Wine Club 1: Happy 1-Year Anniversary

Date: February 29th, 2012

Host: Kim

Served: Zucchini Lasagna, Garlic Cobblestone

Three strangers met at a Cheese and Spice Pairing. Our very first Wine Club four days later (on Leap Day) and the eventual launch of this blog was born!

The morning after.



Leese-Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (CA, USA), 13.5% alcohol, $10

Kim says: Happy Anniversary to us! Happy Anniversary to... okay sorry you get the idea. But we are very pleased to post our very first Wine Club on our 1-year anniversary date! Anyway, the first version of our score sheet was very narrow and only allowed for 20 points across four categories. For those of you that know us, you know that simply wouldn't do (I mean, where are we supposed to fit the smiley faces, unicorns, broken hearts and rainbows)! Anyway, I thought this wine had missed opportunities in Sight and Flavor but perfect score for Aroma and Appeal (for a grand total of 18). Not what you'd expect of a Big Bad Cab but that might actually make this particular wine more versatile.

Christine says: Ruby red appearance; raspberry jam aroma. Tasted a little thin; young; some jam flavors; not too tannic. Simple and fun. I rated this a 13 out of 20, based on a different judging form. On the forms we use now, it would be higher: probably 15ish.

Andrea says: A dark fushia color that smelled sweet like raspberry. I didn't write much on the flavor, only that it tasted "fruity." I enjoyed this wine and scored it an 18.

Chateau St. Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (Columbia Valley, WA, USA), 14.5% alcohol, $15

Kim says: Even though I gave this wine the same score as the Leese-Fitch, I didn't enjoy it as much. It took a hit for aroma and had high tannis but overall, had good flavor.

Christine says: More tannic. Some barnyard smells, but not objectionable. Soft, round mouthfeel. More complex than the Leese-Fitch, yet I still only scored it a 9 (which translates to about 11 on today's form). Either way, it was a don't buy. I think this wine lost with all of us: we preferred the Leese-Fitch.

Andrea says: This cabernet had a brownish-ruby color. Smelled musty and earthy. I also noted the "barnyard" smell. Mostly I tasted the burn of alcohol and high tannins. I was not very critical in the beginning and I gave this wine a 14. Today I probably would have scored it even lower. I agree with Christine, the Leese-Fitch was much better.

Wine Club 36: Spa Day

Date: February 23rd, 2013
Host: Christine
Served: chips & salsa, slow cooker white chili, glazed roasted pineapple & butter pecan sundaes

Bonus: spa day!



Turning Leaf Riesling

Turning Leaf Sweet Riesling 2011 (CA, USA), 8% alcohol, $6.99 At Otto's

Christine says (8.5): Very pale; almost clear. It smelled like vomit. Yuck! Surprising zing of tartness to this wine, plus flavors of honey and Asian pear. It tasted better as it came up a bit in temperature, but I just couldn't get past the smell. Still, Riesling was a good pick for pairing with white chili. Kim took a gorgeous photo.

Kim says (11): Well, this smelled overwhelmingly of sour, musty vomit. Not sure what else I can say. As Andrea found out, if you swirled really, really hard, you might be lucky enough to get something else. For me, the relief came in the faint aroma of lilac and honey. I also picked up on something that seemed familiar for a Riesling... very far away, the delicious scent of pineapple! Surprisingly (despite the smell of vomit), I enjoyed the taste of this wine- good body, sweet and smooth. But the hard hits in color, aroma, sugar (way high!) and appeal was this wine's death sentence. Zero in all four categories but was a phenomenal match with Christine's hearty white chili!

Andrea Says (12.5): The color of champagne but very pale. At first I could only smell must, feet, and bad breath. However, like Kim said, when I really swirled it, I could smell green apple, floral, and honey. The taste was good if you like sweet wines. Fruit cocktail, pear and honey. Surprisingly it went well with the chili but clashed with the dessert.

