Wannabe Wino

After a LONG summer hiatus (and really, I probably should have held off given that the weather has still been in the 90s here) I am finally receiving wines from WineQ again! I am very very excited to be trying new wines that I have seen advertised all summer on WineQ and excited simply to have something different to drink!

I put this bottle of 2006 Croze Sauvignon Blanc at top billing in my Q pretty much as soon as it was announced on the site. I had tried the Croze Rose back in July from my last WineQ shipment and really enjoyed it. I'm actually considering it as a Thanksgiving wine! So it was a no-brainer to add the Sauvignon Blanc.

The wine cost $17.99 (free shipping!), was 13.0% alcohol by volume, and had a real cork closure. It hails from the Monte Lago Vineyards in Lake County.

On the nose I found grapefruit, a sweet tropical fruit note, and pineapple. A very enticing aroma and it made me want to jump right in...especially given our weather....seriously, 90+ in October?? In the mouth the wine was light and crisp. The fruits were tropical, with pineapple, citrus, and peach showing through.

We drank this on its own but I would definitely pair it with my crab legs when I get another bottle. I'm glad to be back on my Q with such a success in my first bottle of the shipping season!

Ryan and Gabriella of Catavino set us to task as the hosts of WBW #38 this month to drink a Portuguese table wine. We were to avoid Port for sure, and if we could, choose a wine that was not a Vinho Verde or from the Duoro region of Portugal. To me that is a mighty assignment, as I was soon to discover while I traipsed all over my corner of VA in desperate search of something different! I *believe* I've only ever consumed one wine, to my knowledge, from Portugal, and that was a Vinho Verde, with which I was very much underwhelmed. So it was with that in mind that I looked high and low, feeling a bit like Goldilocks as I said "No, that's Vinho Verde. No that's from Duoro." Until, finally, on Monday I got to say, "Yes! That one is just right!"

My find was made at UnWined, oddly enough where I also found my first (and only) Vinho Verde. The bottle I chose, out of the 3 they had that weren't Port, Vinho Verde, or from Duoro, was a 2002 Qunita da Mimosa Red Wine. I don't think you can get much more "Table Wine" like than a "Red Wine." It hails from the Fernando Po Zone of the Palmela DOC. The wine is made of Castelao grapes, known locally as the Periquita grape. The wine cost me $16.99, had a real cork closure and clocked in at 13.5% alcohol by volume. I chose it for a couple reasons, one is very superficial, in that it had a purple label and my favorite color is purple, and the other being that it was the last lonely bottle of its kind hanging out on the shelf and I felt bad for it. I have never claimed to be logical in my wine selections!

On the nose I found tart cherries and a bit of alcohol with a slight medicinal note at first. That blew off fairly quickly to reveal a wine with a lot going on in the aroma. I got sour cherries, red fruit, currants, and pie spices. I will be thankful that Matt went upstairs to read and left me with the bottle or I think the rest of the bottle would have been gone before I tore my nose away from the glass! In the mouth, lots of flavors burst through. I found tart tart cherries (and yes, I mean really tart), red berries, blackberries, and a slight sour note. Overall the wine was a bit tannic, but that faded as my glass set out. The fruit in my glass was very pronounced and fresh. I definitely recommend this bottle.

Thanks to Ryan and Gabriella for hosting and for getting me, once again, to try something completely different!

Our next stop in VA wine country found us at Corcoran Vineyards, formerly Waterford Vineyards (another big company that came after a little winery in VA for the name they were using...ya know, in case they ever wanted to expand into the wine business.....). Moving on though, Corcoran was a delightful place to visit. This was one of our stops when we went tasting with my brother in law and sister in law.

Unfortunately, the ceiling was a bit low in the tasting room, as it seems to be in a very old home, low ceilings are common around these parts. My brother in law and husband barely fit in and both had to duck to get in and out the door. Our tasting host was very welcoming and knew a lot about the wines she was pouring, and also a lot about beer festivals! Corcoran was pouring 4 wines the day we visited.
2005 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay: $18. Pear, apple, sweet tropical fruit, crisp overall, yum! My favorite of the day, we took home a bottle.

