Thursday, February 18, 2010

Branching out

I seem to be trying more reds these days. Maybe that's because lately if I buy white, it's one of my stand-by's. But they say red is better for you so I am trying to branch out a little more. I had a couple of really good reds over the weekend that I want to share as well as a local white.

The first red I picked up at my trusty Total Wine. It's a French Pinot Noir by D'Autrefois and it was $10...not too bad. It was very smooth with a nice finish. It was light and medium bodied with flavors of raspberry and blackberry. Very earthy. I drank it alone but it would go great with red meat or even turkey. Hubby liked it a lot as well.

The second one is one I have actually had before but it was either before I started this blog or I forgot to blog about it. It a South African 2007 Cabernet by Man Vintners. I got it at Whole Foods for $7 so it may be less other places though I haven't really looked for it anywhere else. It was bold and with the aroma of red berries and a hint of oak. I also detected currants. It had a smooth finish and was very good with a red sauced pasta meal. It would probably be great with red meat too.

Now the local white is from Lakeview Winery and Vineyard in Clermont, FL which is about 45 minutes away from where I live. I haven;t been there yet but I hope to go this spring. Our Total Wine carries all their wines so I picked up their Southern White which was labeled as a premium table wine. It cost $9. Now, I will admit it was NOT what I expected. I expected a dry to semi dry wine. Nope, this was sweet...very sweet, very similar to Moscato. It was smooth and flavorful with fruit aromas though they were tough to distinguish. I checked the label AFTER I tried it and it said it had a SLIGHTLY sweet finish much like Muscadine grape. There was nothing slight about the sweetness. The label says it would be a perfect match with cheeses, fresh fruit and rich desserts and I am inclined to agree. I drank it alone but I think it would be a great dessert wine.

I am starting Weight Watchers on Monday so I will probably be sticking to wine when it comes to drinking so that should help me with my "research." Ha ha!

Monday, February 8, 2010

G'Day Mates!

I think by now you have all figured out that when I go to my local Total Wine, I often try their specials at the front of the store. And so far I have been pleasantly surprised. So, I continued that trend the last time we went. They had several varieties from Gumdale on display, all for $7. Gumdale is in Southeastern Australia and is named for the eucalyptus or gum trees that surround the winery. I decided to try a white and a red so I chose the Pinot Grigio and the Shiraz.

I tried the Shiraz. Shiraz is my second favorite red, behind Cabernet. I drank it alone and it was lovely. It was full-bodied with hint of berries and plums. It was spicy with a slightly sweet finish. Total Wine recommends trying it with barbecued pork so I may do that next time I get it.

The pinot grigio was just as good. I detected hints of pineapple and citrus. It was crisp with a clean finish. I hadn't had pinot grigio in ages so it was nice to find a new one that was good. I think this would be great with light grilled dishes in the summer like veggies or seafood.

That's all I have for now but I do have several more new wines I have picked up to try, including one local to the Orlando area. I'm working my way through them and will update soon. Happy drinking!