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Eiswein! Real Eiswein!
2008-02-08 13:29:00
I've hardly had any real Eiswein in my time as a wino, so I was very excited to taste a few different bottles over the Christmas holiday. The first was from Canada, and very good, however, this one from German y took the prize.The wine was a 2002 P.J. Vlackenberg Worms Au Rhein Rheinhessen Qualitatswein mit Pradikat Madonna Eiswein. (Phew, that was quite the mouthful.) My dad bought this at MV Wine and Spirit in Madison, CT, so I don't really know the price point, but it appears to go for around $30 for 375 mL. It clocked in at 8.5% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure.The first thing I noted on the wine was the golden honey color. On the nose, the aromas were honey, apricot, a touch of lemon. The nose smelled sweet with a bit of bite behind it. In the mouth, the wine showed honey, apricot, orange, and a a stony minerality.The wine was delicious, sweet, as you would expect from an ice wine, but with great acidity and backbone. I got the wine when it was around 6 years...
More About: White , Real

Diving Back In to Montepulciano
2008-02-07 12:58:00
After my last post on Montepulciano , Tasters A and B of Smells Like a Grape were quick to email me and assure me that there are excellent Montepulcianos out there, as they had just done an enormous tasting of them. Little did they know that I rarely (if ever) fully fall off the horse with a wine grape and will almost always give it another shot. As I had already done with the Montepulciano, with much more success.The bottle was a 2005 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. It has a real cork closure, clocked in at 13% alcohol by volume, and ran me around $15 at MV Wine and Spirit in Madison, CT.On the nose I found spice, leather, raspberries, oak, red currants, a little saddle room, and eucalyptus. In the mouth I found raspberries, eucalyptus, and leather. The wine was a lot lighter in the mouth than I had anticipated based on the color and nose, and had the bitter element I have come to expect from Italian varietals. This bottle definitely leads me to believe that my previou...
More About: Italy , Back , Diving

Happy New Year (again)!
2008-02-06 13:37:00
Alternative title: I love Roederer. I really do. We first were introduced to Roederer in August of 2006 while out in Sonoma. The inn keeper suggested we stop at Roederer on our way up to Bodega Bay, and I am very glad we did. While there we picked up several lovely sparklers, including my perennial favorite, the 1999 L'Ermitage Brut. Sadly, I have trouble finding that one any more, but I still pick up a bottle of Roederer when we are in a fancier sparkling wine mood.With that in mind, I scooped up this bottle of Roederer 25th Anniversary Brut the second I saw it on the shelf at The Winery in Old Town Alexandria, thinking it would be perfect for New Year 's Eve. It cost me $23.99 minus a 10% case discount and had a traditional sparkling wine closure. We drank it out of the stemless Champagne flutes my Dad received for Christmas!On the nose the wine was toasty and nutty. I also found aromas of apples and lemons. In the mouth, the apples and toasty notes dominated the flavor. ...
More About: California , Happy , Happy New Year , Sparkling Wine

Sauvignon Blanc Again!
2008-02-05 12:48:00
So there you have it. I drink what I want, when I want, regardless of the weather :) We drank quite a bit of Sauvignon Blanc over the last month or so, and particularly over the holiday season. The particular bottle for this night was a Nederburg 2005 Sauvignon Blanc from the Westeer Cape of South Africa . The wine clocked in at 13% alcohol by volume and cost me $11.95 at MV Wine and Spirit.On the nose I found kiwi, gooseberries, tropical fruit, and flowers. I really liked the nose on this wine. In the mouth the wine showed gooseberry, citrus-particularly lemon and lime, and a hint of tropical fruit.The wine was crisp overall, and tart, but not mouth-puckering like some New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, and softer than some of the bottles I've been drinking from Chile. I thought this bottle was a good value and one I wouldn't hesitate to pick up again.
More About: White

