Oregon grows good Riesling! Note--This varietal was sent to us free of charge for review. This straw hued Columbia Valley Riesling has a pronounced bouquet of golden apples and honey notes with apple sauce hints and gentle spice. Palate--off dry to sweet with white fruit flavors ending with a sweet apple finish and stewed peaches a little later after its been open a while. This wine is on the light...
I was fortunate enough to be able to take part in a Twitter Taste Live wine tasting on Saturday, November 14. I must confess - a few confessions here. A few years ago I spent 10 days in Central California. On our drive down from the San Jose Airport to Avila Beach, Hahn was the first tasting room we stopped at. We new nothing about their wines then, but saw a sign and pulled off Highway 101 and began...
This is the annual release of the Nouveau (meaning "new") wine release in Burgundy made from the Gamay grape. It is a worldwide celebration as this wine is made to guzzle being only weeks from the grapes having been on the vine. Are you ready for this? 2005 had the best nouveau I had tasted ever and this year's Nouveau is as good and possibly even better! Georges Duboeuf is one of the gigantic...
It's Wine Blogging Wednesday! Wine Blogging Wednesday was founded by Lenn Thompson of LENNDEVOURS , and it's purpose is to create a focal point once a month for wine blog writing. This month my friend Rob Bralow is in charge of this topic. He presented us with the challenge to find a wine we have enjoyed in the past and not written about, or a wine you have been meaning to try. Well Rob, I am up for...
I haven't stopped chuckling this evening since I read a post on Spittoon.Biz , a long running wine blog run by Andrew Barrow over in the UK. About a week ago he reported on the latest marketing efforts by a national supermarket chain to make sure the wine labels on their wines were readable by all their clientele (UK supermarkets often bottle and label their own wines from around Europe). These efforts...
On a recent Boston excursion, (NW) pulled this from his ample cellar--Ahhhhh, Venice!!! (NW) and I and our 2 adoring babes for life, spent some time in Italy and laid our heads down at this working winery and birth home to Mona Lisa--Yes, THE Mona Lisa. (NW) has had this cellaring for some time. It presented with a mature rim and slight bricking with a very finessed bouquet of tobacco and dark cherry...
This wine is a beautiful cranberry jelly red with a bouquet of liquor infused dried cherries, rasins, a hint of pepper, anise and wood. Palate--wonderfully sweet, spicy front with prunes and vanilla touches, gentle presence with lingering sweet black pepper and a surprise late finish of green apple. You gotta love port! This is my favorite inexpensive port to date! I paid $12 or $13 for it and am...
Since the weather has turned cooler, we've taken to enjoying a glass of wine next to the fire most nights. Of course, if you're on any kind of budget, you can't be buying a few $20 or $30 bottles of wine for everyday use. So, I'm all about trying budget wines. "How low can I go?" is my eternal question. This doesn't always pay off. Let's just say I'm not a big fan of most wines that have...
Probably the most talented home cook I know is my brother's wife, Ann, who has been known to make Julia Child's cassoulet from scratch, including making her own sausage to start. Imagine! When I received a gift of duck legs from my neighbor Theresa , I thought briefly about making that hallowed recipe but once I started reading it, I changed my mind. Even retired, I don't have that kind of time and...
Chateau Grand Rousseau lies near Sauveterre de Guyenne in the Entre Deux Mers and is one of several chateaux owned by the renowned Lumeau family who have been wine makers for 4 generations, establishing Vignobles Lumeau in 1840. Grand Rousseau is a charming deep ruby coloured claret which is a round, smooth, well balanced wine with integrated tannins and a classical bouquet. It has subtle red fruit...
This wine presents with a youthful purple hue and a big plummy bouquet and loads of blackberry fruit with black licorice fragrance. Palate: It's a big juicy dark fruit bomb with ample fruit flavors and a nice texture with plush tannins and enough structure to carry this wine for quite a few more years. Speaking of which--the label says it should hold for 5 years. News flash: this wine will hold for...
Please note--This varietal was sent to us--free of charge--for review. Light golden hue presentation with nice bouquet of pineapple life savers, green apple and pear with sweet powdery fruit. Palate--as a matter of preference, the foundation of this wine is a little flaccid but then I like razor sharp acidity in my whites. Beyond that however, there are nice grassy Sauvignon B. flavors on an off-dry...
At $13, this Bordeaux from the fabled vintage was a must buy. It has a ruby hue with chocolate and big berry aromas with deep spice and pine. Palate--Wow--what a disappointment; watery, steely bread with little or no fruit and quick finish which in this case is a blessing. This wine began superbly with a wonderful bouquet but gave up the ghost in the aromas. Pass it up. --A Review from The Wine Cask...
Nothing makes our dear friend Karla D. happier than a bottle (magnum preferable) of Veuve Clicquot. This particular 1988 vintage comes encased in a special cellar box created by famed designer Pablo Reinoso. But don't be side-tracked by the pretty container. The blend of Pinot Noir (68%) and Chardonnay (32%) grapes create one helluva delicious drink. Since we are admittedly poor with flowery language,...
Sometimes I’m in a more George Thorogood frame of mind, not to say that drinking alone is a healthy habit to form, but there’s a time & a place for everything. My good pal Buddy Weiser... The wife is out of town, the Yankees just won the World Series…screw it, pop something ridiculous. No guilt, all glut. While scavenging the wine fridge, I searched for a bottle that could spin...
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