April 29, 2009
Happy hump day! My recommendation this week would be Hess Collection wine from
Napa. When I was at the store this weekend the bottle of chardonnay
jumped out at me and I had to buy it. It was less then $20. Now in
these times yes I am a bit snobby and therefore I like to keep my
chardonnay costs down to about $15 or less but I couldnt help myself.
So off home I went with my treasure. Wow, it is a nice treasure. With
some hints of oak and a very veletly butterscotch taste I have to say I
was glad I purchased it.
I had to admit though the next night it
seemed to have lost some of the butterscotch flavor which I loved but
still a great wine. 4 our of 5. Visit the winery!
Also if anyone is in the San Luis Obispo area this weekend there is a barrel event going on. Check out the detail here.
April 25, 2009
So what does Houdini have to do with wine? For christmas I received two gifts from my sister and I have to tell you I love them. One is the houdini wine preserver - I have never been big into the vacuum pump idea with wine I think just because I am lazy, but oddly enough I have easily gotten into it. The set comes with two wine preserver stoppers. My only issue is that I think one of them no longer works, you can hear it hiss as the air is gradually coming back out. So I am thinking maybe they aren't made for serious use? It has only been 4 months.....but when they work they are great!
The
other item is the Houdini wine pourer. Now my sister got this one for
us so we would stop running around with a bottle of wine and a
papertowel. Basically we would pour then us the papertowel to wipe the
side of the bottle if needed. So, this item fits great with the green
earth theme of the week and we love it. There is absoultly no dripping
of wine and no need for a papertowel. I have to admit we never use the
stoppers and I am not even sure where they are at. I guess you would
use it if you were just leaving the bottle overnight and are done??
April 22, 2009
Ok so I am sort of on a champagne kick lately and decided to round up a few trivia notes so you go:
Champagne Trivia:
- Most wire cage handles are twisted exactly 6 half turns (not all but most)
- To get the cork out of the bottle you turn the bottle not the cork
- You want to open a bottle with the least amount of sound – more sound = less bubbles = less flavor / smell
- The smaller the bubble the better the taste / smell (I also find it is less liking to give you a headache if you over indulge - who me?? Never)
- To chill toss in a bucket with ice and salt (the salt speeds up the chilling process)
- The Europeon Union was able to restrict the usage of the term méthode Champenoise when making champagne unless it is made in Europe; therefore on all bottles of "sparkling” wine made elsewhere lists méthode traditionnelle on its label. Essentially that a wine can not be called Champagne if made outside of the Europeon region.
Bear
and Lion 2006 Old Vine Zin - you got to love it. I am a huge fan of
Zins and this one from Howell mountain is a must get. I get alot of
berry fruit and chocolate which is always good! This would be a 4 out
of 5.Taste now April 17, 2009
Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2006
This wine had a fruity smell with a hint oak. The taste was apricot and citrus. A very well balanced Chardonnay for a 4 out of 5. Try it and let me know what you think.Try now
April 16, 2009
Last
night for our Tax filing relief party (can it be a party if there is
just two of us?), we decided to try the Kitnon Sryah 2005 from Santa
Barbara. We are starting to get into what I would consider not so traditional wines and this one was excellent. I was very impressed for the price point and the quality of the wine. The
color was deep red and I was very surprised to see how dark it was. The
smell had some spice and fruit and the flavor was big with a very
earthy fruity taste. This one has to be a 5 out of 5. Try now
April 15, 2009
Ah! Do I dare say it is tax time. That time of year well hopefully most everyone does not have to pay.
Event time:
Central Coast Wine Classic July 9-12, 2009 From tastings to cycling, lunches and dinners this event has it all. Check it out at Central Coast Wine Classic .
April 13, 2009
I
hope everyone has a great and safe Easter holiday. We had a great
winery experience - check it out on the Wineries tab above.
April 9, 2009
We were just in Napa recently and were recommended to go to Goosecross Winery. And now I am kicking myself because I can’t remember the names of the two guys that were there, they were great! Note to self – take more notes!
Anyhow, The wines they had there were great and we of course bought a few to be sent home. The Goosecross 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay is very crisp and clean with lots of fruit. It paired nicely with a simple chef salad for dinner. Purchase Direct from Winery!
April 7, 2009To get updated information on the Paso Wine festival in California go to this site. I have not yet been to one of their events which is just a shame considering I grew up in San Luis Obispo! Maybe this year I will have to check it out....http://www.pasowine.com/
I also found this cool site if you are up in Northern California and are looking for wine events. Click here.
This site is cool also for local wine events. http://californiawineryguide.com/events.html
I am liking there is an even in Santa Clarita on the the 30th of May. I
think I will have to check that out and let you guys know how it goes.
April 5, 2009
2005 Russian River Toasted Head Chardonnay
I purchased this wine because I thought the name and label were cool. The price of course is right at less then $15.The smell is oak with a hint of spice – I am thinking maybe Clove. I get some of the spice on the taste as well but it is smooth and very nice. I paired this with an orange soy pork chop and the match was excellent. 4 out of 5. Check out their favorite pairings. http://www.toastedhead.com/hostandtoast/
April 3, 20009
2006 Ghost Pines Cabernet Sauvignon
This wine is 72% from the Napa valley and 28% from Sonoma valley. This is the second bottle I have had from Ghost Pines. The first one was a merlot which I still need to write up. The Cabernet is great. When I poured the wine the cab like smells of oak and pepper filled the air. One of the things that make a wine for me is the nose, and this one was great. The color was a light purple, the taste was not too fruit forward and it opened up nicely as it sat out. This one would be 4 out of 5 for me. Purchase Here!
April 1, 2009
Hawkstone Napa Valley 2005 Barney’s Heritage Cuvee Merlot. This wine scored a 83 point by Wine Enthusiast, 2008. With only 1253 cases it is considered a limited release. On the smell I got a pepper and cherry flavor making for a rich nose. The color was a deep red purple with a dry plum on the taste with a hint of chocolate. This is a great steak with chocolate cake for desert type of wine. 5 out 5. http://www.hawkstonevineyards.com/