dinner and drinks

Last night's dinner was full of all sorts of lovely things that were wine. I decided to try my second attempt at braising a roast in wine. My first attempt was good but the meat wasn't as tender as I'd heard it should be. This time I didn't follow a recipe. I had a roast and browned it on all sides in olive oil and added salt and pepper. Then I put that in my dutch oven threw in some potatoes, cut up onions, carrots and celery. I dumped a bottle cabernet savignon on stop, covered it up and put it on my stove to bring to a boil. Once I got to a boil I turned off the heat and put it in my stove set at 275 for 4 hours.

After about 2hrs the entire house smelled like cab sav. I didn't think it was possible, but it was lovely. Now came the decision of what to drink while making the rest of the meal and while eating. It sorta of seemed that since I was cooking with a cab sav I should be drinking a cab sav. But I've been more in the mood for Syrah's lately. I'm not sure what the rules are or if there are rules about what wines to drink when cooking with wine. I went with the syrah and had a bottle of Cycles Gladiator Syrah. It was yummy

I've had Cycles Gladiator pinot noir and it is a standby for me and good pinot noirs. I enjoyed the syrah just as much. I had opened it the day before and thought it was good, but with dinner and being open for a day it was delish. I had planned on just a small glass. C and I shared two large glasses. I would have finished the bottle except R hasn't been letting us sleep much lately and any more wine would have forced my eyes shut by 8 last night.

Dinner turned out wonderfully. The meat cut like butter which is how I've heard it described on top chef. That's the essence of braising, long and slow under low heat in an acid environment. I've read you can also braise in beer. The wine turned the onions a lovely purple color as well as the other veggies. It was such a nice dinner. I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today!

Scott Harvey Barbera 2007

I haven't been around much mostly b/c life has been busy and taken over any extra blogging time. Also b/c early summer tends to be beer drinking time for me, so not a lot of new wines have been tried. Until recently...

A few weeks ago we drove up to Chicago to visit the fam and stopped by my favorite wine shop. It was a chilly weekend and rainy, I wanted something red to warm me up. So I asked the wine nerd who worked their to recommend a syrah to me and he recommended Opolo's syrah. I haven't tried this out yet but I'm very excited to. Then I asked him what his fave wine was in the store right then and he immediately went to Scott Harvey's Barbera.

I'd never had a barbera before, in fact I'd never heard of it. An Italian grape that produces good yields and is known for it's deep color, low tannins, and high acid. It's definitely low on tannins, didn't need much air to smooth it out. And the next day the wine's still good and tasty. It's a good wine and I'm glad that I tried it out. I paid $20 for the bottle and I'd get it again. Although it was good it's not on my favorite list I give it 4 stars.

Charles Krug Cab Sav

Have you ever had a really good cabernet sauvignon? One that just melts in your mouth its so smooth and just gets better as it breathes. The color of these cab savs are an amazing deep red like gazing into a ruby. And probably as precious as that ruby. I haven't done a lot of experimenting with cab savs. I know that a really good one is worth its weight in those rubies. I also know there are a lot of bad ones out there.

Charles Krug cab sav which is part of the Peter Mondavi family wines is one of those really good cabs. I would never have picked it out myself, with the bland label and I've seen the price range from $24 (what I paid) to $30 a bottle. It was actually recommended to me by a fellow vino lover who has similar wine tastes to me. I threw it in my cart next to my cigar zin and palo alto and left a happy camper.

This is the first and only wine drank at our lil slumber party that I can review. It had the perfect amount of oakiness, a small bite that smoothed out as the air hit it. The flavors where strong and complex. This is not a light berryish wine. I would drink this wine with a big meal or while nibbling on dark chocolate. Or by itself. I give it 5 stars, a lip licking good wine. I'll have to get it again just to see if another bottle will bring as much satisfaction.

CigarZin

Back in December I posted about a search for CigarZin. I'd tasted it at a local restaurant called 309 and very much wanted a bottle. In January I took C back to 309 and ordered a glass but was told that the Cosentino winery had been bought out and that they didn't have any of the cigarzin left and weren't sure if they were going to continue making it. I was bummed. We tried their normal zinfandel and it was good but not as spicey and wonderful as the cigarzin.

