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Wannabe Wino

Wannabe Wino
I spend my nights drinking wines and I love to share them with everyone. Also, musings on wine news, ramblings on all things wine, vineyards and gratuitous photos of my dinner with the wine

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Bubbly from the Folks
2007-11-19 13:44:00
My parents were down visiting not too long ago and in their tradition of supporting my wine-drinking habit, showed up bearing a bottle of NV Lamiable Grand Cru Brut Champagne . We enjoyed this after dinner, and even my mom had a glass, and enjoyed it, which is quite unusual for her!The nose of the wine displayed honey, apple, yeast and a hint of lemon. The yeast was the most prominent aroma and it carried through nicely to the mouth with a good biscuit aroma. I also found lemons and apples in the mouth.Overall, the wine was dry and tart, with good bubbles (or bead for my friends who seem to like picking up wine terms from me!) We enjoyed this after our meal was over, and I could easily see how this would be a crowd pleaser. It clocked in at 12% alcohol by volume and I believe can be purchased for around $50.
More About: France , White , Bubbly

Spare Ribs and Cabernet Sauvignon
2007-11-16 16:10:00
The wine was a 2004 Fritz Cabernet Sauvignon . The wine came in a club shipment, cost us $28 minus a club discount, clocked in at 14.2%, and had a real cork closure.On the nose I found raisins, cherry, spices, and oak. I also noted some earthy undertones. In the mouth I found berries and a bit of cherry. The wine was tannic and didn't seem ready to drink. I'd hold onto this one if you have any.I served this with BBQ spare ribs, corn, and rice pilaf when my folks were here visiting. I think the wine would have been a really good match with the dinner had I let it decant for a few hours or saved the bottle for a couple more years.
More About: California , Pare

More Negroamara
2007-11-15 12:38:00
Apparently I've either been spelling "Negromara" wrong or there are several ways to spell it since this one was spelled "Negroamara" though regardless of how this is spelled, the lack of information about this bottle on the internet is definitely immense.The bottle was a 2005 Villa Mottura Negroamara from the Puglia region of Italy . I picked this bottle up at UnWined in Alexandria for $9.99. I know it had a real cork closure, but Matt tossed the bottle (again) before I could record the alcohol by volume.On the nose I found raisins, currants, and raspberries. I also noted a peppery aroma and a smoky note similar to the Negroamara I drank for WBW-Go Native. In the mouth the wine was dark with fresh raspberries and a bit bitter, but not exactly bitter in the same way our last bottle of Negroamara was.Overall the wine was smooth and dark and I thought I detected something slightly meaty about the wine. I like it and fro $9.99 it's definitely a good value.
More About: Amar

WBW #39 Silver Burgundy
2007-11-14 12:33:00
Neil of Brooklyn Guy's Wine and Food Blog is our host for this monthly installment of Wine Blogging Wednesday, the brainchild of Lenn of Lenndevours. The theme Neil has set for us this month is Silver Burgundy , by which he was referring to wines from Cote Chalonnaise or the Maconnais. Other than Chablis or Beaujolais, we had free reign to choose a wine. Neil gave the slight suggestion that great wines could be found for between $12-$25, so off I went to The Winery in Old Town Alexandria (my new favorite wine shop!) in search of a fitting bottle.I found a bottle of 2005 Jean Manciat Macon Charnay White Burgundy Wine. Otherwise, the bottle proclaims Appellation Macon Charnay Controlee Franclieu. I'm not very good at reading these bottles, I rely on Marcus for that! The wine clocked in at 13.5% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and cost me $15.99 at The Winery. I understand from the owner of The Winery (excellent lady with great wine suggestions every time we visit) ...
More About: France , Chardonnay

