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!

En Mi Casa

So you'd think after a gluttonous T-day, I'd reel it in and not eat out or drink. HA - that did not occur.

After keeping myself occupied with house repairs all Saturday, I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner from Eli's and Eli's Wine Shop. I selected a potluck of cuisine from the cold food bar including cous cous salad with feta cheese, chicken salad with mayo, red onion and dill, tomato salad and some random pasta (I said it was a potluck). So I wanted to pair this plethora of cuisine with a glass or two of wine. I decided to try Bib Graetz's Casamatta Toscana 2008. It cost $13 more or less, and it went with my delicious meal. Casamatta means crazy house, and clearly my cuisine could be described as the selections of a kook (I like to think I had no clue what I wanted for dinner and just picked things that looked tasty.)

The red wine is a Sangiovese blend that's smooth and rich. You can taste the red currant and strawberries. However it's a little too weak for my liking, aka now that I'm currently drinking it not paired with food I don't enjoy it as much as I did with my crazy Saturday dinner.

Snap Decision

I've been slacking lately, and am still having issues trying to write up this review. I went my usual wine shop near the 77th ST 6 train. There were red bottles on display with an orange label and a red dragon. Diageo is the distiller of 2007 Snap Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon, which has oak, blackberry and chocolate flavors. I think when I first opened the bottle I didn't let it air sufficiently. It was too sweet for my taste and it didn't really hit the spot with my whole wheat pasta. However when I had it tonight (3 days later), it tasted a less sweet and it kinda worked with my Japanese dinner of crunchy spicy tuna roll and steamed shrimp dumplings (forget the Japanese name). The bottle costs about $8. While I'm not sure if I'd buy it again, it wasn't the end of the world. It does question my selection abilities - I may need to stop looking at the pretty labels.

Cannonball!!!!!!!!!!

I did something I never thought I'd do again. There is this wine shop right by the H&H Bagels that I have avoided for over a year. Basically it's a family owned booze store and because I chatted up the eldest son at the place one time, he started asking my former roommate about me. It was just uncomfortable and I would just avoid looking into the place whenever I'd walk by it.

However, the other day I was running around. All I wanted was a nice bottle of red now that the weather is getting chillier. So I took the plunge and I walked into the store. I think since the father of the family was working at the store today, the son didn't catch me up. Anyways enough back story...

I decided to try a cab sauv from a California Winery, Cannonball. Now normally whenever I read the back of the label, I'm like I can't taste the chocolate you're talking about. With this bottle, I could totally taste the chocolate, as well as the hints of oak and strong berry flavors. It was bold, intense and went down smoothly. And with 13.7% alcohol by volume, you just might feel like doing a cannonball into a pool or lake.

Proven Wrong

This blog post is dedicated to Ma-Bridges, Miko Chan and Bella, who have forever been telling me that Rose is a good wine.

I have never been a fan of the stuff. I've been repulsed by it in the past. Also, after reading about fake roses (mixing red and white wine together), it turned me off completely. Bella was a fan of a rose she bought at the Trader Joe's wine shop, but that $6 bottle didn't do it for me at all. It taseted like a cheap diluted wine with a splash of red dye (sorry Bella).

Given my reservations, I don't know what compelled me to buy a bottle. I guess I had a glimmer of hope that there had to be a decent tasting Rose. My true love is a glass of red (Cab Sauv, Syrah or Malbec). However, in this heat there is no way I am drinking that. So I went to my local wine shop and I saw a Bordeaux Rose called Chateau La Mouliniere on display and I asked one of the store clerks whether it was decent. He told me it was and that all I needed to do was put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill it and that it would be great.

I kept it in the fridge longer and I have to say I liked the wine. It was berry filled, with hints of strawberries and raspberries. It was also crisp and refreshing. Now I don't plan to start buying Roses all the time, however I will not dismiss them completely in the summer when I want to drink wine.

