Wine Club 57: November Means Turkey

Date: November 1st, 2013
Host: Christine
Served: Sweet Potato Tartlets, Pecan Turkey Cutlets with Dilled Carrots, Herb Biscuit Loaf
Bonus bottles (from the host's personal inventory): Dupeuble Beaujolais Blanc 2011, Jason Stephens Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Edmond Cornu Bourgogne Les Barrigards 2012

Don Rodolfo Moscato 2011 (Mendoza, Argentina) 11% alcohol, $9 at Woodman's-Oak Creek

Christine says (15.5):  Pale light straw color, frizzante. Smelled like peaches and white flowers. Yummy. Sweet taste, not complex, bubbly, fruity and fun. Nice finish that included a citrusy pineapple tang.

Andrea says (14): Pale lemon color, plus frizzante. Nice aroma, but not too strong. smelled like honey, lemon, apricot and a little mineral. Taste was sweet but thin body for my liking. Honey, fruity, and vanilla flavors. Reminded me of cream soda. Went very well with the appetizers. 

Kim says (17.5): Looked frizzante on the pour, smelled like pear, honey and vanilla. Had a buttery texture and happily was frizzante (smiley face + unicorn)! Had a nice spark of acid which was very appealing. On the sweet side but after all, it is a Moscato (which I had to keep reminding myself so that I didn't penalize it for being too high in sugar, too low on tannins, etc). On the rare occasion that I am in the mood for a Moscato, this Don Rodolfo is everything I hope for!


Apothic White 2010 (CA, USA) Chardonnay + Riesling + Moscato, 12% alcohol, $9 at Woodman's-Oak Creek

Christine says (14.5): Medium to intense gold color. Num num smell! Prunes (in a good way), peaches, mango. Ripe, sweet smell. Expansive mid-palate, not as sweet as expected; some deep low note (of oak?) that I wasn't crazy about. I wished it tasted as fruity as it smelled.

Andrea says (18.5): I was a huge fan of the Apothic Red Blend so I just had to try the White Blend. It was a golden yellow color, it had a few little bubbles but was visibly viscous. It had a buttery, apricot scent. There was an aroma that was hard for me to place. Something over-ripe, sweet and fruity? Maybe mango? Taste was smooth, sweet, nice body, small tart bite to it. This wine had all of the things that I thought the other wine was lacking which maybe made my score a little unevenly weighted. It went well with the turkey. 

Kim says (11): Well, for those of you that follow our ventures regularly, this will not surprise you: something is wrong with my smeller! I almost never give a wine all 3 points in the category of bouquet. In fact, if I rate a wine the nearly perfect score of 19, chances are that missing point is in bouquet (sad but true... and it's not the wine's fault). Funny thing is, I actually have a very strong sense of smell... more than one person has remarked on it (usually accompanied by some sort of reference to a bloodhound). Apparently, my sense of smell is strong but not discerning! Anyway, back on topic...
Apothic White. You know those air fresheners labeled something like Rain Forest or Tropical Breeze? That's what this smelled like to me. And I think I just noticed... interestingly enough, the things I smell, Andrea tastes. It's happened more than once but this time, I thought I got a hint of grapefruit and Andrea mentioned a tart bite upon tasting. I think there was also something vaguely... musty? And I originally docked this wine on body, making a note that I thought it was thinner than water. But I later amended that score because I think it only suffered by comparison to the Moscato. I wound up giving it full points in the category of body.

I nuked the sweet potato to save time over boiling it, then mashed it up coarse and stirred in pecans and mini marshmallows. These were good little tarts and not too sweet. I was running behind with the meal and put Kim and Andrea to work right away. Andrea made the yummy biscuit bread, and Kim quickly peeled and chopped a million carrots.

Bonus bottle bonanza! Courtesy of Waterford Wine Company.

Wine Club 9: Ménage à Trois White, Schmitt Söhne Riesling Auslese

Date: April 18th, 2012
Host: Christine
Served: Brie cheese, white pizza, eclairs and cookies

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Ménage à Trois White Blend 2010 (CA, USA) Chardonnay + Moscato + Chenin Blanc, 13.5% alcohol, $9

Christine says (14): Pale, with grayish edges. Thin appearance. Sweet floral overtones, grassy. Smelled like summer! And a little cat urine, too. The taste was complex, more tart than expected, and with oak. I liked the wine and thought it would be versatile with food.

Andrea says (14): This was a good wine, but not spectacular. I think I was expecting more because I had so enjoyed the Menage a Trois Red Blend. This was sweet and tart. Good aroma and bouquet, I gave it medium point value for each. I also marked it down in body, balance, and finish. I gave this wine a "middle of the road" score in most categories. But I would drink it again, it would be good with certain meals.

Kim says (12): I've had the red and very much enjoyed it (although maybe that had to do with the fact that I suddenly found myself in Denver, at elevation 5280 and very happy with my 2nd glass of Ménage à Trois)... anyway, I did enjoy this and think that 12 is an unfair score, since I would be pleased to both drink and serve this wine again.

Schmitt Söhne Riesling Auslese 2010  

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(Mosel, Germany) 8% alcohol, $13

 Christine says (16): Rich appearance, pale golden straw color. Slight floral and watermelon aroma: very subtle smell. The taste was yummy. Sweet, but with brightness, honey and nice shots of tartness. Tasted grapey, like ripe green grapes. And a long finish to boot. Nice wine.

