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 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).

Wine Club 51: French Wines, Low Country Grill

 
Date: August 10th, 2013
Host: Christine
Served: Brie and baguette, Low Country Grill, sugar-bomb donut
Bonus bottles (from the host's personal inventory): Tequila! And Parallel 44 Frozen Tundra

Georges Dubœuf Mâcon-Villages 2009 (Burgundy, France) 13% alcohol, $7.50 at Woodman's

Christine says (16): Light gold color. Smelled yeasty, and of bread dough. Mineral taste, peaches, medium body. Very good with the meal.

Kim says (16): At first smelled like raw bread dough but then (sadly) went away; then the aroma of green apples. Thought this wine would be fantastic with the brie but was just average (however, better than the rosé).

Andrea says (16): A nice golden yellow color. I smelled the bread dough too. I could also smell oak and minerals but not very fruity. The body was smooth and full. Nice tartness and acidity. I thought it was tangy and good with the brie and the meal.






Michel Chapoutier Vin de Pays d'Oc Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Rosé 2012 (Languedoc-Roussillon, France) Grenache + Cinsault, 13.5% alcohol, $9.50 at Woodman's


Christine says (17): Beautiful salmon pink color! Smelled and tasted like watermelon, floral and cotton candy, with strawberry hints. I loved it. While both wines were awesome with the meal, this one got a slight edge for being good with the sausage (and so darn pretty). Good summer drinker!

Kim says (14): Smelled exactly like it looks! Like strawberry Starburst, and somehow smelled juicy. Appearance was a beautiful, whimsical color but disappointed with the flavor. If this wine were a person, I would categorize her as beautiful but dumb.

Andrea says (18): This wine was a cute, watermelon pink. Smelled very sweet! Strawberry, floral, and bubble gum. Smooth, good body, and a little tart. Very good with the meal!

 

Kim says: while Christine's repertoire does include professional pastry chef, she is also a crackerjack on the grill! This meal was absolutely incredible... by far, the best grilled corn on the cob I've ever had, and one of my favorite Wine Club meals so far!

Was that a giant piece of mint floating atop Andrea's cantaloupe margarita? Nope: it was a little green bug! She carefully put him on the ground and he seemed OK, if a little drunk. He walked it off. We loved the cute Froot Loop donut, cherry-tasting Frozen Tundra (Green Bay-area) wine, and playing with the calico cat and her purple ribbon.

Wine Club 46: Mas des Bressades Rosé, Grand Claret Red Bordeaux

Date: May 30th, 2013
Host: Kim
Served: pulled pork sandwiches, potato chips, fruit salad, caramel with sea salt ice cream bars
Bonus bottle (from the host's personal inventory): Chateau Thivin Côte de Brouilly 2010 (Beaujolais, France)

Mas des Bressades Rosé 2012 (Costières de Nîmes, France) 50% Grenache + 30% Syrah + 20% Cinsault, 13.5% alcohol, $11 on sale at Whole Foods

Kim says (9.5): Huh. For the score, you'd assume there was something bad about this wine but that was not the case... simply a matter of being average. First impression was the aroma of wet adhesive, like when you first lick an envelope but only for a second. And then musty, maraschino cherries. The taste? Uhh... nothing. Nada. Observe a sad moment of silence. Interestingly enough, while there was no flavor and the sides of my tongue (tannins), front (sugar) and back (acid) were quite bored, this wine was all mid-palate!

Andrea says (13): Pretty color, like watermelon or strawberry candy. Nice smell of pear and strawberry, honey and maybe bubble gum (but that could just be because of the color). Taste was not strong and hard to pick out predominant flavors, maybe some honey. Nice acid, slightly tart. Was just ok with the pork, but very good with the fruit salad.

Christine says (14): True to my word, I jumped at the chance to try a Costières de Nîmes again, even though we all got a laugh out of the Terre des Chardons Marginal. Besides, I'm a sucker for rosé and I couldn't resist this one's pretty pale watermelon color. It smelled like strawberries and minerals, with a sweet, slight whiff of granulated sugar. For taste, I got alcohol, a nice streak of acidity, and not as much fruit as expected. Plus a medium-long finish that tasted like twigs...a bit like a rose bush. I only found the wine average to good. Not special, and no great shakes with the picnicky food that Kim prepared.


Grand Claret Red Bordeaux 2011 (Côtes de Bordeaux, France) 13.5% alcohol, $11 on sale at Whole Foods

Kim says (13.5): I did make note that my allergies were bothering me today, which might explain the 5-ish point discrepancy between the three of us for both wines! At any rate, I liked the color- vibrant edges and surprisingly translucent. I couldn't pick out any particular aroma in this one except possibly coffee. This Bordeaux was the opposite of the Rosé... very good aroma and I enjoyed the taste but the extremely high tannins wrecked it for me... almost sticky.

Andrea says (17): I really liked this wine! A nice burgandy color with hints of violet and a clear edge. Very berry smell! Lots of different aromas: smokey, coffee, licorice, current, raisin, and red apple peel. The taste was a little thin, high alcohol but nice tannins. Tasted like berry and raisin. Christine mentioned plum which I think nailed the flavor. I liked the Beaujolis best with the pulled pork, but this was also very good.