So there ladies -- you have proven me wrong, and I'll bite my tongue now. :p

Trader Jose

With these current economic times, and since I am still living on my unemployment check, I have started trekking from the Upper East Side down to Trader Joes for my bi-weekly grocery shopping. So I set off this week with my reusable grocery bag on a mission to buy some goods. It had been a while, but I decided to enter their wine shop to replenish my stash. I spent $15.50 on 2 bottles of wine -- oh how I love Jose! Well, the white I selected I didn't particularly enjoy. I'll normally go for a Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc, and this time I tried a French table white. Not good, and I'm forgetting the name of it. All I know is I'll never buy the white wine with the goat label again.

However, I did get a decent bottle of red wine: Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon (2006), which cost about $9. Since being unemployed, I almost always drink a glass of wine with my lunch. It makes me feel all warm and happy inside, and probably helps me unwind from my gym workout. I should probably be drinking more water post workout, but that's not as appetizing as pouring a glass of red. This full bodied wine has blackcurrant aromas. It also has hints of dark chocolate and smoke. It's not too overpowering and it goes down quite smoothly. Great compliment to a satisfying lunch. I worked with what was left in my fridge from my Trader Joes purchase and concocted a warm chicken salad, consisting of rocket arugula, mozzarella cheese topped with red wine vinegar and olive oil. The chicken I marinated with adobo (very Hispanic of me), ground cumin, smoked paprika and good ole salt n' pepper, and cooked it on the stove top. I'll probably be hungry in two hours, but it was better than me grabbing a slice of pizza post workout. Ahh this wine is putting a smile on my face :)

Lambrusco, Where Have You Been All My Life!

Wow I've been on a hiatus: my apologies! Anyways, before I forget, I wanted to make mention of a sparkling red wine I tried almost a month ago. I was introduced to Lambrusco by a former coworker who had an obsession with it. I soon began to taste the hypnotic effect of cold red wine. It sounds so wrong, but it is so right.

I was off to a friend's rooftop party one Friday evening and I was not entrusting the guests to bring decent wine. I took it upon myself to buy a bottle for myself and two girlfriends to share. I went to one of my favorite local liquor stores -- Crown Wine & Liquor. Now I don't know why I feel compelled to write this, but I think I have been going to this liquor store since it opened almost 4 years ago. I went there so much that when I used to take the bus to my first paying PR job, I would see the lady who owned the shop bringing her son to school and it took me a few times, but I finally recognized her. Yeah, I feel when you can recognize the woman who sells you your alcohol outside of the normal setting, you have a problem. Or it's customer loyalty -- I might go with the latter. However, I'm digressing, so let me get on to my review.

I asked the man working that day where the Lambrusco was. He introduced me to Riunite Lambrusco. At first I was hesitant. The Lambruscos I had previously imbibed cost roughly $15 -- this bottle only cost $6. I asked the man if this wine was good and he said yes. He told me he sells Riunite and another brand that is more expensive, however he believes Riunite is the better bottle. This shop had never led me astray, so I put my faith and money in their hands.

The wine tasted divine and it quenched my thirst. This medium bodied wine had hints of plums and cherries, so it was fairly sweet. It reminded me of sparkling grape juice, but better than that. My girlfriends thought I made a great choice for a warm spring night.

I have to say this is the best Lambrusco I have had and the best cheap bottle I have ever purchased. My goal in life is to find the best cheap/moderately priced wines (also food), and keep track of my memories via this blog. I enjoy jotting my memories down and I hope you're entertained reading it. I'll write again soon!

Malbec, Glorious!

So I probably did the ghetto-est thing ever.  One of the janitor guys in my parents' building gave me a bottle of Malbec.  It's one of the many bottles of wine my parents' neighbor throws out -- he's a wine critic, so he gets boxes and boxes of free wine shipped to him and throws it out.  So I was able to capitalize on this via the janitor - I feels so dirty, sketchy con carne to be exact.

