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“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.”
Tisdale Pinot Noir (non-vintage) (< $5)
Plummy, bright. Soft tannins. Unoffensive. Acidity and mouthfeel is reminiscent of Welch’s Grape. We’d gladly pay $4 for grape juice that takes the edge off the day.
Beringer Pinot Noir 2009 (< $10)
We wouldn’t bat one eyelash at this bottle. We like a pinot with personality. This one has none. You won’t find any blueberry or snozberry here. Flavor profile is too simple and tannins are like a stage 5 clinger on the palate. Steer clear.
Redtree Pinot Noir 2010 (< $10)
Fruit-forward with cherry pie and berry danish. Some acidity with soft tannins. Not much depth; an easy drink.
Redwood Creek Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (< $10)
Lime, green apple, apricot, and sweet macademia nut were all detected. Balanced acidity. We added this to a rosemary chicken breast marinade and the end result was something of a dream: delicious.
The Little Penguin Shiraz 2010 (< $10)
Caramel Creams and cherry on the nose with white pepper. Dark chocolate, black fruits on the palate with some oak. Enjoyable.
Gallo Chardonnay (non-vintage) (< $10)
Sweeter than most, thus one to love. Usually chards are too dry for our taste.
What are you drinking this season?
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?
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 before drinking. First sniff from the bottle brought up cheese and oak. No bueno. After decanting, the beautiful fruit in this pinot grigio emerged. We smelled honeysuckle, green apple, and some citrus. We tasted apricot and pear, and the astringency of the pineapple kicked it up quite nicely. Oak is ever-present, but not unpleasant for us.
Overall, a perfect pairing and a pleasant reunion with our favorite white! Which is your favorite white wine?
