Can't Wait!

I am so excited! I just reconnected with a very dear friend who has been missing from my life for many years. Gotta love facebook for getting back in touch with people! We were, together, excellent at wine sampling, among other things. After a very long and uplifting phone conversation we agreed that we will get together as soon as we can schedule it. Being in two different cities makes it a little more challenging, but I know we will figure out something quite soon. With this in mind I popped in to one of my favorite wine stores to pick up a few goodies. I came away with three bottles that I can't wait to try. All products of the US of A, I was looking for something not only robust and full flavoured (like me and my girlfriend) but I wanted a fun, memorable label to celebrate with. I got a 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from California that is banned in some states because of the label....Cycles Gladiator has a naked woman with long,flowing hair, hanging onto a bicyle. Gorgeous! Perfect for a couple of bold ladies ;-)  Next I got "Lady in Red" from Kestrel Vintners in Washington State. Finally, from California, a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon called "Twisted".....the back label says "under nature's creation, the branches of a grape vine twirl and twine growing into a unique twisted vine" It made me think of our lives, twisting and turning, taking different paths. Now our path has once again crossed...and it did cross my mind that together she and I were a little bit twisted at times :-)
Can't wait to try these beauties with my gorgeous gal pal!

Couldn't not post a pic of the Cycles Gladiator label now could I.......

Cheers!!

Sister time = wine time!

Ahhh, the morning after. With coffee in hand I get to sit and ponder the previous evenings events, mentally reviewing my thoughts on the various wines that passed my lips with far too much ease. After a bit of a dry spell, I made up for it in full force by managing to sample three different wines in one evening. Having my sister visiting me from across the water provided an excellent excuse to practise my pouring skills. Argentina and Germany were our hosts for the night and sure helped to heat up the conversation. Sis and I both agreed that the Arrabal, a Cab Sauvignon/Malbec blend from Argentina was worth a second glass.  It had a rich deep flavor, was spicy and warm on the tongue and a great little kick at the end. All that plus a cool label on the bottle. We also enjoyed Trivento, which means 'Three Winds" and is from the Mendosa Valley. It was rich and fruity and tasted great with both cheese and crackers and salsa and chips.

Our final bottle was from Germany. I've never been a fan of German wines, in the past I have always found the German white wines too sweet for my liking and for that reason, have typically stayed away from German brands. My feelings held true for the bottle of Deinhard Pinot Noir, Qualitatswein 2009. Normally by the third bottle the taste isn't as important, but this bottle didn't even make it to the finish line. To be fair, it was a $15 bottle of wine and it's hard to get a good Pinot Noir at that price. Still, this bottle lacked body and a robust flavour. For me, the wine was too sweet, leaving an aftertaste that reminded me of grape juice. Nonetheless, it was great to sit and visit with me sis and we both enjoyed our wine time!

Cheers!

A Glass in Hand

Still working on all my wine from the Chile region. My lastest bottle was a Carmenere Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 from Vina Maipo. I did a little bit of research to determine that Carmenere is a wine grape variety that originated in France but is now found mainly in Chile. Blending the Carmenere grapes with Cabernet Sauvignon is becoming increasingly popular as the wine industry in Chile continues to grow. In the glass the Vina Maipo is a ruby red and on first taste it seemed to bounce in my mouth. I liked the flavour which I found to be very full and robust. I drank my wine with a dish of cheese tortellini in an alfredo sauce. The wine provided a nice, strong balance to the mildness of the white sauce. Again, the cost of this wine was under $15.00 a bottle. I'd also like to point out that having a glass of this wine in hand would do well when your not-quite-a-teenager daughter asks you if she can get her nose pierced. Sadly, I was caught off-guard without a glass and very nearly said yes....well, not yes, but I may have said maybe. I'm sure it was only because of my experience with having a glass of wine in hand that I was able to quickly imagine the glass and confidently reply that we could "talk about it". Which is mom-speak for  "over my dead body!". Nonetheless, I think in preparation for such a discussion, I will finish the bottle of Vina Maipo from Chile and very possibly start on another region.....I will keep you posted.

On another note, a friend of mine offered up a solution for keeping wine fresh when you are unable to finish the bottle. He didn't think I would be in need of it, as he knows I am very diligent about always starting what I  finish. I do however think it's a great idea for hiking or camping, as it's a soft sided container and you can tuck it into your backpack and not worry about breaking glass. It's called a Platypus Platypreserve  and it's sold at MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop) for only $8.00. It holds 800ml of wine and keeps wine fresh by eliminating the exposure to oxygen. . Now's that's worth blogging about!