However the Malbec is good, but it's not an Argentinian Malbec.  The Official Yolo County Sawbuck Malbec retails for about $12  This California wine has aromas of ripe red apples, blackberries and vanilla.  It also has hints of spice and leather.  It's a soft Malbec, but goes down effortlessly.  And the same vineyard makes my favorite Syrah, Matchbook, so I am officially a fan of these California guys.  The Malbec is going nicely with my DVR-ed L&O SVU.

Temento

As usual, after I left my Monday yoga class, I made a pit stop at Vintage Grape to pick up some vino.  With these economic times, I opted for a wine that was on special.  I chose an Austrian wine this time around: Tement Temento 2006 ($11.99).  This Welschriesling/ Sauvignon Blanc blend is fruity, crisp and aromatic.  Welschriesling is not at all related to Riesling.  It's a Austrian white grape that produces dry wine and dessert wine.  It went nicely with my wheat pasta lunch. 

So Clos

I picked up a bottle of Clos Du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (+/- $15) at my local wine shop post taking a body conditioning class.  I feel it's the end goal of my daily workouts - the "I burned enough cals so I'll buy those wine bottles" mentality.  I have to say this is the probably the first red wine I've found to be refreshing aka I could drink it in the summer and be content, even on a hazy, hot and humid day.   There are hints of black cherry and plum.  However, I don't think their label should say that the wine goes nicely with fajitas - that's just random!  Next thing there will be a wine that says on the label "goes fabulously with sushi."  I will say this wine went nicely with the chicken and tomato slice I just inhaled.

Oregon Trail

I've been trying to expand my wine experience, so I have more interesting things to say in my blog entries.  So instead of going for a Spanish or California wine, I decided to give Oregon some love. I bought Badger Mountain Vintage 2007 Syrah ($18 +/-).  It's medium bodied and has hints of black pepper and oak.  Some descriptions mention hints of blackberries, blueberries and smoky bacon.  I taste a bit of blackberry, but I get no bacon aftertaste sipping this wine.  Badger Mountain is also a certified organic winery, so that made me feel good about my purchase.  It's a little pricey for an unemployed gal, but it goes down smooth and went nicely with my concocted dinner from the cold prepared foods section at Eli's - couscous with feta and scallions, assorted raviolis with basil and roasted garlic, and tuna salad (OK I know the tuna is obscure, but I needed a protein and the chicken options weren't cutting it).  I give the wine three stars!  It's not robust like a Malbec, but sometimes you want to tone it down a little.

Another Screw Top Favorite

I am a firm believer in being frugal when it comes to wine purchases.  Since I'm currently unemployed, I have taken this to a whole new level.  Anyways, I decided to try Penfolds Rawson's Retreat Shiraz Cabernet 2007 (+/- $10).  I'm a huge fan of Australian wines, which probably stems from my junior year abroad in London where I was able to buy Australian and New Zealand wines at the Sainsburys.  But I digress. 

This wine, which has nuances of ripe berry, chocolate and spice, went down like a cold beer in a chilled glass.  It doesn't have a thick aftertaste or anything, it's great and cheap.  I'm nursing this bottle as well, but I'll probably be done with it by Sunday.

Castellano? No Wait Castano

I stopped by a liquor store on my way home from running errands on Thursday.  I chose a Spanish wine with a screw top called Castano Monastrell Yecla 2007 ($10.99).  At first sip, the wine has a bold flavor and spice.  There are definite blueberry and blackberry aromas in this dark purple wine.  I'm nursing it slowly.   It went well with dinner I cooked for my girlfriend this evening - angel hair pasta with tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese; arugula salad with herb goat cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and half a squeezed lemon, topped with fresh pepper and salt.  Oh, and Crumbs cupcakes for dessert.  Talk about a lovely Friday evening dinner date ;) 

Here's To The Currently Unemployed!

It's been awhile since I last wrote.  Now that I'm not currently unemployed I'm going to dedicate myself to reporting on what I consume, starting with this past Friday.

