December 2011
1 post
7 tags
"A Bottle a Day..." (Happy Holidays)
Okay, loves. We’re back with a handful of value wine reviews that will hopefully make your evening trip to the grocer a tad more decisive as far as wine is concerned. We know the holidays are hectic. How goes the old adage? A bottle a day..? Don’t bother with stowing these away for holiday dinner. These come with a lipglossed label that reads “Drink now; worry later.”
...
November 2011
13 posts
4 tags
Concha y Toro Frontera Merlot 2009 (It's love.)
Sometimes, a strange thing happens when you shell out a 10 for a bottle of red - get change back - then head home to uncork, not expecting much. What you might expect is for said red to fall flat just like the other dime-a-dozen value reds you’ve tried. So, it’s a splendid surprise when you happen to fall in love at first sip (before aeration, even). It’s clear that this 2009...
5 tags
Aconga Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec 2010 Review
As we settled in the night before Thanksgiving with extended family, we uncorked this newly-purchased bottle of Aconga Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec 2010. It contains 80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% malbec. Something about it seemed that it would be rather lovely for the marked-down price of $4.
The nose featured lots of black fruit and walnut. On the palate it was more peppery with blackberry and...
5 tags
Happy Thanksgiving
We hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving weekend with family and loved ones (and lovely wine). We shared food, conversation, and delicious shiraz, gewurztraminer, and carmenere wines with extended family. We will be back to posting reviews very soon.
Our Twitter account is down, unfortunately, and we are working to reactivate our account. In the meantime: Cheers! Enjoy your weekend!
4 tags
Pinetti Notte Primitivo 2010 (Vino Italiano, per...
Primitivo, or zinfandel, is one red that is best enjoyed in its youth. As the name suggests, it’s an Italian wine. As its flavors suggest, this one is a winner for us. This 2010 Primitivo from Pinetti Notte was around $11 with a screwcap closure and an ABV of 12.5%.
The nose before decanting was particularly vegetal and grassy. White asparagus and dandelion were detected before the...
4 tags
MontGras Reserva Carmenere 2009 (Warm me, spicy...
Perhaps wine should be an ideal lover: young but complex, spicy, comforting, engaging. Latin, perhaps? MontGras Reserva 2009 Carmenere comes to mind. It is our Latin lover, so to speak.
Our first experience with this carmenere was Cinco de Mayo 2011. We prepared a carne asada dinner for two and toasted with a glass of this wonderfully complex wine.
It is a deep, rich shade of purple red. There...
5 tags
Geyser Peak 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Review
During our trip to the supermarket last week to pick up a bottle of pinot grigio for dinner, we discovered our grocer was hosting a wine tasting for a tiny fee. Being the explorers we are, we accepted their offer and paused to taste wine, nibble on their chef’s selection of Thankgiving-inspired eats, and listen to some live jazz!
We chose to taste this 2007 cabernet sauvignon by Geyser...
3 tags
Swanson, Dahling... Could You Be the One?
As we devise our Christmas gift list, we ponder what we might ask for. We’d include this 2009 Swanson Pinot Grigio, along with Swanson’s recommendation of caviar (on a potato chip). Fabulous! This pairing sounds absolutely divine.
Lover, are you reading this?
4 tags
Stone Cellars Pinot Grigio Review (Hello, again.)
Pinot grigio, how we’ve missed you.
Tonight we prepared an aioli chicken dinner with green veggies and shrooms. We love to dazzle the boyfriend with our attempts at perfecting a recipe! Our vino du jour was Stone Cellars Pinot Grigio: non-vintage, 13.5% alcohol, with a perfect dinner pricetag of $8.
White wines benefit as well from decanting and this one certainly needed a breather...
6 tags
Honey Wine? Yes, Please
Tonight our foray led us into a local meadery to experience some of the best this craft has to offer.
If you’re unfamiliar with mead, essentially it’s produced by fermenting a mixture of honey and water. After fermentation, various flavor-enhancers can be added like fruits, spices, and even hops. The intended result is a unique and enjoyable tasting experience.
Novelty aside, craft...
4 tags
Crane Lake Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Review
We follow many wine blogs for recommendations and inspiration. Some articles have piqued our interest lately, including this one: Why You Should Be Drinking Cheap Wine
While we believe that a great everyday wine doesn’t need to set you back over $20, there are some that obviously, quite frankly, miss the mark. In considering wines less than $10, we tried this one from Crane Lake tonight and...
6 tags
6 tags
Lindeman's Reserve Padthaway Shiraz 2010 Review...
Tonight’s foray began with an intense craving for manchego cheese - it’s our favorite! After discovering that it is best paired with cab sauv, shiraz, or chianti, we chose shiraz. Lindeman’s 2010 Padthaway Shiraz was our quick pick, and its price was around $14 per bottle. It had a screwcap rather than a cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%
After letting this wine breathe for about an...
5 tags
Bay Bridge Merlot (Simple pleasures.)
At $4 per bottle, Bay Bridge Merlot is an extremely affordable wine and a drop in the bucket as far as experimentation is concerned. ABV 13%, cork closure. This could turn out really poorly - a watery merlot comprised of haste and reject grapes. Or, it could turn out to be a drinkable, not-so-bad value red. Let’s find out!
At first sniff this reeked of acidity, but after aerating for an...