Wine Club 58: Argentina & A Happy Accident

Date: November 14th, 2013
Host: Kim
Served: Cheesy rye toasts appetizer, grilled flank steak with chimichurri, chickpea salad with parmesan and herbs, grilled scallions

Terra Rosa Malbec 2010 (Mendoza, Argentina) 14.5% alcohol, $12 at Waterford

Kim says (19): Skip the bleu cheese crust or bearnaise sauce... do it the Argentinian way and top your steak with chimichurri, a sauce basically consisting of olive oil, vinegar and parsley. Add in whatever herbs might strike your fancy (garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, a spritz of lime juice) and you have a light and healthy alternative! And Christine really set the stage with this wine, which went great with the meal- a very deep color with vibrant edges. Aroma of jam but not sweet... maybe cranberries and cinnamon? Slightly thin body but perfect tannins! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

Christine says (16.5): Very deep purple color. Smelled like peppercorns, jammy fruit, blueberry poptart. Taste of acid, tannins, sous bois and black fruit. Medium-long finish. Still, tasted a bit thin and you definitely get the alcohol. I liked it better than the 2011 TintoNegro I brought last time.

Andrea says (17): A dark burgandy color, almost opaque but more clear on the edges. Smelled of blackberry, cherry, chocolate, brown sugar and alcohol when it was swirled. The first thing I noticed about the wine was the tannins. It really coated my tongue and stuck to my palette. It had nice acid and was more tart than I had expected from the smell.  Very rich flavor, with blackberry and cranberry flavors. Good, I would drink it again. I liked it with the steak.


Domaine Jean Royer Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2011 (France) 15.5% alcohol, $27 on sale at Waterford

Kim says (17): Christine calls her reaction, "initial shock." If I were her, I think I would have cried. Upon finding out that she had accidentally uncorked a $40+ bottle of wine that she was very much looking forward to trying several years from now, she quickly recovered and we were all able to benefit from the mix up. This wine was a very elegant color, smelled of cocoa and had a complex finish... but that might have just been alcohol. Both of these wines went great with the steak!

Christine says (18.5): After I got over the initial shock that when I stopped at home to pick up wine for Kim's, I had grabbed this wine instead of the less-expensive Côtes du Rhône I'd planned to bring, it was time to just relax and enjoy it. The wine was ruby, with garnet edges. Smelled like fruit: cherry, raspberry, plus cocoa and cedary spice. A warm smell. Big taste! Well balanced, evergreeny (like wintergreen) and a long finish with fruit in the finish. It was really good. I probably would've shared the bottle with my same BFFs anyhow...I just planned to do it in about 3 years. Luckily, Waterford still had the wine on sale, so I was able to buy a replacement. It was very good with the meal: will definitely serve the second bottle with steak.

Andrea says (18): Poor Christine, I was sick when she realized she'd grabbed the wrong wine. But the wine was delicious and went great with the steak. I was glad to hear she was able to procure another bottle. This wine had more of a brick red or blood color, and more transparent than the first wine. The smell was very rich and subtle - Chocolate, dusty, minerals and anise. After swirled I could smell alcohol, licorice, raspberry and jam. The first thing I noticed when I tasted it was the nice body. Smooth, rich, sweeter than expected, tasted like strawberry! Again, great with the steak.

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 50: We Are Golden

Date: July 20th, 2013
Host: Andrea at the lake house
Served: Buffalo turkey burgers, salad, brownies

Toad Hollow Unoaked Chardonnay 2011 (Mendocino County, CA, USA) 13.9% alcohol, $10 at Otto's

Andrea says (16): I really liked the image on this wine bottle. It reminded me of the illustrations from "The Wind and the Willows" book that I had when I was a kid. The wine was a pale lime color and very clear. The smell was of tart, green apple, with musty, mineral scents. The taste was tart, high in acid, but I liked it.

Christine says (16): Very light pale lemon color with green hints. Good, strong and distinct bouquet: I smelled grassiness, peaches and minerals. Tasted like peaches and minerals, with some creaminess from the lees (or so I'd guess). Medium body and finish. Kinda lacking mid-palate, and it stung the tip of my tongue. Still, I liked the wine and would definitely buy it.