Wine Upon Wine....
2008-02-04 12:34:00
One evening at my parents' house, a lot of wine was consumed in one evening. We had around 10 people at the house and the wine was flowing all evening.I believe this was the second bottle of the evening. We started with a Sauvignon Blanc, but my Aunt didn't like it and requested a Merlot . I just happened to have a Merlot blend on hand!The wine was a Chateau Rocher Corbin 2002 Montagne Saint Emillion. I purchased it for $18.99 minus a 10% case discount at The Wine ry in Old Town Alexandria, it had a real cork closure, and clocked in at 13.5% alcohol by volume. The wine was a blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon .On the nose I found dark fruit, blackberries, oak, and black currants. In the mouth the flavors were of black currants, plums, and other dark fruit. The wine was tannic and a bit chewy in the mouth, this was definitely a wine that would benefit from being consumed with food. We finished the bottle up over a roast turkey and all the fixin...
More About: France

Babich Sauvignon Blanc
2008-02-03 17:08:00
I picked up this bottle of 2006 Babich Sauvignon from Marlborough, New Zealand at MV Wine and Spirit in Madison, CT for $8.95. It had a screw cap closure and clocked in at 13.5% alcohol.On the nose I found gooseberries, citrus, and tropical fruit. The wine smelled crisp. In the mouth the wine was dry, crisp, and acidic. It showed gooseberries and citrus. The profile was typical for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc , but it didn't seem right. The flavors were forced and it tasted processed.
More About: White

A Little Mouthful
2008-02-02 16:26:00
That's about all you need of Ice Wine! While we were visiting the folks in CT, my dad wanted to try ice wine, which he had seen me drink at a restaurant a while back. So we went to MV Wine and Spirit one night and bought a bottle. Now, this is an actual ice wine, frozen on the vines, but it's not from Germany, but the Niagara Peninsula.The bottle was a Peller Estates Limited Edition Founders Series 2003 Vidal Ice Wine. It clocked in at 11.5% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and cost $44.95.On the nose of the wine I found honey, apricots, and golden raisins. These flavors all carried through to the mouth, into a gorgeous smooth concoction that went down very easily. The wine was sweet, as ice wines tend to be, but it had great structure with the acidic backbone.This wine was the hit of the evening, and given the 6 bottles were consumed that night, that should say something. It met with universal approval and everyone asking for seconds! Too bad the ice wine bottl...

Drinking the Dr. Loosen Riesling
2008-02-01 17:29:00
I've heard a lot about Dr. Loosen Riesling over the years but just hadn't gotten around to trying it. While at my parents' house I found a bottle at the local wine shop and had to have it! I picked up this 2002 Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen Spatlese Riesling from the Mosel Saar Ruwer at MV Wines for $34. It clocked in at only 7.5% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure.On the nose of the wine I found honey, flowers, minerals, petrol, and a stony note. In the mouth the wine was dominated by honey and apricots. The wine was smooth and drinking really well, but I could see how you could hang onto this one for years with the acidic structure.This bottle may have been the hit of the Christmas holidays, although an Eiswein we had gave it a run for its money. I would definitely buy this wine again.
More About: German , White , Drinking

Bubbly Bubbly Bubbly
2008-01-31 12:44:00
As we know from some past WBWs, the world is full of Bubbly that is not Champagne. One of my favorites for value and quality is Prosseco from Italy . I also love it for its low alcohol content.This bottle was a Mionetto Valdobbiadene Prosseco Brut. I picked it up at MV Wine and Spirits in Madison, CT for $10.95 (I see it online for between $13-$20), it clocked in at 11% alcohol by volume, and had a typical sparkling wine closure.On the nose I found green apple, honey, and and overall "fruity" aroma. In the mouth the wine has apples, peaches, and lemons. The wine had nice bubbles, it was crisp, and tart. This was a fun and easy sparkler and an excellent value!
More About: Sparkling Wine

