I'll be back.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
New Glasses
Yesterday at Target I bought these and these. I already love them. Some people believe buying these is like buying boxed wines. They want to use the traditional wine stem glasses and say these glasses are unacceptable. Some say that putting white wine in the stemless glass means you'll warm the glass with your hand. You don't have to cup the glass in your hand; you hold the glass mid way and above the level of wine.
I like these glasses because they are nice and steady so I won't be knocking them over and breaking them. And I can carefully stack them in the cupboard. And they are beautiful too.
And, oh yeah, they are on sale at Target.
UPDATED: In researching a comment on the type of glasses, I also found this:
Stemmed wine glasses are mostly a French invention. The US and some parts of Europe use stemmed glasses, but many European countries such as Italy, Spain, and Greece drink wine from solid bottom glasses resembling what we in the US call juice glasses.
The stemmed glasses don't really mean anything unless you are a truly dedicated wine lover. Most people cannot tell what a wine is like any better from a stemmed glass or a solid bottom glass. source: What are the different types of wine glasses?
Monday, March 30, 2009
El Dorado Passport
Just back from our annual El Dorado Passport trip where we visit 12-14 wineries in 2 days and enjoy wine and food pairings. Tonight I'm home again enjoying a David Girard 2006 Syrah which is quite tasty. According to the winery: "Aromas of big, rich raspberries, blackberries and chocolate are accented by smokiness and spice. Flavors of dark cherry and chocolate develop and are framed by fine tannins that take wine through the finish. The Syrah has been aged for 18 months in 30% new French oak. " To me that translate to smooth, full bodied, with not too much tannin. At $32 is it a little out of my normal price range but since our group was buying cases, I got it for $25. Still high, I know but worth it a few times a year.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Another Value Cab
This week I bought another under $10 wine from Trader Joe's. This time it was a Gnarly Head 2006 Cabernet. It was bold and, as the winery claims, had nice berry, current flavors. I can't speak for the "hints of violets, earth, cloves and bay leaf" so I'll just say I liked it.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Great Value
I'm loving the Stonehedge Reserve Petite Syrah which I found at Trader Joe's for $9.99. It is rich and full bodied with just the right amount of fruity goodness. I will definitely stock up.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Flights of Fancy
P.F. Chang's has a new wine flight offering. Order a flight of any 3 wines on the wine list for $10.00. As our server pointed out, you can order 3 of the most expensive wines and get 2.5 oz of each one. Since a glass of wine is typically 6oz, you're getting a great deal AND you get to try several wines.
Last night I got the Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc, La Crema Pinot Noir and Dry Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Let It Rest
I've come to accept that I probably won't post here on a regular daily or even a weekly basis. I just don't drink enough wine. I love wine and I love to discuss wine, but unless I start opening a bottle or two every day, I just won't have enough to say. So come back now and again. I'm going to aim for posting at least three or four times a month.
Today's lesson: I've learned recently that sometimes I should refrain from judging a wine until it has been allowed to sit for a bit. Especially with Viognier, I've noticed that the first sip might be disappointing but if I let the open bottle sit for 15 minutes, I like it much better. Yesterday I opened a Stonehedge Reserver Old Vine Zin and I wasn't too pleased with it. It was way too sweet. I drank one glass and then re-corked the bottle. Tonight I poured another glass and steeled myself to pour the bottle out if it was too sweet. Surprisingly it seems to have improved greatly and so I'll finish the bottle.d
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Two Greats
Over the holidays I opened two great wines.
Armida 2006 One Oak Vineyard Zinfandel. We bought this wine two years ago as a future. I'm not an expert at predicting if wine will be drinkable but I've found that if the wine tastes great in the barrel it will probably taste even better in the bottle. That is definitely true with this Zin. I loved it at first taste and when I opened it last week, it was absolutely perfect.
Tre Anelli 2006 Sangiovese. We picked this up on my last trip to Los Olivos near Deb's house. I love the robust flavor of Sangiovese, especially with pasta and marinara or with pizza. But it's also good with some dark chocolate after dinner.
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