Wine Club 18: Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc, Gabbiano Pinot Grigio

Date: August 7th, 2012
Host: Christine
Bonus bottle: Bota Box... yum!


Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (New Zealand) 13% alcohol, $8

Andrea says (16): Smelled of lemon with some floral notes. The taste was sweet and a little tart, apple, and peach. I would definitely drink this again.


Gabbiano Pinot Grigio 2010 (Italy) 12.5% alcohol, $10.50

Andrea says (13.5): This wine started out a little stinky, smelling of feet and hair salon. After it had time to breathe, I smelled more floral. The taste was apple pie and honey.


Bota Box RedVolution N/V (California) $20 (6 bottles)

Andrea says (17): I really enjoyed this Bota Box. Very high quality for a boxed wine, and what a value! At $20 for a box that holds 6 bottles, it's a great deal!

Wine Club 12: Kris Pinot Grigio, Chilean Sauvignon Blancs

Date: May 16th, 2012
Host: Christine
Served:

Kris Pinot Grigio 2010. 12.5% alcohol, $11.99

Andrea says (17.5): Smelled of pear and lemon. Tasted like honey and apple. Definitely a good one. I'd drink this again.

Root 1 Sauvignon Blanc 2010. 13% alcohol, $10.99

Andrea says (13): Smelled kind of bad, sulfur, feet and salon chemicals. Tasted a little like apple. Certainly not one of my favorites.

Wine Club 62: A Story in Progress

Date: February 8th, 2014
Host: Christine
Served: butternut squash flatbread, Italian wedding soup, cheeses with kumquat & fig compote
Bonus bottles: Elk Cove Pinot Gris 2011, Lustau East India Solera Sherry

 This picture graced the front page of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel!

Estancia Pinot Grigio 2011 (CA, USA) 13% alcohol, $10 at Otto's Wine and Spirits

Christine says (15.5): Very pale; water-like edges. Fresh spring air and lemon aroma. A big low note in the taste and some grassiness. I liked it better with the meal than the Pinot Gris.

Andrea says (17): A pretty champagne colored wine with a bit of a funky aroma. Stinky feet and mineral but also floral, pear, citrus and honey notes. I liked the taste. Honey with a tart acid streak. A little bit of an iron/blood/mineral taste but I also got the herbal grassiness that Christine noted. Overall a very nice wine that went well with the meal.

Kim says (17): Slightly warmer in color than the Elk Cove Pinot Gris, with good aroma and appeal. I enjoyed this wine and feel this was a fair score and although this was a better match with the food, I think the Pinot Gris was better overall. 



Santa Cristina red wine 2011 (Toscana, Italy) 13.5% alcohol, $12 at Otto's Wine and Spirits

Christine says (19.5): Pretty! Intense and bright ruby. Violets, very slight wintergreen, peppercorns and black and red fruit (blackberries and cherries) on the nose. Medium body, earthy flavor, not as fruity as expected. Excellent with the soup.

Andrea says (14): A burgundy/brick red. Smelled like berries, pepper, earth, minerals, anise, chemicals and a little like tobacco.
Nice smoky and floral flavors. Lots of berry flavors, high tannins.

Kim says (11): I think I wasn't able to get over the initial smell of adhesive... like Elmer's glue. Then there was black licorice, wet leaves, cherries and damp wood chips. I penalized this wine for thin body, high sugar and the finish was lacking in complexity (all tannins). We have discussed this before... maybe the person that brings the wine is the most critical of it. This wine was to be paired with Christine's Italian wedding soup so I intended to get a light, northern Italian red (perhaps a Barbera) but got stuck on this instead. Very pleased that everyone else enjoyed it!

Elk Cove Pinot Gris 2012 (Willamette Valley, WA) 12% alcohol, $14 at Discount Liquor

Christine says (14.5): Light pale lemon. Smelled of pears, vanilla and sugar. Lemon-lime taste with earthy notes. Medium finish. Kind of a yawn.

Andrea says (17.5): Very clear, slightly green color. I loved the aroma. Pear, honey, floral, vanilla and cream soda, yum. Nice acid, tart. Honey and citrus flavors. I really liked this one.

Kim says (19): Pale in color and aroma of orange zest and something herbal... possibly rosemary. Good wine but I thought the Pinot Grigio was a better match with the flatbread. I wound up scoring this wine very high but even made a note that it might be undeserved, with its only missing point being in a subjective category.

Lustau East India Solera Sherry NV (Spain) 20% alcohol, $20 at Waterford Wine Company

Christine says: No need to rate this wine: We already knew we loved it! We first had the sherry in October at a Waterford wine tasting before dinner at Kim's. We liked it so much we all ordered some and brought it camping with us later that week!

Andrea says: Yummy... This sherry is always a hit with us!

