Archive for July, 2010
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (33% Syrah; 33% Barbera; 33%Petite Sirah)
Region: California – USA
Cost: $19.50
Deep purple in the glass with aromas and flavors of blueberry, black cherry, cedar, and mulberry with a tannic zip on the finish. Pairs well with Italian, Tex/Mex, spare ribs, burgers, steaks, pizza, meatloaf.
Recommendations: It was interesting for me to look over the tasting notes from this California wine and not see Cabernet Sauvignon thrown into the mix. Now before I get a bunch of hate mail/comments, I know that California makes more than just Cabernet, just feels like every time I get a blended wine from there, some Cab manages to find its way in, so it was nice to see one without.
When I poured the wine into the glass I almost feel in love right there. The deep purple color of the wine assured me that this would not be a light wine that would be overpowered by my meal. Not that I was worried a quick dinner of pizza would overpower most any red, but I was sure that it would hold up to even the thickest, juiciest, most seasoned steak I could come up with. I was right.
It took a while for the aromas to come out for me as the smell of alcohol was fairly prevalent at first, but after allowing the wine to open up I did start to get some of the black cherry on the nose. I can’t speak to the mulberry on the palate (as I don’t know what a mulberry tastes like to be honest), but the same cherry that I was getting on the nose came through in the mouth.
My favorite part of this wine was the nice tannic finish. I’ve always been a fan of a red that sort of kicks you at the end, and this wine did just that for me. That’s not to say that the tannins were over the top, but they were there and present and there’s no missing them. The wine was good with my pizza dinner, but I could have easily paired this with a steak or some pasta and it would have been just as good if not better.
Fortunately, for being a more bold wine, even after the food was gone the wine was still quite enjoyable. Granted I enjoy fuller wines even just to sip on without food. All in all it’s definitely a wine I would give another go to, especially this time of year as I’m spending a lot of time either grilling steaks and burgers or making quick dinners of pizza or pasta.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the sample for this review.
For those looking for the wine you can order it directly from Home Grown Farms.
So last night I was fortunate enough to attend a tasting of the Octavin Home Wine Bars in Washington DC. While I have sampled a few of them before, I was able to taste the whole range of wines that they’re offering in this new packaging. The event was hosted by Cork’d and we were able to meet the wine maker of the Big House Red and White – Georgetta Dane.
The first wine I tasted was the Monthaven Chardonnay. I’d had this one before and it was exactly as I remembered – a touch of oakiness on the finish, but a fairly straight forward California Chardonnay that will pair well with chicken and pasta with cream sauce. Next up was the other white I had already sampled, the Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc. It doesn’t feature as much grapefruit as a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, but it’s still crisp and refreshing with good citrus flavors and is great for hot summer days.
Next up was the first wine I hadn’t tried before – the Big House White. A blend of Malvasia Bianca (51%), Muscat Canelli (14%), Viognier (13%), Gruner Veltliner (10%), Pinot Gris (5%), and Riesling (4%) the wine showed the Viognier on the nose with a very floral aroma. Tropical fruits on the palate made it a refreshing wine and one that would definitely pair well with seafood.
Moving over to the reds we started with the Big House Red (which I’m not going to list all the varietals in…there are just too many. You can check out my previous post on it here). A good table wine that would be perfect for a quick glass after a long day of work and for blending in with pasta sauces while cooking, none of the varietals really stand out, making it seem to have a single note, but it’s still a good table wine.
Next up was the one that I was probably looking forward to the most, the Seven. A blended Spanish wine of Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Merlot (25%), Syrah (18%), Petit Verdot (8%), Tempranillo (8%), Grenache (8%), and Graciano (8%), there was a nice berry flavor with good tannins and a robustness that I found enjoyable and certainly made me want to pair it with some grilled red meat.
Finally was the Boho Old Vine Zinfandel. Jammy is the best way to describe this wine, and it lacked the usual spice and pepper that I associated with Zinfandel. That being said, this is a BBQ wine through and through. If you’re making ribs for a summer cook-out, this is a good go-to wine.
All in all I had a great evening, the wines were all enjoyable, the location was spectacular, and the staff was incredibly helpful. I want to thank Cork’d for hosting the event, and Lima Restaurant and Lounge for your amazing service.
