Jean-Francois Merieau Gamay de Touraine "Bois Jacou" 2007

I don't normally drink French wine, not because I have something against the French but because to get a good bottle it usually cost a pretty penny. Again this one found its way in my cart because it's unique and very cool label. Natascia and I stopped into the New Hampshire Liquor store on the way back from her half marathon, she still had tons of energy so I was quite impressed. Anyways I do as I usually do and I set her loose to find me something, because I know it will usually be interesting and something that I wouldn't choose for myself...such as a French Gamay, who would have that.

This wine usually goes for $14 but we lucked out and got it at the bargain price of $12. I had to research this wine a little as I have never heard of a Gamay and was quite intrigued. I won't go too much into detail but this wine comes from up and coming wine maker Jean-Francois Merieau, and the grapes come from an organic vineyard in the Northwest part of the country and everything is hand harvested.

I was very impressed with this wine and would for sure drink it again. It is very light in color and in body. I tasted a hint on Strawberries and Cherries with a little black pepper spice. What stood out to both Natascia and I was the finish of this wine, very earthy and rustic with a unique flavor that I can only compare to carbon but I mean that in the best way possible.

I'm very happy that we stopped to pick up wine this day and also that my beautiful wife picked this up for me to try something new, although I had never heard of this wine and can shy away from a cheap French wine I had to admit I loved the look of this bottle. I had noticed I have found a comfort zone with Italian wines and rarely stray away. I think this may have finally pulled me out of my comfort zone and I will not always go straight to the Italian sections. I'm not saying you can't have your favorite bottles and your safety picks but I urge you to step outside that box every now and then if you are not and try some new things, I know you won't regret it.

Marques de Gelida Brut Cava 2005

Everyone has had a reason to celebrate and in my opinion no celebration is complete with a little bubbly.  Most people will say Champagne but there is much more available than just Champagne and if you have not explored anything other I highly suggest it.  This particular variety of sparkler is a Cava which comes from Spain.

My reason to celebrate this week was because of my amazing wife and her something she accomplished this week in New Hampshire.  Running has always been a passion of hers and she has recently been exploring the competitive nature of this as well and might I say she is quite good at it.  Natascia ran the Great Bay Half Marathon on the 11th.  This was technically her first race and all she wanted to do was finish...right, anyone that knows Natascia she is never satisfied.  She ended up coming in 8th in her Division and in the top 10% overall (men and woman) at 1hr 44 minutes, that's about 8 minutes a mile pace.  This course was no child's play either might I add, we ran into some old friends of mine who also were running the race and they had experience in other races and they were quick to say this was the toughest course they have ever done.

The day before when we were picking up her number we took advantage of the New Hampshire Liquor stores and I had her pick out a champagne/sparkling wine that she wanted (she has a crazy knack for picking out winners).  We usually go for Prosecco so I think this is the reason she changed things up a bit and chose a Cava...actually I think she just liked the bottle ;)

This Cava was very nice, however seemed to be lacking a little on the fizz factor.  I could definitely taste a hint of peach and mild citrus.  The finish was almost too smooth as it left practically zero aftertaste or that effervescent feeling you get with a sparkler.  I wouldn't jump right up and buy this one again, however if I see a sale tag on it I would probably scoop it up, it is normally in the $15-$20 range.

I would like to say how proud I am of my Wife, she has really taken this passion to a whole new level and is really going places with it.  She is for sure going to accomplish more with running and racing and is constantly looking for more races to sign up for, and when she does I will be right behind to Crack open a bottle of Bubbly...Cuz it's time to Celebrate!

Kris Pinot Noir 2008

Thought I would do a quick 2fer this week as I had a very nice Pinot Noir.  It was a beautiful weekend and Natascia and I went for a walk to Harvard Square.  First nice weather weekend sure brings out a variety of individuals, to make a long story short we saw a pillow fight between at least 300 people, among those people was some guy in a furry pink monster suit, another in a banana costume and then plenty of people in leather with spikes... and it was at least 65 degrees out.

