A Great Cab Worth Splurging On

by Angela

Last April Tony and I went to a Cabernet Sauvignon wine tasting and we decided to purchase one of the high end cabs after tasting them. The 2007 Oakville East Exposure Cabernet Sauvignon was our big purchase. It was cost about $65 a bottle and we decided to open it sometime in 2012 and for an occasion. Last night we opened it on Valentines day to celebrate my new job (a great way to celebrate).

Oakville East Exposure Winery sits on the land slide from the Vaca mountain range and it borders the eastern side of  Napa Valley. It receives the perfect amount of morning sun that continues through out the day that gives the perfect ripening and maturing conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the blend of grapes comes from 6 different micro vineyards that are planted on the side of the mountain. The rich iron soils, the organic green farming methods, and the sun exposure are the perfect base for this Cabernet Sauvignon. Of course the Cab is filled into 80% new French Oak Barrels and aged in natural cool caves formed in the mountain. Seriously you couldn’t ask for better conditions for a wine.

The 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petite Verdot give the perfect blended wine. This wine you want to decant for at least an hour or two before drinking. The smell of cedar and oak fills the glass as you pour. Then after swirling to release the alcohol vapors you can smell the rich fruit of plums, strawberries, blueberries. I could taste a hint of coffee and cream. It was the perfect blend of fruit, oak, cream, and smoke. For the price I believe that I will splurge and pick up a couple more bottles and save them. Oakville East Exposure 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the best wines I have ever tasted.

A Great Artist with his Name on Some Decent Wines

By Angela

Growing up under a successful watercolor artist (my mom) I was constantly surrounded by all types of artist and art. I love the fact that when wine comes together with art it makes me all giddy inside. That’s what I thought about when I tried Ed Hardy wines for the first time…now I know a lot of you out there are saying oh yeah the guy that makes the loud t-shirts.

I must admit I’ve always loved his color choices and his tattoo art. When I heard about his wines I didn’t want to try them, I thought they were probably over done and they’re just out there for the name. But recently I hosted a wine tasting and one of the wines was the Ed Hardy Moscato. I really enjoyed it, it was a drier moscato not a typical sugary sweet Californian Moscato. It had tastes of peach and melon and it was refreshing. I looked at the label and saw that the grapes were grown and bottled in France. The price was right too: $7.99 a bottle.

After trying that I bought a different wine, the demi-sec Diamond Sparkling Rose`. Great wine it wasn’t bitter and it wasn’t sweet it was a blend of dry with a hint of sweet. The blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Pinot Noir tasted perfect, this was light with a hint of cream, berries, and a little yeast after taste.

Now with this being said, I haven’t tried any of the other wines. I believe I like these 2 wines because they are inexpensive, light, and you do not have to over think them. Plus they are pretty bottles to look at after you’re finished with them. Great wines for a night with friends. What’s your thoughts on Ed Hardy Wine please give me some feed back on the other wines.

Aldi Does Sell Wines and they’re a Great Purchase

by Angela

A couple of weeks ago Cresta shared with us that Aldi Grocery stores sell wines. I thought I would check it out, and what I found was a pretty great deal. I purchased 4 different bottles of wines from Aldi all priced under $7; none of the other wines were over $9. Here’s my reviews of the 4 wines I purchased.

• Landshut Riesling $5.99 – Had a wonderful floral bouquet with tastes of honey and sweet melon. I would have to agree with Cresta that this is a very sweet Riesling but this would be perfect if your having asian spicy foods. This wine would pair with spicy Thai foods, hearty seafood stew, or served as a great desert wine.
• Villa Malizia Pinot Grigio $5.99 – A very light and crisp Pinot Grigio that had tastes of citrus and pear. It actually tasted better after it warmed up a little. (I decided stop chilling and drink it at room temperature.) This is a great summer wine that you can pair with salads, fish dishes, and light pasta dishes. I really enjoyed this Pinot Grigio.
• Gonfalone Chianti $6.79 – This is not your typical Chianti, it was very light but with some tannins and had tastes of smoke and leather. It was light like a Pinot Noir but had some characteristics of a Syrah. I personally didn’t enjoy it BUT if you are into a light Pinot Noir then this is your bottle to buy.
• Toca Diamonte Malbec $5.99 – This by far was my favorite one. The bouquet was black cherry and a hint of floral and tastes of clove, oak, berry, and black cherry. I really enjoyed this wine, I wanted to grill a steak after having a few sips of the wine. This would definitely compliment a great steak, hearty pasta dishes, or just drank alone with friends. If you’re into big hearty wines this is a great one for the price.

