Wine Wednesday

The lady that lived next door when we moved in just sold her house so we will soon have a new neighbor!  J helped her clean some limbs from her yard a few weeks ago and we found this hanging on our doorknob as a thank you - how sweet, right??

Apothic Red - 2011

• Type of wine - Red Blend
• Where to Buy & Price - I'm not sure where she got it, but isn't the label beautiful?
• Smell - I smelled a slight tartness, but one of fruit, like a blackberry
• What I Tasted - berry notes with a smooth finish - the flavor was more bold than the red blend from last week, but the finish was still smooth so the intensity was welcomed!

We drank this while chatting with our parents and while I probably won't drink a lot of it this summer, I can definitely see this being my wine of choice for next fall and winter - I'm really hoping I can find it at the store!!!

CHEERS!

Wine Wednesday

Hello and happy Wednesday!  Hope your week is going well so far!!!  Here's the wine of the week...

I picked this bottle PURELY because I loved the label... in my opinion, one of the best ways to pick a new wine to try!

Primal Roots - 2010 

• Type of wine - Red Blend
• Where to Buy & Price - I got it at Sam's for around $9 a bottle
• Smell - It didn't have any fragrance that really stood out... maybe a slight sweetness
• What I Tasted - It had a slightly sweet start and smooth finish
• Intensity & Sweetness - It was not intense at all - probably because of the fact that it's a blend and nothing really stood out

I was drinking this while I was cleaning the house and it was a good pairing - it helped the time fly!  I'd buy it again...

CHEERS!

Wine Wednesday

A couple weeks ago, we went to game night at our friends' house.  Game night means dinner and fun, and what goes better with those to things than wine?!!?  Here's what I brought...

Blackstone Winery 2006

• Type of wine - Merlot
• Where to Buy & Price - The 2006 is about $18, but it may be hard to come by.  Sam's carries Blackstone wine, but I haven't tried more recent years.
• Smell - the label mentioned oak tones - smelling the wine is where I found these.
• What You'll Taste - Not oak, which is good for me because I don't usually like oaky red wines.  I found blackberry tones and a very smooth flavor.
• Intensity & Sweetness - There was great flavor, but not the kind that slaps you in the face.  The slightest bit of sweetness in this merlot makes it really nice!

We were obviously having steak for dinner, which is why I brought red wine.  It was a great pairing with our salt and pepper seasoned steak, but this is a red that I could also drink without food, which is unusual for me.

CHEERS!

Wine Wednesday

One of the best parts of a fun family weekend, WINE!  This is one of the bottles from our trip to Kalamazoo last weekend...

2011 Snoqualmie - Winemaker's Select

• Type of wine - Riesling
• Where to Buy & Price - My cousin (technically my cousin-in-law) is originally from Washington and she and my cousin spent some time living in Washington.  Snoqualmie is located in Paterson, Washington and she discovered it when my cousins brought it home to her.  Now you can find it at various retailers and their website has a great search option that will show you where to find it near you!  They can also ship to select states.
• Smell - I really just smelled grapes - which I guess is good because that's what wine is made of.  It has a strong scent to it and you can tell by the smell that it's a sweet wine.
• What You'll Taste - I found hints of melon - specifically honeydew and a sweet flavor.
• Intensity & Sweetness - I put these together because the intensity is in the sweetness.  While the sweetness is intense, it's not stomach ache sweet.  It's a good summer wine!

We were snacking and talking while we were drinking our wine.  I really loved the way the wine tasted with cheese.  We were eating a white and a sharp cheddar and it paired very well.  There wasn't anything about it that was especially outstanding, but it was a nice addition to our fun and conversation!

CHEERS!

Wine Wednesday

Last week's Wine Wednesday post was A guide to Wine Wednesday - well, it's time for the first official post!

A couple weeks ago, J was out of town visiting his grandparents in Phoenix, so I had a sleepover with a friend and we got take out sushi, watched girly movies and drank wine.

Oliver White Sangria (year unknown)

• Type of wine - Sangria, which is a wine punch, typically served with fruit - we had mango in ours
• Where to Buy & Price - Oliver is a local winery for us.  I have found their wines at Sam's and Walmart in other states, but I'm not sure about this one specifically.  You can purchase it on Oliver's Website for $7.50 per bottle - note, the glass of wine in the picture is half a bottle
• Smell - I smelled peaches (before I put the mango in) and red apples - it smells very fruity!
• What You'll Taste - SWEET!!!  That was the first thing I thought - sweet.  I also tasted honey along with the various fruits.
• Intensity & Sweetness - I put these together because the intensity is in the sweetness and it is VERY intense.  I started to get a stomach ache by the time I was almost done with the glass and I was so excited to get to the point that I was able to eat the mango and get a little bit of tart flavor as a sweet relief.  It really tasted more like grape juice with some extra flavors and was the sweetest sangria I've ever tasted.

I probably wouldn't buy this again.  It's not that it was bad - I really like most of the wines that Oliver puts out - there are just other sweet Oliver wines that I can buy if that's what I'm in the mood for, that won't make me feel like I've just drank a whole bunch of sugar water.

CHEERS!

Wine Wednesday - A Guide

I am ready to start drinking wine so that I can share my favorites with you!  This week, I wanted to share the parts of Wine Wednesday that you can expect to see each week.

• Name and Year - I have no idea whether it matters what year it is, but I'm committed to getting to the bottom of that for you!  I promise a comparison of two different years of the same wine soon - we'll learn together
• Type of Wine - I'm going to jump out of my comfort zone and try some new types of wine!!
• Where to Buy - I'm not sure how often I'll be able to supply this to you - but I'll do my best!
• Price
• Smell - I'm sometimes really turned off by the smell of wine, but love the taste of it; or sometimes I love how the wine smells but then I taste it and then I'm disappointed
• What You'll Taste - If you sat next to me and drank the wine, there's a good possibility that you would taste something different than I do - but I'm hoping you'll leave me a comment and let me know when that happens!
• Intensity - I'm not exactly sure what this means yet - it's probably different for every wine, but you know how sometimes you take a drink of wine and you feel like your eyes bug out and the only thing you can say is "WHOA" - I guess that's what fits here.
• Sweetness - I'm definitely a fan of sweeter wine in the summer, but lately my taste has been moving away from sweet and more to the smooth wines.  I'll use a 0-5 rating scale for this... I don't like scales that give the option for a true middle.
• Pairing - There are some wines that I just cannot drink without food.  There are some wines that I could drink a whole bottle of - for dinner.  If I drink wine with something and love it, I'll definitely let you know!

Alright - bring on the wine... I really hope you'll join me along the way!!

CHEERS!!

New Idea - Wine Wednesday

I used to have a weekly post called Wedding Wednesday - that was when I was planning my wedding (and for about a year afterward), and now that we've been married for almost two years, and I don't have anyone in my life who is currently planning a wedding, I've kind of lost interest in weddings.  Sure, I still DVR "Say Yes to the Dress", but who doesn't  :)

You may remember that J and I bottled our own wine before our wedding... wine that was intended for our friends and family to drink the week before the wedding.  Everyone loved it, and we actually still have a bottle of each wine that we haven't opened yet.

SO, rather than continuing Wedding Wednesday, I think I'm going to start a new weekly post - WINE WEDNESDAY!!!  We love wine and I'm sure some of you out there love wine, so I'll do it for you - DRINK MORE WINE FOR THE PEOPLE READING MY BLOG!!!

I'm very excited to start this new weekly post, and I hope we can find some great new wines together!!!