2005 Cabernet Franc: $18. Raspberry, cherry, leather, tannic.

2005 Meritage: $24. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Barnyard funk, raspberry, cherry, tannic.

2006 Seyval Blanc: $12. 4% residual sugar. Orange blossons, citrus, sweet, with a crisp finish, nice mouthfeel. Matt's favorite, we took home a bottle.

A quick stop along a very windy road, but worth the trouble to find. Friendly people, gorgeous setting and tasty wine. Who could ask for more?

I returned to The Winery in Old Town Alexandria to scoop up a few more bottles of the excellent Negromara that we drank for WBW: Go Native. Sadly, none were left. We actually got to meet the owner of the store this time, and were lamenting that she was out of it and only had 3 bottles of the Touraine Rose we loved as well, as we had planned to buy a case! She suggested a different rose (more on that later) and this bottle of 2005 Faunus Cesanese del Piglio.

The bottle cost $12.99, was 13.5% alcohol by volume, and had a real cork closure. It's a red blend of 80% Cesanese, 10% Barbera, and 10% Montepulciano.

On the nose the wine was spicy with black pepper, cedar, and black currants showing through. In the mouth again, the wine was spicy, with black cherry, black currants, and a very smoky note. The cherry flavor was incredibly fresh.

Overall, I felt as if I should be wearing a smoking jacket and lighting up a cigar while drinking this wine, but that would detract from the wine. It had a lot of depth of flavor for the price point. Another successful recommendation from The Winery. I think this place will become my go to wine shop, so far I've been very impressed with all the selections I've purchased.

I served the wine with an eye of the round roast, purple mashed potatoes, and green beans. A good match for the dinner, I like how the meat went with the smokiness of the wine.

Riddle me this: If I am not home for you to deliver to during business hours and your pick-up center is not open on Saturdays, how in the world am I supposed to get my package from you?

Additionally, you yet again left a notice on my door claiming that it was your second attempt to deliver to my house. Really? Because I would think that I would have noticed the large piece of sticky paper that you affix to my front door if you had in fact attempted to deliver to my house before yesterday.

Since this is your second transgression of the exact same manner, not to mention some other hoops you put me through when I had a front desk in my apartment building whose sole purpose was pretty much to sign for packages for residents, yet you still on occasion would refuse to leave my package, I will now be inquiring to see if my wine clubs will ship through your competitor, FedEx. At least their center is open on Saturdays so I have some chance of rescuing my stuff.

I believe that you purposefully do this to me on long weekends, as the last time this happened it was also a long weekend, when my wine is going to have to sit in your warehouse for an extra three days, rotting because you clearly do not cater to people who god forbid, don't get home before 7pm from work. I'll see you on Tuesday, when I will have to leave work early to retrieve my wine.

Regards, a very unsatisfied customer,
Sonadora

Head on over to UnWined in Alexandria tonight from 6-8 to taste lesser known reds and whites from the Northern Rhone Valley poured by JAO Imports. As a special treat, chocolates from a local chocolatier will be offered.

Tonight at Arrowine in Arlington from 5:30-7:30 you will find Elite Wines pouring a selection of Spanish wines.

Saturday at Arrowine from 1-4 there will be two tastings. One will be of value Spanish wines poured by Aurelio Cabestrero and the other is Italian wines from Grappoli Imports.

On the tasting bar at Out of Site Wines in Vienna from 5-8 tonight you can stop by to taste a 2006 Crios Rose from Argentina and a 2000 Domaine des Sources Syrah from from France.

Saturday at Out of Site you will again find JAO Imports (popular guys this week) from 1-4 pouring 4 wines dubbed "Elegant for Autumn Entertaining. You'll taste a Vouvray Brut, a White Burgundy, a Pinot Noir and a Rosso.

The bottle was a "Beyond" 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, by a winery named Buitenverwachting. Hailing from South Africa, the wine cost me $12.99 at the Winery, had a real cork, and clocked in at 12.5% alcohol by volume.

On the nose the wine smelled creamy. I found aromas of lemon, lime, and grapefruit. In the mouth, the aromas of the nose followed through, with the wine also seeming a bit floral. It was crisp, but it felt heavier in the mouth than I am used to for a Sauvignon Blanc. Overall, I liked the display of citrus in the wine.