Dry Creek Vineyards Fumé Blanc

Dry Creek Vineyards Fumé Blanc 2011 (Sonoma County, CA, USA), 13.5% alcohol, $10.99 at Otto's

Christine says (11.5): Very pale light lemon color. Looked frizzante, but it was not (sad face). Smelled really good, like fresh water/a river, grapefruit peel and slight honey. Very tart on the tip of the tongue; super tannic. Lacked finesse--a lot of edges--high and competing tannins and tartness. Opposite of the other wine: it smelled good and tasted bad. Though we did prefer it with the dessert.

Kim says (11): Extremely pale. A barely discernible cast of cool lemon that at first glance, just looked like water. Wonderful aroma of green apple, granulated sugar and (hard to describe but) your hands right after peeling a grapefruit. Mmm! Really enjoyed the bouquet but then... well, this wine was an outright offense. It tasted too bright, too sharp and was a jumbled, edgy mess of chaos in a glass. Horrible.

Andrea says (12): Almost clear in color. I enjoyed the smell! Floral, honey, citrus and pineapple, with some scents of alcohol and smoke. Did not enjoy the taste, hard to describe. Maybe some slight taste of grapefruit or honey, but almost hurt my tongue with the pile of flavors. It did go well with the dessert though...

I made a 2/3 batch of Slow Cooker White Chili. I soaked the cannellini beans overnight, decreased the cumin to 2 teaspoons and cooked it on high for 8 hours. This smaller batch worked well in my 5-qt. slow cooker. Serve with chips, sour cream and lime.

I made Glazed Roasted Pineapple, using only half of a pineapple, but leaving all the other ingredients at a full 100%. This ensured a good saucy mess! I served it with butter pecan ice cream, which is heaven with caramely pineapple.

Spa Bonus! We were blessed to participate in Spa Day at Church in the City. We were treated to amazing appetizers, cute treats and elegant flavored water served in champagne flutes. Best of all, we received complimentary facials, massages and manicures, as well as an inspiring gospel message to pamper our insides. What a wonderful gift this night was from the ladies at CITC. We felt like princesses!

Feeling beautiful inside and out!

Andrea is treated to a luxurious facial.

Andrea and Christine get manicures.

Next stop: facials for Kim and Christine, a massage for Andrea, then a fun night relaxing at Christine's.





♥ Wine Club 35: Beaujolais Trifecta

Date: February 15th, 2013

Host: Andrea

Served: Apricot and Pecan Baked Brie, Strawberry Baked Brie, Baked Artichoke Dip





Georges Dubœuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Georges Dubœuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2012 (France), 12% alcohol, $8.99 at Otto's Wine & Spirits



Andrea says (14.5): My scores really didn't match up with Kim or Christine on "Beaujolais Trifecta Night" which surprised me. The color of this wine was a nice raspberry color. Initially I smelled the pepper/alcohol smell similar to nutmeg. Further sniffing revealed scents of strawberry jam, vanilla, and vinegar. While thin in body, I enjoyed the flavor, which to me tasted like strawberry and grape juice.



Christine says (13.5): Pretty strawberry color. Simple bouquet: some vinegar right up front, plus strawberry jam and peppercorns. Long alcohol burn on the finish. This was my first Beaujolais Nouveau. I know you're supposed to drink it right away, but I don't think February is necessarily pushing it, since you can still find it in the stores. So while I wondered about the vinegar smell, it didn't really keep me from enjoying the Beaujolais. Going back after tasting the other wines, I detected tropical fruit...was it guava? I hope we do a tropical fruit sensory experience someday!

Kim says (11): Wow. I was not expecting the points to fall this way. I guess that's what happens when the wine is slightly off in the technical categories and it rates "Ambivalent" in the subjective category. For starters, I was very impressed with the appearance of this wine... a bright, festive cranberry color without that slight brown or purple hue that wines sometimes get (although Christine made a good point- this is a Nouveau so it isn't aged and is ready to drink). But that's where the fun ends. I stuck my nose in this and my first impression was of sharp chemicals and adhesive. Underneath that, there was the tasty smell of jam or berries or fruit or... Andrea grabbed the jar of strawberry jam from her fridge. Yep, that was it! I also thought this wine was very thin, so it suffered in the category of body as well.






