Mixed Emotions and Blended Red

I'm 15 days away from being done at Virginia Tech. I'm thrilled and terrified. Mixed emotions call for mixed wine. This is it...

Name: Aconga

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Vintage: 2010

Price: $4

Wine Critic Review: I found this wine quite pleasant and easy to drink DH pretty much puts all wines in the fridge (gasp), anyway straight from the fridge it is a bit too harsh, but pour into a glass and let it air out and warm up a bit it is quite nice. It is not overly dry but you can definitely taste the dry tones of the Cabernet.

Personal Review: A bit spicy but not overpowering. Blackberry hint, kind of jammy.

Food pairing: none

A Lazy Sunday and a Glass of Wine

Thank God for lazy Sundays. I don't have to work, my homework assignments only need minimal amounts of effort, and there's really nothing that important that needs to be taken care of. Only thing to add is a nice glass of wine.

Name: Tisdale

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: California

Country: USA

Vintage: Not vintaged

Price: $8

Wine Critic Review: Black cherry fruit, black licorice and spice on the nose. Light-bodied with flavors of cherry and strawberry jam. Light tannins.

Personal Review: Unlike the wine critic review, I find it to be a bit heavier. It's got nice flavors of black cherries, it's not really spicy, and it's flavor lingers.

Food pairing: Right now I'm drinking it alone, but I think I'm going to finish the bottle with some alfredo later tonight. 

Herding Cats...Yeah, that's near impossible.

Before I realized that I wasn't science minded enough to compete with pre-vet students, I was double majoring in Animal Science. I also grew up on a farm with beef cattle and horses and with dogs whose natural instinct was to herd anything and everything. Guess what happened when they tried to to herd the barn cats. They would become a wild angry ball of fur in claws. In other words, herding cats is damn near impossible. This is the kind of wine I want to drink when I feel like I'm trying to conquer the impossible. Graduating, starting grad school, moving out of my parents house, and fully taking care of myself. I know none of this is actually impossible, but that's why this wine makes me feel better, because it mentions doing the impossible right there in the title. 

Name: Herding Cats

Variety: Chenin Blanc/ Chardonnay Blend

Region: Western Cape

Country: South Africa

Price: $12

Wine Critic Review: Pale yellow color with aromas and flavors of citrus, green apple and quince.  Crisp and clean with underlying minerality and acidity.

Personal Review: Tastes of apples and lemons, but it's mild enough to make it appealing to me. 

Food pairing: None

The Usual Suspect

My mom and fellow wine lover has been on a mission to collect as many wine labels as she can. I bought this simply because the label was quirky and because Cabernet Sauvignon has become one of my favorites.

Name: The Usual Suspect

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: California

Year: 2009

Price: $8-10

Wine Critic Review: The 2009 Big House The Usual Suspect Cabernet Sauvignon has inviting aromas of plum, dark fruit, black currants, and a tiny bit of pepper and vanilla. This is a jammy wine with plum, black currants, and coffee flavors. Nice tannins on the slightly bitter finish make good counterpart to the jammy fruit. A simple wine that would probably be at its best paired with red meat off the grill. The wine held up fine on day 2. A taste rating of 6/10, but the super low price means this one still gets an Overall Rating of "Buy".

Personal Review: This wine was pretty spicy, and had a lot of the richer darker suit flavors, like blackberry and plum. I have to admit though, it was sort of lacking for me. One of the things I like so much about Cabernet Sauvignon is that the flavor fills your entire mouth with warmth without the burn of cheap liquor, and that the flavor lingers on the tongue like a batch of blackberry cobbler still hot from the oven. (A big deal to me, since my allergy to blackberries means I can only have a bite or two of this amazing dessert and that I must immediately go take benedryl afterwards.) But this wine was just...missing in that area. It was too thin and simple.
Food pairing: I had this which a spinach artichoke dip that had some heavier cheeses like cheddar in it. Maybe not the best pairing, but it certainly didn't hurt the wine.

Dreaming of Summer...

I have com down with a MAJOR case of senioritis and am dying for it to be summer. I think that's part of what compelled me to purchase this bottle of Flip Flop Merlot at Kroger last night. It just sounded like it would make me feel at least a little closer to the beach. 