Barbera d'Asti, how I Love Thee
2007-11-13 12:39:00
*Disclaimer: I received this bottle in a sample pack from Domaine547.I have very recently fallen in love with Barbera . We've had several bottles in the last month and they have all been gorgeous. It's not a varietal I have a lot of experience with, but you can bet that I will be continuing to seek it out in the coming months. A nice, earthy red, with plenty of tasty fruit, it seems perfect of the pastas and stews we tend to eat in the winter. Jill of Domaine547 sent this bottle to me, not knowing (as I have yet to post those reviews) that this is quickly becoming a prized grape in our house!The wine was a 2--5 Braida di Giacomo Bologna "Montebruna Barbera" d'Asti. It's made of 100% Barbera grapes and is actually fermented in stainless steel for 2 weeks before being aged in oak for a year. The wine clocked in at 14% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and can be purchased from Domaine547 for $24.99.On the nose, there was a little bit of sour funk that quickly blew ...
More About: Love , Italy

Wannabe Wino Turns 1!
2007-11-12 15:26:00
One Saturday morning, November 12, 2006 to be exact, I said to Matt "I think I'm going to start a wine blog. I've been reading all these great wine blogs, Vinography, Wine Waves, Good Wine Under $20, El Bloggo Torcido, and I think I can do it. We drink a really different selection of wines, I think I can add something to the conversation."388 blog posts, about 20 vineyard visits, over 230 bottles of wine, and 365 days later I am amazingly still at it. I've made lots of friends through this blog and even had the opportunity to meet some of them, Farley, Ken, Leah, for starts, and still hope to catch up with many more on my travels.What amazed me most was that people started reading (besides those who knew me before and whom I badgered into coming here, thanks Jenny, Kelli, Ebs, Cfimac, etc.) and then started linking to me (many thanks to my friend Sarah, Dr.Debs, Edward, David, Alex, and John who were among the very first to link to me) and left comments.I've spent much time t...
More About: Misc

Showing off my Wine Rack
2007-11-11 17:10:00
So I'm a day late and a dollar short to this party, but I did notice that Lenn of Lenndevours had asked all the wine bloggers to show off how and where we keep our wine. Sadly, technical difficulties (of the camera and allergy related variety) have kept me away from the blog for the past few days.A little late, but I present our basement racks where our wine is stored, and the staging area at our basement door where wine sits for a few days after it has arrived as I catalog it and Matt decides where there is room for it in the basement!We also have a small wine fridge, but have yet to unpack it after our move. I should get on that fairly soon!
More About: Wine , Misc , Rack

Berries in the Q
2007-11-08 12:47:00
*Disclaimer: I received this bottle of wine from Wine Q as a sample because I'm a member of their Beta Club.The bottle was a 2004 Joseph Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from the Alexander Valley. It clocks in at 14.4%, had a real cork closure and can be purchased from WineQ for $39.99.I've got two pictures of this bottle because I wanted to make sure you could see the very nifty drawing of a mountain lion on the label. Also very cool was the mountain lion head on the foil and again on the cork. However, when I went to read the back of the label, I must confess that I have no idea what a stone fruit is, and the bottle says the wine is characterized by fleshy stone fruit.On the nose I found lots and lots of berries of all kinds. Blackberries, blueberries, huckleberries....I also got vanilla cream and some underlying hints of leather. In the mouth, more blueberries and blackberries, with black currants and vanilla.I served this bottle with what I knew was not going to be a fan...
More About: California , Berries

No wine reveiw today
2007-11-07 12:56:00
I= allergy attack stricken and can't muster the energy to do a write-up that would do justice to the bottle of wine.Hopefully back tomorrow with your regularly scheduled programming.
More About: Wine , Misc , Today

Between 2 Seas
2007-11-06 12:47:00
The wine was a 2006 Chateau Bonnet Entre_Deux-Mers Bordeaux. I picked this up for $11.99 at the Harris Teeter at the last minute as Matt was cooking dinner and needed an inexpensive white wine to put in the sauce. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc 50%, Semillon 40%, and Muscadelle 10%, the wine had a screw cap and clocked in at 12% alcohol by volume.On the nose I found lemon and other citrus. In the mouth more citrus and lemon. The wine was simple and refreshing, with a bit of a creamy mouthfeel. It was easy to drink, but there are better wines at this price point. Not something I would get again, but I wouldn't say no to it at a party.
More About: France , White , Seas