Kim says (14): Not the rich, warm color of a Chardonnay- more like a cool, pale Sauvignon Blanc. But like Christine said... this one is unoaked. Almost a greenish cast and smelled vaguely of honey. Slightly on the thin side for body and I docked it half a point for high acid.

Apothic Red Winemaker's Blend 2011 (CA, USA) Zinfandel + Merlot + Syrah + Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% alcohol, $9 at Otto's

Andrea says (20): I LOVED this wine! I'm usually not the one to give a wine a shockingly different score from Kim and Christine, but I could find no faults! Nice ruby, fushia color. The smell was fantastic! I could smell chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, cherry, brown sugar and pomegranite. It was like drinking berry pie! Raspberry, strawberry and chocolate flavors. Very jammy. Reminded me a lot of the Honey Badger. Delicious.

Christine says (12): Burgundy color, but translucent. Smelled like vanilla and cream soda.  Kim picked up on brown sugar in the bouquet, which I think was spot-on. Taste was thin, with a light body. Short finish. Just OK to me.

Kim says (13): Aroma of chalk and vinegar at first but after swirling, brown sugar. Taste? Meh. Thin body, slightly off on balance, finish was all tannins. I felt ambivalent about this wine and scored it average overall.

Andrea says:  Tons of fun. A great weekend away with friends! A super way to celebrate our 50th Wine Club!

Christine says: Awesome lake house. Beautiful surroundings. Fabulous cocktails. Peace and quiet! Incredible dinner. Fun games. Tasty breakfast. Hot sauna. Delightful getaway!

 Kim says: First order of business upon arrival? Gin and tonics, of course!

Andrea gets settled in and fires up the grill... amazing turkey burgers with bleu cheese, shredded carrots and buffalo sauce on biscuits. Yum!

Wine Club 21: Supersize. Sterling Zinfandel, Chateau Ste. Michelle Syrah

Date: September 8th, 2012

Host: Christine

Served: pizza pinwheels, pizza burgers, green bean-mozzarella salad, grilled oranges with raspberry sauce and ice cream

Bonus bottles (from the host's personal inventory): sangria, J.W. Morris Riesling, Cupcake Red Velvet, Cupcake Moscato d'Asti

This was a special "Goodbye, Summer" wine club on Labor Day weekend. My sister Donna was in town as we'd gone to see The Boss at Wrigley Field the night before. It was a beautiful but cool and windy day. So, in the interests of protecting our forms from the wind and in preserving wine club as we came to know and love it, we kicked off the day indoors with two wines Andrea brought and some hot pizza pinwheels.

 

Sterling Vintner's Collection Zinfandel 2008 (Central Coast, CA, USA) 13.5% alcohol, $11

Christine says (16): Blood red color with darker edges. Lots of legs! Smelled like raspberry preserves and strawberry jam, with taste being the same. It was slightly tart up-front, so I docked it on acid. Still, a big berry taste to this wine. I liked it.

Andrea says (18.5): I really enjoyed this wine to start off a great Labor Day party. It had a dark red color. Smelled very fruity! Strawberry, plum, and raspberry. It had a very concentrated, jammy scent. The taste was also quite jammy and tart, tasted like strawberry. Nice tannins, good finish, delicious!

Kim says (18): I thoroughly enjoyed this wine! I've never paid attention to Zinfandel before but I plan on rectifying that. Smelled of plum, deep spices and was somehow masculine, while the flavor was bold, black pepper and unapologetic. Definitely worth revisiting!

Chateau Ste. Michelle Syrah 2007 (Columbia Valley, WA, USA) 13.5% alcohol, $9

Christine says (16): Dark maroon; looked like grape juice. The bouquet was berry and definite grapes, plus other sweet fruits (not sure what) and slight earthiness. Taste was grapey, with plums and cherry pits. Longer finish.

Andrea says (15): This wine had a dark, purple and opaque color. The flavor that I could most smell and taste was grape! I docked the wine in aroma, bouquet and appeal. But overall, I liked this wine. I think it went well with the pizza wheels and would work well with other foods too.

Kim says (12): Yikes! It's possible that this wine suffered in the shadow of the Zinfandel... it scored exactly one point in every single category, meaning it was (amongst other things) slight, normal, ordinary and average. Dark purple in color and tasted of grape juice.

Chilling out.