Name: Flip Flop

Variety: Merlot

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2009

Price: $6

Wine Shop Review: Medium-bodied, silky Merlot with plum and mocha notes, soft tannins and a balanced, luscious finish.

Personal Review: A lighter red wine, with a hint of chocolate, coffee and rich fruit. Very smooth. 

Food pairing: I drank this after a meal of cheesy grits...yeah, not sure about that one. 

Rotissery Chicken, Wine Homework and Chenin Blanc

Name: Beringer

Variety: Chenin Blanc

Region: Napa Valley, California

Country: USA

Year: 2010

Price: $6

Wine Critic Review: Gentle handling and careful attention is given to the Chenin Blanc grapes from the vine to the glass. To retain the delicate varietal flavors, Beringer’s winemakers chill the juices immediately following crush and continue to closely monitor the temperature throughout fermentation. Just before dryness, they cool the juices even further to halt fermentation and retain a smooth, lush mouthfeel and 

lingering finish.

Personal Review: This wine was nearly perfect. Sweet with light citrus flavors, but not too sweet, and tart but not too sour. Honestly, this is my ideal everyday white wine. 

Food Pairing: My favorite dinner is rotisserie chicken with a starch and a veggie. Tonight I had it with a barley mix and roasted cauliflower wrapped in prosciutto. This wine was light and a nice contrast to the savory flavors of the chicken, barley mix and cauliflower. 

Blenheim Vineyards

To the tasting room we go!

The same day we went to Jefferson Vineyards, we were given the opportunity to pay $15 for the opportunity to go taste at three other vineyards in the area, instead of $10 for tasting at only Jefferson Vineyards. It sounded like a pretty good deal, so my fiancé and I went ahead and made the purchase. We visited Blenheim Vineyards a few miles away the same day, so that we could contrast the two experiences. It was really enlightening to do it this way, because it allowed us to compare the two side by side.

A bench made out of a used wine barrel. I want one!

One of the first things I noticed about Blenheim versus Jefferson Vineyards was that there was a lot more focus on the overall aesthetic of the vineyard and tasting room, rather than the making of the wine. That's not to say that there wasn't focus on creating the quality product, but the focus was on the romance of the experience, instead of the scientific part. They allowed weddings at the vineyard, and I could definitely see how great of an experience that would be.

The view into the cellar.

You can only take a tour at Blenheim vineyards in a large group with an appointment, but their tasting room was huge, with lots of nice tables and a great view of the vines. They had a huge porch off their tasting room where you could bring a picnic. You could also sit on their porch overlooking their vines. Despite not being able to tour, you could see down into their cellar. This feature was built into the overall aesthetic of the place.

These were a bunch of the wines we tried. Unfortunately, I lost my tasting notes, so I can't remember for the life of me what was what, other than the fact that I enjoyed everything. I can tell you that the ones with the birds on the label were a special vintaged blend. Each year the owner of the vineyard draws a new image to go on the label of the blended wine. 

This is the view from the porch overlooking the vineyard. I would love to see it again when they are covered in green. What a beautiful sight that must be.

Brad and I on the porch. We're coming back and bringing a picnic sometime soon!

When Pigs Fly

I know it's not the best reason to buy wine, but I bought this wine at Trader Joe's because it was cheap and because it had a pig on the label, which I thought was amusing. 

Name: Lagranja

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: Carinena

Country: Spain

Year: 2010

Price: $6

Wine Critic Review: BOOM licorice! Really heavy anise flavors stand out completely. Tart cherry, the tree bark again, and a really nice third course of dirty cocoa. Not chocolate; cocoa. Decent structure, but not as good as other Tempranillos I’ve had (but please, this was $6) and even some California Tempranillos. The finish is quick and doesn’t really leave any money on the dresser.

Personal Review: I thought this had a really smokey flavor and quite a bit of earthiness to it.

Food pairing. I had this with a Greek Egg Salad, which had feta and olives in it. The pairing was somewhat bizarre, but it actually went over pretty well. 