Georges Dubœuf Beaujolais-Villages

♥ Georges Dubœuf Beaujolais-Villages 2009 (France), 13% alcohol, $7.99 at Otto's Wine Cask

      ♥ Love love love ♥ : This wine scored 18 or higher with each of us.



Georges Dubœuf says: "For me, 2009 is the vintage of the sun- in fact, this is the best vintage of my life-time! Amazing weather means this year's Beaujolais wines are incredibly elegant and delicious. Our Beaujolais-Villages wines are sumptuous, generous and fruit forward. The Beaujolais Crus are opulent, exceptionally full-bodied and fabulous. This vintage will be talked about for years to come!"

Andrea says (18): I really enjoyed this wine! A richer, more purple, raspberry color than the Nouveau. I could smell dust, vanilla, brown sugar, cranberry and currant. I could taste strawberry jam, brown sugar and raisin. The only areas where I docked the Villages were balance and finish. Over all a delicious wine! Went well with the strawberry baked Brie.



Christine says (19.5): Darker color; more claret; pronounced miniscus. Earthy/woodsy and dark brown sugar (with molasses) smell. Slight tartness/touch of vinegary taste, brown sugar, earthy, rich mouthfeel. Also has a bit of wintergreen. Yum! Highly drinkable.

Kim says (19): A nearly perfect score, the missed point was for bouquet. Everything about this wine (for lack of a better word) was deeper than the Nouveau. Deeper color and deeper aroma... I picked up brown sugar, cloves and just for a split second, a hint of vinegar. Slightly higher in acid but still within range, and had a nice, lingering finish.

Georges Dubœuf Régnié

Georges Dubœuf Régnié 2011 (Beaujolais, France), 13% alcohol, $11.99 at Otto's Wine Cask



Andrea says (18): I enjoyed the Régnié Beaujolais nearly as much as the Villages. Even though I gave them both the same score, I definitely preferred the Villages. This had a beautiful fushia/magenta color. For the third time that night I smelled and tasted strawberry jam. This one also smelled of clove and currant. I liked the taste and thought this had the longest finish of the three but gave it a lower score on aroma.

Christine says (14.5): Very intense cranberry color with blue-violet edges. Aroma of peppercorns, spices (especially cloves) and strawberries. Tasted like peppercorns, spices, brown sugar and slight vinegar. Just OK. Not worth the price, given that the (better-tasting) Beaujolais-Villages was only 2/3 the cost. We read that Régnié is the newest Beaujolais cru and that its wines can vary depending on smaller locations inside the cru. I've really loved some other crus I've tried in the past (like Chiroubles, Moulin-à-Vent and St. Amour). I wouldn't try this cru again. That said, strawberries are a super match with Beaujolais. I especially loved the Beaujolais-Villages with the chocolate-covered strawberries.

Kim says (14): Broken heart, angry face. I knew I was getting this wine too hyped up in my head! Andy at Otto's Wine Cask was able to get this from his distributor so I had about a week to sit and get excited about it before I was able to pick it up. A gorgeous color, perfect translucence and a bright pink miniscus, I couldn't stop staring! Aroma of brown sugar, I also detected something "prickly." But for all its claims that this Régnié "defines" the Beaujolais wine region, I was expecting it to blow my mind. It didn't. 

Andrea did a great job creating a meal around these wines! There's nothing more relaxing than getting together with friends to dig into a wheel of Brie and a bottle of wine. It was a great match and there she goes again... the unexpected addition of pecans to the apricot preserves was an excellent call and although the artichoke dip clashed a bit, the evening ended on a delicious note- there really is something to be said for red wine and chocolate!

Thanks to our sensory adventure tonight, I learned quite a bit! Such as the difference between strawberries and strawberry jam; that white pepper tastes good but smells bad; that bay leaves smell phenomenal! That the stretch from coriander to cilantro isn't such a huge leap after all; that currants taste better than raisins; that cloves and allspice have their own distinct aroma (and bring to mind different seasons); that I really have to focus in order to tell the difference between vanilla and brown sugar. I definitely expanded my "olfactory vocabulary" tonight!

