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Kicking Some More
2008-01-11 13:44:00
What can I say? I like all wines, all the time, regardless of the weather! This bottle was a gift from a guest invited to our WBW Petite Sirah Blind tasting. He almost had me fooled, telling me that it was his brother's winery since he shares a last name with the wine. I felt a bit sheepish for buying that one hook line and sinker, but cut me some slack, we were through the 5 bottles of PS by that point....So the wine was a 2006 Gordon Brothers Sauvignon Blanc from the Columbia Valley, Washington State. It clocked in at 13.2% alcohol by volume.On the nose I found mango, pineapple, minerals, and something else tropical that I can't quite place. If you aerate your glass a bit the pineapple will jump up and bite you! In the mouth I got flavors of pineapple and mango, with almost a hint of cream midpalate.The wine was crisp, but not at all like a New Zealand or Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. It's a totally different style of Sauvignon Blanc for me. It seemed a lot more food friendl...
More About: White , Kicking

On a White Wine Kick
2008-01-10 13:41:00
No particular reason, but I'm not feeling the cold weather reds right now. Could be the warm weather, but really, that just started this week. I just haven't been a heavy red wine mood. I need to shake that as the reds are piling up alarmingly fast in my basement!The bottle of the night was a Valminor 2006 Rias Bhixas Albarino. I picked it up at the Wine ry in Old Town Alexandria as part of a mixed case. It cost me $12.99 minus a 10% case discount, clocked in at 12.5% alcohol by volume, and had a screw cap.The nose of the wine was perfumy, very aromatic. It showed tropical fruit, citrus, grapefruit, orange blossoms, and was quite floral. In the mouth I found grapefruit, citrus, and a nice sweet orange note. The wine was crisp in the mouth, but not too tart. Overall I found the wine to be intriguing and a great value for the price.
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Getting Twisted(er)
2008-01-09 13:31:00
The wines from Twisted Oak have a sneaky habit of filling up my Q over at Wine Q, and my last few WineQ shipments have been heavily Twisted! The bottle I am currently referring to is a 2005 Twisted Oak Viognier . I purchased it from WineQ in my last club shipment for $21.99 (free shipping), it had a real cork closure and clocked in at 14.1% alcohol by volume.I served this with turkey soup, homemade by me! We tend to keep our house a little chilly in the winter, so perhaps you can see the steam rising from the soup...it's not because the soup is all the hot, it's just that cold in our house! The wine was an okay match for the soup, but I think it made a better after dinner wine, though I bet it would be great as an appetizer wine, or just sipping on its own.On the nose I found aromas of pear, honey, apricot, and, oddly enough, caramel. I also noted something a bit spicy, but I couldn't quite place it. In the mouth, flavors of citrus, especially white grapefruit and lemon domina...
More About: White

DC Restaurant Week
2008-01-08 21:02:00
The twice yearly event is back in gear for its winter edition, beginning January 14 and going through January 20. Restaurant s will be offering a 3 course lunch for $20.08 and a 3 course dinner for $30.08. You can find all the important details over here, including participating restaurants.We always try to take advantage of this event, as it gives us a chance to go to restaurants that would normally stretch our dining out budget just a bit too much. I had wanted to go back to Farrah Olivia, a restaurant we went to a while ago, of which I owe you a review!, but sadly, even trying to book several weeks out it was impossible to get a reservation. Chef Morou, the owner, recently competed on America's Next Iron Chef, and since then, it's been very difficult to get in. A shame too, the restaurant is near our house and very good.So instead, we are going to check out a new restaurant and wine bar I've been meaning to get to, Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar in DC. We'll also be heading ba...
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I warned you about the Italian Reds
2008-01-08 13:56:00
We picked up this bottle of Girone Dei Folli 2003 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from Villa Bizzarri at the Winery in Old Town Alexandria as part of a mixed case. It clocked in at 13% alcohol by volume, had a real cork, and cost us $12.99 minus a 10% case discount.On the nose I found what can only be described as a mist of Vick's cherry cough syrup, bitter espresso (though I suppose "bitter espresso" is kind of an oxymoron), leather, and Eucalyptus. Overall, I found the nose to have a slightly medicinal quality. In the mouth flavors of tart cherries dominated, with hints of the same cherry Vick's cough syrup, and a little bit of spice. The wine was very dark, and reminiscent of Negroamara, but with different qualities. It was more herbal and medicinal than the Negroamara, but that's the closest thing I can compare it to.
More About: Italy , Italian , Reds

