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?