6 Month Old Wedding Cake

Posted on March 1, 2007 by Sonadora

I think I may have mentioned that we went to visit my parents recently. And while there, it just so happened that we have been married for 6 months. My parents, unbeknownst to us, had actually taken the top layer of our wedding cake home with them and frozen it for us, but had no idea how to get it to VA without it defrosting at least a bit on the trip. I decided that since we were there and it had been exactly 6 months, why not just eat it then? So we did, and then my mom packed the rest of the now defrosted cake in cooler for us and we took it home to finish it. Now, surprisingly, 6 month old wedding cake didn’t actually taste too bad, though I can’t honestly say how it compared to being fresh since I think I got the bite Matt fed to me and that was it.

At home we chose to open some bubbly to finish up the last bit of cake. And what did I have in the house, but a bottle the “could’ve been a contender” for my very first WBW, “Sparkling Wines.” I actually did purchase it then, with the idea that it would be my entry, but decided against it at the time. The bottle is a Toso Brut from Mendoza Argentina. It cost me $10 for this and a split in a gift package at World Market.

It worked well with our cake, which Matt served with some fresh strawberries I had chopped earlier in the day. On the nose, this one is all yeast and a little toast. In the glass, it is very very fizzy. In the mouth, this is a dry wine, with no discernible fruit flavors, but more yeast and a nice bubbly feel. Overall, I would have rated this a “party sparkler” for the WBW, given the wallet friendly price and overall quality.

Cheers! And wow, 6 months went by so fast!

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More bubbles!

Posted on February 12, 2007 by Sonadora

We are still celebrating. And probably will be for a while, and then again when we close and move in to our new house. I love even saying it, yay, a house!! And then celebrating some more in May when through an enormous housewarming party. Any readers/winebloggers in the area who want to come celebrate? I don’t think we’ll be serving Cristal, but it will fun!

Anyway, we celebrated a bit more on Saturday and had a another bottle of Korbel, this time a Moscato Frizzante. This bottle is only available in the tasting room and through the Korbel wine club, and I think it cost us around $15. I know it was Matt’s favorite wine of our tasting.

In aroma and flavor, this was much like a Moscato d’Asti. On the nose it was floral and sweet. In the mouth, there were pears, apples and peaches. It’s a sweet bubbly, one I will like to consume on our new patio come summertime! The wine in the glass displayed a tiny little bead, itty bitty bubbles that carried over into the mouth. While sweet, the structure of this wine is very well done and it would make an excellent apertif.

Filed under: Everyday Wine, Korbel, Sparkling wine | Comments Off on More bubbles!

I know it’s not fancy

Posted on February 11, 2007 by Sonadora

However, I think that this is a decent bottle of sparkling wine for the price. I understand that Korbel gets the brush off from many wine lovers, and that’s fine, but I’ve never been a fashionable person myself, so when I’m looking for a bottle of sparkling wine that is very inexpensive and I know will deliver a reliable flavor, this is what I go for. Since we are celebrating our house and our “champagne” tastes are going to have to shrink in cost from the Roederer we love, we had a bottle of this Korbel Blanc de Noir. We picked this bottle up for around $8 at Korbel Cellars last summer.

In the glass, the color is of toasted almonds. It has a tiny bead and lots of them, I’m not sure my photography skills are quite good enough to pick them up. When I poured it at first there was a lot of foam in the glass.

On the nose, there were peaches and a slight yeasty quality. In the mouth, dry strawberries and rapsberries. It’s a crisp sparkler with good bubbles on the palate. Overall, it’s quick and easy and consistent in flavor and what you expect of it. Simple and fun, and does not disappoint for the price.

Filed under: Everyday Wine, Korbel, Sparkling wine | 2 Comments »

Holy Grapefruit Batman!

Posted on February 9, 2007 by Sonadora

Last night we opened the last bottle from my most recent quest for everyday wine at the Curious Grape. This was a 2006 Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc. I picked it up for $10.99, it’s 12.5% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure.

My kind of Sauvignon Blanc! Big ol’ grapefruit and nothing much else, but that’s okay with me. I love the crisp citrus flavors of this style of Sauvignon Blanc. The grapefruit was all over the nose and in the mouth of this wine.

I served this with ham, cheese and pineapple omlettes last night. It was actually a really good match. Although this wine was fairly simple, it was a great and inexpensive everyday wine and I’d definitely get it again.

Filed under: Everyday Wine, Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa, White | Comments Off on Holy Grapefruit Batman!

2005 Milton Park Chardonnay

Posted on February 6, 2007 by Sonadora

Sunday night we drank this bottle of 2005 Milton Park Chardonnay from South Australia. We actually went to a Superbowl party but peaced out at half-time mainly cause I was having an allergic reaction to the place we were. By the time we got home I was all better and we decided to watch the rest of the game and drink a bottle of wine. I picked this bottle up for $8.99 at the Curious Grape. It had a screw cap and is 13.5% alcohol by volume.

On the nose of this botttle I found an herbal scent with wafts of vanilla coming out of the glass plus oak and just teensy bit of butter.

In the mouth, there were spices, a little lemon and a bit of peach. It had a fairly long finish. Overall, a very drinkable everyday wine, especially for the price!