At the last minute, Christine decided to bring some edible flowers to our sensory experiment and another mystery has been solved! I have several different kinds of "musty" descriptions- musty basement, musty mold, musty rot... well, you get the idea. And then there's the musty but not in a bad way designation. Well this is it! Not the light, sweet and fresh scent you normally associate with flowers but the earthy, organic, down-to-business part of it. It makes me think of woodlands, thick forest, and it somehow smells like life. So now I know... musty but not in a bad way is flowers!

How does a wine that smells like cat pee score 17?

The short answer is, we plugged our noses when we drank it.
Not a joke.
Well, Andrea was the only one that was successful at it... Christine and I broke into a giggling fit every time we tried! But seriously, it’s about the categories and allocation of points. For instance (and this is simplifying but you get the idea):

• Is this wine the correct color for a Petit Chablis? Yes or No.
• Bouquet? Distinct or None.
• Balance? Yes or No.
• Finish? Long or Short.

Most of the eleven categories are objective and do not allow for personal opinion. Yes, the wine may have a distinct bouquet but whether we like the bouquet or not isn’t factored in (read our comments on the Oliver Tricon Petit Chablis here). So while a wine might look really good on paper and score 17 points, maybe we weren’t in love with it. Conversely, we might really like a wine that only scored 12. In an attempt to offset that, Christine tweaked our score sheet so we could give more weight to the only two subjective categories: Appeal and Overall Opinion, for a possible 5 points combined.

Smell and taste work in tandem but it does sometimes happen that we are surprised when a wine tastes nothing like what it smells like, which can be a good thing. Case in point: a group of us went to Sushi Hai, an elegant but casual sushi house in Denver. While we waited for our table, we hung out at the wine bar downstairs. My brother-in-law passed around a glass of wine and grimaced. "What do you smell?" he asked. As we all smelled it, I wondered if it was appropriate to say what I thought... I mean, should one really utter the words "dog poop" in such a refined atmosphere? In the long run, it was fortunate that it happened again at Thief Wine in Shorewood. A friend and I decided to share a wine flight and I must have made a face because the bartender laughed and said, "Yeah, it's actually a really good wine if you can get past the barnyard funk." Perfect phrase for it and now I don't have to struggle with whether it's appropriate to say "dog poop" out loud! Also fortunate for us that there aren't wines running around out there that actually taste like they smell.

So yes... bad smell, good wine. If this ever happens to you, just plug your nose!

♥ Wine Club 20: Inventory Reduction Night

Date: August 24th, 2012

Host: Andrea

Served: Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Baked Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Baked Chocolate Pudding

Bonus bottle extravaganza (from the Host's personal inventory)! Tisdale Chocolate Red Wine, Velvet Moon Cabernet Sauvignon

♥ Hahn Winery Pinot Gris 2010 (Monterey, CA, USA), 14.5% alcohol, $10.99 at Otto's Wine Cask
     ♥Love love love♥ : This wine scored 18 or higher with each of us.



Hahn Winery Pinot Gris; New Age Rosé

Andrea says (18): Two great wines this night, and both went really well with the meal! It was clever of Kim to choose new wine varietals from houses we had tried before. This was a smooth, sweet wine with a bouquet of pear honey and floral scents.

Kim says (20): This was Andrea's inaugural Wine Club in her new apartment and what better welcome than food and wine. She was going to be serving baked ham and cheese sandwiches- comfort food at its best! The challenge was that there were so many variables, so I decided to throw all the so-called pairing rules out the window and leave it to chance. I figured we had done all this "research" (oh, the suffering!), might as well make use of it. I looked over some of the wines that had earned fairly high ratings: a Hahn Estates red (Pinot Noir) had earned a 15 so I decided to pick a Hahn Estates white. This is one of only two perfect scores that I have awarded so far. Pear and honey on the bouquet, smooth and buttery texture, excellent finish. A perfect every day wine!

Christine says (19): Awesome wine; great with the meal. Pale honey color, and a bouquet of floral, honey, apple/early fall fruit. Golden apple? It smelled sweet and ripe, vs. green apple. The flavor was light and pleasant, well-balanced, and more svelte than I expected. Some grassiness. Long finish. Very good! Hard to believe it was that high in alcohol.




