Wine Club 53: Hello, New Apartment

Date: September 14th, 2013
Host: Andrea
Served: mozzarella sticks, caesar salad, white lasagna, cake truffles
Bonus bottle (from the host's personal inventory): Bandit cocktails

Torres Viña Esmerelda Moscato 2010 (Catalunya, Spain) 11.5% alcohol, $13 at Otto's

Andrea says (16): A pale yellow color with a lime tint. My first thought on the aroma was shampoo. I could also smell floral, vanilla, peach and honey, even a little banana when I swirled the glass. The taste was nice, sweet and mild with good body. very smooth. I liked it and think that it complimented the lasagna.

Christine says (12.5): Pale lemon color. Floral and peach bouquet, with slight citrus. Wow! More tart than expected. Lemon-lime taste, medium body, medium-long finish, but not very complex. Going back, I also smelled cat urine. Though I was excited to try another 2010 Spanish wine, I was disappointed here.

Kim says (17.5): Like Andrea & Christine, I smelled peaches. Also vanilla and banana Runts... it smelled rich, creamy and smooth. I'm not sure how something can smell like a texture, but this did! When I swirled, I actually caught a whiff of alcohol which is interesting, given the alcohol content is so low. This little emerald tasted like it smelled (but without the banana). I would definitely buy this again!
 


Cantina Terlan Terlaner 2012 (Alto Adige, Italy) 60% Pinot Bianco, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Sauvignon Blanc, 13.5% alcohol, $17 at Otto's

Andrea says (16): Golden yellow. Smelled like pear, vanilla, banana, honey and floral. Higher acid than I had expected, but it was nice. Good body and nice flavor. I liked this one a little bit better than the Moscato, yet still scored them the same. Hmmm.

Christine says (19): Light, bright lemon appearance and looked a little frizzante, but it wasn't. Warm pear and baking spices, floral, very slight honey in the bouquet. It smelled SO good! Medium body, well balanced, nice streak of acidity. Very good!

Kim says (14): Smelled like lillies and upon swirling, faintly of pear. I thought this wine had stronger tannins and acid than the Esmerelda and... uh, well that's all I wrote. Maybe it deserved a higher score because I was apparently too busy drinking it to write anything down!

Kim says: I bought a box of Bandit Sangria as a mini-housewarming gift for Andrea, who was generous enough to share it! And after the first round, magical Christine whipped up some killer cocktails! Such a wonderful treat... good thing that everything she rattled off the top of her head, Andrea had in stock!

Wine Club 52: A Fancy Late Lunch...Very European!

Date: August 24th, 2013
Host: Kim
Served: Cheese tray (several of them, actually), mandarin orange salad, chocolate creme pie
Bonus bottle (from the host's personal inventory): Moselland Arsvitis Riesling Qualitätswein 2010, Domaine Cheveau Saint-Amour 2010

La Forcine Vouvray 2009 (France) 12% alcohol, $15 at Waterford

Kim says (17): Ahh, finally! My scores have been wildly out of synch with Christine and Andrea's, so I am pleased to see that we are pretty much aligned on this really great wine! It smelled pleasantly of yeast; fruity and floral but not sweet. Smelled so good! I could have spent the rest of the day with my nose in the glass. The missed opportunities were acid (high), balance, finish and overall opinion. While I really enjoyed this wine and highly recommend it, I think the score is fair. Just a hair shy of ♥ love love love.

Christine says (19): Light pale lemon yellow. Smelled of yeast, creaminess and stone fruits. Bright taste: peaches, honey, apricots and lemon. Yum! Medium-long finish that tasted of minerals. Oh, yeah.

Andrea says (19): A very pale yellow. Smelled of yeast, pear, green apple, minerals and a little floral. The taste was smooth yet tart!Very nice on the palette. Nice body, nice sweetness. Tasted a little like grapefruit, which is a plus in my book. I only marked it down half a point for bouquet and half a point in the overall column. I really enjoyed this Vouvray!

Yves Cuilleron Syrah Rosé "Sybel" 2012 (France) 12% alcohol, $13 on sale at Waterford

Kim says (8.5): And there we go again... I can't believe Christine and Andrea gave the exact same score on all three of these wines and I am somewhere off in left field on this one! Anyway, I thought this was a very pretty color with a hint of blue (although as you can see in the picture, that might have been an effect of my glass). Aroma of strawberries and sweaty gym shoes. No body, no taste- like drinking water that happens to have alcohol in it. A long finish that was just acid. On the bright side, I learned something new this day... Christine says that rosé wines get their hint of color because they're only left in contact with the grape skins for a short time. Makes sense!

Christine says (14): Pale rose petal and watermelon color. Wow! Complex bouquet: strawberry, watermelon, blackberry and floral. Medium body, with typical strawberry taste and just a hint of skunk. A big, full "low note" that was different to me from other rosés. I had trouble identifying what it was, but docked the wine on tannin.

Andrea says (14): Another pretty watermelon colored wine. Kind of a salmon-coral color. It made me think of fruit punch. Smelled like minerals, roses, strawberry, and a little bit stinky like sweaty feet. The body was a bit thin. It taste like strawberry, but not as strongly flavored as I expected from the smell.


Domaine Cheveau Saint-Amour 2010 (Beaujolais, France) 13% alcohol, $20 at Waterford

Kim says (15.5): Very slight brown color on the pour (oh no!), smelled of nutmeg and brown sugar, and tasted just fine! Thinking about this later, I realized I hadn't detected any vinegar at all- taste or smell, which we have in every other Beaujolais we've tried so far.

Christine says (16): Very deep burgundy color. At first, a distinct peppery spice aroma that Kim identified as nutmeg, which I think was spot-on. Also smelled of dried strawberries, prunes and violets. Medium-full body; could definitely taste the alcohol; less fruit than indicated in the bouquet. Good picnic wine! Would be especially good with cold beef and hard, salty cheese. It was nice with the chocolate pie. Such an intense Beaujolais!

Andrea says (16): I think this was the first time that Christine and I gave each wine the exact same score! 3 for 3! This wine was a brownish, brick red color. I could smell berries, chocolate, nutmeg, jam, but mostly I smelled the alcohol. The first thing I could taste was also the alcohol! Eventually it became more fruity. Great with the chocolate pie! Really brought out the berry flavors.

 Hidden Springs Creamery Driftless, Uplands Cheese Company's Pleasant Ridge Reserve (aged one year and two year), Sartori's Black Pepper BellaVitano; Cracker Barrel Mediterranean Herb. Served with roasted garlic on the side, balsamic vinegar (raspberry, lemongrass mint) and olive oils (tuscan herb, white truffle).

Uh... we also had a really yummy salad but I forgot to take a picture of it. Here's the recipe if you'd like to see it for yourself!

Spring Greens Salad
2 qts. mixed greens (I used a head of Boston and a head of Romaine)
2 C orange sections, cut in halves (or use canned mandarin oranges)
1/2 C raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
Wash & dry greens. Place in plastic bags & crisp in refrigerator 1 hr or longer.
Before serving, toss w/oranges, seeds and about 1 C dressing (or less, to taste).

Dressing:
1 C salad oil
1/2 C sugar
1 med onion, chopped
1/3 C catsup
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 C white wine vinegar
Blend all ingredients.  Cover & refrigerate for 24 hours to blend flavors.  Makes about 2 ½ C
dressing. Extra can be stored in refrigerator.  (I usually make ½ recipe).