Wear it proudly

Two posts in one day.... I know, can you believe it?

I was just reading some news, and stumbled on this article -- about this nifty little company -- they make all kids of cool wine apparel -- neck ties, scarves, tote bags, headbands.... all with subtle, tasteful wine designs.

Check 'em out!

Not exactly wine, but.....

I've posted here before (or, well.... I think I have) that I'm a big fan of Bailey's Irish Cream. Last year, a co-worker recommended using the new caramel variety Bailey's to spike egg nogg. I was pregnant last year, so I didn't take her up on the recommendation (although I probably will try it this year) but I posted it here for you guys to try..... did anybody try it?


Anyway, this year Baileys has come out with a new flavor Bailey's -- it's Bailey's with a hint of coffee. At first, I'll admit it -- I thought this was kind of silly because..... that's generally what I use Bailey's for ... to amp up my coffee. What's this going to do for me? Coffee flavored coffee?





But, I was curious enough to get a bottle and Yum! I just had it on the rocks and it was a lovely sipper --


Give it a try!

Buen Vino de la Argentina - Si!

So, now that we're on Twitter, I figure it's probably a good time to get back in here and do some reviews.  It's been a while since I wrote about any wines we've enjoyed (or not), but I'm not alone - look at that list of contributors - seen any of them lately?  No, neither have I.  I hope they know I'm just kidding.  I am you know.  Really.  Anyway.

Last week we decided to give another Malbec a try.  In the rack we had a Bodega Norton Malbec 2007 (you'll excuse me if I hear Jackie Gleason's voice in my head right now) that we decided would be a good match for some pasta we were having.  I opened the bottle, poured two glasses and let them sit for bit.  I took a sip a few minutes later and was a bit overwhelmed by tannins and some acidity.  I'll admit, I was more than a little nervous that this a poor choice.  However, after letting it sit a while longer, eating some dinner, I picked up the glass again and was pleasantly surprised by how it had mellowed and accented the pasta quite well.  It is a fairly fruity wine with plum and cherry accents and a hint of currant.  It should definitely be given ample breathing time to bring out its more subtle notes and allow its character to develop.

It lists anywhere between $7.29 and $9.99 and is quite a good bargain.  Quick story: I went into a closet where we have more wine stored (the rack is full) looking for another bottle for this evening and grabbed another bottle of the very same Norton 2007.  This was bought two weeks ago and about five days before we enjoyed the reviewed bottle.  Apparently the wine gods influenced this purchase knowing we would find one we would like.

24

Being the wine and football freak that I am (and I really am, normally I don't discuss both of these things in the same place but I know you guys are cool.)

I haven't tried it yet, but as soon as I can track down a bottle I will be reporting back to you.

I mean seriously, it is a Stags Leap Napa Valley Cabernet. What is not to love?

Well, assuming it isn't $129 per bottle.

Has anyone else tried this yet?*



* Never mind that last part. According to the TwentyFour website it won't be released until November.

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C'mon, Can I get a Woop Woop?

Ah yes.... to commemorate our 10 years together, the Big Dubya and I opened a bottle of Woop Woop Shiraz.

Yes, I know..... Darren & Sue already reviewed Woop Woop a month or so ago, but we had it on the old wine rack, so.... we thought this would be a good time to see just how wine-compatible we all were. As I recall, Darren liked the Woop Woop (yeah, I'm going to keep writing it 'cause saying Woop Woop over and over again makes me giggle) and Sue thought it was a bit on the heavy side.

Now, it could be that different years have different attributes and textures, but the Big Dubya and I really liked the 2006 we had this evening (Darren & Sue had the 2004).

Wine.com has the following winemakers notes:

It is deep in colour and the nose is inviting. With oodles of rich, opulent Shiraz fruit the palate delivers a lush mouthfeel, bursting with blackberry fruit juice, blueberry jam and licorice - chock full of quintessential Aussie character.

I tend to like wines that complement, rather than over power. I tend to like subtle flavors -- rather than bold..... and I really enjoyed this bottle. I found it to have a nice roundness and a flavor that was full and rich -- without being heavy.... perhaps it was because "The wine is matured with the light use of French and American oak."

The Big Dubya thought it was "satisfying" -- fruity -- and complimented the pasta we had for dinner... not conflicting with the acidity of the tomato sauce at all.

We both agreed that it was light on the tannins and that we agreed that we wished we had a second bottle.... Wine.com has it listed as $10.79 -- that sounds like roughly what we paid.

Bottom line -- It's a nice glass, would definitely buy again.
Cheers!

Mr. October

Even though baseball season is over...  What?  It's not over?  Hold on.

Nope.  I checked.  It's over.

Even though baseball season is over, Sue and I picked up a bottle of Longball Cellars Jorge Cabernet named for New York Yankees' catcher Jorge Posada. Can you guess I've been waiting to post this one?

If you haven't seen these wines, Longball Cellars is a division of Charity Wines which partners with athletes and celebrities to market wines that raise money for charities.  Last year, Mr. Big Dubya posted about a Charity Wines Cabernet named for a player on some other ball club.

In the case of Jorge Cabernet, a portion of the proceeds benefit the Jorge Posada Foundation which supports children and families affected by craniosynostosis.  Posada and his wife have a son who was born with this condition.

As for the wine, it was a bit surprising.  We expected a subpar novelty wine.  Instead, we both enjoyed it.  It was certainly no great wine or amazing find, but like a catcher batting .330 or hitting 30 home runs in a season—that's Posada—this wine delivered.  It was lighter than the average Cabernet, but not too light.  It lived up to its description of a warm fruity wine with a "firm tannin on the finish."

There are quite a few other Charity Wines and, based on this one, I'd try another.  What else have we got to do this month anyway?

Don't let it be forgot that once there was a spot, for one brief, shining moment that was known as Camelot.

Tell me, did you ever buy a wine because it looked interesting and then go home only to find that you must have already found that wine interesting...... because it's already on your wine rack? Yeah, uhm me either.

Okay, so.... maybe it's just a case of Mommy-brain, but -- a couple of weekends ago I went to our local wine shop (that's just fancy Connecticut talk for liquor store) and decided to pick up a few bottles of wine -- maybe breath some life into this site.

While browsing the reds, I saw this 2002 Merlot with a little star-shaped sign that said "Ray's Pick -- Great Value". Now, Ray's just a dude that works there, so don't get too excited -- but for $6.99, "great value" seemed right up my alley, so -- into the basket it went.

My job is investment-related and although it's only Wednesday..... all this upping-and-downing of the markets has made for a really long week, so I decided a glass of wine was in order..... and Camelot seemed like a good mid-week choice.

The bottle's label doesn't offer much in the way of a description, and their website only mentions the 2003 Merlot, which has won some awards -- but wine.com includes the following winemakers notes for the 2002:

"Appealing cherry aromas carry onto the palate with deep plum richness and a subtle herbal distinction. Well balanced throughout, this wine has soft, round tannins without angular distraction. Delicate vanilla oak accents are apparent in a rich and complex finish."

I'd say that I agree with the majority of that -- this wine was very mild and as I was drinking it I said to the Big Dubya that it would be a perfect wine to just have on hand -- it's mild and unassuming enough that it would work with pizza or even something more involved -- and then I joked that it was a decent "table wine".

Bottom line --Ray was right -- for $6.99, it is good value. I probably wouldn't serve it to company, but it's perfect for a middle-of the week glass, to cook with or to accompany a casual dinner...... and, lucky me -- I've got another bottle.