Norman

After our tasting at Opolo, we headed to Norman Vineyards where our friend Wally must have looked like a giant hunk of flounder because the winery cat fell in love with him. You can see her adoring gaze. She walked around him and rubbed against him.
Anyway, the wines? Yes. 

Norman is known for their "big" wines, bold and fruity reds, especially their "Monster" Zinfandel. Wine Snob Hubby is a big fan and he said the wines lived up to his expectations.
I enjoyed the Nonsense White. It was light, which is what I look for in a summer white.

Opolo

We took a trip to the California Central Coast recently and our first stop was Opolo Vineyards. I knew Wine Snob Hubby enjoyed their zinfandel and I'd been told that we'd visited the tasting room before but I couldn't remember it. Thankfully, as soon as I saw the building I remembered being there. Whew!
We had a great server at the tasting room bar. She was fun and she knew her wine. We ended up joining their club. Last night we opened the first of our membership wines, an Albarino, and shared it with friends.

It's a crisp white, somewhere between a sauvignon blanc and a chardonnay. The official description says, "Delicate floral aromas on the nose bring to mind dew covered wildflowers combines with sweeter notes of peaches and apricots. Light acidity and a subtle effervescence on the finish give this wine a freshness that pairs perfectly with grilled seafood and lighter aperitifs."

I found "dew covered wildflowers" to be a bit of a stretch but I did taste the peach freshness and enjoyed it as much as an after dinner drink as an aperitif.

Girls Trip

     Last week I was blessed to go on a getaway with four girlfriends. We went to a condo in a resort town and had a spa day at a local hotel. It was amazing.

Click here to see pictures of the spa. Ah. May. Zing.

Anyway, we also each brought 1-3 bottles of wine to share.

The birthday girl brought this white blend, kitchen sink.

I really enjoyed it. We had it by itself, so there was no cheese to elevate the taste and no food to enhance.

Turns out, the kitchen sink can stand on its own just fine.

I really enjoyed the light and crisp flavor. There was citrus with a hint of something … maybe grassy? Obviously, I need to update my wine tasting vocabulary. But, in the meantime, I’ll be keeping my eyes open for more kitchen sink. I went to my local BevMo but couldn’t find it. They were pretty busy, so next time I’m in, I’ll ask someone.

It’s definitely worth another taste. I’ll give the red a try too.

Black Box Chardonnay

We were invited to a friend’s home the other night for elk burgers.

They were delicious. Pink and tender and juicy. Not beef, but very good. Not wild and “gamy,” just an excellent burger.

We’d brought a bottle of Cupcake Chardonnay, but our hostess had some Black Box Chardonnay ready to pour.

I was impressed. I had a glass with the chips and salsa and it went really well with the nutty flavors of the chips and it seemed to even out the salsa’s heat. I tasted citrus and maybe a hint of pineapple. Then we moved on to grilled veggies. I lost the citrus and pineapple flavors, but the wine stayed smooth. It never felt harsh on my palate. It didn’t have much left to stand up against the elk with. It didn’t detract from the burger, but it didn’t bring anything to the party either.

All in all, I’d have it again. I’d serve it with appetizers and a salad course, then move on to something else for the entrée. Although I’d like to have this again with chicken to see how it handles itself with poultry. Maybe the elk was just too much to face. I know how it feels. I’ve been wrestling with computer issues all day.

In fact, I should go find a glass of something and quit wrestling and call it a day. Much like the wine did when faced with a juicy elk burger.

Monkey Bay

 

When I couldn’t find Pidgin Bay or Kono Sauvignon Blanc, I tried the Monkey Bay.

It was just okay.

It didn’t have the slight effervescence of the Kono. It did have the light and crisp notes I like in a Sauvignon Blanc, but it wasn’t quite there.

I’d have it again, but only if there was no Kono. Which I hope will never happen again. I’ll be stocking up when I see it at Trader Joe’s again.

Seaching for New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs

I went back to Trader Joes for more of that lovely Kono.

Yep. Gone. The tag was on the shelf but that was it.

I headed to BevMo.

No Kono.