Then a couple weeks ago while at the wine tasting at UFS I ran into bottles and bottles of cigarzin. Another quick check of their website shows that they did merge with Vintage Wine Estates early this year. But their wine shop very much looks like they will continue to make and sell the CigarZin. The website lists the bottle at $22, I paid $14 or $15 at UFS a local discount store (with a huge liquor section).

I do perfer that good wineries stay small and family owned. Not that I know a lot about this but I love the romatic idea of it. Large wine companies that take over all the smaller ones ruin that dreamy perception. But I know that can get sorta political and I'll stick to more of what I know...good tasting wine.

CigarZin is yummy and yes that is now an official term to describe good wine. It has a nice rich berry flavor thats followed up by this spicey bite that makes me say hmmmmm. I could drink this wine by itself but it would be supurb with a nice meal. I will be buying more of this wine in the future. I give it 4 stars!

Testaroassa Palazzio 2006 Pinot Noir

About a year and a half ago I discovered the wine shop in Naperville I mentioned in the last post. They had recently bought out a wine shop that had been there since I'd met my hubby. At first I was a bit hesitant since I tend to be loyal to the shops I enjoy. But then I discovered first their huge variety of wines, and second the glorious sale they have every year around my birthday. Every year they have a huge sale, a buy one bottle get another for a penny. Any bottle as long as you buy two of the same. The owner happened to be there when I discovered the sale and was wonderfully lost and overwhelmed in a sea of wine trying to figure out what to buy.
He steered me to some wines that were higher priced and I hadn't heard of before. We chatted about what we enjoyed to drink and he told me about how his wife had the daunting task of tasting all the wines and figuring out what they should sell/stock. She happened to particularly like the Testarosa 2006 Palazzio Pinot Noir. They were priced at thirty something dollars a bottle but with the sale I figured that was reasonable and I wanted to try something new and exciting.
I opened the first bottle not long after I purchased them and found it to be strong and very bitey for a pinot noir. This was probably the first pinot noir priced over $12 that I'd ever drank, and so I was not used to needing to let a pinot noir breath. Of course at the time I didn't realize this and figured it was kinda a eh wine. More of what I would expect from a cab sav, which was not what I was wanting then. The second bottle was put on the rack and forgotten about. And then I got pregnant.
It took until the babe was near 9mo old and my wine supply freakishly low before I thought about opening this second bottle. This time I let it breath. I poured it into my decanter and then poured a glass and let it all sit in the air for at least an hour. The first sip is still sorta bitey for a pinot noir but that bite goes away after the second sip. And then by the third it turns into a sigh of contentment. Not many wines let me make yummy noises w/ every sip, this one does/did. It's a beautiful crimson red wine with complex flavors. I can't pin point the fruit in it and that makes me happy. And its oh so smooth, how air does wonders for some wines. Or maybe maturity of my pallet but this wine is definitely 5 stars, lip licking good, and won't be forgotten for quite some time. You definitely can't just a wine by its label or even its first taste in this case.

Hayes Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Peterson Wine Cellars is an awesome wine store in Naperville IL, only about 5min from my inlaws house. I visit this shop almost every time we're in town. C enjoys their beer selection and I always find different wines here. They have some fun and amazing sales. They have a top sellers area where they show the top 10 bottles that sold the best that week or month. I bought their number one to see how the tastes of Napervillians compare to my own. So I got their number one sold bottle, Hayes Ranch In the Saddle Cabernet Sauvignon.

I let this bottle breath a half hour to an hour in my decanter. It's really a yummy wine. You can taste berries in front and then you get a bit of the oak and the sauvignon bite at the end. It's a nice bite, not too much. And then I got sick, a cold which turned into the flu, and I was out of commission for a while. 2 and a half weeks later feeling better and craving a little wine I poured a glass of the remaining wine. It's still a decent wine! A little bit more of a bite than when fresh but it was definitely still drinkable and delicious. I give this wine 5 stars, lip licking good, both fresh and two weeks later.

Tiz 2004 Red wine

I bought this wine to have around Christmas time and just now got to drinking it. It was cheap about $7.99 from Fresh Market. Between the price and the pretty label I was sold.

It was an ok wine. A blend of merlot, cab sav, and syrah, that's not too bad. You get a bit of the fruit up front then a bit of bite to behind but nothing too bad. It tasted better when I drank it with dinner than it did while I was cooking dinner. By the third day it had smoothed out a bit and was actually quite tastey. The fourth day was a rapid down hill. A little air definitely helped but the decline is sharp so drink her up quick.