A Long Time Coming
2008-01-30 12:47:00
I've been drinking this bottle of wine for quite a long time, and probably should have gotten around to reviewing it well over a year ago when I first had a glass. My favorite bar in DC, Hamiltons, has this on their wine menu, and the bartender always has a glass almost poured for me as I come up the stairs!So when I saw the bottle of Veramonte Reserva Sauvignon Blanc at MV Wine and Spirits in Madison, CT, I had to pick it up, just so I could finally write about it! Dr. Debs over on Good Wine Under $20 wrote up the 2007 vintage recently, but I actually have the 2006 to tell you about. And it is the one I've been drinking for about a year. From Dr. Debs' notes however, I gather the 2007 is just as worth it as the 2006.The bottle cost $11.95 and clocked in at 13.5% alcohol by volume. It hails from the Casablanca Valley of Chile .On the nose, the wine smelled crisp, citrus, floral, and wine. In th mouth, the wine showed flavors of lime, and citrus. Overall the wine was crisp,...
More About: Time , White , Long

Getting French on You
2008-01-29 13:32:00
I think this may have been my first Sancerre. At least, I can't remember having one prior to this. The wine was a 2006 Henri Bourgeois Les Bonnes Bouches Sancerre. My dad picked this up at MV Wine and Spirits in Madison, CT when he went to get his own champagne for New Year's Eve. I asked him to grab me a Sauvignon Blanc and this is what he returned with. I gather from a quick search that you can find this bottle from between $19-$22. It had a real cork closure and clocked in at 12.5% alcohol by volume.And there it was on the nose: cat pee! Now, although this might sound like a retched thing to find in a wine to those of you who have cats or have smelled actual cat pee, I promise, it is not a bad thing. Also on the nose, citrus, lemon, and flowers. The nose was crisp and smelled light. In the mouth, lemon, pineapple, and some tropical fruit on the back of the palate.I jotted down that the wine was crisp, lively, light, with good acidity, a sprightly wine! (Yes, I have no ...
More About: France , French , White

Some Montepulciano
2008-01-28 12:56:00
The wine was a 2004 La Valentina Mont epulciano D'Abruzzo (Sheesh, these Italian varietals are often a mouthful!). It clocked in at 13.5% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and cost around $13 at MV Wine and Spirit in Madison, CT.An unforgiving nose on this one. Some barnyard funk (not in a good way) when I opened the bottle that eventually blew off, but underneath that, there was not much there. Maybe some spice, oak, and currants. In the mouth, the wine was flat, I'm wondering if it was past its prime. I got some indistinguishable dark fruit, spice, but overall it seemed hollow. After a few hours, I found some dark cherry and raspberries, and the wine had finally started to open up. I found it to be terribly bitter and tannic at the beginning, but that gave way a bit as the hours passed (my mom and I drank this bottle and it literally took over 4 hours for us to get through it). I'm not sure if the wine was too young or too old, but something wasn't quite right ...
More About: Italy

The Polls Have Closed
2008-01-27 17:56:00
And the winner is that 37% of the readers who answered my poll spend between $0-$15 on a bottle of wine. Coming in a close second and third were $15-$20 (30%) and $20-$30 (28%). Overall 59 people responded.I think this fairly represents the range of wines I tend to drink and review here. A few go over $30 a bottle, but those are just the occasional bottle and I rarely, without having previously tried it, would buy a bottle in the store that is over $30. The wines we drink that do go over that price range tend to be gifts or have come in club shipments directly from wineries. Though I do admit to the rare splurge on a bottle that a fellow blogger has raved about, or a fancy Champagne for a special occasion!I'm going to stick up another poll, this time about how much wine you keep on hand. Thanks for participating!
More About: Wine , Poll , Polls , Closed

Contests Abound!
2008-01-26 15:16:00
Farley (of Behind the Vines and Wine Outlook) is hosting a contest over on Behind the Vines. She is once again participating in Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) and is highly encouraging everyone else to participate as well.The premise behind OTBN is to go ahead and pop the cork on one of those bottles you've been saving for a special occasion and just haven't gotten around to opening yet for whatever reason. The evening to open? Saturday, February 23. All Farley wants you to do is head on over to her blog and leave a comment about what bottle you think you will open by February 20. And in return, you are entered into a contest to win two bottles of wine from Rosenblum Cellars! You can read all the details, and tell her about the wine you will drink here.Next, over on El Bloggo Torcido, El Jefe has announced "Take your Rubber Chicken to Work Week." He's asking everyone to pick a day between Feb. 4-10, and take your rubber chicken to work with you and document it with pictures....
More About: Contests