Getting Things Shaking
2007-11-04 12:44:00
This bottle of 2005 Earthquake Zin Zinfandel from Lodi came courtesy of my friend Lindsay as part of my birthday present earlier this year. With the temperatures finally settling into cold here (I miss fall, we seem to have gone straight from summer to winter....) it's time to break out the big reds. The wine had a real cork closure and clocked in at 15.9% alcohol by volume.On the nose I found blackberries, raisins, black currants, other dark fruit, and spiced cedar. In the mouth there were blackberries, black currants, a bit of spice and some other dark fruits.Overall the wine was fruity, big, and dark. Apparently I thought it was a REALLY big wine because I wrote and underlined BIG 3 or 4 times in my notes. I served the wine with ravioli, tomato sauce and fresh parmesan. Not a great match for the dinner, the acidity of the tomato sauce didn't do any justice to the wine.
More About: California , Things

A Bee on the Bottle
2007-11-02 13:25:00
Another bottle from my first Wine Q shipment of the season, this time a bottle of 2006 Esca Pinot Grigio . The wine hails from Sonoma, cost me $17.99 (free shipping!), and had a real cork closure. Again (becoming habit around here!) Matt tossed the bottle before I could record the alcohol content. You can get this wine here, from WineQ.I really liked the label on this bottle with the cute little bee! I'll put one of Matt's "artistic" photos at the end for a hopefully better angle....On the nose of the wine I found pear, flowers, sweet citrus, and honey. The wine was steel fermented and then aged in neutral oak barrels, but I didn't notice any oak on the nose. In the mouth there was lemon, other citrus, peach, and pear.Overall the wine was crisp and light, though I think the oak added a nice body to the wine. A good value, I'd get this bottle again.
More About: California , White , Bottle

Still drinking Rose....
2007-11-01 00:58:00
I'm tasting Rose s for Thanksgiving this year! Last year at Thanksgiving I made printed wine menus and asked our guests to select from a few bottles for each course. No one seemed terribly interested in it, so this year I will just be setting up the wine myself and I am 99% convinced I am going with a Croze Rose from WineQ but I am still testing other because, well, I love Rose and this gives me a great excuse!This bottle was a 2006 Chateau Grande Cassagne Rose fromCostieres de Nimes. I picked it up at UnWined in Alexandria, it cost me about $10, and clocked in at 13.5% alcohol by volume.On the nose there were strawberries and limes. The citrus was very present in the aroma with sweeter berries making up the rest of the nose. In the mouth the wine tasted like raspberry jolly ranchers and liquid strawberry Jello with a nice lime hint that gave it a great acidic backbone.Definitely a good value and one I'd look out for to drink for next summer!
More About: France , Drinking

Another Quickie
2007-10-30 12:42:00
Just a short review today, for a not too complicated wine. The wine was a 2002 Loudon Valley Vineyard Red Table Wine. We picked this bottle up at the vineyard for $9, it had a real cork closure, and clocked in at 12% alcohol by volume.The wine was sweet with spices, cloves, cinnamon, and cherries on the nose. In the mouth the wine was sweet with raspberries and currants. It was very sweet. I think it needed to be very chilled, which is not something I usually say about red wines, but this was very sweet. I served it with linguine, homemade sauce, and parmasean cheese. Not a good match, the wine was too sweet for the food.

I like Mosiacs
2007-10-29 12:54:00
And I definitely like Mosaic Chardonnay. We picked this bottle of 2004 Mosaic Chardonnay up at the winery on our first trip to Sonoma. It somehow got lost in the shuffle of multiple moves and reorgs, and thus escaped me until now. I believe the bottle cost us $16 and had a real cork closure. Matt tossed the bottle before I could record the acv.On the nose I found pineapple, lemon, slight oak and butter, and spiced vanilla. In the mouth the wine was surprisingly crisp with citrus, white grapefruit, tart apple, and a butter note. Overall the wine was tangy and refreshing.I don't think I tasted at Mosaic as I was our designated driver for our trip (and I believe we had already been to 6 vineyards by this stop so I didn't think even spitting was a good cal at this point), so I let Matt pick the wines from this stop...sometimes a dangerous proposition since he likes really sweet wines a lot and I do not. But he definitely gets an A for effort with this bottle given the price poi...

