V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

Neither Sue nor I have posted here much in the past couple months. But not to worry—we did get most of the assignments done. Unfortunately, like Mrs. Big Dubya, we drank a couple bottles of wine on vacation and didn’t take the best notes. Here’s what we remember.

The wine we purchased specifically for the extra-credit blend assignment was an Italian Sangiovese and Merlot blend from Luna di Luna. We don’t remember the year or price, but it couldn’t have been that old and the price was well within the guidelines here. This brand is famous for its blends in colorful bottles. We’ve tried the brand before (I think we’ve had the Merlot/Cabernet blend in the red bottle, and the Chardonnay/Sauvignon in the green), but we weren’t very impressed with this one. It was a little too acidic and fruity for our tastes.

Another wine we tried on vacation was in a bottle that Sue picked up based on the name and label (and we've all seen how that usually works out). It was a 2005 Mommy’s Time Out and given that name (and the quality of the website which I just found) we didn’t expect anything. But this one was a good surprise. It’s from Primitivo grapes in the Puglia region of Italy, which, I’ve just learned, have been found to be genetically identical to California Zinfandel grapes. The wine was smooth, a little oakey, and had a great balance of fruity flavors. It was also well under our price guideline. How can you beat that? Only by giving the wine a better name and marketing.

A little too acidic for me

First let me begin that I have had other wines from Bogle Vineyards and enjoyed them very much. In fact, one of my go-to, reasonably priced red wines is Bogle's Old Vine Zinfandel. So when at the store this weekend I saw Bogle's 2004 Petite Sirah, I decided to pick it up. It was also recommended by a reader over on Sarah and the Goon Squad, so between it being from a favorite Vineyard and a recommendation, it seemed like a no-brainer. Maybe not....

Yesterday after work I uncorked the bottle and let it breathe for oh, I don't know, three minutes before pouring a glass. I was a little taken aback with the first sip. The OVZ is pretty smooth. This wasn't. Granted, I had just eaten a BBQ chip, so I decided not to hold it against the wine. I waited a bit, had some water, finished cooking dinner when Mr. Tall Guy asked if he could get in on the bottle. Sure! So I poured another glass and off we go to dinner. Again, my choice of food pairings wasn't the best. This morning I checked the recommendations of the website. "Try this unique wine with rich meat dishes of lamb, pork or game and their hearty sauces." Yeah, mac and cheese and a grilled chicken sandwich probably wasn't what they had in mind. (hey, no judgements! It's what I had in the house!)

The first thing that struck me about the wine is when I poured it was the color. It's a very rich, dark plum color. The first sip was somewhat acidic and they didn't get much better than that. In fact it covered any fruity undertones that may have been there. I'm a bit of a wine novice, so I don't have all the jargon, but Mr. Tall Guy wasn't a fan of it either. In fact we both stopped after our first glass, and that just never happens. Who knows? Maybe it was an off night for us. I sealed it up what was left of the bottle and will try again tonight.

I paid $12.99 for the bottle and will probably pass on it in the future.