Speaking of Italian Reds
2008-01-07 13:36:00
The wine of the evening was a 2005 Sedara Nero d'Avola. It also said "Donnafugata" on the label, but I can't say I know what that means! The wine had a real cork closure, hailed from Sicilia, and clocked in at 14% alcohol. I picked this up at the Winery in Old Town Alexandria for $15.99 minus a 10% mixed case discount.On the nose I found aromas of raisins, deli meat, and dark berries. There was a smoky note emanating from my glass as well. In the mouth, flavors of tart dark blackberries and bing cherries were present. The fruit was sour! The wine overall was mouth puckering, very dark, with a fairly long finish, and a slightly bitter aftertaste.I served the wine with turkey soup that I made out of our Thanksgiving Tom, but I think the wine was too dark for the soup. It was a heavy soup too, so I was little surprised it didn't stand up to the wine. Overall, the wine was interesting, but I'm not sure I would get it again.
More About: Italian , Reds , Speaking

WBW #41-White Friuli Wines
2008-01-06 16:08:00
I've been remiss in posting an announcement for the next edition of WBW. Jack and Joanne of Fork and Bottle have chosen the theme for WBW this month, picking white wines from Friuli .You can pick any white wine you would like from the region, though they caution you that wines priced under $18 may not deliver much bang for the buck. All the details are available on Fork and Bottle. The varietals from the region run the gamut, you can find Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, among many others, however, speaking from personal experience, and the warning on Fork and Bottle, the wines are NOT easy to find. I went to 4 wine shops before finding anything, so if you are going to participate, get going, the deadline to drink and report on your bottle is January 16, which is rapidly approaching!I'm looking forward to this WBW since this is a wine region about which I know next to nothing, so the round-up should be an excellent way to increase my knowledge. Many thanks to Jack a...
More About: White , Wines

Wine in the New Year
2008-01-05 21:04:00
As I've said before I'm not too big on resolutions. I rarely keep to them, and never feel accomplished. I, however, did set some "plans" last year, with the encouragement of Dr. Debs who had asked what our wine resolutions were. And again this year, she has the same question.Looking back on last year, I set some general goals, which were to buy a house and go to Oktoberfest. We got the house, which then sort of got in the way of any travel plans.....owning a house is expensive! This year, I don't so much have any plans in the general sense of my life, as I also managed to get a new job this year that I really enjoy, we got the house, we're making good progress on fixing it up, and I'm generally pretty content!As far as wine goes, I had a few plans last year.They were:1.) Decant wines more often: Honestly, I'm still not great about this. Pity too, we have some really pretty decanters!2.) Convince Matt I need a bigger wine storage area: Well, we bought the house and now ...
More About: New Year , Wine , Misc , Year

Wine Book Club
2008-01-05 00:41:00
I thought I would let everyone know that there is a new wine group forming on the internet, courtesy of Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20. Dr. Debs recently contacted a group of wine bloggers with the idea to start a Wine Book Club on the idea of Wine Blogging Wednesday.The premise is this: One wine blogger, every other month, will choose a book for everyone to read. You'll read the book and post your review and the host will round-up all the entries for the month. I like the slightly less ambitious schedule of every other month, as it might be difficult to keep up a monthly schedule, though, who knows, in the future it could become more frequent.You can read all the details over on Good Wine Under $20, and you can head on over to McDuff's Food and Wine Trail to read the details on our first book, Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy. David has kindly offered to serve as the first WBC host.
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The Weather Outside is Frightful
2008-01-04 14:02:00
But the wine is so delightful! This bottle of wine is a great winter red, big and fruity in all the right ways, and perfect to drink in front of the fire with some beef stew. Which is what we did. Winter has really arrived this week, it was 10 out yesterday with the wind chill!The wine was a 2005 Quivira Anderson Ranch Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley. It came in a club shipment, cost us $27.20, clocked in at 14.8% alcohol by volume, and had a real cork closure. On the nose I found blackberry, spice, cranberry sauce (yes, I do mean the kind you serve with turkey), and vanilla. In the mouth, the wine was tannic at first, but after we let it sit, the flavors came shining through. I got tart cherries, blackberries, and cranberries. Overall, the wine was really dark. The fruit appeared fresher and more vibrant as the wine opened up. A delicious bottle of wine.
More About: Weather , California