Kim says: Yum. Enough said. And I am sad because I think I only have one bottle of this baby left...

Soup, kumquat & fig compote, and my favorite cookies from Sciortino's. Camera-shy: butternut squash flatbread. You can see it on the wooden tray below, where Journal Sentinel photographer Michael Sears is taking pictures of our event! After Mike left, we devoured the flatbread before Kim could take a picture.

Christine and Mike after the photo shoot!

Working hard to make the compote just so.

The reason Kim is still the best photographer.

She documents everything about our get-togethers, including these little kumquats. They were a sweet surprise and her first time having them!

Wine Club 61: Pork, Bacon & Bonuses!

Date: January 25th, 2014
Host: Kim
Served: Honey-Soy-Roasted Pork, Quinoa and Bacon Salad, green beans with toasted almonds
Bonus bottles: a trio of Italian reds from Waterford Wine Company

La Granja 360 Cava Brut NV (Spain) 70% Xarello + 30% Parellada, 11.5% alcohol, $6 at Trader Joe's

Kim says (17): What hit me right away was the strong aroma of pear and honey, as well as something else that was familiar to me... something I'd come across in another varietal but can't quite put a finger on. I'll figure it out eventually! Anyway, really enjoyed this... light and fun. Definitely stopping by Trader Joe's to pick up a bottle (or two)!

Christine says (16.5): Very pale lemon color. Smelled like lemon and pear. Kim also picked up honey and Andrea, green apples, and I agreed. Nice palate-cleansing bubbles, medium finish with minerals. It was good with the meal and stood up well to the flavorful, slightly sweet pork. This wine had a good quality-to-price ratio (QPR).

Andrea says (14.5): A nice frizzante Cava with a very light, clear color. It smelled crisp and clean, green apple, apricot, and honey. Nice mouth feel. Light, tart, slight mineral taste. Bubbles all the way across the tongue. I could really taste the green apple and honey. Good with pairing with the honey in the pork.

Contadino Pinot Grigio 2012 (Italy) 12% alcohol, $5 at Trader Joe's

Kim says (11): At first I picked up English toffee. Upon my next smell, musty basement. Next smell, I detected apple peels. Next time... well, you get the idea. Each time, the smell had morphed into something drastically different. What I found interesting was that these aromas were not layered... I did not smell them all at once, like English toffee and a hint of musty basement underneath. The smells were singular and separate... and I am glad I missed the paint thinner that Christine smelled!

Christine says (8.5): Lots of small bubbles in this wine--looked like fun! Very, very pale, like water. Smelled like paint thinner: ick! In the crazy glass, I also smelled white grapes. The taste was nice, had a light body, tasted like green apples and the oil from lemon peel. The meal overwhelmed it. And the smell was unforgivable.

Andrea says (16.5): I really liked this wine! Also a very clear wine, pale lemon in color. Very fragrant - vanilla, floral, grape. Yes, I could also smell the chemical-paint thinner smell, but I didn't find it overwhelming. Mostly I smelled cream soda and powdered sugar. Light flavor, but again, I liked it - honey, white grape, lemon and pineapple with a little bit of mineral flavor. 

I had never done a roast before but my friend Robert does pork roasts regularly so he kindly came over and we did a practice run. The finished product was very dry, which we both agreed was the fault of the specific piece of meat I had selected. As a result, I wanted to make sure there was plenty of gravy or sauce to accompany the pork roast when I hosted Wine Club, and I came across this recipe from Food & Wine magazine. Since there were several variables between the recipe and what I would actually be serving, I partially incorporated Robert's instructions and the finished product was (I believe) fabulous!
     • Used loin roast rather than shoulder roast
     • Skipped the braised veggies
     • I placed the roasting pan on the 2nd rack from the bottom, and did use the rack that it came with
     • Roasted at 350°F for 20 minutes per pound until thermometer read 160°F
     • In my paranoia, I made double the basting glaze
     • Whole Foods does carry veal demiglace but they happened to be out of stock. Both Sendik's and The Fresh Market also carry it (although it is made from veal+beef stock)

Christine says: I scored some fun, highly drinkable Italian reds at a recent Waterford staff training, and they came along to Wine Club. The highlight was the Sagrantino, an inky-black red that leans pricey because the very small grapes are difficult to harvest. So yum. I was doing a financial fast at the time, and the Trader Joe's wines were ones I already had at home. I felt good being able to up my game by bringing along these wines!

Wine Club 60: Asia Tour

Date: December 15th, 2013
Host: Christine
Served: Lumpia, edamame, Vegetable Moo Shu Wraps, toffee ice cream bombe


Bella Sera Pinot Grigio 2011 (Veneto, Italy) 12% alcohol, $8 at Pick 'n Save

Christine says (12): Translucent, very pale lemon. Apricot, floral, honey bouquet. Tart! Lemon taste. Less sweet than expected (and I didn't expect much). Some grassy/herbal notes. Shorter finish.

