Wine Club 41½: Just an excuse to drink wine and go hot-tubbing

Date: April 19th, 2013
Host: Christine
Served: Pizza

Palazzone Rubbio Red Blend 2011 (Umbria, Italy) 60% Sangiovese + 20% Cabernet Sauvignon + 20% Merlot, 14% alcohol, $10ish at Waterford Wine

Christine says (14.5): Big miniscus. Lots of fuchsia, berry; intense color. It smelled like roses to me, and berries. It tasted tight, like a rubber band, so I decided to try aerating it. I poured each person's glass of wine several times back and forth into an empty glass to quickly expose our wine to more air. Then I poured the rest of the bottle into a decanter with a looooong, slow pour. The wine did taste a bit more opened up after that. I could taste more berries as well as wintergreen.

Andrea says (17.5): This was a really fun night that started with wine tasting at Waterford and ended with wine in the hot tub! We had this Rubbio with the pizza and they went really well together. It was a nice dark, burgundy color. Even though it was high in alcohol, I didn't smell it right away, which is unusual for me. I thought it smelled fruity, like raspberry and jam. After it was decanted I could smell the alcohol, and maybe some strawberry. It tasted fruity, like strawberry, a little earthy, and maybe a little salty? But overall I really liked it and had a great night overall!

Kim says (14): The color was dark and thick with a raspberry miniscus. Smelled of wet leaves, tires and underneath, faintly of cocoa. This wine tasted like... well, nothing. (Silence. Birds chirping. Turtle crosses the road). And then Christine aerated the wine. What a difference! No more tires, smelled like straight-up chocolate, figs and jam. I couldn't wait to try it with the sausage & pepperoni pizza and indeed... a fantastic match!

I bought an awesome pizza from the deli at Metro Market. Then we went and sat in the hot tub, which was a lot of fun. A relaxing end to the workweek!

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).