I was introduced to Una Pizza Napoletana, probably the best pizza I've had in a while with a great group of girls.  I chose to eat the Bianca pizza and the rest went with the Margherita.  Each "personal pie" that could feel 2-3 people costs $21.  But we couldn't have pizza without wine.  For a cash-only place, their wine list was great.  We went from red to white, so we started with a bottle of Penisola Sorrentina Gragnano (2007) sparkling red wine from Villa Monteleone.  I am a lover of Lambruscos, so I was doubtful of this red wine bottle that was plopped in front of us.  My doubts soon subsided as I washed down the delish pizza with the fabulous bubbly red.  A bottle will cost you roughly $13 at a wine shop, and it's a dry yet refreshing red that goes perfectly with pizza.  Now since one bottle wasn't enough for 5 lushes, we next went with a bottle of I Borboni Asprinio from Terre del Volturno.  I haven't been able to find any information online about this wine.  It doesn't surpass my favorite prosecco, Cantine Riondo Prosecco Veneto, but it still washed down the pizza and tasted pretty good.  Now onto a bad review...

I went to Eli's Wine Store on 3rd ave between 80 and 81st street looking for a wine that would compliment my lunch from Beyoglu, one of my fave Mediterranean restaurants.  I got a lamb dish of course, homage to my days living in London and off lamb instead of red meat.  So I was looking for a red that went with the lamb.  The wine guy said the baby del Rey (2004) would go nicely.  HA - the after taste is atrocious.  I don't know if it's a prune taste or what, but all I know is I was disappointed.  I just read a review and someone said they could taste a hint of raisin - I hate raisins, so now I'm not surprised that I'm not a fan of this wine.  Also it's French - I should have known better. I normally stick to Cotes du Rhones or George DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau - I'm truly upset with myself.  However, since I'm unemployed, my heart (wallet) can't take pouring out the rest of the bottle.  So I'm still drinking it, almost gaging every time I swallow.  No, I can't do it -  I have to much pride.  I poured the remainder of what was in my glass and the bottle into the kitchen sink.  Money down the drain.  PITS!

Monster Mash Part Deux

On Thursday, a few of my coworkers and I decided to go to VERO for lunch, but importantly for the Cookie Monster dessert!  I decided to do the prix-fixe lunch.  I chose the panini hot sopressata, roasted red pepper, watercress and asiago.  As you can tell from the picture below, the panini came with some olives.  My lunch also came with a side portion of the VERO chopped salad, consisting on romaine, feta, sweet onions, red peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, chick peas, currants and lemon vinaigrette.  The food was spectacular.  The panini and salad were delicious.  I actually normally ask for fresh pepper on my salad, but I didn't need it for this.  Everything was amazing, including the glass of red wine that came with my lunch.  I chose Montepulciano d'Abruzzo La Monica 2006.  It goes down like water, and at the restaurant a glass normally costs $9, but you can find a bottle for $7.  I need to find this bottle!

Now for the dessert - cookie monster is the bomb.com.  VERO changed their recipe a touch since the last time we went there for the dessert aka the dish was a lot smaller than last time to our chagrin.  The original dish would have filled the 4 of us, however we were smart and ordered 2, so we were good to go.  It basically consists of a big chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and berries.  When I'm on my deathbed, I think this dish would be on my last requests list.  It feels like home, but it's also aesthetically pleasing, like something you'd expect to be served at a five star restaurant.  

Jury Duty = Good Food and Wine

So I had the privilege as a U.S. citizen to "volunteer" my time for the greater good, aka get suckered into mandatory jury duty.  At least I don't have to report for duty for at least another 6 years.  On the bright side, it meant two days off from my day job and an excuse to wander around Chinatown/Canal Street to find good eat.

My first day of Jury Duty was this past Monday, which was the Chinese New Year.  Now you'd think I'd pay homage and have a Chinese lunch.  But I had this craving for pasta, so I walked down Mulberry Street on my search for an Italian feast.  Walking down Mulberry reminded me of walking down Charlotte Street in London, where I'd get accosted by restaurant managers trying to persuade me to eat at their Indian restaurant.  At one point during my trek,  I had an Indian man trying to sell me on an Italian restaurant, and it just didn't fell right.  Finally, I saw a beautiful restaurant on the corner of Mulberry and Broome called Grotta Azzurra.

