♥ Wine Club 14: Conquista Malbec, Elderton Shiraz

Date: May 31st, 2012
Host: Andrea
Served: Chicken Enchiladas, Rice and Beans, Gelato

Conquista Malbec 2010 (Argentina) 13% alcohol, $5.99 at Otto's Wine Cask

Andrea says (16): I enjoyed this Malbec. It was very smooth, dark and rich. It had very noticeable legs indicating high alcohol content. It smelled and tasted like raspberries.

Kim says (14): Well, this was a technically strong wine with the exception of Aroma and Bouquet, although I have come to the conclusion that is not necessarily the wine's fault. I seem to have difficulty discerning particular aromas... case in point, I apparently smelled "berries" with this Malbec.

Christine says (15): Deep dark claret; looked like a young wine. Lots of legs. Smelled like cherries and raspberries. Medium-dry taste; pleasant; not too fruity. Short finish, but good. A nice and simple wine...I liked it with the chips and salsa we had before dinner.

♥ Elderton Shiraz 2005 (Barossa Valley, Australia) $24.99 on sale at Otto's Wine Cask
 ♥ Love love love ♥ : This wine scored 18 or higher with each of us.

Andrea says (19.5): This wine was delicious and technically superior! The color was a pretty, dark red/brown. The only half point that I took off was in the "overall" column. The bouquet was fantastic! I could smell and taste mostly strawberry and chocolate. I think this would be great with dessert, and went well with the gelato.

Kim says (18.5): These are the first wines I've scored using the third version of our rating form and what great timing! Smelled faintly musty (not in a bad way) and for lack of a better word, deep, pleasant and of general spices. Amazing body... I had to resist the urge to actually chew it! Thoroughly enjoyed this wine and am glad that the very helpful woman at Otto's laid her hand on the bottle, said something along the lines of, "Now this bad boy..." and highly recommended it. Too bad it was the last one. Well worth the price!

Christine says (20): Very dark brick color. Awesome smell! It reminded me of Amarone. I picked out chocolate, oak, tobacco and dried strawberries in the bouquet. Taste was ripe dried strawberries; smoky; complex and good, with a long finish. This impressive wine was amazing with the enchiladas. I also thought it would be great with chili-rubbed steak, lasagna, bacon, blue cheese, figs and more. If only the budget allowed, I'd find a lot to eat with this winner!


I made the enchiladas from Tyler Florence's recipe from Food Network.com. They went over very well, and went well with the Gelato from Paciugo at the Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa.

♥ Wine Club 39: One Honey of a Wine

Date: March 21st, 2013
Host: Christine

Served: taco meat loaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, chocolate creme pie

♥ Honey Badger Sweet Red 2011 (South Africa), 95% Shiraz + 5% Pinotage, 12.5% alcohol, $9.99 at Discount Liquor in Manitowoc

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

Christine says (19): Pretty raspberry color with fuchsia. Smelled of red berries (mostly raspberries, but strawberries, too) and jam, plus a hint of sweet, edible tangerine peel and tobacco. For taste, my first thought was "Wow!" It was very much like brown sugar, plus tangerines. Lively and jumping off of the palate. Sweet and good. I would love this with cheese! Or other picnic foods. The wine was good with a chill on it...warmed up at room temp for 1/2 hour out of the frig seemed perfect to me. I loved it.

Andrea says (19): This would be a great wine for people who say that they don't like red wines. Sweet and fruity. Smelled like strawberry, blackberry, citrus-maybe tangerine and jam. My first taste was of honey and strawberry, next I could taste tangerine and grape. A delicious light, bright red. Highly recommended, great with dessert (thanks for the suggestion T.B.).

Kim says (19): Holy grapes, Batman! Throw the words "honey" and "sweet" around and I am already inclined to dislike it but that was not the case with this lovely find! A very pretty color... vibrant and warm. Smelled wonderfully of berries (red), kiwi and bananas. Tasted like fruit and brown sugar. Even served below room temperature, this wine had a nice, long finish... like I had just finished a mouthful of deliciously ripe berries. Note to self... try with Andrea's dreamy apricot baked brie!

Terre des Chardons Marginal 2009 (Costières de Nîmes, France), Grenache + Syrah, 13.5% alcohol, $9.99 on sale at Waterford

Christine says (11): We've often snickered over the previous months, wondering if this wine would live up to its marginal name. In that regard, it did not disappoint! It looked very thick in the glass, with an intense deep blood-red color. It smelled like Dwight Schrute's farm: barnyard and beets. By beets, I mean earthy, sweet and fresh. A hint of the spices I put into pickled beets (cloves, allspice, peppercorns, bay leaves). It was a chewy wine. I didn't like how much I had to think about it. I'd be disappointed, too, if I were that customer who dropped $27 apiece for a case of this stuff. I was starting to feel like an 11 score was generous as I struggled to finish my glass. Though I've never had a Costières de Nîmes, I felt like this example had a lot of terroir. I'd try the region again.

Andrea says (11.5): This was an interesting wine that I was eager yet nervous to try. I had purchased it at Waterford for $9.99 marked down from $27.00. A discount like that made me curious. An employee told us that customers had been put off by the scent. It had a dark maroon color, almost bloody, and very thick, you couldn't see through it. The first smell was pretty awful,  burnt rubber and asphalt.With some heavy swirling I could smell berry, licorice, sweetness, apples, and something earthy. The taste was berry but mixed with chemicals and rubber. It was interesting and very complex. It actually went well with the meal, but I certainly didn't give it a $27.00 score....

Kim says (14.5): You know how you look too hard at something and then it kind of shifts right in front of you? Yep, that's what Marginal did. This wine was deep burgundy in color and so dark that it made me think of thick, velvet drapes. The up side- no hint of brown. The down side- the instant and overwhelming smell of barnyard funk and asphalt. Also (on about the 30th inhale in my stubborn attempt to find something redeeming about this wine), the oh-so-faint and barely discernable tease of carmelized onons and wet cardboard (in that order). Unfortunately, it also tasted exactly what it smelled like... sharp, burnt, acrid, chemical. But when I took a significant mouth full (again, stare long enough and you might see something different), I could pick up on the hidden spice and something vaguely sweet. Would I buy this for myself? Perhaps. Would I serve it to someone else? Heck no. But it did pair very well with Christine's delicious taco meatloaf!

My maiden voyage with the Taco Meat Loaf recipe was a success! I baked it at 350 degrees instead of using the slow cooker (glazed after baking for 50 minutes).  I used 1/2 pack each of taco and fajita seasoning instead of 1 pack of taco, because it was what I had on hand. I added 1/3 tsp. chili powder. This was a delicious make-again. I added sour cream and paprika to the mashed potatoes. I bought a chocolate pie, anticipating that Andrea would bring red wine. : )

♥ 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!

♥ 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.