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 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 42: Thank You, Martha Stewart

Date: April 21st, 2013
Host: Christine
Served: Chile-Citrus Turkey Breast, tropical fruit and pastries
Bonus Bottle (from the Host's personal inventory): Evodia Garnacha

Fizz 56 Sparkling Red NV (Piemonte, Italy) Brachetto Spumante, 7% alcohol, $13 at Discount Liquor- Manitowoc

Christine says (17): Beautiful strawberry color. Smelled like vanilla and cherries; tasted of strawberries, cherries and ripe red apples, with a nice acidity to boot. Great aperitif wine. Cleanses the palate and leaves you wanting more of everything! Yum. It was great with the tacos.

Andrea says (17.5): This wine looked great in the glass and tasted even better. A nice cranberry/strawberry color with lots of bubbles! My first sniff was just a nose full of bubbles, but then I could smell vanilla, cherry, and red apple. It had a very crisp, palette cleansing characteristic. Just the right amount of acidity, tartness and sweetness. Tasted like strawberry, cherry pie, and crisp juicy apples. Great with the tacos and the dessert! Definitely a winner.

Kim says (17): Apparently, I thought this wine had a "pretty sparkle, strawberry color and smells like dessert!" But in an attempt to redeem myself from my Malibu Barbie moment, I also noted that while fruity, the taste was not overly sweet, just like red berries and went very well with Christine's delicious turkey tacos! Surprisingly, it also went amazingly well with the sugared elephant ear.



Lulu B Moscato NV (Spain) 10.5% alcohol, $6 on sale at Discount Liquor- Manitowoc


Christine says (18.5): Deep golden yellow. Floral smells, plus sweet-tart candies, orange creamsicles and peppercorns. Andrea mentioned soy sauce, and though I could smell it there somewhere, I didn't find it objectionable. The wine had a rich, full body. It tasted like orange and peppercorns, with a medium-long finish. I liked it! Though it seemed to bring out too much onion taste in the tacos.

Andrea says (14.5): I've never met a Moscato that I didn't like. Wine that tastes like candy is my "cup of tea." This wine did taste like candy! Sweet, with pear, fruit cocktail, grape, and banana flavors and had good body for a Moscato. However, I really couldn't get over the smell. All I could smell was plastic and the over whelming scent of soy sauce. I wanted desperately to experience all the smells that Christine and Kim were naming but couldn't for the life of me. Still, I would drink this again and it also went well with the tacos and the dessert.

Kim says (17.5): A nice, warm color... my first smell came up with apples and then dusty, plastic strawberries and cinnamon sugar. Great body, silky texture, sweet but not overwhelming. I am usually disappointed by Moscato but not this one, and this selection also went amazingly well with the turkey tacos.



Evodia Garnacha 2011 (Calatayud, Spain) 15% alcohol, $9 at Discount Liquor-Milwaukee

Christine says (14): Lipstick red and blue-violet. Smelled like red berries, tobacco, raspberries, orange oil and just brambly overall. High alcohol taste, and some raspberries. I loved the Evodia 2010, but this one was just OK and not nearly as fruity.

Andrea says (16.5): Back to 15% alcohol. No more of that sissy 7% and 10.5% stuff. Time to drink like we mean it! This was a nice raspberry/fushia color, very transparent. Smelled like raspberry, vanilla, grape, alcohol and vinegar (but not in a bad way). At first I could mostly taste alcohol and tannins, but eventually berries and jam too. A good wine but not the best vintage.

Kim says (11.5): Sigh. I think my love affair with Spanish wines might be coming to an end. Although in defense of this wine, Christine said the previous year's vintage was much better. Anyway, this smelled like brass polish, campfire and alcohol (and had the legs to prove it). Tasted like jam and something sharp... not black pepper but not nutmeg, either... uh oh, another mystery smell to try and pin down!
 

I made tacos like they did on MarthaStewart.com with lettuce, cilantro, onion, cooked corn on the cob, avocado and queso fresco. I rubbed the chile mixture over and under the skin and marinated the turkey overnight. I saved some chile mixture on the side to serve with. Next time, I'll use only 1/2 onion. Otherwise, no changes!











 

Papaya, guava, elephant ear and a giant pastry cream-filled doughnut from Cermak's Fresh Market. The papaya had a surprisingly musty taste. I was glad to taste the guava...it was the mysterious X-factor I've tasted sometimes in white wine, but I wasn't quite sure what it was.

Andrea: Great food! Beautiful photos! Plus one cute kitty!