A wine blog written by the experts from The International Wine of the Month Club
The love for wine can be possessed by the likes of all sorts of people, but when we got this picture from one of our members, we might have to start catering to Felines as well!
“I am LOVING my Wine of the Month membership that I received as a Christmas gift. Unfortunately, I have to “fight my kitty” for it — she seems to love it as much as me! If I’m not looking, she helps herself!! “
-Kristi Anderson
One of my favorite outings to do is to go wine tasting. When we can’t take a trip to a region that have several wineries to choose from – we go to a wine bar that offers tastings. Last week our local wine bar Uncorked Wine Bar www.getuncorked.com had a blind Zinfandel tasting that 4 of us attended.
The Zinfandels’ were from Lodi, Sonoma, Paso Robles and Napa regions all from California, but each region brings a unique character and style.
Tasting them blind was a challenge to try to match the wines to the regions they came from. Even though we had tasting notes for each of the 6 wines it was very difficult to match up the wine to the notes.
Even in a blind tasting my favorite wine was a Old Vine Zinfandel. My second choice was from the same winery both wines are a big wine aged in American Oak. So the common thread for me is that I like the big, rich, lush, old vine zin’s aged in American oak.
Do you find you choose the same flavor notes within a style?
Who doesn’t like a crowd pleaser? And who makes more crowd pleasing wines than California’s Jeff Runquist? Jeff keeps racking up well deserved Gold Medals and Double Gold Medals for his crowd pleasing Syrah, Petit Sirah, Barbera, and almost any other varietal he chooses to fashion. So, Jeff’s 2009 R Syrah, a deep down, full throttle red that is already oohhh so fine to drink even in its tender youth, merits one of this month’s top picks. No question in my mind on this one. The second pick, however, causes me palpitations.
Tolaini’s 2007 Super Tuscan Valdisanti is a beauty for sure. It’s a polished, classy wine that appeals personally to me. However, I confess to being truly impressed by Domaine du Vieux Lazaret’s 2008 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, too, and given the 90 plus point ratings it’s received from the most prestigious wine magazines, I am not alone. White Châteauneuf-du-Pape is not quite a rarity, but the quality of Domaine du Vieux Lazaret’s white 2008 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is indeed extraordinary. Consequently, in a photo finish, my second March top pick goes to Domaine du Vieux Lazaret’s white 2008 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. My only question now is this: Will I be able to sleep tonight?
A Votre Santé!
Don
Hey folks, we just wanted to share a delicious recipe with you that pairs perfectly with Don’s top Premier Series this month from Italy, Feudi Di San Marzano Primitivo Puglia 2010. It’s simple to make and wont take up much of your time:
Pepper & Onion Pasta
6 links Italian sausage (sweet or hot) 3 Tbl. vegetable oil
1 sweet onion – sliced thick 3 Tbl. olive oil
4 frying peppers or bell peppers – sliced 1/4 cup tomato sauce
In a large fry pan or wok, heat both oils together over medium heat. Add sliced peppers and onions to pan and saute until soft – about 10 minutes. In the meantime, grill sausage and slice thick. Add sausage to fry pan and cook with peppers and onions for about 10 minutes. Blend tomato sauce into a large bowl with pasta and top with sausage and pepper mixture. Enjoy!
Feudi di San Marzano’s 2010 Primitivo is unquestionably one of this month’s top Premier Series picks. Why? It tastes great, and it could easily serve as the poster child for Primitivo – the missing link to California’s Zinfandel. Yes, Primitivo, the ancient early ripening varietal that hails from Greece and/or the northern Balkans is the forbearer of California Zinfandel. Primitivo was most likely brought to southern Italy more than 2,500 years ago by the Greeks, who named Apulia and the nearby Italian peninsula Enotria – land of the vine – because of Apulia’s natural proclivity for the production of wine. Today, Primitivo remains one of the most important grape varietals of southern Apulia, especially on the Salento Peninsula. Moreover, Feudi di San Marzano’s Primitivo is the ideal accompaniment to southern Italy’s signature dishes.
My other top pick is a tougher choice. I am very fond of Pazo de Arribi’s wines. They do an excellent job with Bierzo’s two traditional varietals, Mencia and Godello. Nevertheless, Edgbaston’s 2011 Honey Pot gets my nod this month. Why? It’s an excellent example of how far South Africa has come in producing wines that the rest of the world wants to drink. Edgebaston’s Honey Pot is a tasty blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Viognier. It wasn’t too long ago that South Africa could barely give away its rustic, full-bodied reds, now it is making world class red and white wines.
A Votre Santé!
Don
In a perfect world, everyone’s partner would share our deep and abiding affection for the vino. Mine does and it makes things so much easier. I’m so grateful that we both enjoy tastings and good wine!
However, his preference is red wine only, whereas I like both. We have wine with our dinner almost every evening, and we do eat a fair amount of white meat and fish. So, I do have my share of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, etc and he has his usual Cabernet Sauvignon, no matter what traditional pairings suggest. As often as not though, two bottles are open on our dinner table. We purchase more red wines than white because of this, and therefore have more red wines in our collection than whites.
So how about you – when it comes to wine, is there ever any domestic tension over your purchasing and consumption habits with your significant other?
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