Press Credentials for Wine Tastings
2008-01-04 00:00:00
Do you think a blogger like me would qualify for press credentials at a wine tasting event? I would love to attend the DC International Wine and Food Festival, but am unsure if I would be considered "press."You can find the press policy here.Anyone have any thoughts?
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Lots of Gruner Veltliner
2008-01-03 13:33:00
Prior to Thanksgiving I believe that I had consumed a total of 2 bottles of Gruner Veltliner. Matt's Aunt and Uncle offered to bring the wine for Thanksgiving and arrived bearing many, many bottle of Gruner Veltliner from 3 different producers! They brought so much that Matt and I were drinking it for weeks after.This bottle, the 2006 Leth Gruner Veltliner Langenreserve from Austria ( it also said: Wagram Steingrund on the bottle, but I confess I don't know what that means) was my favorite of the three. It clocked in at 12.5% alcohol by volume and had a screw cap.On the nose I found citrus, lemon, a tropical aroma, spicy white pepper, fresh cut grass, and oddly enough, green beans. The nose was quite strong and distinct. In the mouth flavors of oranges and white pepper dominated, with a bit of something fruity and tropical. The finish on this one was very smooth and we enjoyed it all by its lonesome, though it would be a great wine for appetizers!
More About: White

Not so sure
2008-01-02 13:22:00
Why we bought this bottle of wine. Dutcher Crossing was the first winery we stopped at on our honeymoon, so it might have been sheer excitement, or the notion that we had to buy at least a bottle or two from every winery we stopped at, or that we thought this was how Chardonnay was supposed to be. While we were big wine drinkers before we went to Sonoma for the first time, we honestly didn't drink a lot of California wines (how ironic given how many we drink now) and we mostly stuck unoaked white wines....So we bought this bottle of 2005 Dutcher Crossing Chardonnay from Castello Vineyard for$26. It clocked in at 14.3% alcohol and had a real cork closure. On the nose it was all oak and butter at first and that took a while to blow off to reveal any other aromas. After a bit of time, I found lemon, vanilla, green apple, and a touch of pear. However, it was heavily dominated by the butter and oak. In the mouth I got flavors of lemon, pear, and oak. The wine was buttery overall...
More About: White

Happy New Year!
2008-01-01 14:50:00
I hope everyone had plenty of good bubbly to celebrate with last night, and that 2008 will be a wonderful year for all of you!We celebrated at my parents' house in CT, and had a nice quiet night watching movies and drinking the lovely bottle of Roederer Brut. Now how's that for a wild night? ;) Not so much, but I seem to be doing better, have the okay from the doc to drive and such, so I will be fresh and new and back at the blogging gig tomorrow, with lots to report on, and tons of wine for 2008!Cheers!
More About: New Year , Misc , Happy , Happy New Year , Year

Types With One Eye Shut
2007-12-27 16:05:00
Well folks, in addition to the fact that I can't access the internet from my laptop at my parents' house, I, like the WineHiker last year, have been yet again struck with iritis. I'm walking around the house with two pairs of sunglasses and sitting in dark rooms when possible. I'm sure Russ can commiserate with me, it's not fun!So what hope I had of fixing my laptop and blogging more this week seems to be fading, and I will hope to be back asap with both eyes in order.I am drinking some good wine, and some okay wine, and some not so good wine, so I do have lots to report on, and am much looking forward to the bottle of 25th Anniversary Roederer Brut Sparkling wine that I have for New Year's Eve. Hopefully you've got something delicious stashed away to celebrate with as well!
More About: Misc , Types , Shut