WBW Logo Contest!
2008-01-25 19:49:00
Back a few months ago, along with the announcement of the new Wine Blogging Wednesday website, Lenn of Lenndevours mentioned that in the near future, a contest to create a new logo for WBW would be occurring.Well that time is now! All the details are available here, but suffice it to say, be creative, and submit your entry by March 31, 2008.We will bid a found adieu to our old logo, which has served WBW well for 41 iterations.Just think, your new logo could live on in hundreds of blogs, several times a month for many years! Get cracking!
More About: Contest , Logo

Christmas-a Month Late
2008-01-25 16:15:00
The wine for Christmas dinner was this bottle of 2004 Lake Sonoma Winery Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon . I picked this bottle up at The Winery in Old Town Alexandria for around $22, it had a real cork closure, and clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume. On the nose I found currants, red berries, oak, leather, earth, and licorice. In the mouth the flavors were dark berries, cream, vanilla, black currants, and spices. Everyone loved this bottle of wine.It was served with a surf and turf dinner of beef tenderloin and baked stuffed shrimp, prepared by my cousin and my Godmother. Just turf for me, shrimp and I are not friends! The wine was an excellent match with the beef tenderloin, a perfect match for the dinner!
More About: California , Late , Month

Exploring New Kitchens
2008-01-24 12:48:00
The wine photos coming up for the next month or so were mostly taken in kitchens other than my own. We consumed A LOT of wine over the Christmas holiday and I am just caught up enough to start writing about it.One of the first was a 2005 De Martino Organic Sauvignon Blanc . It hails from the Maipo Valley of Chile , has a real cork closure, clocked in at 12.5% alcohol by volume and cost about $10 at MV Wine and Spirit in Madison, CT.On the nose I found lemon, flowers, grass, and peach. In the mouth, the wine showed citrus, lemon, and tropical fruit. It was crisp, but not nearly as tart as New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. I think the Chile style is good one for wine drinkers who want a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc but who can't stand the mouth-puckering acidity of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Definitely a good buy at this price point.
More About: White , Kitchens , Exploring

WBW #42 Just Seven Words
2008-01-23 12:56:00
The newest edition of WBW has been announced, and this one will take some explaining! (Or perhaps not so much explaining.) Our host for the month is the Wine Scribbler from across the pond, at Spittoon .Andrew has asked us to pick any Italian red wine. This is not the challenge. The challenge comes in the seven words. In that he wants us to describe the wine in just seven words for our WBW entry. The caveat is that the note has to make sense, be mostly grammatically correct, and preferably contain punctuation.All the details (or lack thereof) can be found here on Spittoon. The deadline this month to get your note in is February 13. See you then!
More About: Words

More Wine Gifts
2008-01-23 12:47:00
I got a lot of wine this Christmas. I took about a case to CT with me for holiday dinners and such and I returned back to VA with 2.5 cases of wine. People really like giving a wino more wine apparently!This bottle was a 2005 Francis Coppola Diamond CollectionIvory Label Cabernet Sauvignon . (Wow, that's a mouthful of a name for the wine.) It clocked in at 13.5% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure.The nose on the wine was minty (something I've noticed in a a few Cabernet Sauvignons lately), and had vanilla and strawberry aromas. I thought this was oddly light on the nose with only a bit of spice, not what I usually expect from a Cabernet Sauvignon. In the mouth the wine was a bit darker. I found muted blackberry and thought the wine was a bit earthy. After a while some strawberries and black currants came through. The second glass of wine (drank about an hour after the first) was much better and more developed than the first.We actually stopped in at the Coppola W...
More About: Gifts , California , Wine