Bonus Blogging!
2007-10-26 14:19:00
Usually on Fridays you just get my weekend round-up, but my reviews are piling up on me and I need to get them posted without overloading the blog with content. So since the round-up is short this week I thought I'd post a review too.The wine was a Marimar 2004 Torres Family Vineyards Don Miguel Vineyards Pinot Noir. Whew, now that's a mouthful of a name for a wine. Unfiltered and hailing from the Russian River Valley, the wine clocked in at 14% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure and cost us (gasp!) $39 from a club shipment. On the nose I found smokey leather, cherries, and raspberries. I described the aroma as fresh, strong fruit in my notes with an earthy hint and a medicinal note. In the mouth I found sour red cherries and raspberries. The wine was tart and tannic.Overall, this a bottle that could certainly lay down for much more time before you drink it. If I had any more, I'd sock it away for at least 3-4 years, it should develop nicely. Alas, $39 for a bottl...
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Weekend Round-Up
2007-10-26 14:09:00
Short this week, only two local stores that I am aware of are hosting tastings.Arrowine, Arlington VA:Tonight, 5:30-7:30, Spanish Selections from The Henry Group.Tomorrow, two tastings. 1-4, all wines from October's Spain special will be on the tasting bar and The Country Vintner will be pouring a selection of Italian wines.Out of Site Wines, Vienna, VA:Tonight: 5-8, dueling Chardonnay from Tolosa Vineyard in CA. Taste the oaked and unoaked versions.Tomorrow: 1-4, 4 under $20 value wines from CA, WA, France and Spain.
More About: Round Up , Weekend , Round

My Nose Grew
2007-10-25 13:54:00
Though I suppose my post about Rose was about the last Rose of summer, I never said I wasn't going to drink them in the fall.....not to mention it might as well still be summer here with the weather!The bottle was a 2005 Domaine d'Eole from Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence. (Did I read that bottle right Marcus since you are our resident label expert?) I picked this up at The Winery in Old Town Alexandria for $11, it clocked in at 12.5% alcohol by volume and had a fakie cork. The wine is a blend of grenache, counoise, syrah, and mourvedre grapes.On the nose I found cream soda, strawberry, and peach with a question mark since it kept appearing and disappearing. In the mouth there were strawberries, spice, dry roses, and lime. It was light with a slightly sour note and a dry Rose overall. Not a bad wine, but I preferred the Touraine Rose I picked up at The Winery for $9 a few weeks ago.
More About: France , Nose , Grew

Just a Quickie
2007-10-24 13:41:00
And no photo either, I think I managed to delete the photo from my camera before uploading it.The wine was a 2004 Loudon Valley Vineyards Vinifera White . We picked this bottle up at the vineyard this summer while meandering around Virginia Wine Country. It cost us $11.70 and Matt tossed the bottle before I could record the alcohol content. I know the wine has won several golds and silvers at various VA wine shows and we enjoyed a bottle the day we took residence on Loudon Valley's porch as well!The nose of the wine was sweet with honey and apricot and a slight pine tree note. In the mouth, also sweet with honey, but with a nice tangy element to keep the sweetness in check. Mostly flavors of apricots and something slightly tropical. Definitely a wine and cheese wine or one to be sipped on its own!

Fresh and Fruity
2007-10-23 13:31:00
The wine of the night was a 2001 Yoakim Bridge Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley. The bottle cost us $33 at the vineyard, clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume, and had a real cork closure. We visited Yoakim Bridge on our last trip to CA and it was one of our favorite stops. The owners were so friendly, they offered us meatballs to eat and even sent a personal email thanking us for visiting and purchasing wine when we got home.The first thing I notice about the wine were the fresh berries jumping out of the glass from afar! It smelled delicious with raspberries, blackberries, and vanilla cream on the nose with hints of chocolate and pepper. The nose was very fruit foward.The fruit follows through in the mouth and is very fresh on the palate. There were raspberries and other red fruit. The mouthfeel was lighter than I expected.Overall, this was a really delicious bottle of wine and I am happy we have another bottle of it hanging around. I served the wine with steak and raspberr...
More About: California , Fresh , Fruity