Tour De Wine: A Weekend Adventure in Charlottesville

Brad and me in the tasting room. 

Last week my fiancé and I went and toured Jefferson Vineyards, one of the smaller wineries in Charlottesville, Virginia. We got to see inside their production facilities, taste their wine and hear about the history and development of their vineyard. It was really neat to go to this particular vineyard because its one that Thomas Jefferson himself helped to develop. 

 This was the first wine we tried. It's a Chardonnay 2010 and it smelled or tasted like apples.

This was a Cabernet Franc 2010. It was really peppery and reminded me of licorice. 

This is a Chardonnay 2010 reserve, and was voted "Best Dressed" by the staff. It reminded me of pears. 

This wine was on the sweeter side and made me want a big hunk of cheddar cheese.

This is a room where they do bigger tastings and parties. I'd love to come back for one sometime. 

This is one of the grape tanks that the grapes get put into after they are picked. 

These are all of the barrels used for storing wines. 

These shots are taken in the winemaker's lab. These are his test tubes, formulas and tasting glasses.

The wine making room from the outside. 

On the front porch...I'd love to come back when its warmer and have a picnic. 

The vines, and the rosebushes in front of them as a warning sign for parasite and disease. 

The sign out front.

All the wines with the medals and awards they have won. 

All the wines on display. We ended up purchasing the Vin Rouge.

I really loved the vineyard, but it was too chilly to really enjoy the full experience. That's the one bummer with taking the class during the Spring Semester. We don't hit the spring part until its almost over, and it's hard to enjoy it as much at this time of the year.

47 Pound Rooster and a Burger

The other night I realized that I had both bleu cheese and hamburger that needed to be used up. Score! I made bleu cheese burgers for me and my dad. I picked this wine because this is described on the Rex Goliath website as being the "ultimate burger wine."
Name: Rex Goliath
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Acampo, California
Country: United States
Year: Not Vintaged
Price: About $10
Winemaker's Notes: No one wants to believe me when I tell them that they can have this wine for under $10 (very gratifying to know you are doing a good job). This is a hearty Cabernet Sauvignon with structure and concentration. I love taking this wine to get-togethers with friends. It always seems to help inspire good conversation.
Personal Review: This is a red wine with a lot of big bold flavor. Very full bodied, reminds me of chocolate and blackberries. 
Food pairings: True to the website's word, this was the ultimate burger wine. Blue cheese burgers are exceptionally savory, and this was the perfect wine to go with that taste. 

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Sometimes life gives you lemons. No seriously... we don't have a Trader Joe's in my hometown, so once every few months, my dad and whoever else feels like tagging along pile into his Chevy Avalanche and go to Trader Joe's, the damage of which is usually $600 dollars and WAAAY less fridge and pantry space. But hey, no complaints here, except this time my dad went a little nuts with the lemons and and we had to find something to do with them all. I thought, hey opportunity for a wine dinner knocking. So I did a lemon chicken recipe, with rice (no lemon there) and lemon and dill green beans. We had a citrusy white wine from Trader Joe's to go with it too. All in all, pretty big success.

Lemon chicken in the oven!  

The chicken we made was bone in chicken breasts with the skin still on, so it was crispy. It was marinated in lemon juice then breaded, and cooked in the oven with lemon slices to help it keep the flavor (and because it makes it look pretty) and a little water to keep it from drying out.

This is the wine we had. It's a Trader Joe's brand Pinot Gris from California. It has a ton of lemony flavor to it, so it was a really nice complement to all the lemony dishes we had. It's really tart and smooth, and in addition to the lemon, also had a little hint of pear to it.

This is Gypsy. She was a little less than thrilled when we informed her she could not participate in our wine dinner.

These are the green beans, which were sautéed in olive oil the lemon juice, dill, sea salt and ground pepper. They made the perfect complement to the chicken and the wine went with the two perfectly.

This is a plate with everything. The rice wasn't exactly glamourous, but it made a nice, richer, starchier compliment to all the light and citrusy stuff.

My dad devoured everything, then went back for seconds. He said the whole meal was the perfect combination of lemons and savory flavors. He also really liked the wine that went with it. Then again, he likes everything, so that's not saying much.