Something Twisted This Way Comes
2008-01-22 12:44:00
The wine for the night was a 2005 Twisted Oak Sierra Foothills %@#$!. I purchased the wine in a club shipment from WineQ for $23.99(with free shipping!). It's a Rhone style blend made of 58% Roussanne and 42% Marsanne. The wine clocked in at 14.1% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure. Many more Twisted things will be showing up at the Wannabe Wino house in the near future, as I was a very good Wino this year and Santa brought me a Twisted Few membership for Christmas!I first noted the color on the wine, it was deep golden straw color. On the nose I found honey, a buttery note, sweet fruit, nectarines, and pears. In the mouth the flavors were pears and nectarines, with a but of butter and cream. This was a very different wine, I've had both Roussanne and Marsanne as stand alone bottles, but never as a blend before. I found it to be very interesting, and it had a great long finish.
More About: California , White

WBW #41-White Friuli Wines Round-up Posted!
2008-01-21 16:22:00
Jack and Joanne have the WBW round-up posted over on Fork and Bottle! Looks like around 43 participants this time, and a ton of wines to read about, as many people tasted two or more Friuli wines for this WBW.Head on over to Fork and Bottle to see what everyone tasted this month, and watch out for the next WBW announcement which will be coming from Spittoon.
More About: White , Round Up , Round , Wines

Wild Horses!
2008-01-20 17:24:00
The wine for the evening was a 2005 Wild Horse Cabernet Sauvignon . We decanted it because the flavors were really tight when we poured the first glass. We're also using our stemless Riedel glasses that we got as a Christmas gift (my first Riedel!). The wine was also a gift, it clocked in at 13.9% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure and hails from Paso Robles.On the nose I found dark blackberries, cherries, black currants, and spices. It also had a little minty/vegetal essence to the aroma. In the mouth I got flavors of blackberries, spice, leather, and currants. The wine was really tannic and needs to be decanted for hours if you want to drink it now. I would estimate that we had the wine in the decanter for around 3 hours before it really opened up enough.
More About: California , Horses

Domaine547
2008-01-19 16:40:00
I've been meaning to do this review for quite a while, and have been really remiss in not getting it up sooner. Several months ago, Jill of Domaine547 contacted me and asked if I would like to receive a blogger sample pack for review. I accepted her kind offer and shortly thereafter a box with 3 bottles of wine, cute Domaine547 coasters, a newsletter, and descriptions of the wines arrived at my doorstep. I've reviewed two of those wines, the 2003 Vinas del Cenit Tempranillo and the 2005 Braida di Giacomo Montebruna Barbera. I have one more bottle left to review, which I will hopefully have up for you soon. I took the first two bottles of wine as an indication of Jill's taste in wine and was thrilled with both bottles. Matt and I loved both of them, and wouldn't hesitate to buy either again (actually, I tried to buy more of the Cenit, but Jill has sadly sold out of that one recently, well, I guess sadly for me and happily for her!). In fact, I enjoyed it so much, that when ...
More About: Wine

For a Change
2008-01-18 13:36:00
Well, I do have several more Italian Reds to review for you, but I like to mix things up sometimes and keep it interesting (well, hopefully!). So today we leave Italy and Europe and return to North America for one of the California wines that lives in my basement. As you probably know by now, most of the wines that hang out in my basement are from California and I supplement with purchases online and from local wine shops to bring you wines from other areas.We're diving back into one of my favorite California producers, as I just received a half case of wine from a club shipment. The wine is a 2006 De La Montanya Felta Creek Summer White . I've previously reviewed the 2005 vintage of this wine, you can read that review here. The wine came in a club shipment, is available for $19 a bottle, but cost us $15.20 with the club discount, had a real cork closure, and clocked in at 14% alcohol by volume.On the nose I found peach, vanilla, orange, and tropical fruit. In the mouth there...
More About: Change

It Keeps Coming....
2008-01-17 13:48:00
and coming! The Italian Reds you see....but you can't say I didn't warn you! I've been very interested in the Italian reds since the WBW-Go Native theme, and picking them up in my mixed cases has now become routine.The wine was a 2005 Le Volte Ornellaia Toscana. I picked it up as a replacement to the David Bruce Petite Sirah that was corked at my WBW blind tasting. It cost $24.99 minus a 10% case discount, had a real cork closure and clocked in at 14% alcohol by volume.On the nose I found blackberry, sandalwood, leather, and pepper. I could also smell spice, but the nose was very dark. It also smelled a little syrupy on the nose. In the mouth, the flavors were cherry and blackberry. Those nose was much more complex than the mouth. The wine was bitter, but oddly a little sweet, and quite tannic overall. It was different than any other red I've had and it was lighter in the mouth than I expected.
More About: Italy