Filed under: Chardonnay, Curious Grape, Everyday Wine, White | Comments Off on 2005 Milton Park Chardonnay

Alois Lageder 2005 Pinot Bianco

Posted on February 2, 2007 by Sonadora

After falling off my quest for everyday wine, yesterday found me back at the Curious Grape, mainly to get a present for a friend, but also to pick up a few bottles for us (really, can any of you walk in the wine store to get one thing for a friend and not get at least a bottle for yourself??).

Last night we had this bottle of 2005 Pinot Bianco from Alois Lageder. It hails from the Alto Adige area of Italy, is 12.5% alcohol by volume, cost $10.99 and had a real cork closure. I paired it with the last of the Zuppa Toscana, not the best pair, but eh, I really wanted a white one last night.

On the nose I found minerals and just a hint of apple, with prehaps the tiniest bit of grass showing through. In the mouth there were sweet apples and white grapes. The finish just keeps going, easily for a minute or more, the taste just lasts and lasts. The wine was smooth and full in the mouth and very easy to drink. I think this one was an excellent value for money.

Filed under: Curious Grape, Everyday Wine, Italy, Pinot Bianco, White | Comments Off on Alois Lageder 2005 Pinot Bianco

The Forrest Through the Trees

Posted on January 27, 2007 by Sonadora

Last night’s wine was all about the pine! The bottle was a 2004 Quivira Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. Weighs in at 13.8% alcohol by volume (thankfully less than the night before!), cost us $13.60, though I found it online for $11.99, and had a real cork closure. I served it with chicken roll-ups, cream sauce, broccoli and white rice. I thought a crisp Sauvignon Blanc would be a good match for the creamy, cheesy chicken dish. I thought it turned out well, with the acidity cutting through the creaminess and cleansing the palate.

Thie one was full of pine on the nose, with some lemon (but not smelling like pinesol, I promise!). Citrus flavors were in the mouth, with crisp apples and a little bit of a creamy melon flavor at the end.

Overall, the wine had good acidity and structure holding it together which balanced well with the fruit flavors. It’s not terribly complex, but is easy to drink and was a pleasant match with dinner. And if you can find for around $12, I think it’s an excellent deal and would easily be something we could use as an everyday wine. It was especially nice to see a wine under 14% alcohol by volume!

Filed under: Everyday Wine, Quivira, Sauvignon Blanc, White | 3 Comments »

A Liter of Wine!

Posted on January 8, 2007 by Sonadora

Matt accidentally opened the botttle in our wine fridge that holds a liter of wine. Generally I don’t like to drink that much on a work night, but it’s open and I don’t have a cool wine preservation system (birthday gift perhaps) like huevos con vino so I guess we were stuck consuming it last night.

A 2004 Muller-Thurgau Halbtrocken from Germany. Screw-cap, cost $10.99 at the Curious Grape and is 12.5% alcohol by volume. This was a light, floral wine, with just a hint of citrus. I got mostly flowers, both on the nose and in the mouth. It’s simply a very easy, not fancy or deep white table wine.

I served it with green beans, lemon-herb chicken and herbed fried potatoes. It was a decent match and it wasn’t long before the bottle was gone, despite it being larger than normal.

Overall, simple, easy to drink, light table wine.

Filed under: Everyday Wine, German, White | Comments Off on A Liter of Wine!

A Swing and a Miss

Posted on January 7, 2007 by Sonadora

A bottle of Adega de Pegoes 2005 Vihno Blanco, purchased at the Curious Grape for $6.99 while seraching for everyday wines. 12% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure.

The nose of this bottle had a lot of promise. It was very floral and had a huge aroma. It was also very fruity on the nose, with pears, peaches and melons showing through. I also thought I got a whiff of the muscat grape.

What a disappointment in the mouth. There was no delivery on the flavors in the nose. It was simply flat, lacking any real flavor. It tasted like sweet water. Surprising, it got a little better when I ate some chocolate with it, but not enough to make me run out and get another bottle. I will keep looking for my everyday wine, this one was all show and no action.

Filed under: Curious Grape, Everyday Wine, White | 2 Comments »

Two Days Late and a $ Short

Posted on January 7, 2007 by Sonadora

My little notebook of wine tastings got left in the car when we were out buying wine on Saturday, so I’m a touch late with my Thursday night wine review. Today you get a picture of both the wine and the dinner, mainly because I’m extrememly proud of my pizza making skills, and two, to show my friends and family that I can cook (see, homemade crust and all!).

Normally I would pair a red with our pizza and I had a bottle of zinfandel inthe wine fridge that I had intended to serve with bbq pulled pork I made the other night. However, my heartburn was still raging and for some reason, although I know no alcohol is good for it, I thought perhaps a white might hurt less than a red? No real logic there, but in anycase…

The bottle was a 2005 Domaine Jouclary Sauvignon. Picked it up at Arrowine for $7.99 in our quest for everyday wine. It had a synthetic cork and weighs in 13% alcohol by volume. Melon on the nose, with a slight acidic note. In the mouth there was melon, lemon and a creamy feel. I almost want to say there was just a touch of a butterscotch taste in there. It was interesting for a $7.99 bottle of wine, I’d try it again.

Filed under: Arrowine, Everyday Wine, Sauvignon Blanc, White | 2 Comments »

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