Wine
Sipping through Greece
Monday, November 3rd, 2008 | Wine | No Comments
While in Greece we visited many Tavernas and the wine was wonderful at each one.
We always asked for the house wine. A little known fact is that at more local tavernas the owners bring in wine from their home town, from vineyards they are friends with, well you get the picture and it is great wine. It was cool clean and refreshing. I really liked the ruby red color, clean fruity flavor and an aroma one could only get from the soil in Greece. Part of the fun was watching the wine flow from great barrels into our craftsman pitchers and having no idea of the origin, variety or year. It was a fabulous adventure. Snacking on delicate and flavorful mezas and sipping delectable Greek Wine.
Greece has been making wine since the Minoans. Greece has sweet, hot and ancient wines. It was wonderful to try the chefs suggestion with fine vegetarian Greek foods. Several Cretan appellations, include Peza, Archanes, Dafnes and Sitia.
Chianti Classico
Friday, October 10th, 2008 | Chianti | No Comments
Santa Trinita
Chianti Classico
Vini Toscani
This wonderful wine hails from the Florence and Siena regions of Italy. You can taste that the wine has almost all Sangiovese grapes (75% and 100% ), up to 10% Canaiolo grapes. This makes for an excellent combination.
Color-The color is a bright clear ruby color with the slightest hint of richer garnet color.
Smell- You can detect the scent of plums and a hint of cherries. Additionally upon airing you can really detect how the wine blossoms and the fine mocha scent is detectable.
Taste-This wine is light and fresh on the tongue, well-balanced, fruity, slightly dry and not overly tannic flavour with hints of cherries and raspberries.
Overall a really nice wine.
Color-3
Smell- 3.5
Taste- 3.5
Feeling- 3.5
Wine Bottle Shapes
Saturday, September 27th, 2008 | Wine | No Comments
I really like these articles about wine bottle shapes.
It is comforting for me to see the right kind of wine in the right shape bottle. I love wine labels, I mean who hasn’t bought a wine based on a cool label? I love wine bottle glass colors and the shape of the bottles. I imagine how they used to all be individually blown to service a family for years.
http://www.thewinedoctor.com/advisory/buystorebottleshapes.shtml
Vin D’Alsace Pinot Noir
Saturday, September 27th, 2008 | Wine | 2 Comments
Cuvée Anne-Laure
Vin D’Alsace Pinot Noir 2007
Color- The color of this wine reminds me of church stained glass as it filters through the red glass. The red has slight orangish additions to the color.
Smell- This wine has a light sweet scent. It is clean and fresh. You can smell slight violet and herbal underscents (like sassafrass, and caraway).
Taste- The wine had a slight cherry like flavor which was only enhanced by the rich oak taste that followed the cherry. The cherry and oak offered additional complexities and richness to this like and refreshing wine. The wine is followed by a slight bitter and dry aftertaste, which I enjoyed. The wine is so light and fresh that the bitterness only led to an authentic taste for me.
Feeling- This wine will have fans in all types of crowds. It would be an excellent wine to bring to a dinner party or picnic.
Color- 3
Smell- 3
Taste-4
Feeling- 4
Récolte Grand Palais Côte Du Rhone 2007
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 | Wine | No Comments
Récolte Grand Palais Côte Du Rhone 2007
Color- The color is bright and light, resembling cranberry red, with the slightest hint of orange around the edges.
Smell- The wine has a slight plum and raspberry scent. If you smell quickly and further back you can detect distinct strawberry and orange notes.
Taste- The taste of this wine is light and pleasant, only a hint of tannins present, with a slight vanilla aftertaste. This wine was a delight to drink, I really was presently suprised and pleased.
Feel- This wine has an excellent feel on the tongue and in the atmosphere, from it’s color to it’s beautiful smell.
Color- 4
Smell- 5
Taste- 4
Feel- 4
Torres- Sangre de Torro
Monday, September 22nd, 2008 | Wine | No Comments
Torro- Sangre de Torro
The winery that crafts this wine was voted the Best European Winery in 2006, by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
Color- The color is a deep elegant ruby color, with the slightest flecks of amber.
Smell- This wine has a great smell. You can almost smell the Spanish costal countryside and blackberries in the sun. It reminds me of swimming off the coast of Tabarco. I can almost pick up the slightest hints of herbaceous rosemary and warm sand.
Taste- This wine is an exceptional tasting wine. It is full bodied, elegant and so velvety on the palate. You can taste the distinct flavor of the Cariñena and Garnacha Tinta grapes. The taste is held together with mild tannins and a low level of acidity. You can taste a slight hint of licorice, blackberries and herbs. This wine is sinfully simple and pleasant. This wine would taste great with a really good homemade macaroni and cheese.
Feeling- This wine has a great feeling. It is rich and simple all at the time.
Color
Smell- 4
Taste- 4
Feeling- 5
Enjoy this wine with family and friends. It even comes with a toy bull toggle.
Pinot Noir
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 | Wine | No Comments
All I can say is that this will not be a repeat wine for us to try.
We tried a Pinot Noir from Wasenweiler 2005.
The first thing I noticed was the color, it seemed brash and artificial. Overall the color lacked depth and character.
The first thing my nose noticed was an overwhelming cheap alcoholic scent. I was instantly taken to the image of an alcohol prep pad. Upon breathing in and out the scent does not lessen. After about 45 minutes the alcohol scent does somewhat dissipate and a strong tannic scent is left behind.
The taste was like that of green oak leaves, overall bitter and tannic. This leaves an overall bitter aftertaste and was not a pleasure to drink. I am a huge fan of Pinot Noir and decided to try a regional one last night and I must say I was not impressed.
Smell- 1
Taste- 2
Color- 1
Feel- 1
I will though continue to try regional wines, because the next gem is right around the corner. This summer I had a Pinot Noir on a hot day in the French country side and it was an amazing bottle of wine that saw us coming home with a few bottles.
Le Masserie Torcuddia
Monday, September 15th, 2008 | Wine | Comments Off
Salice Salentino, what a taste. A dry vibrant experience, that first moved me our last trip to Rome.
We had this wine in a wonderful resturant with pasta, pizza and salad. It was wonderful with all three parings and it was a fabulous meal and wine.
The wine reviewed is a
La Masserie Torcuddia Salice Salentino Riserva 2005
Color
The color is a beautiful rich garnet color flecked with plum highlights.
Smell
The smell is fresh and upon breathing in with your mouth and nose in glass you will encounter a cool breath in. It is wonderful. You will be faced with a slightly woodsy and vernal scent. After a half an hour a cherry note appears in the scent.
Taste
This wine is so wonderful because it really tingles the palate. The wine has a slightly bitter taste that adds to the depth and intensity to the flavor. The wine is a nice dry wine, but it is not too dry. You notice it being a dry wine but you do not feel parched after drinking.
Paring
We as I mentioned before pared this with pasta, pizza. Suggested pasta parings would be Pesto or Gnocchi. The cheeses it would work well with this wine are Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Ricotta and Romano.
Overall I give this wine a 16.
When we look at wines we take into account the color, smell, taste and feel. The top score is 20.
Color-4
Smell-4
Taste-4
Feel-4