Merry Christmas!
2007-12-25 14:50:00
I hope everyone that celebrates Christmas today has a wonderful holiday, with lots of good cheer (wine!)! Be safe, and may you and your families enjoy the season. And I hope Santa was good to you!
More About: Misc , Merry Christmas , Merry

More from the Rockpile
2007-12-21 13:57:00
Many of the wines that came in my most recent Mauritson club shipment were two things: one, they were single vineyard Zinfandel s, and two, they were labeled under the name Rockpile Winery, which is still made by Mauritson. They were also more expensive than previous Mauritson offerings, making me wonder if Mauritson is becoming a"tiered" winery, offering their "special" selections under one name and keeping the more affordable line under another?This botttle was a 2005 Rockpile Winery Rockpile Ridge Vineyard Mauritson Zinfandel. It cost $27, had a real cork closure and weighed in at 15.6% alcohol by volume. I served it with beef straganoff, cheddar biscuits, and broccoli. A little too big for the meal, serve it with a steak, bqq, or maybe a marinated pork loin.On the nose I found vanilla, blackberry, and blueberry. The wine was very dark and the berries jumped out of the glass. In the mouth there were berries, brown sugar, vanilla, pie flavors, and specifically blueberries tha...
More About: California

Fire Roaring
2007-12-20 13:59:00
I don't normally associate Riesling with a wine I would drink while sitting in front of the fireplace, but that is exactly what we did. At least I get a little credit for serving a hearty cheese fondue in front of said fire, which is why we needed a white wine!Riesling is what started my love affair with wine, but I haven't seen a lot of it coming out of California . I gather the growing conditions aren't exactly ideal and it works better in colder climates. But there are some wineries who dabble with it in CA, and Nelson Family Vineyards is one.We purchased this bottle of 2005 Nelson Family Vineyards Riesling for around $17 when we were visiting Sonoma in 2006. It started to occur to me the other night that I probably want to clear out the remaining few older white wines that are hanging around in my cellar. It had a real cork closure and clocked in at 12.1% alcohol, with only 184 cases made. On the nose the wine displayed honey, lemon, and orange blossoms. It smelled sweet....
More About: White , Fire

Zin Zin Zin Petite Sirah
2007-12-19 12:55:00
In this bottle of wine, I found what Petite Sirah is often used for: a blending grape in Zinfandel to add some depth and balance. The bottle was a 2004 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfadel, and it was blended with 18% Petite Sirah. I picked this bottle up at Ridge for $33, it clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure. On the nose I found vanilla, blackberries, oak, cherry syrup, and cedar. I believe that this bottle was my choice from Ridge, and I remember being really pleased with the nose on it then, as I am now. In the mouth, flavors of blackberry and pie dominated, with a bit of cherry thrown into the mix. Overall the wine was very fruity and fairly smooth, though it could probably hang out for another year or two, or maybe until this summer where it would make an excellent wine to have with bbq ribs.mmmmm, ribs.......mmmmmmm, wine......
More About: California