I can’t wait to go back and try other wines that Aldi has to offer. If you have an Aldi Grocery store in your neighborhood just remember you can pick up some wine for dinner while you’re grocery shopping.

Wine gadgets that work

By Angela

Of course for Christmas I got some wine and wine gadgets. One of my new favorite toys is the wine pump sealer from Brookstone. This is the greatest wine vacuum pumps of all. There’s no air pumps or no extra gadgets. All you do is attach the wine sealer on top of the bottle and you pump the top a few times and your done. It lasts at least 5 to 6 days it’s awesome and the wine tastes better after you reopen the bottle. Click here for the link to the wine pump page.

Another Christmas gift I received (well I got it last year for Christmas) was the Vinturi deluxe red wine aerator. The deluxe set came with a stand, the aerator, and a filter. This is the answer to everyone’s prayers who doesn’t have time to aerate wine for and hour or 2. You put the filter inside the aerator part and then you put it on the stand and have your glass underneath it. (look at the picture below) It aerates wine one glass at a time and its taste like the wine has been breathing for an hour. I would suggest purchasing the filter and aerator (they come together) and not the stand. When it was on the stand it leaked some of the wine. If you hold it over your glass and pour the wine through it then there is no spilling or splattering. This is the greatest invention for wine lovers. Click here to view the aerator web page.

Last but never least is the Ravi instant wine refresher. This gadget chills your wine to the perfect drinking temperature (reds and whites). It chills the wine not the bottle and you don’t have to worry about pre-chilling your whites before you serve them it does it for you. You put the pourer on top of your bottle and you have the perfect temperature to drink your wine. Click here for the Ravi web page.

I hope these gadgets work for you as they have worked for me.

Cheers,

Angela

Champagne 101

by Angela

There are a lot of different sparkling wines out there in the wine world and which one is the right one for your celebratory New Years drink?

First off not all sparkling wines are champagne. The only sparkling wines that are actually champagnes are the ones that come from the region of Champagne in France. (unless you’re one of the few California wineries that have been around for over 50+ years that got grandfathered in…whatever) Everything else is sparkling wine.

Different countries have different names for their sparkling. Spain calls their wine Cava, Italy calls theirs Prosecco, and you might also see Spumante.

What is the difference between all of the different types? Let’s break it down:

Champagne is a dry sparkling wine usually made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and/or Pinot Meunier grapes.   The different types are Cuvee, Extra Dry, Blanc de Blanc, Blanc de Noir, Rose, and Brut.

• Cuvee means means blend usually the perfect blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes or another grape has been added
• Extra Dry isn’t the driest. It means semi-dry sparkling
• Blanc de Blanc means white of white which is 100% Chardonnay grapes
• Blanc de Noir means white from dark. Champagne is pressed from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or a mix of the two.
• Rose is using the dark grapes and the skins get left on for a small part of the fermentation period which makes it a rose color
• Brut is the driest Champagne you can get

With all that said, most sparkling wines are going to be a little on the dry side. Most Prosecco, Cava, Rose, and extra dry  Champagnes will have the same dry consistency like a Chardonnay but will have a hint of sweet at the end. California sparkling wines and Brut tend to me more drier like a red wine.

• If you’re a Riesling/Moscato/Sweet Red drinker you’re most likely going to like an Asti Spumante, a Sparkling Moscato, Pink Moscato, or Moscato de Spumante.
• If you’re a Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio/Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Noir (or a light red) drinker you’re most likely going to like a Prosecco, Cava, Cuvee, Rose, Extra Dry
• If you’re a Cabernet Sauvignon/Zinfandel/Syrah/Dry White Wine you’re most likely a Blanc de Blanc, Brut, Brut Rose, Blanc de Noir

I will be hosting a free wine tasting at Liquor City Bakewell today and tomorrow from 4 – 8 and we will be tasting Champagnes, Sparkling wines, and Moscato. Stop on by during those hours anytime and I’ll help you choose the right sparkling for you.

Cheers,
Angela