Christine says (18.5): I was seduced by the sign in-store that described this wine, even though I thought the label had a lot of puffery (like putting "Grand" in the title to make it feel, well, a whole lot grander than an $11 Bordeaux). I was not disappointed! The wine was burgundy, with clear edges. It had lots of red and black berries in the bouquet, plus chocolate, a soft and fresh green stemminess, and plums and violets, too. Andrea smelled red apple peel, which I could also detect. Nice plummy taste, a little thin, herbaceous finish. I liked!


Christine and I opened a 2010 Beaujolais while Andrea battled the traffic... fortunately, she arrived on time and we were able to share the bottle together!


For whatever reason, I was actually nervous about this meal... I think it was because I'd never used a slow cooker before. But it turned out great and with only three ingredients, this recipe is a definite keeper! Next time I will use bone-in pork shoulder, be sure to use enough root beer to cover the meat and shorten the cooking time to six hours. Also noteworthy... the pretzel buns, Sweet Baby Ray's and creamy coleslaw (rather than the oil and vinegar version) was a winning combination. In an attempt to have something healthy on our plate, the fruit salad was an easy addition... I tossed in some blueberries for contrast.

The potato chips go in the sandwich, of course!



Christine says: One helluva sandwich. Amazing on the pretzel bun with chips and creamy coleslaw. I felt like I died and went to heaven! Wonderful Kim gave us take-home packs to enjoy the leftovers for lunch. Oh, yeah! Beautiful w/ the Beaujolais bonus. My favorite wine club dinner yet!

Wine Club 37: Happy Birthday, Christine!

Date: February 28th, 2013
Host: Kim
Served: Mushroom & Swiss bread, Italian Wedding Soup
Bonus Bottles: Puech Auriol Coteaux d'Ensérune; ChocolatRouge

Ruffino Orvieto Classico 2010 (Italy), Grechetto 40%, Procanico 20%, other white grapes (Verdello, Canaiolo bianco) 40%. 12% alcohol, $10 at Discount Liquor

Kim says (14.5):  Very faint bouquet... I couldn't pick out anything except possibly peaches. High in acid and a long finish that I think was just the alcohol. I was feeling slightly better than "ambivalent" in the appeal category but felt it was average overall.

Christine says (13): Translucent lemon yellow color. Floral and very slight honey bouquet. Rich mouthfeel; short, slightly tart finish. I think it's better with fattier food...I liked it with the pork and Parmesan meatballs.

Andrea Says (14.5): A very pale and cool color. I smelled grape juice! Which is a first for me with a white wine. It also smelled sweet, like pear but no strong aroma. Honey and peach  flavors were noticeable but mostly I tasted the alcohol. I thought it went well with the soup.

Alexander Valley Vineyards Dry Rosé of Sangiovese 2011 (Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, CA, USA), 13.2% alcohol, $13 at Discount Liquor

Kim says (12.5): Beautiful color... like pomegranate! I couldn't discern any specific aromas but it certainly did smell pleasant! Interestingly enough, this wine smelled much better in the one mismatched, bell-shaped glass. Full points for color and aroma but took a hit for tannins (high) and sugar (low). So while it was very pretty, would I buy it? Probably not.

Christine says (13): Definite frizzante bubbles and a gorgeous deep salmon pink color! Smelled good, though I could really only pick out bananas. I also smelled very slight strawberries and watermelon, but only because I was looking for it after reading the label. Fizzy feel and refreshing, plus a long, dry finish that tasted like strawberries. We all preferred it with the soup. The wine looked so pretty and intriguing, I couldn't wait to try it. But it wound up being just okay.

Andrea says (17): I really enjoyed this wine! A beautiful dark coral color but very clear. Smelled of cherry, vanilla, banana and pear. After Christine mentioned watermelon and strawberry from the label I could smell those too. I thought it tasted like strawberry candy! Since it was frizzante, it actually reminded me of the strawberry soda that I always drink at my Grandma's house. I also liked this wine with the food. Maybe I would serve it again with dessert.

Puech Auriol Coteaux d'Ensérune 2011 (France), Chardonnay grape, 13.5% alcohol, $9.00 on sale at Waterford Wine

Kim says (14.5): Alright, I think something was definitely wrong with my smeller tonight! Again, just the vague aroma of autumn fruit and the general impression of it smelling clean. But I enjoyed the nice warm color of this, tannins were right on and had a good finish.

Christine says (17.5): Intense gold color; smelled of honey, floral, yeast, peaches and beer. Yes, beer! Andrea picked it out, and I could detect beer in both the bouquet and taste. The wine had medium body, good tannins, and tasted complex and expensive, even with the odd hint of barley-pop! I liked this one.

Andrea says (15): A pretty, clear goldenrod color. At first I thought that it was a little stinky. Eventually I smell beer, peaches and honey. Sounds like an odd combination but actually, I liked it. Tastes like it smells, beer, peach and honey. Sharp on the front of your tongue with a long finish.

Kim says: this was very tasty... decadent and rich! While I thoroughly enjoyed this, I actually preferred the Chocolate Port from Simon Creek.

Christine says: ChocolatRouge on the rocks made for an amazing dessert that tasted like a mudslide! Yum.

Andrea says: Delicious! No trouble polishing off this bottle.

This is only the second time I have ever made soup and the first time I have ever made meatballs! Thanks to Food & Wine magazine's Grace Parisi, this Italian Wedding Soup was an easy, one-pot meal! I doubled the orzo, added a bit of garlic to the broth, was very generous with the spinach and went scant on the salt (I needn't have and wound up adding it back in later).

♥ 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.