Pirate's Booty!

Today I "judged a book by its cover" aka I saw a pinot noir bottle called Blue Pirate and I automatically gravitated towards it. It's a screw top bottle, which I honestly don't love unless I'm heading to an outdoor picnic or have decided to smuggle wine into the movies, which I strongly recommend as it goes quite nicely with popcorn.

The wine is named after the blue birds that would wait patiently on the trees outside the Westnut hazelnut factory and steal the nuts from the delivery trucks. The wine is made in the nut factory now, but there is no hint of hazelnut in this wine. At first taste I questioned my selection, thinking it was a weak and watered down wine. It grew on me though. You have to wait for the after taste which is very berry, but the tannins balance it out. Not sure if I'll buy this wine again. You definitely need to pair the wine with something. This evening it was a bowl of whole wheat spaghetti with marinara sauce sprinkled with crushed red pepper, leftover Fairways lemon and garlic chicken and some olives mixed in for good measure. This wine is not my best selection, but it isn't the worst I've purchased.

With a blah review, comes a good review. If you ever go to Balthazar for a meal, I recommend ordering the 2008 La Font du Vent “Notre Passion” Cotes du Rhone. Some people give CDRs a bad rap because it's one of the most inexpensive French wines to get. However, this bottle was delicious and it went nicely with my duck confit and my friend's burger (I got the thumbs up). In addition, the married couple we were with thought the wine went well with their seafood dishes (more 3rd party endorsements). The bottle costs $40, which split between 4 people is a bargain. And almost everyone knows I'm all about a good wine at a low cost.

2004

When I think of 2004 I think of my last semester of college and graduation. Now I'll think of the quirky cork that has 2004 branded on it, which I'm saving of course. The cork is the calling card of what is my new favorite Cabernet Sauvignon: St. Supery. It's a family owned estate winery in Napa Valley.

Normally I do my own wine purchasing for blog material, however this time round my father got it for me as a gift slash he said he wanted me to write a blog post on it. Thanks Papa!

On the back of the label, it says the wine has the following elements:

"...The layers of blackberry, anise, and cassis with just the right amount of toast create a wonderful aroma. Copiously flavored with black currant, truffle, black raspberry with espresso, this wine becomes more complex as it slowly opens up. The finish firms up nicely with ripe round tannins that give it a concentrated and well-focused core of fruit..."

I have to be honest - I can't taste the anise, cassis, truffle or espresso (I never claimed to be an expert). However, the wine is medium to full bodied and I can taste the currant and raspberry. What won me over with this wine was the slightly acidic (or maybe a better adjective is tangy) aftertaste. I may have had half the bottle already, but it washed down my delicious dinner consisting of chicken cutlet (seasoned with Goya Adobo, curry powder, salt and fresh pepper) and Near East couscous with pine nuts. I even had two pieces of Ghiradelli 86% cacao dark chocolate squares for dessert.

Now this wine does not fall within my price point (I'm seeing it for about $30, however Papa made it sound like he dropped a lot of change). I'd probably pay $30 for this bottle - it just wouldn't be a weekly or monthly occurrence. I give St. Supery 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon two thumbs up!

MYO Vino and An Homage to Bronx Wine

So I've neglected my blog for some time. There's really no excuse besides going on a beer and hard alcohol binge, as well as sheer laziness and an occasional crappy bottle of wine - I don't care what the Eli's Wine man told me, that Slovenian white was not good! I digress...

Today one of my childhood friend's came over for dinner and a movie. My fridge was pretty empty, so she brought the meat and the Annie's Mac N Cheese. The only thing I could offer was a bottle of red that had been sitting in my fridge for a few months. I had been hesitant to open it for a while because my friend Massiel said I should wait until at least May. I thought I should give it a little more time, but I had no other alternative in my shoebox apt and I didn't feel like stepping outside in 90+ degree weather to buy anything.

Chateau J&B Meritage Reserve 2007, from California Grapes, was made by Massiel's father Juan Pedreira and his sidekick who's last name is Azuaje - no first name on the bottle. They made the wine at MYO (Make Your Own) Wine in Westchester, NY. I'd never heard of a place where you could borrow a winery's machinery to MYO. I have to say it tastes very much like a Cabernet Sauvignon. It's medium, bordering on full-bodied. There's a hint of spice and I can definitely taste the black cherry. I hope Mr. Pedreira and Mr. Azuaje continue to make this delicious wine.