Andrea says (17): I really enjoyed this wine! German Auslese Rieslings are known for their sweetness. The grapes are pick later in the harvest to let them sweeten on the vine. So they are sweeter than a Riesling but not as sweet as an Eis Wine. I liked the smell, sweet and floral. The taste was sweet, bright and a little tart. Even though I didn't make this note, I bet it was good with the pizza.

Kim says (18): Oh! Cute little Grandpa in the lederhosen! Anyway, I wasn't able to discern anything specific in the bouquet but this wine was rich and creamy; and tasted of watermelon and butter. Yum!

Wine Club 42: Thank You, Martha Stewart

Date: April 21st, 2013
Host: Christine
Served: Chile-Citrus Turkey Breast, tropical fruit and pastries
Bonus Bottle (from the Host's personal inventory): Evodia Garnacha

Fizz 56 Sparkling Red NV (Piemonte, Italy) Brachetto Spumante, 7% alcohol, $13 at Discount Liquor- Manitowoc

Christine says (17): Beautiful strawberry color. Smelled like vanilla and cherries; tasted of strawberries, cherries and ripe red apples, with a nice acidity to boot. Great aperitif wine. Cleanses the palate and leaves you wanting more of everything! Yum. It was great with the tacos.

Andrea says (17.5): This wine looked great in the glass and tasted even better. A nice cranberry/strawberry color with lots of bubbles! My first sniff was just a nose full of bubbles, but then I could smell vanilla, cherry, and red apple. It had a very crisp, palette cleansing characteristic. Just the right amount of acidity, tartness and sweetness. Tasted like strawberry, cherry pie, and crisp juicy apples. Great with the tacos and the dessert! Definitely a winner.

Kim says (17): Apparently, I thought this wine had a "pretty sparkle, strawberry color and smells like dessert!" But in an attempt to redeem myself from my Malibu Barbie moment, I also noted that while fruity, the taste was not overly sweet, just like red berries and went very well with Christine's delicious turkey tacos! Surprisingly, it also went amazingly well with the sugared elephant ear.



Lulu B Moscato NV (Spain) 10.5% alcohol, $6 on sale at Discount Liquor- Manitowoc


Christine says (18.5): Deep golden yellow. Floral smells, plus sweet-tart candies, orange creamsicles and peppercorns. Andrea mentioned soy sauce, and though I could smell it there somewhere, I didn't find it objectionable. The wine had a rich, full body. It tasted like orange and peppercorns, with a medium-long finish. I liked it! Though it seemed to bring out too much onion taste in the tacos.

Andrea says (14.5): I've never met a Moscato that I didn't like. Wine that tastes like candy is my "cup of tea." This wine did taste like candy! Sweet, with pear, fruit cocktail, grape, and banana flavors and had good body for a Moscato. However, I really couldn't get over the smell. All I could smell was plastic and the over whelming scent of soy sauce. I wanted desperately to experience all the smells that Christine and Kim were naming but couldn't for the life of me. Still, I would drink this again and it also went well with the tacos and the dessert.

Kim says (17.5): A nice, warm color... my first smell came up with apples and then dusty, plastic strawberries and cinnamon sugar. Great body, silky texture, sweet but not overwhelming. I am usually disappointed by Moscato but not this one, and this selection also went amazingly well with the turkey tacos.



Evodia Garnacha 2011 (Calatayud, Spain) 15% alcohol, $9 at Discount Liquor-Milwaukee

Christine says (14): Lipstick red and blue-violet. Smelled like red berries, tobacco, raspberries, orange oil and just brambly overall. High alcohol taste, and some raspberries. I loved the Evodia 2010, but this one was just OK and not nearly as fruity.

Andrea says (16.5): Back to 15% alcohol. No more of that sissy 7% and 10.5% stuff. Time to drink like we mean it! This was a nice raspberry/fushia color, very transparent. Smelled like raspberry, vanilla, grape, alcohol and vinegar (but not in a bad way). At first I could mostly taste alcohol and tannins, but eventually berries and jam too. A good wine but not the best vintage.

Kim says (11.5): Sigh. I think my love affair with Spanish wines might be coming to an end. Although in defense of this wine, Christine said the previous year's vintage was much better. Anyway, this smelled like brass polish, campfire and alcohol (and had the legs to prove it). Tasted like jam and something sharp... not black pepper but not nutmeg, either... uh oh, another mystery smell to try and pin down!
 

I made tacos like they did on MarthaStewart.com with lettuce, cilantro, onion, cooked corn on the cob, avocado and queso fresco. I rubbed the chile mixture over and under the skin and marinated the turkey overnight. I saved some chile mixture on the side to serve with. Next time, I'll use only 1/2 onion. Otherwise, no changes!











 

Papaya, guava, elephant ear and a giant pastry cream-filled doughnut from Cermak's Fresh Market. The papaya had a surprisingly musty taste. I was glad to taste the guava...it was the mysterious X-factor I've tasted sometimes in white wine, but I wasn't quite sure what it was.

Andrea: Great food! Beautiful photos! Plus one cute kitty!

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.