Varietal: Rose (40% Cabernet Sauvignon; 33% Merlot; 23% Cabernet Franc; 4% Malbec)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $13
A bright, vibrant pink with aromas of candied rose petals and peach. Flavors of cherry and candy with a crisp finish. Pairs well with Asian, Mediterranean, Mexican and vegetarian dishes.
Recommendations: During our March trip to Charlottesville to visit several vineyards, my wife and I stopped at Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard towards the end of our first day of tasting. Tasting several of their wines, we ended up bringing two home – one of which happened to be their Albemarle Rose. I finally got around to opening it last night and I’m wishing I had bought another bottle of it.
First, to put it in perspective, my notes while tasting this wine boiled down to “Obnoxiously Good”. As for my actual thoughts on the wine – the floral aroma of rose was definitely there, and while I’ve never smelled candied rose petals and thus cannot speak to the validity of that claimed aroma, there is definitely a floral, rose aroma to the wine that seems to fit with the pink color.
I got more strawberry than cherry flavor out of the wine and while it was advertised as having a “sweet” flavor, I in no way found it to be sweet, which was a good thing. Crisp is the best word to describe this wine, which made it a great pairing for a dinner of grilled chicken with cajun seasoning with some garlic green beans and butter noodles.
The crisp, bright flavors of the wine did an excellent job of cutting through the spice of the seasoning on the chicken, and most importantly, we were sad to see the final drop fall from the bottle. While Rose’ tends to get a bad name thanks to White Zinfandel, I’ve been warming to them more and more as I sample them, and for somebody that grills a lot of white meat during the summer months, this wine in particular has a lot of potential to find its way back into my home.
Definitely one worth trying out, especially if you’ve been hesitant on Rose’. If you can’t find it at your local store, Kluge does ship and you can find the wine here.
Varietal: Merlot
Region: Washington – USA
Cost: $13
Dark red in the glass with aromas of blackberry and dark berry and cherry on the palate. A slight tobacco finish with hints of smoke. Pairs well with chicken, veggies, grilled meat, pasta.
Recommendations: Merlot has, for a while, had a bit of a bad rap. I had been avoiding it for a while simply because I had had bad experiences with lower quality wines and it had clouded my judgement towards the entire varietal. However, this past year has changed my opinion of the grape, with Virginia producing several high quality Merlots. While this bottle didn’t come from Virginia (other side of the country in fact) it did continue the tradition that my home state has started of changing my opinion.
My wife and I picked up this bottle at a tasting event at our local wine shop. We had a hard time deciding between the Merlot and the Chardonnay from this winery, but ultimately went with the Merlot. We should have picked up more than one bottle. The deep red color of the wine in the glass was inviting to me as I love a dark colored wine – something comforting about it to me.
The aromas of berry, particularly blackberry were present but Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Malbec
Region: Argentina
Cost: $24.99 (SRP)
Slight violet hue with aromas of ripe cherry and plum. Spice on the palate with hints of mocha and blackberry. Pairs well with red meat, quail, turkey, roasts, and hard cheeses.
Recommendations: I got a sample of this wine with the suggestion that it be paired with steak, and really, who am I to disagree with a suggestion like that? The wine itself had hints of purple running through the deep red it showed in the glass, and the aromas of cherry were far more noticeable to me than plum.
In the mouth, berry and spice were evident, with a hint of mocha on the finish that did a nice job of cutting through the higher alcohol content. Paired with a dinner of grilled steaks with sides of mashed potatoes and Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Blended White Wine (41% Vidal Blanc; 34% Chardonnay; 15% Traminette; 10% Viognier)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $15.99
Slight floral notes with flavors of melon and citrus and a hint of sweetness. Pairs well with white meat, appetizers, spicy food, and hot summer days.
Recommendations: My parents live near Potomac Point Winery, so while it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to go and visit them in person, I am fairly familiar with them and their wines. Because of that, I’m a big fan of their La Belle Vie, always keeping some on hand as the warmer months roll in as it works great as a deck wine.
The floral notes on the wine would lead you to believe there’s more Viognier in it than there is, and while there’s just a hint of sweetness, it’s countered nicely by flavors of citrus and a touch of melon. The wife and I paired this bottle with a dinner of pork chops from the oven, some corn, and a pasta side, but really the ideal pairing for this wine would be either a cheese and meat platter on the patio or a dinner of good Thai food. Read the rest of this entry »
