tropit

I'm going with a friend today to the Disco Ranch to try a new wine. She loves wine too, especially bubbles, so I think we're going for some Cava. She's a new friend that I made this year and she lives on the "Mountain" too...about 15 mins. down the road from me. My dau met her first, when she came in to the winery where my dau works for wine tasting. They started talking and found out how close this woman lived to me, so we arranged a lunch and the rest is history.

tropit

Has anyone tried any new wines lately? I met a friend down at the beach cove the other day and I ordered some fresh oysters with a glass of Scharffenberger's Brut Sparkling Wine. They have a vineyard and winery near us. It went great with the oysters and crisp, salt air.

tropit

So, I asked the hubby to pick up some wine for me last week and he decided to try something new,instead of getting what I asked for.

:::sigh:::

I did not know how bad a wine can be until I tried this one. I took 2 sips and that was it. I could not drink anymore. This was a Pinot Noir that was produced in hot, inland town and not near the coast, where the best pinot grapes are normally grown. It was so tart and so full of tannins...it was just disgusting! I had to throw it out.

About Pinot Noir... In our state, Pinot Noir grapes are grown in California coastal valleys, where the night time ocean mists and cooler temperatures prevail in the evenings, but in the daytime, it's sunny and warm. It is this unique weather pattern that creates the best conditions for growing this grape. (BTW, Pinot Noir is also one of the grapes used in making "Champagne style" sparkling wines.) When buying a Pinot Noir wine, look to see where it was made and the grapes grown. (Winemakers will buy grapes from other places to round out their recipes, but don't worry too much about that.) Two of the most famous California regions are the Santa Rita Hills, near Santa Ynez and the Anderson Valley, near Mendocino. Personally, I would avoid buying any Pinot that was grown and produced inland, where it is hotter and dryer. Also try to avoid asking your DH to buy the wine. After all of these years, he's still clueless. What can I say, he's a beer drinker.

tropit

Oh...I wanted to mention...if you are thinking of joining a wine club, now's the time. The new releases are just coming out and the holidays are upon us. There are clubs for specific wineries, or clubs that buy from several wineries. Prices are much cheaper than buying from the store and they will always include some interesting choices that you won't find elsewhere.

tropit

I like to cook with wine. This morning I made a bean stew with red wine. It's simmering now...allowing all of the flavors to meld together. It smells delicious! Here's the short decription of what I did.

Sauteed some chopped onions, garlic, celery and carrots in a little olive oil.
Added a couple of chopped tomatoes and a bay leaf from the garden and cooked it all until things started to brown
added a few tablespoons of flour and S&P and cooked a few more minutes
Deglazed the pot with about 1 1/2 cups of dry red wine
stirred and allowed to thicken
added about 4 cups of cooked white beans
added some veggie broth...a few cups, i think.
added about 1/2 cup of paprika
added a pinch of smoked salt and a couple of tablespoons of thyme.
simmer for about an hour on very low heat.
adjust the seasonings and serve with a hot, crusty roll.

tropit

I watched a video on Winefolly.com yesterday about buying some hidden bargains at Trader Joe's. Very interesting! (No, I'm not in any way trying to promote them. That's just where I've been hanging out lately.) It pays to learn a little bit about the region where the wine was made in. There are some secret bargains out there! You just have to know. She bought around 7, or 8 bottles total at TJ and the average cost was around $10/bottle, with the highest being around $14.

peaceandjoy

We tried a new to us winery a few weeks ago. Many of the wineries here now offer a sit down wine tasting for a fee, it's a bit more educational than just someone pouring a sip and telling you what it is.

This was at Magnus, a winery that we've driven past countless times. There are SO many wineries in the area; many come and go. We have our favorites and just never made the stop.

Our tasting included a small personal charcuterie, which included a couple of cheeses that they also make, as well as other local products. The first wine had 0% residual sugar and I thought, "Oh, Tom's definitely not going to like this!". As a general rule, I prefer drier wines while he prefers sweeter. It was actually very, very good - Tom said he was surprised. As it was a stop on his birthday, it wasn't one we went home with, though - he did choose sweeter ones.

tropit

I've heard of Magnus. I've never tried their wines though. My DH brought home a couple of bottles of inexpensive, but interesting bubbles. We enjoyed them both. One was an Italian, Champagne style and the other was a French label. I can't remember the names.

My hubby gave me a pair of Riedel, red wine tasting glasses for my birthday. They're beautiful! So delecate...we'll see how long I can keep them from breaking.

pennyhal2

I love wine. Unfortunately, some wines give me a headache which I don't know until I've drank it! The "same" from different wineries affect me. So, I sip first. My body tells me whether or not to drink it.

tropit

Oh...that's too bad. Maybe it's the sulfites in the wine that are causing the headaches. I'm not sure, but I think that white wines have less sulfites in them.