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!