Donna, Christine and Andrea.

Kites flying high over Veteran's Park.

Next up, phase 2. We moved the party outside for a meal on the grill, with a batch of sangria to keep us company!



Viva Sangria!

Berry Lemonade Sangria
Makes 1 gallon.

2 bottles inexpensive white merlot (such as Sutter Home), chilled
3 cups lemonade (such as Minute Maid), chilled
1-1/2 cups Triple Sec, chilled
2 tangelos or oranges, halved and sliced
1 lemon, halved and sliced
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 liter sparkling berry lemonade (such as Trader Joe’s), chilled 
2 cups frozen raspberries

Combine the wine, lemonade, Triple Sec, tangelos, lemon and strawberries in a large container, or divide between two 2-qt. pitchers with lids. Chill for at least 1 hour.


Just before serving, stir in the sparkling lemonade and raspberries. Oh my, is that good!
Note: Bring a ladle so you can serve it up with plenty of fruit in each glass.

         Womanning the grill.            Pepperoni on the burgers, soon to be covered in melty cheese.             The tasty results!

Grilled oranges with raspberry sauce
and ice cream. Oh, yeah!

Sisters.

The schooner Denis Sullivan
on Lake Michigan.

A rare sighting of our talented
photographer!

Time for Phase 3: to hit the pool and hot tub, enjoy some bonus bottles (and bonus berries), thank Pretty Cat for her hospitality, and break out some pizzas. What a wonderful day!

Honorary wine club member. Her
signature purple ribbon.

Popping some moscato to
enjoy in the hot tub.
Frozen strawberry bonus!

Back upstairs. Bonus time.

 

Christine says (10) : I score this day a perfect 10. It was filled with food, wine, friendship and fun! A good sendoff to summer.  

Andrea says: What a great day! The pizza burgers, salad and dessert were great! The sangria was phenomenal! I've got to make that this summer. We had so much fun! Our longest, and most fun packed wine club yet!

Kim says (10): An amazing time! We started at 11am and went into the wee hours of the morning but it was so full of food, fun, wine and laughter that 15+ hours flew by in a flash!

Wine Club 43: Hahn GSM 2011 & Caesar Salad Toast

Date: April 26th, 2013
Host: Kim
Served: Shredded Caesar Salad on Toasts, Hungarian Goulash

Domaine Robert Chevillon 2008 (Bourgogne Passetoutgrain, France), Pinot Noir + Gamay + other grapes, 12.5% alcohol, $13 on sale at Waterford

Kim says (14): Festive color and fairly translucent. Smelled like grape juice... mmm! But swirl at your own risk! I don't mind the "wet leaves in autumn" rot but swirling this wine brought out horrible decay and death rot smells. Very thin body and very high acid but overall impression of fruit. Appeal? I liked it.

Andrea says (13.5): Brick red in color, transparent edges but opaque in the center. My first smells I could pick up raspberry, jam, brown sugar, it smelled rich and smooth and I didn't smell alcohol. After giving the glass a good swirl I could smell the earthy stink that Kim was talking about. To me it smelled like bad breath, gingivitis. Definitely better before I swirled it...  The taste was tart and fruity like cranberry and pomegranate with kind of a minty, or chemical note? I thought it was thin in body and high in tannins. It went ok with the goulash, clashed with the salad.
 
Christine says (13): Reddish, somewhat murky appearance (thick-looking, like the Marginal we recently had, but not as thick. The Marginal looked like blood). It smelled rich, with red fruit, vanilla, peppercorns and earthy, slightly sweet beets. It was surprisingly tart! Thin body. Bracing for a Burgundy. Andrea picked up on pomegranate, and I agreed. Going back after tasting the other wine and enjoying some dinner, I also picked up on green pepper. Note: I didn't realize until later that Passetoutgrains is actually a blend of Pinot Noir, Gamay and other grapes...so of course it wasn't the elegant, graceful Burgundy I was expecting!


Hahn Winery GSM 2011 (Central Coast, CA, USA) 59% Grenache + 37% Syrah + 4% Mouvèdre, 14.5% alcohol, $10 at Discount Liquor

Kim says (15): Even more festive color, deeper and less translucent. Smelled like strawberry flavoring... strawberry Runts? Nice silky body and tannins were pleasantly strong. This went amazingly well with the shredded Caesar salad and Andrea's right... this seems like a very versatile wine. So while it may have suffered a bit in the technical categories, it shined in the subjective categories. I would definitely buy and serve this Hahn again!