New Age Rosé NV (Argentina), Malbec + Merlot, 11% alcohol, $8.99 at Otto's Wine Cask

Andrea says (19): This was a delicious, surprising Rosé! Smelt of strawberry, blueberry and something a little bit like plastic. Sweet and tart taste of cherry and cranberry, frizzante to top it all off. Love!

Kim says (19): A New Age white (Torrontes) that we had previously enjoyed scored an impressive 18 so I opted for a New Age red (well, it was a rosé). Turns out the risk was well worth it and surprise, surprise- frizzante! While the aroma of Strawberry Shortcake Dolls (yep... not the food, the actual doll) was a little odd, the cranberry and blueberry made up for it.

Christine says (17): So pretty! Very frizzante, with pale strawberry color. The flavor was strawberries, cranberries and tart cherries. Creamy, fun, bubbly mouthfeel. Puckery, with a medium finish. Super-fun summer picnic celebration wine. Great choice for those new to wine. I did dock it on aroma and bouquet (my first impression was rubber; also very light fruit, barnyard, yeastiness), and also on finish. Definitely a buy-again; I'd love it for cookouts.

GRANDMA'S BAKED CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Sift Together:

1 c. Flour             2t. Baking Powder     

1/4t. Salt              1 1/2T. Cocoa

3/4c. Sugar

Add: 

1/2c. Milk

2T. Melted Butter

1t. Vanilla

Mix together and place in a buttered baking dish.

Mix:

1/2c. White Sugar      3T. Cocoa

1/2c. Brown Sugar     1c. Water

Pour over mixture and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Wine Club 15: Barista Pinotage Coffee-Inspired Wine

Date: June 19th, 2012
Host: Christine
Served: BBQ ribs, pasta salad, some pita chip what-nots, strawberry brownies


Elena Walch Merlot; Barista Pinotage

Barista Pinotage 2010 (South Africa), 13.5% alcohol, $15 on sale at Waterford Wine

Christine says (18): A coffee-inspired wine? Sign us up! We loved this wine when we tasted it at Waterford, and I built a meal to go around it. The Pinotage is aged in nearly blackened and burnt oak barrels to give it coffee-like characteristics. It had a ruby-violet color and amazing bouquet of peppercorns, chocolate, strawberries, and coffee (though not as much coffee as I'd remembered in store). The wine was delicious, complex, rich and fruity, spiced, and a bit brambly. It went well with both the spice-rubbed ribs and the brownies. I would love to try it with steak au poivre.

Kim says (17): I had never heard of Pinotage before and assumed this was a blend but that is incorrect. As Christine referenced, Pinotage is made from a grape that is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault (known at the time as Hermitage)... what I might loosely call a hybrid grape but is not strictly accurate. This wine had a distinct bouquet of roasted peppers, rosemary and wet coffee grounds (but not in a bad way). I very much enjoyed this... it had the potential to be overbearing and brash but wasn't. Just right! And Christine did an amazing job creating a meal around this wine... an excellent combination!

Andrea says (17.5): I am not a coffee drinker but I did enjoy this wine. It was a violet-ruby color. I could smell vanilla, pepper, chocolate, coffee, and strawberry. It has a very smokey, oak-y flavor. almost burnt taste. Went very well with the ribs!

Elena Walch Merlot 2006 (Alto Adige, Italy), 13.5% alcohol, $6 on sale at Waterford Wine

Christine says (11): Claret, blood-red color, though pretty translucent. Bouquet of wet leaves, must, blueberries, raspberries and Brie. Though the wine would be good with a variety of food, I thought it was flabby (yes, flabby!) and one-dimensional. I wouldn't mind trying it with Brie.

Kim says (10): Well, I thought this Merlot had a distinct bouquet and unfortunately, it wound up tasting exactly what it smelled like- must, mold and brie rind; pleasant blueberries and strawberries but then twisted into something flat. Think old, abandoned Christmas decorations- stale orange slices and dried up pine needles.