I'd rate it a 3 "eh." I wouldn't go out and buy this again but if its on hand its not too bad a wine to have.

Sale Wine is the Greatest Wine of All

If I were to list my favorite types of wine, I think my list would go something like this:

10. Moscato

9. Anything with Petit in the name

8. Syrah

7. Cheap Wine

6. Pinot Noirs

5. Cabarets

4. Expensive Wine

3. Zinfadels

2. Old Vine Zinfadels

1. WINE ON SALE

So, imagine my excitement when strolling through the aisles of Safeway a couple of weeks ago and found Firefly Ridge 2008 Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon on sale for $6.99 regularly $16.99. I consider anything that is more than half off a winner already. Plus I love the name Firefly - consider it a side effect of my obsession with all things Whedon. It already had two things going for it. It was wonderful $7 wine and I would totally stock up on it for that price. I doubt that I would pick it up full price, but that's the danger with sales right? Cause I'll be honest when shopping, I look for the little yellow tags telling me how much I'll save on it this week and I can't remember the last time I bought a full priced bottle. I may be a wine sale slut.

What's your thoughts on sale wine? Does it ever prevent you from buying at regular price? Or does it make it so full price bottles that much more special?

Overall rating: At $7 it is 4 stars meaning "pretty good I'd drink it again" and at $17 it is 3 stars meaning "eh".

Blackstone Merlot

Merlots elude me, seems like every one I've tried is different. I don't remember any that have really stuck with me as I gotta have that again. A few months ago I ordered a glass of Merlot while out for dinner and really enjoyed it. I remember it being dry but with a wonderful plum flavor that really won me over. I really thought it was a Blackstone Merlot, so I picked up a bottle to see if I would like it at home.

I opened this bottle as a sipping wine which could be my first mistake. Some how I'm thinking merlots are more a wine you drink with dinner. I didn't taste any fruit the first day this was open. It was bitey and very dry. I slowly sipped a glass, poured the rest in the decanter. The next day I sipped another glass with dinner and it was better. I still didn't taste the plummy flavor from the restaurant so maybe it wasn't Blackstone that I had. I finished the bottle with C on the third night while cooking dinner. It was still ok. Not a fave. And I would rate it "eh."

What are some good Merlots I should try? Anyone have any faves?

Tollinger mit Lemberger

Earlier this year I received an awesome happy baby gift from a good friend in Germany. She sent a small bottle of German wine. She picked a kind that she had not tried with the great idea that we could try it on the same week and discuss. Later we came up with the idea that we should try it together via skype. Last Saturday Nordwolke and her husband sat in front of their computers in Germany and 7hrs and a gazillion miles away me and Chris sat in front of our computers while the four of us sipped wine and beer and chatted the night away.

She sent a small bottle of wine from the Felsengartenkellerei Beigheim winery. It's the Trollinger mit Lemberger the name of two grapes blended together. It was a good wine, something different than I'd ever had before. It was the color of cranberry juice, darker than a blush but lighter than a normal red wine. It tasted sorta like a concentrated blush. Strong fruit flavors but it was dry wine. Definitely not too sweet. I can't really think of anything to compare it to that I've tried before. I enjoyed this over a blush. It is a great table wine in that you don't have to eat to enjoy this wine, or it would go great with just about any meal. I would try this again, or maybe try another from the same company.

'The Other' Red 2008

Label was everything with this wine. I'd seen it before in the wine store we visit while in the Chicago area, and this time I impulse purchased based on the theory that wine with a naked lady on the label's gotta be good. The Other is made at Peirano Estate Vineyards in Lodi California and is a blend. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 10% Syrah.

I thought this wine was ok. I haven't tasted a lot of blended wines to say whether this one particularly well blended. It definitely benefited from breathing. I sipped after 10 min in my glass and it needed to sit for another 20 min or so. The bite mellowed out a bit and I could taste a bit of plum or fruit to it that I think comes from the merlot. I associate plum flavors with merlot. Two days after sitting in the decanter and the wine is still good. I can taste the beginnings of oxidation but the initial bite is still there but much mellower than the first night.

My theory of naked ladies on the label has so far panned out. This wine wasn't bad, although I'm not sure I'd go out and buy it again.

What's in a label?

