Tasting: Sparkling Pink Moscato

Name: Barefoot Bubble

Variety: Pink Moscato

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2011

Price: $6.95

Winery review: Barefoot Bubbly Pink Moscato California Champagne is surprise and delight at first sip! This pink Moscato sparkler has aromas of red apples, and cherries, complimented by a luscious, lingering sweet finish.  Enjoy with fresh fruit, white cheeses and sorbet. 

My review: This wine was very pleasant. It was definitely a sweet wine.  It had pleasant berry aromas.  I picked up berry, especially strawberry flavors and some hints of apple.  These seemed slightly subdued by bubbles.  While not a full-bodied or complex wine, it was very fun and delightful, especially for an afternoon bridal shower. 

I tasted this wine on its own, without food.

Tasting: Reserve Grand Veneur Côtes du Rhône

Name: Reserve Grand Veneur Côtes du Rhône

Variety: Grenache/Syrah

Region: Rhone Valley

Country: France

Year: 2010

Price: $14.95 (750 mL) / $38.95 (3L)

Winery review: As for their other values, the 2010 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone
Reserve (70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Cinsault) displays
loads of ripe flavors. It is very concentrated for a Cotes du Rhone,
and is actually an amazing wine. Classic garrigue, black cherry
liqueur, lavender, licorice and spice box are all present in this fullbodied, intense, and rich Cotes du Rhone. This is a sensational
effort to drink over the next 4-5 years, although it might last even
longer. 

My review: This wine had a fruit forward aroma with floral overtones and lighter cherry undertones. However, it had a much different flavor.  There were strong flavors of black pepper and spice on the palate. It was a good wine, although surprising at the differences in aroma and flavor. 

I tasted this wine on its own, without food.

Tasting: Lobetia Tempranillo

Name: Lobetia Tempranillo

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: La Mancha

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $10.95

Winery review: Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the
varietal and the terroir to stand out cleanly. It shows a nice cherry
color with a violet shade because of its youth. Red berries and
cherries on the nose. On the palate it is fresh, slightly astringent,
and harmonious with a long finish.

My review: This wine had a light, young color to it.  It had slight aromas of raspberry and some stronger aromas of the terroir.  The flavor was lighter on the tannic side than the smell eluded to. There were flavors of cherry and raspberry as well. It was a pleasant wine and I would definitely have this one again. 

I tasted this wine on its own, without food.

Tasting Lobetia Chardonnay

Name: Lobetia Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: La Mancha

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $10.95

Winery review: Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the
varietal and the terroir to stand out cleanly. Clean, bright color with
a greenish-yellow tone. On the nose, exotic fruits like pineapple.
Full flavored, fresh, with good acidity in the mouth, it finishes with
tropical fruits.

My review: This wine had very pleasant fruit aromas with some tropical and pineapple aromas.  It was a light, slightly acidic taste.  I found small hints of a pineapple flavor as well as some fresh, berry type flavors.  It had a smooth finish which made it a very good wine.

I tasted this wine on its own, without food.

Tasting Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele

Name: Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region: Veneto

Country: Italy

Year: NV

Price: $7.95

Winery review: Named after the famous restaurant in Italy! This is their house
white wine! Coppery color from extended skin contact, round and
rich texture with juicy melon aromas and flavors with a sweet
fennel note on the ultra smooth finish. Great value Grigio! Drink
now.

My review: This wine had pleasant aromas of grapefruit and other acidic aromas.  It was a light bodies wine with flavors of melon, like cantaloupe. It was a pleasant wine with some sweetness to it. 

I tasted this wine on its own, without food.

Wine Dinner #1

I took a trip to Chicago to visit my fiancé (Jesse), where we decided to have a dinner with my older sister (Katie) and her boyfriend (George).  And since we were having dinner and both love wine, why not make it a wine dinner?

On the way from the airport, Jesse and I stopped at a small wine shop to pick out a few bottles.  We chose a 2010 Pinot Noir from Oregon, a 2011 Garganega/Pinot Grigio blend from Italy and a rose Malbec/Merlot from Argentina.

Preparation for dinner

My sister and I prepared a baked, lightly crusted tilapia.  Along with that, we prepared a cheesy quinoa with mushrooms, onions, and peppers and garlic, sautéed green beans. 

We began the evening with a loaf of warm bread and an oil/vinegar.  We paired it, to start, with the Pinot Noir.  It was a 2010 from Jovino, with 13.5% alcohol.  They paired well together, in my opinion.  There were some light flavors like raspberry and cherry, but a good balance of earthy tones as well.  It was an easy wine to start with, but also showed complexity.

Our bread with Oil/Vinegar

The Pinot Noir

We continued with this wine into dinner, trying it with each dish.  I thought it paired very well with the cheesy quinoa, personally.

Into dinner, we opened the Garganega/Pinot Grigio.  It was a 2011, 70% Garganega, 30% Pinot Grigio from Delle Venezie, with 11.5% alcohol.  I especially enjoyed this paired with the tilapia and sautéed green beans.  It was a much lighter, floral aroma wine.  There were berry, especially strawberry and cherry flavors.  It was a light, refreshing wine that I thought paired well with very flavorful, but light dishes like the tilapia and sautéed green beans.  

The Garganega/Pinot Grigio

We also had the Malbec/Merlot rose wine with dinner.  It was a 50% Malbec, 50% Merlot from Valentin Bianchi, with 11% alcohol.  It was a rose, with some sparkle.  The light fizz was very refreshing with the heavier cheese quinoa dish.  The cherry aromas were pleasant and the berry and grapefruit flavors seemed to be brought out with the contrasting cheesy quinoa.  This also paired well with the bread/oil and vinegar, which we finished with dinner. 

Some final pictures from our night...

Jesse and I enjoying the Pinot Noir

Katie and I enjoying the Malbec/Merlot

"A successful night" ~Katie Williams

The experience was very enjoyable and a lot of fun.  I am definitely excited to have more of these in the near future.  It was a great opportunity to see how different wines paired with different foods and flavors and I am looking forward to exploring more pairings through dinners like these.  

Tasting- Wilson Daniels Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Wilson Daniels

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Central Coast, California

Country: USA

Year: 2010

Price: $7.95

Winery review: Orange blossom and citrus permeate the aromas. Alluring flavors of orange and grapefruit dominate the palate. Bright acidity balances the plush mouthfeel, resulting in a clean finish. 

My review: This wine was not a favorite of mine. It was pleasant, but I found it slightly subdued in some of the flavors.  There were aromas of grapefruit and pomegranate   There were flavors of citrus, orange and grapefruit. 

I tasted this wine on its own, without food.