Andrea says (17): Lemon yellow and  very clear, frizzante. Smelled like crisp apple, citrus, floral and mineral. The flavor I observed most strongly was honey! Some lemon and green apple flavors. Sweet and mild taste, tart on the mid palette. A good everyday wine. 

Kim says (18): Really liked this wine! Smelled like red apples and powdered sugar. Did not taste overly sweet and I am surprised to say... while I thought this wine was well-balanced and the sugar was correct, I think I may have liked it even more if it was a tiny bit sweeter. Not a long or complex finish... I think mostly just acid. The missed points were for body (partial- slightly thin), acid (partial- slightly high) and finish. Andrea is right... pleasing and versatile enough to be an everyday wine!


Don Miguel Gascón Malbec 2010 (Mendoza, Argentina) 13.9% alcohol, $12.50 at Pick 'n Save

Christine says (15.5): Garnet color, but looked a bit cloudy, too. Smelled of strawberry seeds and fruit roll-ups. Mmm! Yum taste. Wintergreen, cedar, leather, blackberry. Kim and Andrea said they smelled cocoa, and I could, too, after whiffing some from the pantry. It had a dusty, powdery cocoa aroma. This wine was good with the Filipino egg rolls, which were filled mostly with sweet potatoes.

Andrea says (16): A bloody, brick red color. Fairly opaque with long legs. Had an earthy smell, plus chocolate, mocha, raspberry, blackberry and minerals. Strong tannins on the tongue. Tart and tasted like berries. Good with the egg rolls.

Kim says (16): Very dark color but surprisingly bright edges... maybe an effect of the cloudiness Christine mentioned. Smelled of black pepper, earth, minerals and wet rocks. I did enjoy this wine but the combination of high tannins and acid put it a bit off balance and detracted from the appeal. But yes, as we all agreed... very good with the egg rolls!





 

Hard at work. We are so studious!



  

Wine Club 54: Pretty Cocktails

Date: September 22nd, 2013
Host: Christine
Served: carrot soup, apple cider chicken & potatoes, pineapple upside-down cake
Bonus bottle (from the host's personal inventory): plum wine cocktails

Ménage à Trois Pinot Grigio 2011 (CA, USA) 13.5% alcohol, $7.50 at Woodman's-Appleton

Christine says (14.5): Very, very pale with a hint of lemon color. A strong and good aroma! Lemons, pears and green apple. Big body, strong streak of acidity. Tart green apple finish that was on the short side. We all liked this one better than the White Blend we tried last spring.

Andrea says (17.5): Clear golden color. Wonderful aroma! Floral, peach, honey, pear, and a little lemon. The taste was sweet, like pear and honey. Nice level of acid. Crisp and tangy. Very good, almost a love for me. Great with the meal.

Kim says (17.5): I think the name of this wine is meant to shock and seems a bit gimmick-y but I've had their Folie à Deux; and we've also scored their White Blend (Chardonnay + Moscato + Chenin Blanc) and I enjoyed them both. But it's this Pinot Grigio that impressed me the most... Andrea and I both scored this 17.5... a very serious score! The aroma was outstanding... strong and pleasant but I couldn't quite put a finger on anything except honey, and possibly very faint... green apple. Very pleased that this wine tasted just like it smelled!

Pine Ridge 2012 (CA, USA) 80% Chenin Blanc + 20% Viognier, 12% alcohol, $10 at Woodman's-Appleton

Christine says (18.5): Pale gold. First whiff was of cat urine and pine trunks, but not in a horrible way. Also apricots, flowers and minerals. Yum taste! Tart mid-palate, nice body, taste of apricot, honey, minerals. Sweetness, but with a delightful zing. And after tasting, I didn't smell anything unpleasant in the bouquet. Tart finish. Good with the soup. I liked it!

Andrea says (18.5): Almost exactly the same color as the first wine, clear and golden. A delicious fruity and floral scent... at first. After letting it breathe, it had an earthy, dried-leaf smell. not great, but brought out the mineral smells. When swirled the fruity floral smell came back. Christine mentioned apricot, definitely could smell and taste that. The wine was smooth and sweet, nice thick body, tasted like peach and apricot. Fantastic pairing with the carrot soup!

Kim says (17): Andrea knows us so well... she picked this wine because it's a blend of Chenin Blanc (one of Christine's favorites) and Viognier (one of my favorites)! Both of these wines had such a strong aroma that we could actually smell them immediately upon pouring... from five feet away! I think it was the Pine Ridge that smelled the strongest and the best... of peaches and fruit cocktail. But interestingly enough, in the (less than ten) minutes it took to score the first wine, something happened to this one. The smell turned somehow. Gone was the light, fruity aroma, replaced with the smell of pine sap and wet bark. And while I like those smells, this was not pleasant. Extremely vigorous swirling brought a little bit of the peaches back, but barely. And this wine was full of surprises... it looked frizzante but wasn't; it smelled fruity but was nice and tart; and amazingly enough... was an extremely good match with Christine's delicious carrot soup (which contained leeks, onions and hot sauce)!

