Wine Lovin Women

A Simple Post   Sometimes there is nothing extraordinary going on in our lives but we are busy with day to day living.   We go to work, come home, take care of our families and just live.   Before we know it time has passed and we haven’t seen our dearest friends.   We reach out to them with a phone call and set a time and place to meet. Tonight I met up with my dearest friend and shared a meal with some good wine.   The Italian restaurant was new to me and I enjoyed not only the food (ok so my choice of main entrée was not the best) but a very nice bottle of Barbera. (The waiter was very good too J )   Shame on me for not writing down the name but if you write to me at winelovinwomengmail.com   I will tell you where the restaurant is located.   It’s the only Barbera on the menu so it won’t take too much effort to call them and ask.     I will be going back to the restaurant because there were dishes I really should/w...

Corks Two good friends decided to share their love and adventures in wine and here we are one year later… It’s hard to believe that it has already been over a year since Denise and I started our blog.   The wines we have tasted……the people we have met……the adventures into the sultry summer nights …….yes, you know who you are.   We have enjoyed every moment and have already begun our second year with new ideas and bottles of wine yet to be tasted. As I look back through my wine tasting notes, journals and corks I realized I had an awesome year tasting a huge variety of wine.   I’m now on a personal acquaintance with my grocery store wine department and I’ve tasted almost every label on the shelf. (Let me say I sampled my fair share of bad wine this past year).   Walla Walla and the grapes from Horse Heaven Hills have produced some of my very favorite wines and I give a big THANK YOU to MOR MOR Bistro in Poulsbo, Washington for introducing me to the sm...

Not my father’s Zinfandel I remember when I was a child my Dad making wine in the cellar, the Zinfandel grapes would arrive in the wooden crates from California and we would not be allowed to sneak a taste of the beautiful fruit. I never got a chance to try his wine however I remember his friends commenting how wonderful it was.   So I thought in honor of my father on Father’s Day I would explore Zinfandel. Zinfandel originated in Croatia, though many think of it as primarily a California wine, it is also widely grown in Italy.   However there is nothing more typical California than Zinfandel, some of the best California growing regions are: Paso Robles, Lodi and Sonoma/Napa.   Lodi is the self-proclaimed Zinfandel Capital producing over 40 percent of the California Zinfandel with vines dating back to the 1880’s.    These old vines produce a distinct color and multi-deminalsional characteristics in a red wine from dark berry flavor that has layers of spice,...

Sauvignon Blanc…Summer in a glass The sun is shining which means it is time to branch out and try something new that is crisp and fresh….my choice is a Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc is a green skinned grape variety which is planted in many wine regions of the world, generating a crisp, dry and refreshing white wine.   Sauvignon Blanc is widely cultivated in France, Chile, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil and California.   Some California Sauvignon Blanc’s are called Fume Blanc which sometime can be thought of as a different type of wine. Depending on the climate the flavor can range from grassy to sweetly tropical, with a grapefruit or bell-pepper aromas and taste, some New Zealand variety’s you can pick out gooseberry.   Sauvignon Blanc when chilled pairs well with fish, chicken, cheese… particularly a good Chevre and it also one wine that pairs well with Sushi. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the first wines that pioneered the screw cap top, ma...

Wine scoring… who is scoring and what do they mean? You will see mostly Wine Spectator or Wine Advocate scores mentioned at most retail wine stores which is a great marketing tool.   What do the numbers represent? v   95-100: Excellent, Classic, a great wine (never seen 100) v   90-94: Outstanding, exceptional, and well made v   85-89:   Very good to above average ( may be a great value if the price is right) v   80-84: Average little distinction   Wine Advocate Robert Parker is a well recognize wine critic, tasting are done in peer group, single blind tasting, the scores represent the cumulative average. Wine Spectator is scored by the editor in the wine region in his jurisdiction, all tastings are blind.   If you know what you like, read the tasting notes, such as; spice, berry, smooth finish or mouth feel and other subtle characteristics. I notice that when tannins are mentioned as “smooth” this usually means the ta...

Cheers, Chin-Chin, Salute! The sound made by the twisting of a cork, followed by a loud pop and the crackling of effervesce means there is a celebration to come, christening an important moment and memory’s to be made.   Significant occasions warrant a significant bubbly selection, here are a few notes to help you make your selection: Spumante is Italian sparkling wine, means “foamy” which can refer to all sparkling Italian wines, tends to be sweet. Presseco is an Italian sparkling dry white wine made from Grera grape primary grown in the Presseco region of Italy. Brut is a term used sometimes for the driest sparkling wines which means it has less sugar than those labeled extra dry. Champagne is a wine producing region in the far north of France near Paris.   Though used as a term to describe sparkling wine, true Champagne is aged longer than sparkling wine so can be dryer in taste. The most prestigist brand of Champagne Don Perignon is produced by ...

Sangiovese Sangiovese is my first love, it happened in Napa Valley; I was at the Culinary Institute at Greystone for lunch.   They paired one of the courses with a Sangiovese from Charles Krug, and I have been in love with Sangiovese ever since.   Charles Krug does not make a Sangiovese anymore so I have been on a mission to find that special one again. Sangiovese is one of the most planted red variety grapes in Italy. The Sangiovese grape changes in response to its environment, which is why it so diverse, elegant and complex when well-made. The flavor profile of Sangiovese is generally not assertive it can show a strawberry, blueberry, faintly floral, violet or plumy character. Some of my new discoveries are: Walla Walla river winery by cougar crest Sangiovese has a soft nose and silky feel on the palate, with expressive fruit….a dream in a glass. Elegance Winery Sangiovese is gorgeous and rich with body, persistence that is loaded with plush personality. ...