On the walk home we stopped into the University wine shop on Mass Ave to pick up a few bottles.  All I have been able to think of lately is a nice Pinot Noir so that is exactly what I got, well besides the bargain bin specials.  My wife has a knack for getting exactly what I want so I left it to her to pick me a nice Pinot Noir.  Of course this time was no exception as she chose a great bottle and after looking it up was surprised that it is actually from her region in Italy as well.  Now I won't lie this wine didn't have me jumping for joy but at $14 it was well worth it.  Very dark in color and you can definitely taste the dark fruits coming through with this wine.  Nice smooth earthy finish with those good tannins I like to mention.

If you find this wine the first thing you will notice is the nice attractive label, this is probably what drove us to buy it in the first place.  This is for sure a bottle I would buy to give as a gift, that is if you don't mind giving a screw top wine to someone.  I myself love a screw-top wine as I know the bottle won't be corked and if I am going camping or on a picnic there is no need to get crafty should you happen to forget the corkscrew...which we all know we have done at one time or another.

2006 Redondel Teroldego

It may be a little late but Happy Easter!  That was the occasion to pop the cork on this beauty.  What a great day too...Sunny, in the 70's, Bob's famous BBQ and nice company.  We had a nice dinner to complement this wine, a slow cooked/ smoked beer can Duck.  For those of you that have never had a beer can chicken (or duck in this case) you have no idea what you are missing and I highly recommend it, in fact if you want me to cook it for you just supply the vino and I just might be willing.  Basically what it is, is you put a half full can of beer with some spices mixed in it up the rear end of the bird and cook it on the grill.  My goodness you have never had such tender meat.

As far as the wine goes this is another one that is at the steeper end of my price range, and this is because it is the final installment of my gifts from the wifey :)  This wine comes from her region in Northern Italy and the grapes are superb, I read nothing but rave reviews on the vintage.  I could tell when I first popped the cork that I was in for a treat and that it would be like no other wine I have tried before.  The cork definitely was stained from the wine and was it dark, if I were to compare this color to something the first thing that comes to mind is Ink...Dark and purple.

This was another that I will be sure to try after some training on tasting so I can have a better explanation for the party that was going on with my palate.  I'm sure I tasted blueberries and plums and this had a nice long fruity finish.  It also had a smooth spice to it that I would compare to a good Zinfandel.  What I remember most about this and I am happy to say my Mother, Laura tasted the same thing just in different words was Fennel, or in her words Liquorish.  This was a very pleasant surprise and also very subtle with may have been missed if I were pairing this with a my meal at the time.

I highly recommend this wine, if you can find it because it is a small privately owned vineyard in Italy and it will run you about $20.  And what I am left from this is that you will never know what new taste you will find in that next bottle or how to explain it but definitely taste with a friend and one, if not both of you will find the right words to put with the unique flavors that you are discovering.

VITICCIO Chianti Classico 2007

This weeks wine choice was another that I received from my beautiful wife for my birthday in hopes that I would get started on this blog.  I just want to point out that I will most likely not write about wines that are this tasty as they are a little out of the "cheap" category (I'm spoiled).  There's no defined price range that I have set myself to, but I am as frugal as they come and don't usually spend more than $10 for a bottle of wine.  As soon as I think that I am at the stage to truly understand a higher quality I'm sure I will up my range, however I'm sure I will never lose the need to find a great bottle at an everyday affordable price.

I'm not going to go to in depth with the review of this wine as it is probably too sophisticated for my untrained palate.  I've read some reviews lately speaking about smokey notes, hints of cinnamon, traces of vanilla and earthy finish...and that's all in one bottle, sometimes even before a sip is taken.  I still have a ways to go before I am at that level and I'm not going to even attempt at this point, however it does give me some motivation to get some real training on wine tasting.  I will tell you that I did notice some hints of blackberries...or were those cherries hmmm.  It was very bold and had a wonderful smooth finish, that left me wanted more.  This particular bottle had those nice Oak tannins that I love to read about and I want to say that it was smokey.

As you may see in the picture this week was very special and fun.  On March 27, 2010, an estimated one billion people around the world came together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for just one hour—Earth Hour.  I decided to make the most of this hour and used it to pop the cork on this wine that I have really been looking forward to trying, so Natascia and I lit some candles and enjoyed a nice glass of Chianti with no distractions so we could discuss the different flavors and pretend we knew a thing or two about wine.  This one hour was so nice that I think I am going to start a tradition of trying a new kind of wine every time the power goes out, I now will start to look forward to storms.  However if no storms come your way to force you to do this and if you don't want to wait till the next earth hour, I strongly suggest that you turn off all the lights, the TV, this silly computer that you are sitting at now and enjoy a nice glass of wine, you won't regret it!