WBW #41-White Friuli Wines
2008-01-16 13:43:00
Jack and Joanne of Fork and Bottle are our kind hosts for this edition of WBW, the brainchild of Lenn of Lenndevours. The task they set us to for this month was to find a white wine from Friuli , any white we wanted. Though they suggested that we spend $18 or above or else we might be disappointed in the wine we chose.This was a difficult assignment for me. I checked our usual local haunts and had not luck. Three or four stores, and I didn't turn up a single bottle! I was getting desperate when we went to my parents' in CT for the holiday. Fortunately, I accompanied my dad to his local wine store, and there on the shelf was one single bottle of white from Friuli! (There was a red to, but that didn't fit this WBW!)The wine I finally found was a Livio Felluga 2005 Tocai Friulano. I purchased it at MV Wine and Spirit in Madison, CT, it cost $27, had a real cork closure and clocked in at 13% alcohol by volume.First impression: I can smell the floral bouquet across the room. A...
More About: Italy , White , Wines

It's Raining Italian Reds
2008-01-15 13:37:00
The wine for the evening was a 2005 Rosso Salento Promessa. It was a blend, 70% Negroamara and 30% Primitivo. I picked the bottle up at the Winery in Old Town Alexandria for $12.99 minus a 10% case discount. It clocked in at 13% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure.The nose of the wine smelled bitter, of coffee, licorice, cherry, leather, and earth. In the mouth I found bitter cherry, alongside fresh cherries, and an almost cranberry flavor. The wine was smooth, but had a nice tart element. It was a very dark wine.I'm really enjoying the value I'm finding in native Italian varietals. For around $10, I feel like I got a lot of bang for my buck with this wine, and quite a complex bottle too. Very good value.
More About: Italy , Reds , Raining

Sweet Nectar of Bacchus
2008-01-14 13:41:00
I love this wine. And I am not one for sweet wines. But I absolutely adored this bottle of wine when we bought it (the last bottle available at the winery!) and can't wait to drink more of the 2006 either. The wine in question is a 2005 Nelson Family Vineyards Orange Muscat .We picked this bottle up at the vinyard, where it cost us $16.18 (that's with a club discount), clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume, and had a real cork closure.The aroma of the wine is very perfumed. I found scents of flowers, honey, orange blossom, and lemon zest. I could smell this bottle of wine for hours. In the mouth the wine is sweet, but has the acidity to hold the sweetness in check. I found orange, mandarins, lemons, and honeysuckle. The citrus really gives the wine body and makes it a great after dinner sipping wine. A great value.
More About: California , White , Sweet , Bacchus

Poll Time
2008-01-13 16:27:00
I've been reading a bit around the blogosphere about how well do you know your readers. I would like to get to know you and your wine preferences better, so we will start here.I would like to know, on average, how much you spend on a bottle of wine. I've put the poll in the sidebar, and would be very happy if you could take a minute to choose your answer!
More About: Time , Poll

Cork Reindeer Ornament
2008-01-12 16:42:00
Last year I put up a post asking what to do with the neverending bag of corks that accumulates in my kitchen pantry. I mentioned some of the things I had done with them, place cards for our wedding, a cork board/dry erase board, and that my mom had purchased a cork reindeer ornament at a craft fair for me.Since then, one of the search terms I see most often is some combination of "reindeer," "cork," and "ornament." Sadly, I don't think any other information exists on the internet about these things, and I feel bad for the people that keep ending up here looking for for instructions on how to make such a thing.So this year, I took pictures for all those of you who arrive here looking for reindeer. This doesn't look that hard to make if you are at all crafty and have a glue gun (this is how non-crafty I am, do people actually still use glue guns?), some corks, a bit of twine, ribbon, and googly eyes!Have at it folks. If you make one, send me a picture and I'll post your version...
More About: Christmas , Wine , Misc , Cork , Ornament