Early 2010 wines

2005 Marklew Chardonnay

Simonsburg - Stellenbosch, S. Africa

A refreshing chardonnay that was a big surprise to us.  Normally, chardonnays are slightly acidic and very complex.  This one was elegant in its simplicity.  It was creamy, oaky (but not overly so), and full-bodied.  3.5 out of 5 stars.

White Heron (semi-sweet white wine)

St. Julian

Paw Paw, Michigan

St. Julian has a "collection" of wines in the Heron line (red, white, and blue), all of which we've come to enjoy. These are all easy-drinking, under $10 wines that haven't steered us wrong.  (They can also be found at Meijer, which is a handy plus when outside of Michigan.)  The White Heron is pleasantly sweet, slightly acidic, with a big up-front taste and smooth finish which does not leave an aftertaste.  3 out of 5 stars.

2005 Sauternes (white bordeaux wine)

Chateau Rieussec

France

We did not know what to expect with this wine, as M found it in a snowbank in a parking lot.  (Classy, we know.)  After inspecting the bottle thoroughly, he decided it had not been tampered with and considered this a wine windfall in our favor. This is an ice wine and is supposedly a mid-priced ice wine.  It was very sweet, had a hint of honey, and not overly syrupy as is the case with some ice wines.  There was a slight citrus and spice flavor at the end.  4 out of 5 stars.

Watusi Red

Karma Vista Vineyards

Coloma, Michigan

This wine's label touts it as "a really great red table wine," and we tend to agree.  It is a sweet red wine, one which E thinks tastes of Concord grapes.  Overall, it's not a complex wine, but still satisfying.  A great wine for unwinding after a stressful day.  This is best chilled, so would be a good wine to have on hand during the summer. 3 out of 5 stars.

M's Wine Ruminations

For a long time now both of us have been hearing these rules on how you should buy and drink wine.  Therefore M has decided to throw his hat into that ring.

M’s Guide to Wine:

Know/drink what you like, do not worry what other people say you should like.

• Everyone’s taste are different.
• Wine is to be enjoyed, not used to judge others.
• Other people’s suggestions should be used as guides.

Cost does not reflect taste.

• Just because a wine is expensive does not mean that it taste better to you.
• Wines have a life cycle; after a while they will go bad & the price does not always reflect that.

Every once in a while (at least) branch out and try new wines.

• New wines come out all the time.
• Over time a persons palate changes

There are NO rules.

• In wine there are trends and guides but any type of wine can be paired with any type of food.
• There is no right time for wine. A desert wine can be served before a meal.
• Certain wines and foods can compliment each other but do not have to go together.

How you present a wine matters.

• Different types glasses will make a wine taste different.
  
  • Normally reds wines need more of a wide rimmed glass.
  • The wider the rim, the faster a sparkling wine will lose its fizz & possibly turn.

• Temperature effects taste.
  
  • Most red wines should be served between 65-70°F
  • Most white wines should be served chilled, but take them out of the refrigerator and let them warm up a little before serving.

Have fun!

For a good program on wine hosted John Cleese, try this.

Holiday wine & cheese party aftermath

The week before Christmas, we decided to have a wine & cheese party for some of our friends. We did this not only because we like wine, not only because it was a good excuse to get together with people, but because M got these as early Christmas presents:

Yes, that is a winemaker nutcracker, and yes, that is a magnum of Riesling. (Or, as E likes to call it, a "big-ass bottle.")

2008 Riesling
Johann Falkenburg
Mosel, Germany
A run-of-the-mill Riesling, a little on the sweet side. A very safe bet for a party with a lot of novice wine drinkers. It was very sweet and fruity up front, but no finish. 2.5 out of 5 stars.



2007 Shiraz
Marquis Philips
SE Australia
One of E's early favorites, a peppery shiraz that has a very bold presence up front. Unfortunately, a friend at the party mentioned that it has little finish, which made E reconsider this as her favorite shiraz. Still, this is a good wine with good flavor, especially for the price. 3.5 out of 5 stars.





Pomegranate Wine
Sycamore Winery
Sycamore, Illinois
We bought this wine nearly a year ago, and we've heard that the winery has since closed. Good nose, the scent of pomegranate is very apparent. Like many fruit wines, it smelled better than it tasted. The taste was of a semi-sweet red, with little to no pomegranate taste whatsoever, all hints of fruit came from the smell. 2.5 out of 5.




State Red (dry red wine)
Prairie State Winery
Genoa, Illinois
A strong, dry red table wine, it had a nice woodiness to it. Good color, and unlike some of the other wines at the party, this had a nice finish. The taste held for up to half a minute after each sip was drunk. 3 out of 5 stars.






Almond Infusion
August Hill Winery
Utica, Illinois
(Side note: We've tried this several times, taken it to a few parties, and for some reason we can't find our previous reviews. Strange.)
We love this stuff. Plain and simple, this is the best almond infusion we've tried. Despite other Illinois wineries boasting that they have the best in the state, the August Hill vintage is hands-down the best tasting of them all. It has a nice, full almond scent and flavor. It is a semi-sweet sparkling wine that goes well with anything with which it is paired. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Raspberry Infusion
August Hill Winery
Utica, Illinois
Much like the AH Almond Infusion, this was extremely well-liked by our guests. It was crisp, light, and refreshing. The taste and smell of the raspberries were readily apparent, the bubbles were small and tight like many good champagnes. 4 out of 5 stars.