Christine says: My goal with this meal was to use up as many vegetables on hand as I could. Check!--though I'm still eating the soup leftovers, which used a staggering 3 pounds of carrots. I doctored this soup to where it would be impossible to provide a recipe. I did document the chicken and spuds, though: It was a winner and one I'd make again. Here goes:

Apple Cider Chicken & Potatoes
1 c. apple cider
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp. wine peppercorn mustard with seeds (I used Mrs. McGarrigle's)
1-1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning

Combine all; save 1/4 cup for the potatoes. Pour the rest into a large resealable plastic bag and add:

4 bone-in chicken breasts

Marinate overnight, turning occasionally. Drain and roast (on a foil-lined pan! for the love goodness, an absolute MUST for next time! makes one hell of a mess!) at 375 degrees until done. Meanwhile, cut up:

1-1/2 pounds red potatoes

Toss on a baking sheet with salt, pepper and a little olive oil. Add the reserved cider mixture; toss to coat. Bake until done, stirring occasionally. Note: I added the potatoes after 25-30 minutes of roasting the chicken. These were enormous chicken breasts, nearly a pound each, and roasted for 50-55 minutes total.

For each plum wine cocktail, I mixed 1-2/3 shots of plum wine with 1-1/3 shots of Pellegrino and 1 shot apple cider. Yummy with the cheater's dessert I bought at Whole Foods.

Wine Club 45: Hogue Gewürztraminer, Alìsia Pinot Grigio

Date: May 23rd, 2013
Host: Christine
Served: Caprese alla Rukavena platter and spinach gnocchi
Bonus bottles (from the host's personal inventory): Pinot Noir, Syrah x2

Hogue Gewürtraminer 2010 (Columbia Valley, WA, USA) 13.5% alcohol, $10 at Discount Liquor- Manitowoc

Christine says (14): Light but rich golden color. Smelled like minerals and pears. Honeyed pear taste, with a nice streak of acid. Some oaky tannins. As the wine opened up, I also tasted peaches.

Andrea says (15.5): A clear, golden, lemon color. I loved the smell! Sweet, like pear and floral. The first taste was mild, even a little weak, but I could taste pear and fruit cocktail. The flavor increased and I could taste sour apple, honey, and oak, nice acidity with a tart twist. I would drink it again. Good with the gnocchi.

Kim says (18.5): Pale lemon with a hint of grassy green, and aroma of pears that was so intense, I couldn't smell anything else. Mmm! Happily, this wine also tasted like pears and honey, and had a slight bitterness on the finish, (maybe the acid that Christine mentioned), which I liked.

Alìsia Pinot Grigio 2011 (delle Venezie, Italy) 12.5% alcohol, $10 at Discount Liquor- Manitowoc

Christine says (14): Light, bright lemon color. Slight musty smell and not much else, though it wasn't objectionable. Light body, slight tartness and a surprisingly long finish. I tasted green apples, lemon, a little fresh green grass and celery. I loved it with the cheese-stuffed eggplant rollatini. Though I liked both wines with the gnocchi, I think this one had a slight edge.

Andrea says (14.5): Clear lime-green color in a uniquely shaped bottle. It had an interesting smell - sweet - pear, lemon, grapefruit and .... bubble gum? Also a little bit stinky. Light, fresh taste like lemon and green apple. Also went well with the food. 

Kim says (10): Pale in color . Smelled like wet, musty rocks and grass in the summer. So faint... I got my nose very close to the surface and had the vague impression of turpentine... and then plastic. Taste was surprisingly tart.

 
I sure must have been craving cheese! I picked up some Italian fontina, a Caprese salad and a loaded-with-cheese eggplant rollatini from Glorioso's. I also had Asiago focaccia lying around, so we ate that, too. I loaded the Caprese w/ lots of added tomatoes to make the platter a little more virtuous. The gnocchi was easy, affordable and delicious.

We shared some yummy bonus wines from Waterford. A big black-fruited Dierberg Pinot Noir 2009 (Santa Rita Hills, CA, USA) $42.  Pronounced berries, very complex, incredibly fruity. I fell in love with this wine at first sip.

We also had a mini trans-Atlantic Battle Syrah, featuring Cuilleron Syrah 2011 (Chavanay, France) $19; and Domaine des Mondes 2008 (Santa Barbara, CA, USA) $30. The American was very good with the dark chocolate truffles we had for dessert. But overall, I preferred the restrained style of the French wine.