I bought a Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

I’ll let you know…

Beringer: Gateway Wine

Beringer White Zinfandel was my gateway wine. It’s all I drank. For years. I didn’t matter the menu, if the entrée was chicken or beef or elk. If I had a glass of wine, it was Beringer’s White Zin.

I’ve come a little way since then.

   I still prefer light and fruity to musty. But the white zin has gotten too sweet for my palate.

   Someone, I’m not sure if it was me or Wine Snob Hubby, had put a bottle of Beringer Chardonnay in the wine fridge and it migrated to the big girl fridge. I opened it last night.

    I’d been gone all day, driving to the coast and back, to visit a friend. I got home to a house without electricity. The outside temperature was 101. Panic ensued. What if the power didn’t come back? I’d have to take the dog and the cat and find shelter elsewhere.

I poured a glass of wine while I waited and considered my options.

I wasn’t hungry so I had glass number one by itself.

I’m a big chardonnay fan so I have to say I was disappointed with the Beringer Chardonnay. It was harsh, almost astringent along the sides of my tongue.

The power came back on. The A/C clicked on. I had a glass of wine. Life was good once more.

I decided to try the chardonnay with food. I heated up some leftover rice pilaf and tried again.

The food did cut the acidity, but it still felt and tasted too harsh.

I’ll try another glass tonight. We’re having lamb, so stay tuned!

Salmon Eating in the South Land*

 

* as opposed to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

We were invited to a delightful dinner party last weekend in Southern California.

On the menu:

• Grilled Salmon
• Brown and wild rice pilaf
• Award winning Bleu cheese coleslaw

The foodies and … winies? (that doesn’t sound right, but it’s better than winers and winos, I guess) pronounced the above three bottles the proper pairings. Pinot noir is often excellent with salmon and both the Zinnia and Le Cuvier pinots were very good, but the Le Cuvier was the winner with smooth flavors that enhanced the smoked butteriness of the salmon and the rice. The Thacher blend, Controlled Chaos, was also praised as an excellent blend that paired nicely with the nuttiness of the pilaf.

We’ve visited the Le Cuvier winery in Paso Robles and loved the wines. We were there on a special weekend and they offered several pairings with food from local restaurants. The matings were excellent and we still talk about them, two and a half years later. We didn’t buy any wine though, because, as good as they were, they seemed overpriced. I understand the Le Cuvier tasting room has moved closer to Paso and we’re planning a trip in that direction in about six weeks. I’d like to stop by and see the new place. I don’t expect the prices to have come down but I would like to see if the wines are as good as we remember.

I'm Baaaack!

Bet you thought I'd died. Or at least was passed out under an azalea bush.

Nope.

Just busy with life and writing and kids and grandkids and lots of projects that I've come to realize will never be finished.

So, I'm planning to post here at least once a week.

My husband is getting ready to retire and he plans to pursue his food and wine hobbies more industriously. Which means more tastings for me and more wines to write about and more blog posts. I think it's called a win/win.

We had a very busy weekend. We had dinner with friends both Saturday and Sunday evenings.

When we were buying wine a few weeks ago, I had a hankering for Pacific Rim Dry Riesling. Of course Trader Joes didn't have it. The gal in the wine department was sure I wanted a Riesling and she kept pointing at wines she thought were contenders for a good "dryish" Riesling. I let her persuade me to try an Austrian bottle.

Thumbs Down.

Too sweet. Not a dry Riesling at all. (I didn't save the label or the bottle or anything, so I'm doomed to buy it again, try it, do a palm-to-forehead slap, say, "That's the one I didn't like!" When I do, I'll pass on the name).

Her second recommendation was much better.

She asked if I like New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. I forgot about the Pidgin Bay in one my earlier posts and I mentioned Kim Crawford. She recommended Kono. 

It was delightful. Crisp, refreshing, but not tongue-puckering dry. I would definitely buy it again. I don't remember the price, but it was at TJ's and not expensive. The clerk mentioned that it was cheaper than the Kim Crawford.

I will buy it again, but I will also keep my eyes open for the Pidgin Bay I reviewed a while back. I love to do a comparison between them.