Wine Club 68:

Date: March 28th, 2015
Host: Andrea
Served: baked brie, cous cous, green bean almondine, chili-crusted tilapia, coconut-crusted tilapia, pie

Sandstone Ridge Frontenac Gris NV (Wisconsin, USA), purchased at Wisconsin State Fair

Andrea says (15.5): Golden yellow, very transparent. Smelled like minerals and green apple. Nice fruity flavor - green apple, cherry and peach. Nice acid. I'd drink it again. went well with the fish.














Laya Almansa 2013 70% Garnache + 30% Monastrell. 14% alcohol, purchased at Otto's.

Andrea says (17.5): Dark purple and opaque. Smelled like vinegar, but good, aged, balsamic. Nice, smokey and peppery aromas. Also smelled of dark fruits - blackberry and black cherry. I liked the flavor! Tangy - pepper, vanilla, blackberry. I really enjoyed it. Also went well with the fish.














Yalumba Viognier 2013 (South Australia) 14.1% alcohol, purchased at Otto's.

Andrea says

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 49: ¡España!

Date: July 11th, 2013
Host: Kim
Served: Chilled cucumber soup, fish tacos
Bonus bottles (from the host's personal inventory): Los Dos, New Age Rosé

Juvé y Camps Reserva de la Familia Brut Nature Gran Reserva Cava 2008 (Spain) 12% alcohol, $17 at Waterford

Kim says (12.5): Grin... Christine brought a bubbly! Funny, because Andrea mentioned that she was hoping one of the pairings might be a sparkling wine! The aroma was intoxicating and delicious- peaches and grapes. A bit of a disappointment since it tasted nothing like it smelled... very tart, not smooth, no fruit. I originally penalized it for high acid and low sugar but as Christine said, it's a brut and expected to be dry. Paired with the fish tacos, it seemed to soften a bit.

Andrea says (14): A pale champagne color. The smell was delicious! The taste was not. Smelled of pear, honey, white grape and mineral. For the taste, I got a little bit of honey and green apple. I think it was too dry for my taste. But good with the fish tacos.

Christine says (16): Light pale gold. Smelled like lemon, white grape juice, buttery toast and minerals. Great mouthfeel with a nice mousse. Dry and refreshing, with a mineral taste and tart lemon note. It did not cool the hot pepper heat in the soup, but was good with the tacos. Overall, it didn't live up to the hype in my mind. But it was still good.


Condes de Albarei Albariño 2011 (Rias Baixas, Spain) 12% alcohol, $13 at Waterford

Kim says (15): Very faint aroma... flower petals and stems, like crushed rose petals. Nice, full body and a tart finish. Well balanced as it seemed to hit every part of the palate but distinctly stronger on tart/bitter. A good match with the food!

Andrea says (15.5): Light, pale, lemon color. I liked the smell. A honey, floral, banana smell. Very sweet smelling. After swirling I even got a vanilla, even a cake smell? Surprising taste. Tart! More acidic than I expected. Lime and green apple flavors. Unfortunately it did not TASTE like cake....

Christine says (18): Light lemony yellow. Oooh! Did it smell good. Sweet and floral, perfumey, peaches and white cake. It also smelled like beer as it opened up more. Nice medium body, soft and round, with tartness and a short finish. I tasted some oak or brown stems, too. It was kind of lacking mid-palate. Overall, I thought it was complex and good! Great with the soup; awesome with the tacos. I'd definitely buy it again.