Under the Sea
2007-10-22 13:33:00
*Disclaimer: I received this bottle from Wine Q because I am a Beta Club member. It can be purchased from WineQ for $14.99.The wine was a bottle of 2006 Coral Mustang Rose . It's a Tempranillo Rose (another new one for me, never had a Rose made from Tempranillo grapes) and hails from Vista Creek Vineyards in Pasa Robles (another wine region I would love to visit in the near future). The wine clocked in at 12.5% alcohol by volume.The color of this wine was just beautiful, though I'm not sure that Matt's photography does it justice in this photo....I'll put another one of his "artistic" efforts at the end of this post....On the nose I found creamy vanilla and raspberries. The nose was reserved overall. In the mouth the wine showed flavors of raspberries and lime, and raspberry cream, like a raspberry cream soda. Overall the wine was dry but creamy, with tart fruit and crisp and refreshing on the finish.Thanks to WineQ for the opportunity to try this wine. It's another Rose i...
More About: California

Weekend Round-Up
2007-10-19 14:53:00
Go to Arrowine in Arlington tonight from 5:30-7:30 to taste selections from Roanoake Valley Wine Company, or tomorrow from 1-4 for a double header with Oregon Pinot Noirs from Roanoake Valley Wine Company and selections from Potomac Selections.Tonight at Out of Site Wines in Vienna you will find "Affordable Burgundy and Bordeaux" from 5-8. If you head over to Out of Site tomorrow wines from Sancerre, Bordeaux, and the Northern Rhone will be poured.At Church Street Cellars in Vienna on Saturday from 5-8 Republic National Distributing will be pouring a lovely selection of Italian wines.Two tastings at the Curious Grape this weekend as well! Tonight, highly rated wines from Autralia, New Zealand and South Africa will be poured from 6-8. Tomorrow, all-new 2005 Bordeaux from 1-4.
More About: Round Up , Weekend , Round

Hanging around the Domaine
2007-10-18 13:35:00
*Disclaimer: I received this wine in a sample pack from Domaine 547 for my review.Domine 547 that is. The wine was a 2003 Vinas del Cenit Tempranillo , Castilla y Leon, Spain. Specifically from Vino de la Tierra de Zamora. The bottle had a real cork closure and is available from Domaine 547 for $19.99. Matt tossed the bottle before I could record the alcohol content, sorry folks. It's actually made from 100% Tempranillo grapes, which might be a first for me, many have something else blended in!On the nose the wine was smoky with blackberries and black currants being the predominant fruits that showed through. The blackberry was big and jumped out of the glass. I also found spices, espresso, and bitter chocolate. The nose was very complex and once again Matt tried to steal the wine away from me! In the mouth the wine was silky. Blackberries, black cherries, anise, dark chocolate, and coffee came through in the flavor of the wine.The smokiness of the wine was very unique. It ...

Alliteration Anyone?
2007-10-17 13:42:00
I crack myself up sometimes (and yes, I laugh at myself frequently...hey, at least I'm amusing someone....). But really, the was the first thought I had at the producer name "Frank Family." The wine of the evening was a 2005 Frank Family Chardonnay . This bottle was a gift from my dear friend Lindsay who very kindly sent me some wine for my birthday and tells me that this is her favorite Chardonnay ever.The wine had a real cork closure, clocked in at 14.4% alcohol by volume, and and had a really cool bottle with the picture printed right on the bottle....I'm not sure my photography skills can do it justice. The bottle hails from Calistoga, CA.On the nose I found vanilla spice, apples, toffee and oak. The aroma was nice and intriguing and I had to keep my nose in there for a while before I finally realized it was toffee I was smelling (toffee a.) isn't something I smell anywhere very often and b.) isn't something I've found in wine before). In the mouth I found slightly but...
More About: California , White

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