One of the most important things I look at when I select a bottle of wine is the label. I'm such a sucker for wines with a great name and a vivid label. Classy wine drinker, I am not. This past week, I was looking for a bottle that I could take tailgating before a recent concert. I was looking for a wine that was 1) a screw top (save me from having to remember a wine opener) and 2) inexpensive. I ended up bringing Bear Flag's smooth red blend. The label was designed by Eduardo Bertone (take a look at his website here) and is so freaking awesome. The bottle and label are lovely and scream California. For less than $7 the wine was as advertised smooth and easy to go down. I wouldn't pick it everyday to drink, but I know I'm going to have to pick up the other blends to view the labels.

Anyone else choose wine based on the label? Isn't this label super awesome? Anyone else tried this wine, what'd you think?

Francis Ford Coppola Pinot Noir

Yesterday was our 4 year anniversary and our first date without R. We choose to go to a local restaurant called the Fish House. Fine dining without having to dress up too fancy. Looking forward to this celebration all week long we decided to say the heck with it and take fine dining seriously. Which to us means lets order a bottle of wine with dinner. They had a decent wine selection. The waitress recommended her faves which were a Chardonnay or a Merlot. I wasn't in the mood for white wine, and I wasn't in the mood for Merlot. We chose the Francis Ford Coppola Pinot Noir and we were not disappointed.

Typically if you order a red wine and heartier meal would compliment it more. While whites supposedly go with the the more delicate meals. To heck with that, I think that good wine will go with good food. The pinot noir wasn't an over whelming strong red wine like cab savs or zins. So it worked well with my pan seared scallops with pesto and Chris's filet mignon two ways.

The wine was a very lovely ruby color. It was smooth and I could taste berry flavors. It made both of us make yummy noises after each and every sip. I would definitely drink this wine again. And even better news, after talking w/ my mom, I found out she's been drinking it fairly regularly. She gets it for $15 at her grocery store. A great price, and I look forward to enjoying it again.

She came from Greece, she had a thirst for knowledge (or wine)

This past summer, I made a trip to Greece. I tend to fall in love with things easily and it was of no surprise that I fell in love with the Greek wines. The wines are rich and potent, just like I like my wines..... and my men. I tasted several different house wines and find myself lingering still when I go to visit the liquor store in the Greek wines section.

One of our stops was to Minos Winery on the island of Crete. Even at 8 a.m, I was ready for wine tasting. One of my favorite things is cheap, well made wines and Minos had several options. I picked up this Medium - Sweet Table Wine for about eight euros. I tasted it tonight and it was just as delicious as I remembered and instantly took me back to the Mediterranean. I wish I had the kind of refined palate that I could tell you the different flavors in the wine, but years of killing my taste buds with hot sauce and super sour candy have limited my ability. But I can tell you that it's strong, jammy and delicious and that's all I need to know. I'm just upset I couldn't cram more of these bottles into my luggage (Although, I have a tiny bottle of Rose saved for later).

Food and Wine recently had a whole section dedicated to Greek food and Greek wines. I ended up tearing out the entire section of recipes and wines and added them on my to drink and to cook list. Seems I'm going to recreate the Greece experience in my kitchen and my glass for the next few months.

Anyone else have any knowledge of Greek wines? Do you have a wine that reminds you of a favorite place to travel? Let me know and I'll add it on my list!

Menage a Trois vs Goats do Roam

Friday we had Akabar and AZombie over for dinner and drinks. The guys had beers and we decided to sample two red wines that are reasonably priced. I provided the Goats do Roam red that is priced at $8/bottle. I think I'd sampled this a while back but couldn't remember what I thought about it. And Akabar brought the Menage a Trois for about $12/bottle. She's been a fan of the red and I hadn't tried it, although I've enjoyed their white before.

Menage a Trois was opened first. At first sip it had quite the bite. But then I put it down to get the food cooking and by the time I came back for another drink the wine had smoothed out. Smoothed much better than I normally expect for inexpensive wines. This was definitely the fave wine of the night. More was definitely drank from this bottle than Goats. Plus as Akabar suggested the true test of a good table red is how it tastes the next day. Menage was just as good the next day as it was the night before after breathing. I even finished the bottle off Sunday and then I could faintly taste the beginnings of oxidation.