My meal was spectacular.  $9.50 for lunch, pasta and an entree.  To start I chose the rigatoni with pancetta, tomatoes, cream and vodka.  It wasn't heavy, just right!  And the waiter brought me warm semolina bread with butter.  I should have asked for olive oil, but sometimes butter is just too good to pass up.  I chose chicken parmigiana for my entree that came with broccoli and roasted potatoes.  It was a feast and in Midtown near my office, this meal would have cost me over 30 bucks.  Also, I don't think Frank Sinatra music would have been playing the entire time I was eating.

Oh, and, I couldn't have this amazing meal without a lovely glass of red.  I selected a Sangiovese wine  - I'm beginning to test out the Italian wines.  I chose the Melini 'Borghi d'Elsa' vintage 2006.  It went down smooth and had bold flavor.  According to the bottle description, there are scents of iris, raspberries and spices.  The dry wine had an aftertaste of toasted almonds and fruit.  All in all it was an excellent choice - a nice $7 glass.  Now the lunch, included a 20% gratuity, for a total of $21+.  I normally bitch about gratuities included in bills, but the waiters were so nice and I had a such a great lunch by myself.  AAAH it was great, and then I had to head back to Jury Duty base camp.

The following day I finally decided to eat Chinese.  For a lovely grand total of $7.25, I had a small cup of egg drop soup with a general tso's chicken and white rice.  If you're ever in Chinatown, China Village Restaurant at 94 Baxter Street is where it's at for lunch.  I mean when the Chinese go there for lunch, it has to be good!

Oh Mitch, you shouldn't have!

Mitchell's Wine and Liquor Store holds a special place in my heart (liver).  It's near my friend's gorgeous UWS apartment, where I first discovered my favorite wine hands down.  Banrock Station from Australia makes an amazing Shiraz.  It has a deep purple color with aromas of black currant, cherry and spicy oak, with cherry and red berry fruits.  

I discovered it the first time I was going to my friend's apartment to watch Season 7 of American Idol about a year ago.  Now every time I go to her apt, I drop by Mitchell's to buy the magnum bottle that used to cost $8.99, but has gone up to $10.99.  I almost had a heart attack last night though when I couldn't find the Banrock Station Shiraz.  I always knew exactly what corner of the store I could find the Banrock Station magnum bottles, but they were not in my line of sight.  I turned to one of the store clerks asking where the Banrock Station could be and if they still carried it.  He replied yes and pointed to another area of the store where the hard liquor is shelved.  So now I know where the magnum bottles of Banrock are at Michell's, and I won't have a heart attack over the booze again.  

Not only is the Shiraz spectacular, so is the magnum Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot.  I think they put some form of crack cocaine in the wine because I'm hooked.  Hell I think pee could even be in the wine and I'd still drink it!  My AI crew and I finish the magnum bottle every time.  And to boot, the proceeds from each wine purchase goes to environmental projects around the world.  So I like to think  I'm helping Mother Earth while being a complete wine lush.  

Puerta, I Mean Porta

My friend CKC reintroduced me to a wine store called Drink on the corner of 69th Street and 2nd Avenue.  It's a very unassuming place and houses a wide range of wines at moderate prices.  I decided to take advice from the Wine folks at WSJ, and I decided to give Pinot Noir another shot.

I decided to try 2008 Porta Reserva Pinot Noir ($16.99).  First, the color of the wine is blood red - I usually go for more plum colored wines.  The wine had cherry and berry flavors, but it was not as full bodied as I would have liked.  The wine looked and tasted diluted.  

So lesson learned, I will not be drinking Pinot Noir again*!

*Unless it gets highly recommended by a sommeliere.

Happy 2009!

Oh another year has come and gone!  I personally have better odd years than even, so bring on 2009!  I read the following article on wine to-dos in this weekend's Wall Street Journal that I think everyone should do this coming year.    I'll write again soon!