This is my sister enjoying everything, but she hates having her picture taken when she eats, hence the face.







All in all this was a great experience. I think next time I want to do a few more wines and do a fish or red meat dish. An appetizer and dessert course would also have been nice, but for a weeknight meal, I'd call this one a success.

Steak Dinner and Marquez De Moral

Name: Marquez De Moral 

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: Valdepenas

Country: Spain

Year: 2009

Price: $11.99

Wine Critic Review: Medium red. Aromas of redcurrant and cherry, plus a hint of dried rose. Fleshy and smooth, with moderate depth to its slightly bitter red fruit flavors. Finishes with decent breadth and grip, with the redcurrant element joined by a hint of white pepper." 

- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Sept/oct 2011), 87 pts 

Personal Review: This was a nice wine with a bit of bite to it. It was a little tart, and tasted a bit like cherries that weren't quite ripe.

Food pairing: I had this with a steak dinner and potatoes. The tartness of the wine was a nice contrast to the rich flavors. 

Birthday Dinner and Rex Goliath

My fiancé's birthday was on Thursday, so I made his favorite dinner. This was the wine we had with it. 

Name: Rex Goliath

Variety: Pinot Noir

Vintage: Not Vintaged

Region: California

Country: United States

Price: $8

Store Review: With an intense American and French oak regime and careful maturation, this wine truly expresses Pinot Noir varietal character. Deep red color and pleasant aromas are offset by a dry, harmonic blend of black cherry with a touch of vanilla that stays on the tongue to produce a pleasant finish. With true varietal flavors and an easy drinking and fruit-forward profile, it reaches a fine balance between soft and subtle, and complex and BOLD.

Personal Review: Fairly full bodied. Reminded me of cherries and maybe some ripe plums. 

Food pairing: We had this one with my fiancé's favorite dinner. Smoked pork loin, mashed potatoes and peas. We also had chocolate mousse for dessert, and it went great with all of it. 

Wedding Planning with Prosecco...The Only Way to Do It!

I'm getting married in June of 2013, and even though I have a ways to go, we've been doing a LOT of planning. Today we met with the caterer and the only logical thing to do was to drink Prosecco while we met with her. It is a wedding after all...

Name: Cupcake

Variety: Prosecco

Region: Veneto

Country: Italy

Year: Not Vintaged

Price: $10

Shop Review: This wine is from Italy. Our Prosecco is light and refreshing with a nose that shows hints of white peach, grapefruit and honey-dew melon. The fine effervescence gives way to creamy flavors of ripe lemons and refined citrus notes with a toasted brioche finish. Medium froth, our Prosecco is reminiscent of lemon meringue pie.

Personal Review: This Prosecco had a nice light and fruity flavor. It had a hint of peaches and citrus. Really quite lovely. 

Food Pairing: We had this one with some homemade scones my mom and uncle made. The light peachy flavor was nice with the light sweetness of the scones. 

A Date with my Dad

You know what the best part about spending spring break with your wine loving parents is...getting to drink really good wine, in about a million different varieties that you could never otherwise afford on your minimum wage salary. The next few postings will chronicle the fun that was had. First up, a very nice Bordeaux my dad and I had on our date night. 

Name: Chateau Barbe D'Or

Variety: Bordeaux Superieur

Region: Bordeaux

Country: France

Vintage: 2007

Price: $10-15

Wine Shop Review: Chateau Barbe d'Or is terrific property in the heart of the Entre-Deux-Mers, blessed with the same chalky, vine-loving soils of nearby Saint-Emilion. Silky smooth, bursting with fresh red currant with lashing of plummy Merlot fruit. Great with Prime Rib!

Personal Review: This was a less full bodied wine with a flavor that was a bit tart and reminded me somewhat of a plum that wasn't quite ripe yet. 

Food Pairing: I had this with a sausage and green olive pizza from Pizza Inn. Not exactly the pairing the manufacturers had in mind, I'm sure, but it was certainly delicious and the savory flavors in the pizza were counteracted by the tartness of the wine. A bit odd, but kinda good.