Goats do Roam was not a bad wine, it just wasn't as good as the Menage a Trois. The bite that comes with the Goats wine comes late. So you take a sip and it tastes almost watery until after you swallow and then you get the flavor. Which is sorta not my fave. This wine didn't smooth out after breathing either. This might have been more enjoyed with a bigger meal such as a steak or roast. I did take a small taste of it the following day and it seemed to have the same flavors. I haven't had any more though and now after 4 days I'm sure that the third of a bottle that is left is oxidized and not very good.

a year in the waiting

Last August while on vacation in Michigan I stumbled upon a bottle of Petite Petit by the Michael and David vineyard in Lodi California. I reviewed this wine earlier that summer and needless to say it was wonderful. I haven't been able to find a place in Illinois to purchase this particular wine so I grabbed a bottle and brought it home. And then I got pregnant. So the bottle sat on display in my dining room for a year and two or three weeks.

Friday night I got a craving, we called up some fellow wine drinkers and invited them over, and cracked it open. Poured it into the decanter to let it breath for about a half hour. Then divided it up and sipped it's goodness on the deck on a cool summer evening.

This wine is still good stuff. I was worried that the pregnancy changing my tastes preferences. No worries here. It's so different when you drink a really good wine. I'm glad I had this before I started reviewing wines again. It raises the bar and reminds me that there is another level of wine wonderfullness.

It's a smooth wine and full of flavor. You can't take a sip without sighing with content or saying mmmmm. We nibbled on fresh berries and dark chocolate which worked well, but I think a good steak dinner would really be enjoyable with this wine. Hopefully I won't have to wait so long to enjoy this one again.

Red Truck, Pino Noir

One of the first wines I started to drink regularly was Red Truck's red wine. I haven't had it in a while so I don't want to officially review it. I was under the impression that Red Truck's brand was relatively small. I'd seen their White Truck white wine and their Pink Truck's blush, and I thought that was the extent of their selection. I was wrong. This past weekend I found out that they have a huge selection of just about every kind of wine you can think of.

We tried Red Truck's pino noir and their syrah. I'm only going to review the pino noir since that's what we drank first. Although I remember the syrah was ok and I'd try it again.

It wasn't the best pino noir I've had but it definitely wasn't the worst. It had some fruity flavors and was fairly smooth. I'd drink this again as it was a good wine for the 10 dollars, and it's nice to mix up the selection. And for anyone out there collecting corks I've always enjoyed red truck's.

Cline 2007 Zinfandel

Two weeks ago we had some unseasonably mild weather for July. And the we went up to the Chicago area to see family it was a bit chillier and I was glad to have brought this bottle with me. I tend to like reds more in chilly weather although I can always drink a good red wine...pino noir, syrah, zin. I already knew Cline vineyards makes a decent zinfandel, but I haven't had it in about a year so this was a nice refresher.

It's a nice smooth zinfandel, with rich fruity flavors. It reminds me of fall and I want to nibble on cinnamon apples while sipping this wine. Or even while camping on a chilly evening while sitting around a camp fire. I would drink this again and again.

Petite Petit

phew I'm so completely falling behind in my reviews. I guess it's a good thing that I haven't been drinking too much wine lately! Other wise it would be a lost cause. I purchased the Earthquake Zin at Michael and David vineyard and Miranda purchased the Petite Petit.

At the time (wines here are so good so I can see my faves changing w/ my mood) these were the two fave wines we tasted. (At that point in time I was more in a zin mood, if I were to choose right this second I would pick the petite.) This was a smooth, bold, lovely petite petit. We drank ours w/ take out chinese while catching up from not seeing each other in months. The bottle disappeared quickly, but every drop was thoroughly enjoyed. I would definitely get this again. Not only is the label fun but it has an awesome cork.

Earthquake Zinfandel

I am back from California although I still might be on California time. Ugh and the fact that it's Thursday is still confusing me. But I am back and have a couple of wines to share.

After being picked up at the airport, Miranda and I headed straight for Lodi to visit the vineyards on our list. First stop was Michael and David vineyards. I've reviewed several wines by them before, and Miranda is also a member of their wine club. We tasted a variety of their wines, a couple white, a rose that was interesting, and then several of the reds. Earthquake Zinfandel was my fave of the day and I quickly purchased a bottle.

This delicious zin is smooth and bold and full of flavor. I've said before Lodi zins are the best, and this lives up to that. The label and cork are both fitting for the name. And to quote the vineyard's description of the wine, "it will rock your world." Although heed my warning, with over 15% alcohol sip this one slowly.