Posts Tagged ‘Shiraz’
Varietal: 100% Shiraz
Region: South Eastern Australia
Cost: $7 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Ripe blackberries and blueberries with spicy black pepper on the nose. Pairs well with BBQ baby back ribs with macaroni salad, jerk chicken with brown rice and black beans, or without any food at all.
My Review: It’s been unseasonably warm here in Virginia so I’ve been able to make use of my grill here at the end of January and start of February when it’s usually covered and forgotten until March. Because of that, my wife and I recently threw some chicken on the grill with some BBQ sauce basted on and decided to open up a bottle of Fisheye Shiraz that had been sent to me.
Varietal: Tempranillo (60%); Shiraz (40%)
Region: Spain
Cost: $11.99 (SRP)
Aromas of spice and cherry, with flavors of dark cherry, chocolate, blackberry, plum, and earthiness. Pairs well with hearty meals such as Texas pork ribs, lasagna Florentine, tapas, lamb, and Spanish chorizo.
Recommendations: My wife liked this bottle just because the label was orange, her favorite color. I was intrigued when I got this sample some weeks ago as I enjoy both Tempranillo and Shiraz, but hadn’t really experimented with them blended. Finally, this past weekend while having a friend over for dinner, I decided to give it a try.
The wine was nice and dark in the glass and featured aromas of cherry and a bit of spice and earth. On the palate I got black cherry and a nice smooth finish that was oh so welcome. While I didn’t pair the wine with a Spanish dish, I did have it with a nice nice hearty beef stew that my wife had been slowly making in the crock pot all day. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Rose (70% Grenache; 30% Shiraz)
Region: South Australia
Cost: $15
Deep pink color with aromas of fresh berries and strawberries. Berry on the palate, notably raspberry, with a crisp finish.
Recommendations: I have officially consumed more pink wines in 2009 than in the previous 3 years combined – and that’s ok. My experience with pink wines started with the Peju Provence, and it has ended with the Angoves Nine Vines Rose.
A gift from my brother-in-law and his wife for Christmas, I was intrigued given the blend of Grenache and Shiraz. Dark pink in color with ripe fruit on the nose and refreshingly tart flavors of raspberry on the palate, this wine was a great pair for marinated salmon, mashed potatoes, and garlic green beans.
While I will be the first to admit that I am still hesitant about pink wines, this past year has taught me to be a bit more open minded, and the Rose from Nine Vines is a good one to be open minded with.
By: Sara Kahn, Founder of The Cheese Ambassador.
Whether you are hosting a soiree or a casual get-together this holiday, your mission is to provide your guests with warm hospitality, lively conversation and a delectable spread of food and drink. Whether the menu is complicated or simple it better be delicious. Serving a sumptuous gourmet cheese course is perfect as a starter or centerpiece of the meal. Not only is the preparation simple (no cooking!) but more importantly, your guests will enjoy discovering and savoring new favorites. As a wine lover, you want to impress with the right pairings but the overwhelming selections of wine and cheese can make your head spin. Relax. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing the right combinations of cheese and wine. Just keep in mind a few simple considerations.
A cheese course is about observing and enjoying contrasting and complementary flavors. For a foolproof gourmet cheese course, select 3 – 5 cheeses that vary in texture and flavor. Add some crusty bread, fresh or dried fruit, olives and nuts and voila!
Remember, wines are meant to cleanse the palate, wash away the tongue-coating richness of the cheese and prepare your mouth for the next delicious bite. It’s important that your selections don’t overwhelm the cheese and vice versa. Essentially, you’ll want to match wine and cheese of the same intensity level. Just remember “like for like”.
Take a look at the gourmet cheese categories and wine recommendations below for guidance. You’ll see how easy it is to serve an elegant wine and cheese course. For best results, just add friends and family.
Read the rest of this entry »
With summer upon us, Whole Foods Market is rolling out a selection of wines for summer that are priced to make their way into your home for parties, cookouts, or just for a night with a special someone. Starting at just $9, these whites and reds should be a welcome addition to any home.
Whites
Presto Prosecco - Brighten up your summer brunch with the fruity effervescence of this popular Italian Sparkler. Crisp, clean and refreshing with flavors of tropical fruit, it’s content on its own, in mimosas or as a cheerful contrast to hollandaise-topped egg dishes, stone- and tree-fruit salads, light fish or the rich and buttery Fromager D’Affinois.
Rudolf Müller “Bunny” Riesling - Floral, fruity and flirtatious with crisp peach, pear and light acidity, this drier-style Riesling is a splendid apéritif and the perfect match with lighter seafood and salads, Asian spiced cuisine or firmer cheeses such as Hirtenkase Aged. Read the rest of this entry »
Target Wine Cubes
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz (50% Cabernet Sauvignon/50% Shiraz)
Region: California – USA/Australia
Cost: $15.99
Fruit forward Cabernet Sauvignon has a hint of pepper from the Shiraz on the finish. Dark berry flavors present a very mild red wine with low tannins. Will pair well with sauce heavy pastas or as a contrast to heavily seasoned red meats.
Recommendation: For now I’m going to ignore the pros and cons of boxed wine (that will be another post at date soon to come) and look more at the wine. The Target Wine Cube Cab/Shiraz blend is very fruit forward, enough so that if I didn’t know it was a 50/50 split on the blend I would think it was more Cabernet than Shiraz. This wine came camping with my wife and some friends, and for enjoying in the great outdoors with some food cooked over an open flame, it was more than adequate.
I’m not going to delude myself into thinking that Target is now the purveyor of some amazing wine, but for anybody looking for a basic table wine, you really can’t argue against what they’re offering, especially when you consider it’s 4 bottles of wine for under $20. I wouldn’t serve this at a dinner party, but it’s certainly worth keeping on hand for anybody that just drinks wine by the glass.
