Wine Club 16: Tarantas Sparkling Rosé, Pacific Rim Riesling

Date: July 13th, 2012
Host: Kim
Bonus bottles: Ned Pinot Gris, Georg de Boeuf Beaujolais Villages.

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 56: Fall Brunch

Date: October 20th, 2013
Host: Andrea
Served: Pumpkin latte pancakes, fried eggs, sausage, caramel apple cider

The Seeker Riesling 2012 (Mosel, Germany) 10.5% alcohol, $11 at Otto's Wine Cask

Andrea says (16.5): Very pale wine, almost a mint green color. Smelled like honey, apples, and a dusty mineral smell. Smooth mouth feel, tart, nice body. taste of honey and lemon.

Kim says (16): Yep, I decided to let my geek flag fly on this one. In a nod to Terry Goodkind's Legend of the Seeker series and of course, dual recognition to Once Upon a Time and our own The Vine Diary, these two wines made my inner sci-fi/fantasy fan and wine geek smile! Anyway, this wine smelled perfectly of a crisp, autumn day... like granny smith apples and slightly dusty. The taste was a study in contrast- smooth, tart, acidic, sweet. Like Christine said- honey and lemons. Very well-balanced, even with the bit of pucker on the finish... yum! Unfortunately, clashed with breakfast.

Christine says (13): Very pale appearance, like water. Smelled like flowers, lemon, apples and maybe lime peel. Bright and green smell. A bit puckery, but had a rich, viscous mouthfeel. Tart finish.



Once Upon a Vine The Fairest Chardonnay 2011 (CA, USA) 13.5% alcohol, $8 at Otto's Wine Cask

Andrea says (14.5): I loved the title of this wine! Cute name. This wine was also very pale, but more of a lemon/lime color. Smelled like pear, floral and a little smokey. Also a little yeasty which sometimes I describe as a "baby food" smell. This wine was smooth and sweet, smokey, nice body, tasted like tart apple.

Kim says (10): Not the warm, rich, gold color I think of with a chardonnay- a pale, almost greenish cast. Something funky on the nose... sweet potato skin? Lacking in bouquet and body, I also found this chardonnay to be high acid and low sugar. How do I really feel about this one? Ambivalent.

Christine says (15.5): Light pale greenish gold, with very small bubbles. Smelled of yeast, pears, slight vanilla and a little sweat. Alcohol taste, viscous, green apples and a sharp taste (of oak?). Pretty long finish. It didn't taste frizzante, despite the bubbles. Good for the price!




I could eat breakfast food all day...

Always some wildlife at Andrea's!
Christine identified this guy as a cormorant.







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 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 28: Lo Duca Mamertino, Schlink Haus Riesling

Date: November 16th, 2012
Host: Kim
Bonus bottle: Von Stiehl Kirsch

Wine Club 22: Pewsey Vale Riesling, Banyan Gewürztraminer

Date: September 13th, 2012
Host: Kim
Bonus bottle: New Age Rosee.