Hip and Young?
2007-12-18 12:41:00
*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher as a press sample.Are you between the ages of about 21 (let's keep this legal folks!) and 35, give or take? Are you interested in wine, but find it hard to approach? Are you female? Do more lengthy tomes like the Oxford Companion to Wine appear to be way more information than you are ready to digest? Would you like a quick guide to the basics of wine that's geared toward you? Then this book was written for you.Hip Tastes: The Fresh Guide to Wine is a newly released book by Courtney Cochran. I fall clearly and squarely into the age group that this book is attempting to reach, mainly younger females. Its pop culture references such as rap stars drinking Cristal (or not so much anymore I guess) and calling parents "rents" flow through the book and its short, snappy titles appeal to those with not lengthy attention spans.The chapters are brief, offering just a glimpse into each aspect of wine, tasting, hosting a party,...
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Dinosaur in a Bottle?
2007-12-17 12:35:00
I purchased this monster of a wine from WineQ for $19.99 (free shipping!). The wine was a 2003 Deerfield Red Rex. The bottle had a real cork closure and clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume. It's a blend of everything and the kitchen sink, made up of 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Syrah, 22% Merlot, 8% Cab Franc, 4% Sangiovese, and 4% Malbec.On the nose of the wine I found currants, raisins, spice, and oak. Overall the aroma was smoky, tinged with alcohol. This is a bottle that either needs to air for a bit, so decant, at least an hour before you want to drink or keep this one around for a few more years, I think it could benefit from some bottle aging.In the mouth there was dark chocolate, blackberries, and spice. The wine was much fruitier than I expected based on the nose, I thought this would mostly be a spicy, leathery type of wine. Instead, after an hour or so, the flavors were fruity and not nearly what I had anticipated.Next time, I would decant, and then serve it with...
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Round-up: WBW #40 Que Sirah Sirah
2007-12-14 12:59:00
Welcome to the round-up of WBW #40-Que Sirah Sirah. I?m very pleased to have been the hostess for this month?s iteration of WBW. I must of course give thanks to Lenn of Lenndevours for his creation of WBW over 3 years ago and for selecting my theme for this month.I sent you off in search of a bottle of Petite Sirah or Durif, any bottle of your liking, as Petite Sirah is one of my favorite varietals. We had an amazing number of participants, especially given that this is such a busy time of year. I?d like to thank everyone for participating.We had 52 blogs participate, including at least 13 who participated for the first time. Bloggers joined this WBW from Australia, Canada, England, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United States. Even one blogger whose blog focuses exclusively on Petite Sirah joined us! Overall, 75 bottles were reviewed. Wines came from Israel, Mexico, Australia, Chile, and the US.Onto the reviews!Julian of Full Pour was the first participant this month,...
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WBW #40 Que Sirah Sirah
2007-12-12 15:12:00
As the hostess of this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday, I decided it was high time I pulled out all the stops for a WBW. With that in mind, Matt and I decided to host a blind tasting of Petite Sirah in honor of WBW. We invited several of our friends over for the evening promising a wine tasting and heavy appetizers, though I am pretty sure no one quite expected that tasting I had set up!I dug about in our cabinets for wine glasses to do the tasting. With 8 people coming and 5 wines to taste, I needed 45 wine glasses, a tall order. After routing out every wine glass we owned, I was short 4 glasses, alas, and Matt was forced to drink out of our brandy snifters. (To be honest, I was quite surprised I owned 41 wine glasses, that seems like a ton of glasses!!)The whole table.Next, I printed out glass placement sheets and tasting note sheets for blind tastings from Wine Country Getaways to assist everyone in ranking the wines. Guests were to score each wine on scale from 1-5 on ap...
More About: California , Australian

WBW #40 Que Sirah Sirah
2007-12-12 15:12:00
As the hostess of this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday, I decided it was high time I pulled out all the stops for a WBW. With that in mind, Matt and I decided to host a blind tasting of Petite Sirah in honor of WBW. We invited several of our friends over for the evening promising a wine tasting and heavy appetizers, though I am pretty sure no one quite expected that tasting I had set up!I dug about in our cabinets for wine glasses to do the tasting. With 8 people coming and 5 wines to taste, I needed 45 wine glasses, a tall order. After routing out every wine glass we owned, I was short 4 glasses, alas, and Matt was forced to drink out of our brandy snifters. (To be honest, I was quite surprised I owned 41 wine glasses, that seems like a ton of glasses!!)The whole table.Next, I printed out glass placement sheets and tasting note sheets for blind tastings from Wine Country Getaways to assist everyone in ranking the wines. Guests were to score each wine on scale from 1-5 on ap...
More About: California , Australian

