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!

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!