I was expecting Chateau J&B to taste more like the moonshine my dad and his buddies try to pass off for legit wine. They make it in a basement in the Bronx every year, mixing red and green grapes. It's a big to do in late September/early October for my dad and his buddies Al and Frank. Every year since I can remember we go to Nonna's house. I think my dad got involved in the winemaking when I was about 9 years old. I remember I'd go with him, but basically Al's daughters and Frank's daughter and I would help push crates of grapes to our dads and sometimes we'd help trying to pry the boxes open with hammers. However, soon enough we'd go upstairs, watch TV, gossip and take a nap.

Now that I'm older (and can drink) and appreciate this time with my dad and my childhood friends it's goes a little differently. We all sit at the kitchen table and the men figure out how many grapes they need to get, but most importantly we all discuss at great length what food stops need to be made on Arthur Avenue so we can have the Last Supper before we get to work making wine. We're about 15+ people now in this wine making circus - fiances, bfs and friends have been added on over the years. It's like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but in truth it's my Italian/Guatemalan/Honduran/Colombian mash up.

Every time I drink the moonshine wine, I think of time with my dad driving to Nonna's, catching up with my childhood friends/family I don't see as often as I used to, the laughs we share, the great food that leaves me in a comatose/indigestive state and the stinging on my arms from mixing the grapes in the barrels. It's not the best tasting wine, but I'll have it any day because it brings me back to these memories that hold a special place in my heart.

Buonanotte

This is one of the first nights in a while that I'm not working late or somewhere else. It was also a rough day at the office, so when I got off the subway I went to the nearest liquor store and bought wine.

Now I don't normally go for Italian wine, but I had a feeling I was going to eat pasta for dinner. I decided to get a 2008 bottle of Villadoro's Montepulciano D'Abruzzo. For about $10, this soft, medium-bodied wine hits the spot. The black cherry flavor isn't overpowering, so it went well with a vegetarian dish. I would definitely buy this bottle again. I also recommend Trader Giotto's artichoke ravioli - they were delicious. However I ate the entire package, which apparently is 3 servings. Oh well!

Pajarito

It's been a while since I blogged about wine. I like to think it was winter blues and a combination of drinking vodka dirty martinis and Prosecco/St. Germaine cocktails. However, now I'm getting back in touch with the beverage I can have every day of the week.

So I got back into the swing of things with a Chilean wine called Batitu Merlot 2008. Apparently Batitu is named after a charming bird, however is that even a legitimate bird? Anyways, it is a medium bodied wine with aromas and flavors of ripe berries. It paired nicely with the meal I made that evening, consisting of chicken cutlets with lemon and pepper marinade, couscous with Parmesan cheese and a mesclun salad. It was also $6, so perfect frugal prices for this recession that still lingers.

Happy 2010!

It's a new year, however this post is dedicated to a wine I got as a Christmas gift gift from my boss. I don't really know why I saved it for so long - actually I do. From about Thanksgiving to the New Year, there were quite a few parties to attend. I barely had alone time in my apartment to type on my laptop at night, like I'm currently doing. Also, I was trying to not gain too many pounds from the excess of food and drinks I imbibed over the 6 week span. I'm digressing...back to the topic at hand - WINE!

So my lovely boss Mr. E got his staff a bottle of white and a bottle of red. I wasn't a fan of the white, so I'm moving on to the red wine which is very pleasing. Crozes-Hermitage Domaine Combier 2007, a Syrah blend from Northern Rhone, sells for about $30. This deep ruby, medium-bodied wine is quite enjoyable. There are hints of raspberry and pepper. It has an interesting mineral finish to it, which I believe is due to the stainless steel barrels that are used during the wine making process.

I'm not a huge French wine fan, but I give this my seal of approval. It would probably balance out a hearty meal, however I'm a full-bodied wine fan. Before I stop writing - a shout out to David E who I hope will get inspired this year and try more wine (when he's actually at the legal age to purchase it all by himself) ;)

Yalumba!

I might have discovered a new favorite Aussie winery. I'm still loyal to Banrock Station, even though the wine shops I go to now no longer keep their Shiraz in stock. Perhaps this was necessary for me to discover the Yalumba, Australia's oldest family owned winery dating back to 1849. I chose their 2007 Shiraz Viognier blend. This medium bodied wine has aromas of violets and blueberries, with hints of ground spices, lots of red berry fruits and supple tannins - a nice balance. My issue with most Shiraz is that it borderlines on full bodied and it's just an overpowering of sweetness. The addition of the Viognier -a white wine grape - makes this wine go down smoothly. I give it my seal of approval!