Charles Shaw Pinot Grigio 2009

I'm sure many of you would be more familiar with this wine if I refer to it with its street name of, "2 buck chuck".  And for those of you not fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe's nearby, the nickname is pure fact...good ol' chuck sells this wine for $2.99.  

Now I'm not gonna go into too much depth about this wine as this week was more for the experience than anything.  Natascia and I headed up to Maine this weekend to See my Dad and Laura, and finally got to go skiing, sorry snowboarding, for the first time this season.  Anyone paying attention may realize that technically we waited till the first day of spring to hit the slopes.  What a day, had to be 65 degrees and the sun was bright as can be.  I got to spend some time with Natascia and she was shredding some true trails before you knew it, even the lift guy commented on how quick she was picking up the sport.  One thing about this kind of weather however is it's sticky and takes a toll on the legs, not to mention if you’re learning you are bound to get soaked.  Natascia didn't mind this at all though and insisted Dad and I take a couple runs up top.  This topped the great day as we were flying down with no need for jackets or hats.  This would have been the perfect day if it weren't for a wounded soldier, the wet glue that we called snow that day claimed Laura's knee early on and unfortunately sidelined her for the weekend and hopefully not too much longer.  Being the trooper she is though, she did not let this get her down and we had a great time for the rest of the weekend.

This is where the wine came in, after a nice warm day on the slopes a nice crisp Pinot Grigio goes down nice and smooth.  Now remember this bottle cost $2.99, but to be absolutely honest it drinks like an average $10 bottle of wine.  Very smooth with hints of apple, the one thing to be ready for is the slight sourness, I am big fan of sour so this suited me very well.  I would recommend this bottle to anyone; however this can only be purchased at Trader Joe's so for those that do not have one nearby may want to splurge on the $36 case when you come across one (I know $36 a case is hard for me to believe too).  If you are having a function and are stumped at what to buy for wine you cannot go wrong with this, Charles Shaw makes many more varieties as well which I'm sure you will hear plenty about in later post.

 

Velvet Moon - Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Have you ever been in the shoe section at Target?  You know that cheap rubber sole smell.  Because that is the initial impression I got from this wine when I first smelled from my glass.  Not very appetizing at all, in fact I was reluctant to take my first sip.  Unfortunately the impression was the same after tasting and swirling this $4.99 Cabernet. 

Being the fair man I am I was sure to give this affordable bottle a fair trial, because as we all know "innocent until proven guilty".  I gave it some time and let her breath a little longer and still 1 glass is all that I could choke down this night.  It had a startling effect when it first hit your taste buds and really made me pucker.  It was also quite acidy and I could tell it's produced by the masses and not very carefully either because the tannins were very present, and not the good tannins you hear people talking about that you get from aging in oak barrels with wine but the tannins that come from pressing your grapes to rough so it leaves your mouth feeling like you've just been sucking on a cotton ball.

I wanted to give this bottle another chance with some food, so last night I had another glass with some grilled chicken that I had smothered in some new spices I've been meaning to try.  Guess what, not a bad match...however I'm no chef Ramsey either so a cheap wine is exactly what I needed for this, or to be more accurate what I had on hand.

I'm going to compare this wine with Coors Light.  Now I am a beer man, and I definitely like some good fancy beers but if it's a hot summer day and I need to cool down I like myself a cold Miller Light.  So why would I compare this to a Coors Light then?  Well I will buy Coors light if it's on sale and I need some light beers to have at a BBQ.  You catch my drift?  Velvet Moon cost 5 bucks a bottle, the saying you get what you pay for is exactly true here.  If you're looking for a wine to sit and enjoy by itself, by no means buy this.  But if you are going somewhere where you need to drop a bottle of wine on the table to feel polite this is a winner...Nice looking label and the best part is it cost $5, hey if it ends up being the last bottle opened most people are too drunk to tell the difference anyways.