Andrea says (18): Another Hahn wine I really liked, mark it as a win! A berry, fushia color, dark and opaque. I had the crazy glass this night that always make the wine smell different than it does in any other glass. Before swirling I really smelled licorice, somehow both red and black licorice, and some berry smell. After swirling it smelled a little like chemicals and plastic, smokey, but still kind of fruity. Tasted very smokey and earthy, sweet and strawberry. Well balanced, good body, nice tannins. Really good with the salad! I preferred this one with the goulash too.

Christine says (16): Intense deep berry magenta color. Smelled like Windex and crayons! After swirling, I could also smell "strawberries" ... as in strawberry roll-ups or strawberry flavoring. The wine was pretty tannic, but the tannins were nice. Good body. Smoky taste. Would be versatile with a lot of foods. Incredible amount of sediment (see the photo, left). Sugary sediment that dissolves between the fingers. Is it due to the wine's high sugar content? Because even though it's super-high in alcohol, the wine was still very fruity. Definitely a buy-again at $10. It was amazing with the garlicky Caesar salad appetizers. I think this was my favorite pairing so far!

I thoroughly enjoyed the Shredded Caesar Salad on Toasts although I might go a little light on the lemon juice next time... a definite keeper! On the other hand, the recipe for the goulash was promptly tossed in the recycle bin. If I wanted to serve an anti-climactic beef stew tonight, that's what I would have made.

Wine Club 41: The Princess and the Wolf

Date: April 10th, 2013
Host: Andrea
Served: Chicken Parmesan meatballs, salad, bread sticks, dessert

Principessa Gavia Gavi 2010 (Gavi, Italy) Cortese grape, 12.5% alcohol, $13.99 at Otto's Wine Cask

Andrea says (18.5): A nice pale gold, champagne color. Had a sweet, perfume, floral smell. Very buttery smelling, pear and citrus. It had good body and a long finish. Tasted like grapefruit and lemon. An excellent wine that didn't clash with the pasta.

Christine says (17): Light lemon color; pretty. Smells buttery or creamy, and citrus. Big body! Citrusy taste, very long finish. Both wines were good with the food. Though I scored this wine a bit higher, I preferred the red with the meatballs.

Kim says (18.5): Andrea told me what we were having for dinner so I could select the wine and I was torn between red or white... so I opted for one of each! I wanted to find a white that had a big enough personality to stand up to this meal and this little princess did not disappoint. Pale lemon in color and smelled like rich, creamy cheesecake with a light citrus twist. I was pleased at the taste- not sweet but bright. Think of lemon cheesecake... silky, full body and had citrus on the finish, too, which was nice and long. This wine was well-suited to the meal but neither one enhanced the other (although they didn't insult each other, either)... I liked this wine much better but thought the red was a better pairing.



The Wolftrap 2011 (South Africa) 65% Syrah + 32% Mourvèdre + 3% Viognier, 14.5% alcohol, $9.99 at Waterford

Andrea says (15): This was an interesting red blend that included Viognier? Sounded intriguing. It was a ruby/brick color with clear edges. It smelled like alcohol, smoke and must, but also like jam and berries. I thought the taste was tart like berries, very smokey and quite tannic. Had a bit of a bite to it.

Christine says (16.5): Wine color (how about that?), with visible alcohol floating on top. Smelled of jam and dried strawberries, berries and slight tobacco. It kind of stung the tip of my tongue (was that the alcohol?). Berry taste, plus alcohol. Good straightforward wine.

Kim says (13): I was fascinated by the concept of a red and white blend... the surprising introduction of Viognier piqued my interest. But we tipped our glasses back and met a simple, straightforward, shoot-from-the-hip kind of wine... no tricks and not complicated. So while this wine could be considered standard and unexciting, I also enjoyed reading the legend of the Wolf, whose history is rooted in mysticism and lore. Take a sip and wonder...

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

The meal Andrea created was excellent... I am definitely adding this one to my own list! And the dessert... well, how can you go wrong with fruit and chocolate?