Andrea says (14.5): I did not enjoy the smell of this wine, but there is no arguing that it had a distinct bouquet. I definitely agree with Kim and Christine, I smelled Brie, along with mold, must, and feet. But I also smelled berries. Taste was a little boring.

I mixed up strawberries, sugar and a little cinnamon to go over the homemade brownies and call out more flavors of the Barista Pinotage. Kim took a beautiful photo!

  

Toasted pita wedges with kalamata olives and goat cheese.

BBQ Ribs
3# pork baby back ribs
1/4 c. minced onion
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. each onion powder, garlic powder and cinnamon
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 c. water
1 c. BBQ sauce



Cut ribs into serving-size pieces. Combine the minced onion and spices; rub over ribs on both sides. Stack in a slow cooker, layering with sliced onion. Add water to slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours if you can. (If cooked on low for 8, they will be more fall-off-the-bone as shown.)

Remove ribs; discard cooking liquid. Dip ribs in sauce; return to slow cooker and cook on low for 1 hour.

Wine Club 23: Cavit Moscato & Pinterest Pizza

Date: September 20th, 2012
Host: Andrea
Served: Meatballs, Spinach Artichoke Alfredo Pizza, Caramel Apple Cider Cookies

Sierra Cantabria Rioja; Cavit Moscato

Cavit Moscato 2010 (Provincia di Pavia, Italy), 7% alcohol, $8 at Otto's Wine & Spirits

Andrea says (16): This wine was a very transparent, light gold color and smelled of green apple, minerals, and apricot. The taste was delicious! Frizzante yet very smooth, tasted like honey, peach and cherry. For me, it needed a stronger bouquet and a longer finish to have gotten an even higher score, but 16 is very strong. It went GREAT with the creamy sauce, cheese, spinach, and artichoke in the pizza. This was an interesting meal because I made 2 recipes that I found on Pinterest.com. Pinterest was my new addiction this Fall. It is a fantastic way to organize your ideas, recipes, really anything that 'floats your boat.'

Kim says (15): This is what I mean by fearless... Andrea created a truly great meal from multiple recipes she's never tried before and tweaked them on the fly. Impressive! Would you do that for your dinner party or do you stick to the tried and true? Anyway, I really liked this wine and gave it the highest number of points possible in the "overall opinion" category, which is three. But it also took a hit for bouquet as it was so vague... fruity or floral or... something. Slight musty undertone but excellent flavor of perfectly ripe peaches.

Christine says (15): Lots of  big bubbles. Pale gold. Minerals, apricot, petroleum nose. Yum! Pronounced honey taste, plus peaches, apricots and a hint of tart cherries mid- to back-palate. Fun and good.


Sierra Cantabria Rioja 2009 (Spain), 13.5% alcohol, $12 at Otto's Wine & Spirits

Andrea says (13): This wine has a burgundy/raspberry color. I thought it had a distinct bouquet. First I could smell the warm, alcohol scent, followed by a strawberry, brown sugar and tomato smell. The taste was where I marked this wine down the most. I thought the body was thin. It was too tannic for me, and I mostly tasted the alcohol. Don't get me wrong, I still drank my share, and I remember it being ok with the food (best with the meatball).

Kim says (11.5): I am usually a fan of Spanish wines so I was excited to try this one. Unfortunately, it suffered in the categories of aroma, bouquet, balance and appeal. I thought this wine was a bit of a bully for a Rioja, which probably means that I detected too much of that aggressive, black-pepper-but-not-black-pepper aspect, which we have figured out is actually nutmeg.

Christine says (10): Smelled like alcohol and strawberries; I did also detect brown sugar after Andrea pointed it out. The wine tasted thin, with lots of tannins; it had a long finish that was mostly alcohol. It reminded me of Chianti, which I usually avoid.

The Spinach Artichoke Alfredo Pizza was a BIG HIT! We all loved it. I followed the recipe from The Two Bite Club almost to a "T." I did add oregano to the sauce, because what's a pizza without oregano?

The Caramel Apple Cider Cookies were also very good, but very sweet. A great recipe for the Fall. This recipe was pinned from The Girl Who Ate Everything.