2004 Periquita
Jose Maria da Fonseca Vinhos, SA
Azeitao, Portugal
Another good find in the Sam's Wine bargain bin. (Note to Binny's, if you ever read this: you may have taken over Sam's, but until you bring back the bargain bin, you're not better.) A very dry red wine, it is very oaky up front but with a smooth finish at the end. The taste of this wine will linger in your mouth long after you're done with it. Not for the casual wine drinker. Only a few of the guests at the party liked this one. 3 out of 5 stars.


Cranberry Wine
Lynfred Winery
Roselle, Illinois
Another awesome fruit wine from Lynfred. We have had this many times in the past and will keep coming back for more. This is a very good wine for the holidays. A full-bodied cranberry wine with a very tart bite at the end. You can really taste the fruit in this wine. A rare 4.25 out of 5.





Cabernet Sauvignon
The Little Penguin
Nuriootpa, SA Australia
We bought this as an all-around table wine for the party. Despite some bad experiences with mass-market wines in the past (Yellow Tail, we're looking at you), this wasn't that bad. It didn't have the punch and pizazz that you find from "non-supermarket" wines, but this was pleasant enough. After letting it breathe in a carafe for a while, we found it was a nice, dry red which had a good up-front taste, but not much follow through. We could taste only a little amount of wood, but it had a pleasant bite at the end. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Vin Glogg
Glunz Family Winery & Cellars
Grayslake, Illinois
We bought this while visiting their store in Long Grove a few months ago. E fell in love with this spiced wine, which we have only drunk warm. It is a spicy, sweet red that, when warmed, almost evaporates on your tongue. When you think of traditional Christmas wine, this is what you think of. Most people at the party loved this. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

East coast winery visits

Over the holidays, we visited E's sister in Rhode Island. Her sister had the great idea that while we were in town we should visit some of the local wineries. Back in June, she and her husband sent M two bottles of wine for his birthday, both of which came from Sakonnet Vineyards in Little Compton, Rhode Island. Naturally, this became our first stop on our afternoon of winery hopping.

E's parents both decided that they wanted to come along, and so we left E's brother watching the kids while the five of us piled into the car. After driving around the bay, we arrived at Sakonnet Vineyards just before 1:00 on Sunday, December 27. The daily tour was supposed to begin at one, and so we were worried that we might miss it. This was completely unfounded, as we were the only visitors to the winery so far that day. The staff was bare-bones since it was a post-holiday weekend, but the woman working that day was very friendly. She couldn't offer us the full tour, but we still got to watch a 15-minute video about the history of and production at the winery. After this, the five of us went to the big slate bar to do a tasting. Rather than have us pick six wines each (as is customary with tastings at Sakonnet), she instead let us alternate down the entire wine list so that we could try a little of everything.

Of the two bottles that were sent to M for his birthday, we had only tried the Winterwine. We were glad to try their different vintages, especially since we still have a bottle of Rhode Island Red at home. Overall, Sakonnet had very good varieties of wine all around. We ended up buying several bottles, including the 2007 Vidal Blanc, the Petit Red, the 2006 Port, and the Sirius NV. We also enjoyed the 2005 Blanc de Blanc, the Cabernet Franc, and the current vintage of the Rhode Island Red, which the woman at the winery said is the best they've ever made. (That said, since we have a bottle at home we passed on buying a second.) Their Holiday Spice wine was unlike what either of us were expecting, as it was so full of ginger that it was a bit like eating pickled ginger at a sushi bar rather than drinking a typical spiced wine. Oddly enough, it was the Gewürztraminer which was the weakest of all the selections at Sakonnet, which we found strange because usually that's a safe bet when it comes to wine. Overall, the wines were very good, and between the five of us we went home with more than a dozen bottles.

Our plan was originally to leave Little Compton and head south to Newport Vineyards. However, the woman at Sakonnet suggested that we skip the trip south to Newport and instead head east to Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery in Westport, Massachusetts. Westport Rivers differs from Sakonnet in that they only grow grapes for white, sparkling, and rose wines, and so their selection is dramatically different. We took a look around in the farmhouse store, and E's father decided to sit this tasting out. M and E, along with E's mother and sister, did a tasting which was supposed to be only six pre-selected wines. However, since there was no one else in the store and they had a few other bottles open, we ended up getting two bonus wines. In the end we bought a bottle of the 2003 Brut Cuvée RJR, and two bottles of their dessert wine called Pineau de Pinot. Both E and her sister were extremely excited to learn of this wine, as their family name was originally Pineau, the same as the creator of this type of wine. Overall, the wines at Westport Rivers tended to be more dry and more of an acquired taste than something a casual wine drinker would enjoy (as proven by E's mother), but considering that it's more of a "niche" winery, it was worth the trip. Finding out some long-lost family history was an added bonus.