Locked up again

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Sonadora

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from Big House Wines.

I already used the pun “In the Big House”……and I thought cutesy labels needed cutesy post titles. Not sure I got there this time, but hey, I tried. My first experience with the Big House Wines was the Red a couple weeks ago. I wasn’t such a big fan, so I didn’t really know what to expect from any of the other wines. I must say, I found the 2008 Big House White to be pleasantly surprising. Big House white is a blend of 56% Malvasia Bianca, 22% Muscat Canelli, 18% Viognier and 4% Rousanne. This would be a good one to cheaply knock out some Century Club grapes if you are just starting your quest! It clocked in a 13.5% alcohol by volume, had a screw cap, and retails for $7.

I thought this wine smelled a lot like Gewurztraminer. I think that was probably from the Muscat, but I’m not sure. I got flowers, lychee, tropical notes, and spice on the nose. I found it to be very perfumed. In the mouth I found sweet peach, pear, melon, and lots of white flowers. This was mostly all melon in the mouth. I found it refreshing and pretty interesting for the $7 price tag.

Filed under: California, Muscat Canelli, Roussanne, Viognier, White, Wine | 4 Comments »

Not Really a Dinner Wine

Posted on September 3, 2007 by Sonadora

The wine of the evening was a 2005 Ferrari Carano Fior di Moscato. I honestly have no idea what this wine cost as it is only available in the tasting room. I’m certain we bought it last August while visiting, but that receipt never made it home with us. The wine had a real cork closure, was 13.5% alcohol by volume and is a Muscat Canelli.

This a very sweet wine. You can smell the sweetness on the nose. The aromas are floral, apricots, honey, and an orange essence. In the mouth, again, the wine is very sweet. The prevailing flavors are honey and apricots. There’s also something slightly tangy on the back of the palate.

I served this wine with bourbon chicken and macaroni and cheese. It was an awful match. Really bad, the sweetness of the wine overwhelmed the food. It was much better as a sipping wine after dinner. However, I could imagine that it would be excellent with a sharp or blue cheese.

Filed under: California, Ferrari Carano, Muscat Canelli, White | 2 Comments »