Cheers!

Weekend Wino

I am contemplating changing the name of my blog to "the weekend wino". Why? Well, in the course of my job I was obligated to get on the scales and be weighed. Ahhhhhh! Horrors! Not owning scales of my own, I don't often have the opportunity to step on and record how much I wine...I mean weigh. I was, of course, duly shocked when I found out that I was 10...okay, 15 pounds heavier than I thought I was. This brings me to my dilemma. How to get rid of the excess pounds? All the weight loss gurus say to stop drinking alcohol. I say NO WAY! It's hard enough to diet without having to give up wine. I am however considering just drinking wine on weekends. But in order to maintain this blog I must sample more than one bottle and if I reserve my sampling until the weekend that just might make me...you guessed it, a Weekend Wino! Then again, I could just pretend that I never stepped on those damned scales and continue on my merry way, drinking whenever I please. Yup, that's what I'll have to do. If I'm really smart I will remind myself that drinking wine is in fact an excellent form of exercise and it should be done 3-4 times a week to stay in top shape. After much consideration, I realized that drinking the wine will help me forget about the scales and all will be right with my world. And the extra pounds? Well I firmly believe that life is all about balance. For example, a nice glass of wine should be accompanied by an equally nice meal......so the pounds will still be there on the weekend. With the wine!

Cheers!

Winercise?

Does raising your glass of wine to your mouth constitute as exercise? Could it be called Winercise? Would the reps be counted by each mouthful or by each glass? Hmmmm... I can feel my biceps getting bigger already. What about opening the bottle? The corks can often be tricky, and those screw caps are sometimes REALLY tight! And what about when you're filling out a health form and they ask about your history...is there a history of smoking, drugs or alcohol? Well, if you drink wine now then that's in the present so it doesn't count as 'history', right? No, I haven't been drinking, at least not right now. I did however, recently enjoy a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is yet another bottle from Chile, from Calbuco Estate. Chile has several different wine regions, Calbuco is in the southern region. Another reasonably priced wine, it was only $12.99 a bottle. The winemaker's notes describe it as "fruity, with a pleasant aroma of cherry and plum and well balanced with notes of white pepper and paprika. On the palate it is soft with a medium body, fresh and with a nice finish." I can identify with the soft on the palate statement. Some wines just sort of float in your mouth and gently flavour your tongue, while others are rough, tangy and almost assault the insides of your cheeks. I also agree with the nice finish. You swallow the wine and you are left with a pleasant feeling and a warm taste. Now,  I confess that when I plant my nose deep into my wine glass and inhale, I struggle to identify all those flavors. Not just with this wine, but any wine. Most of them smell fruity and sometimes a bit spicy, but clearly, my nose needs some fine tuning before I can compete in the wine connoisseur circles.  I am guessing that  all of this just means that I must drink more wine! Let's recap....opening wine=working your muscles. Raising the glass=more work for the muscles. Smelling the wine=good for the nose? Sure, why not! All in all, I think we can agree that drinking wine is good exercise, or, as I shall now call it, Winercise. This brings me to the conclusion that I should work hard at Winercising at least 3 days a week to maintain a toned body and an educated nose. You should too!

Cheers!

Sometimes time just flies by and you don't even realize it! I can't believe it's been 4 days since I last posted!  I did not lose sight of my goal, however. I did have a glass (or two) of wine. PKNT, which can be pronounced 'picante' is another Chilean red wine. I bought the Merlot for just $13.99 a bottle. I opened the bottle, a screw cap, and poured my glass, then let it breathe for a short time. In trying to put into practise what I am learning about wine, I stuck my nose right into the glass and breathed deeply. My daughter looked at me like I was a little bit crazy. It did give me a good whiff of the bouquet and I tried to pick out the berry scents. When I drank it, I paired it with a nice, juicy filet mignon and it was very tasty. It had a deep, fruity flavor and went down smoothly. That was my Tuesday night.  I had another glass the next day and I felt the flavor was a little richer after having been opened. Thursday night I actually went out and met a guy for drinks and ended up having an icy cold beer instead of wine. There's something about an icy glass of beer that just makes you wish it were summertime. And of course, today is Friday, so there's no denying that I'll be having a glass of wine.....but you'll have to wait until my next post to hear about it.  There's something about the combination of wine, music, good food and good people that makes everything taste so much better, so I will join some friends and have a great evening. Hope you do too!

Cheers :-)