Drinking Some Pinot Noir
2007-12-11 12:57:00
Now, Pinot Noir is not a varietal you see a lot of over here at Wannabe Wino. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that it normally falls way outside the price range I like to spend on a bottle of wine. However, our club membership to Michel Schlumberger sends us two bottle of wine every other month for a fixed cost, no matter what's in the box. One month we got a bottle that retails for around $100! So with that in mind, club shipments are about the only way Pinot Noir lands on my doorstep.The bottle was a 2005 Michel Schlumberger Dry Creek Valley Pinot Noir. It clocked in at 14.3% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and can be purchased from the winery for $32. My first bit of advice is to let this one breathe, it had a lot of alcohol on the nose and needed to air out. It took until after dinner for the wine to be ready to drink.On the nose I found cedar, raspberry, roses, and cherry. After the alcohol dissipated, it was a very pretty nose. In the mouth I g...
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Drinking Some Pinot Noir
2007-12-11 12:57:00
Now, Pinot Noir is not a varietal you see a lot of over here at Wannabe Wino. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that it normally falls way outside the price range I like to spend on a bottle of wine. However, our club membership to Michel Schlumberger sends us two bottle of wine every other month for a fixed cost, no matter what's in the box. One month we got a bottle that retails for around $100! So with that in mind, club shipments are about the only way Pinot Noir lands on my doorstep.The bottle was a 2005 Michel Schlumberger Dry Creek Valley Pinot Noir. It clocked in at 14.3% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and can be purchased from the winery for $32. My first bit of advice is to let this one breathe, it had a lot of alcohol on the nose and needed to air out. It took until after dinner for the wine to be ready to drink.On the nose I found cedar, raspberry, roses, and cherry. After the alcohol dissipated, it was a very pretty nose. In the mouth I g...
More About: California , Drinking , Some

Last Reminder! WBW #40 Tomorrow!
2007-12-11 12:45:00
Hope you've found your Petite Sirah!Send me your link or your review if you don't have a blog tomorrow at ctsonadora@gmail.com! And I'm shocked by the early reviews, way to be on the ball wine bloggers!
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Last Reminder! WBW #40 Tomorrow!
2007-12-11 12:45:00
Hope you've found your Petite Sirah!Send me your link or your review if you don't have a blog tomorrow at ctsonadora@gmail.com! And I'm shocked by the early reviews, way to be on the ball wine bloggers!
More About: Tomorrow , Reminder , Remi , Morrow , Tomo

Pretty Darn Tasty
2007-12-10 12:43:00
*Disclaimer: I received this bottle from Wine Q because I am a member of their Beta Club.This bottle of 2005 Barreto Cellars Verdelho came several shipments ago from WineQ and I have been very delinquent in reviewing it. It hails from the Lodi appellation on the Central Coast of California . It had a real cork closure, clocks in at 14.7% alcohol by volume, and can be purchased from WineQ for $14.99.On the nose I found citrus, tropical fruits, honeysuckle, and minerals. The nose was quite aromatic, you didn't have to get too close to your glass to smell this one (hence, I didn't end up with a nose full of wine this time!). In the mouth there were flavors of grapefruit, other citrus, peach, and tropical notes.Overall the wine was tangy, very very crisp, acidic and a bit different than anything else I've had. I believe this is only my second Verdelho, so I'm still not sure quite what to expect from them, but I really like them. I think this would be a great choice for appetizer...
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Pretty Darn Tasty
2007-12-10 12:43:00
*Disclaimer: I received this bottle from Wine Q because I am a member of their Beta Club.This bottle of 2005 Barreto Cellars Verdelho came several shipments ago from WineQ and I have been very delinquent in reviewing it. It hails from the Lodi appellation on the Central Coast of California . It had a real cork closure, clocks in at 14.7% alcohol by volume, and can be purchased from WineQ for $14.99.On the nose I found citrus, tropical fruits, honeysuckle, and minerals. The nose was quite aromatic, you didn't have to get too close to your glass to smell this one (hence, I didn't end up with a nose full of wine this time!). In the mouth there were flavors of grapefruit, other citrus, peach, and tropical notes.Overall the wine was tangy, very very crisp, acidic and a bit different than anything else I've had. I believe this is only my second Verdelho, so I'm still not sure quite what to expect from them, but I really like them. I think this would be a great choice for appetizer...
More About: White , Pretty