I served it with snow crab leg clusters with drawn butter and fresh lemon. I tend to love to pair this meal with a Sauvignon Blanc and this was no exception!

We picked this bottle of wine up at Corcoran Vineyards (formerly Waterford Vineyards) in VA when we took my brother in law and sister in law wine tasting last month. The wine is a 2005 Waterford Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay (as it was bottled before the name change was necessitated by a large corporation knocking on the door) and cost us $18. It had a plastic cork and clocked in at a mere 12% alcohol, very good for a weeknight wine!

The wine was fermented mostly in stainless tanks, and I believe put in neutral oak for a short period to finish it.

On the nose I found lemon, slight oak, green apple, and pear. In the mouth, the wine was smooth, with none of the oak flavor. I got flavors of lemon, lime, and green apple. The wine had a very nice finish and a creamy mouthfeel. Another good white offering from a VA winery.

I have to say that in my now over 4 years tasting in VA, the wines have come a very long way, and I am now routinely impressed by the various vineyards we visit. Hopefully we will have a chance to get to different parts of VA wine country this fall!

Traveling along our route in VA Wine Country for our anniversary celebration, we found ourselves at Loudon Valley Vineyards. We have subsequently returned to Loudon, as we very much enjoyed our first afternoon there.

Walking up to the tasting room, I was reminded of many of the old cabins I used to see in VT/NH when Matt and I lived up that way. It looked homey and inviting. Inside, the tasting bar was not large, but on our first visit we had no trouble getting a spot to taste. Even if you need to wait, there is plenty of seating inside and outside, if it's a beautiful day like when we visited.

Loudon Valley was our final stop for the day, and spent a good 4 hours tasting, walking the grounds and relaxing on the porch. The winery offers several options for eating, including a fruit, bread, and cheese platter that we took advantage of. It was fabulous, for $10 we got a beautiful plate with grapes, sliced apples, pineapple and strawberries, 3 kinds of cheese, and a full French baguette. We also picked up a bottle of chilled Vinifera White to drink with our late lunch and enjoy on the porch overlooking the vineyards.

The winery was pouring an amazing 13 wines to taste for the day:

2005 Chardonnay: $18. Lemon, pineapple, apple, light wine, slightly sweet at the end.

2004 Vinifera White: $13. Honey, apricot, sweet wine, good very cold. Matt really liked this, we bought 3 bottles.

2006 Classic White: $11. Spice on nose, peach, sweet and light in the mouth.

2006 Rose: $11. Spice, slightly sweet, red berries, slight smell of butter. We bought a bottle for the porch on our second visit.

2002 Cabernet Franc: $15. Spicy, tannic, currants, light and well balanced in the mouth.

2003 Merlot: $18. Berries, rum (I know, that's odd), tingly in the mouth, tannic.

1999 Merlot: $21. Smells denser than the 2003. Berries, cherries, plums, well done, smoother than the 2003.

2002 Dynasty: $15. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot blend. Raspberries, leather, spice.

2002 Sangiovese: $15. Smoke, barnyard, very light, berries.

2003 Pinot Noir: $15. Cherries, slight leather, light and fruity, well done. We took home one bottle.

2002 Red Wine: $10. Blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese. Sweet, fun, very different. We took home two bottles.

2005 Pomme: $9. Dessert wine made of Granny Smith apples. Too sweet for me.

2005 Chambourcin: $13. Very sweet, but not cloying. Blackberries.

All in all an excellent day, we had a blast hanging out here. Everyone was so nice and helpful, I hope we can return for Sunday Soup, hosted periodically throughout the winter!

Yes, I served bratwurst with Roshambo 2004 Imago Chardonnay. Not an elegant match to say the least, what can I say? I'm not always going for the perfect pair!

The wine came in a club shipment, cost us $15.20, had a real cork closure, and clocked in at 13.9% alcohol by volume.

On the nose I found lemon, minerals, wet stone, and pineapple. The nose was crisp and clean. In the mouth, lemons, pineapples, sweet orange. Overall the wine was crisp in the mouth with a nice finish. In typically me style in my tasting notes, I wrote "me likey" as my final note What can I say? Eloquent I am not always.

Very good value wine for the price on this one. (Another non-oaked Chardonnay, seems to be the theme these last few months!)