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Friday, December 18th, 2009
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wine
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The gf and I are taking a road trip down the central coast of California (Hearst Castle, Cambria, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, and Solvang) in about a week and we'd like to hit some wineries down there.
Anybody have any good recommendations of wine/wineries?
I'm not picky about varietals (I like whatever is good), so the only requirements are:
a) Somewhere in the Paso Robles/Solvang area
b) Good wine
c) Not ridiculous tasting policies (like high fees that can't be applied towards a purchase. I don't mind paying $5 or even $10 that can be waived or includes a glass or something. But $10+ with no way to refund it or get anything with it is pretty lame. Many Napa wineries come to mind.)
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Comments: Read 11 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
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wine
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So, the next wine on my journey through Barefoot is their Pinot Noir.
Thanks to Sideways, there are a lot of cheap, crappy Pinot Noirs on the market today. Pinot Noir is a fussy diva of a grape, and frankly, unless you want to lay out at least $30, you're going to get an "eh" bottle of wine.
On the other hand, if you're going spend under $30 for a bottle of Pinot Noir, it might as well be Barefoot Pinot Noir.
Color: A darker, richer "wine" color than most other Pinots I've seen. (I wonder what the blending grape is.)
Sniff Test: Black Cherries and Toasty Vanilla, very pleasantly so.
First Impressions: Black Cherry up front, tannins on middle, some allspice on the finish.
Breathing room: Black Cherry up front, a bland, slightly less tannic middle, definite allspice on the end, and a pleasant vanilla aftertaste. Mouthfeel is light, as if this were a white wine.
Verdict: Like I said, if you're going to spring for an bottle of Pinot Noir in the $7-10 range, it might as well be this. The cherries up front and that lingering vanilla finish, make it pleasant as an everyday table wine, but the middle note is nothing but tannins and that's a serious shortcoming.
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Comments: Read 12 or Add Your Own.
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Sunday, December 13th, 2009
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wine
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I have a love-hate relationship with Pinot Grigio. I enjoy the citrusy flavors in this wine, but for some reason, it almost always gives me heartburn. (Pinot Grigio and Wild Turkey are two of the very few things that can do this, and I take 800mg of Ibuprofen on an empty stomach, no problem, all the time.)
Like all Barefoot wines, this is Non Vintage and is a blend of grapes from all over California.
Color: A lot of Pinot Grigio is almost greenish in color, but this is a very pale lemon-straw color.
Sniff Test: Green Apples, Citrus, and even a slight floral note.
First Impression: This is the sweetest Pinot Grigio I've yet tasted. Don't get me wrong, it's not a sweet wine, but it's off-dry, whereas all other Pinot Grigios I've had have been bone dry. Very fruity upfront, with Granny Smith Apple becoming Grapefruit on the mid-palate and the longer than expected finish is tart and lemony. And, oh yeah, it's acidic.
Oh, and it was actually a skoosh fizzy in the glass just after I poured it. I've only had this happen with Gewurztraminers before.
Breathing Room: I know that white wines don't need to "breathe" like reds do, but it will be warmer by the end of the meal/course, and that can change the taste of some wines, and not for the better. All of the same flavors are present, but more intense, and but it's still crisp because the wine is so acid.
Verdict: This is a very pleasant tasting wine, and, I think an excellent value for the $5-10 you'll pay for it. (If it didn't give me heartburn, it would be the "go to" white in my fridge.) It would make pleasant White Sangria come Summertime, sips fine all by itself, and would certainly go well with white meats, or a salad with some mozzarella or feta cheese.
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Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
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Saturday, December 12th, 2009
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wine
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Picked this one up at a random drive-by stop-in at Laurel Ridge Winery, an Oregon winery located in Willamette Valley but selling mostly Walla Walla Valley (Washington) wines.
We bought this and a bottle of their red table blend (which was very good for the price -- $20/bottle may seem like a lot for a table wine, but "David's Tableau" is far better than your average table red)
Cracked it open this morning for a brunch of Trader Joe's organic sirloin roast, mashed potatoes, and green beans/mushrooms sauteed in bacon fat.
Very nice! It tastes better than I remember. Very "typical" tempranillo flavors, but with a high-quality feel to it. Lots of berry (tastes a bit like grape jelly -- nothing wrong with that!) with hints of earth, smoke, and a tiny, tiny bit of pepper (black pepper or white pepper, I can't tell)
Great accompaniment to the steak, which brings its sweet berry flavor out even more.
Not cheap but not expensive either; very tasty at $28 per bottle. If you're looking for a good example of Tempranillo done well (as a single-varietal), I would recommend this.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Thursday, December 10th, 2009
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wine
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| Posted by: | kida. |
| Time: | 8:33 pm. |
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i'm looking for a place to buy a wine making kit. i don't need all of the tools and whatnot, i need only the ingredients. i looked at a few on amazon, but it's not that large of a selection, and it's all really expensive.
any wine will do, but i think the person i'm buying for said he hates merlot? i can always ask him again later, but i need places to buy this stuff for now.
thanks!
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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wine
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Tis the Season to be Blogging: Wine Recommendations from the Social Network
It’s the holiday party season, a time to celebrate with family and friends sharing good food and drink while we take time to count our blessings and find ways to help those less fortunate.
Recently on the social networking site Twitter (www.twitter.com), I posted the following tweet:
“Would you take a bottle of Texas wine to a friend’s dinner party? If so which one? Pls tweet response-Blogging need input #TXWine #LocalWine”
Note: The ‘hashtags’ at the end of my tweet are used to tag tweets. This helps you finding comments on Twitter on topics that interest you - e.g. I use #TXWine for Texas Wine and #LocalWine for locally produced wines not from CA, OR, WA or NY.
The responses came back loud and clear….a resounding Yes! No regrets needed. Some of the tweets that I received are given below:
Ashley Rodgers (@ashrodg) a public relationship professional specializing in hospitality industry at Wagstaff Wordwide recommended a special wine, by saying “Yes, I would take a bttl of TX wine to a party. Viognier by McPherson Cellars in Lubbock. Great wine.”
Andrew Collins (@cyberjunkie21) from Round Rock, Texas showed a broad horizon on Texas wines and said, “anything from Haak Winery for sure. I also like Fall Creek’s Meritus”
More recommendations at: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=1296
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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