Pop the Cork: A dinner's best friend

Here we go with another wine review.

The meal: Boneless chicken breast stuffed with a spicy Spanish sausage, spinach, onions and Romano cheese; served with a Spanish yellow rice with peppers.

The Wine: Barefoot Cellars Chardonnay

Country: USA

Region: California

Vintage: 2005

Price: $6.99

Tasting Notes:

The Color: Straw Yellow

The Nose: The moment you pull the cork, scents of peach and citrus jump out. The fruit on the nose is almost overwhelming, and a very slight oakyness.

The Taste: As the nose led me to believe, the fruit just jumps right from the start. Intense flavors of peach and apple dance around, with a very slight citrus tartness. The finish is very smooth and pretty creamy with notes of vanilla and oak. Overall, this is not a bad wine for the price. I wanted to pair something on the fruity side with our spicy meal, and I think it worked out pretty well. I will say though that this wine is a fruit bomb, so if you don't enjoy a lighter white with a lot of fruit notes, then this wine is not for you. Sauvignon Blanc drinkers should give it a try though...it's not dry like a Sauv Blanc, but the fruit and buttery finish will likely please you.

The Verdict: 7 corks

Pop the Cork: A Dinner's best friend

Hey folks. You know the old saying that no meal is complete without wine? Ok well maybe it's not an old saying...it's my saying. Well with that in mind, we are going to write about it.

Welcome to a new column I'll be writing...uh, well whenever I have wine with dinner. That should be quite often. This is a blog about wine, as evidenced by our world wine tour (which we have put on hold for a few weeks due to schedule constraints), so why not just start posting ratings on the stuff we drink at we drink it. I figure it's a great way for us to share our thoughts on a HUGE variety of wines, as well as what how we thought they complimented the meal of the night.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new column, as both Grape Nut and I will be posting them quite frequently. Now, on with the show, but first let me set the stage for you. The meal was stir fry, teriyaki shrimp with peppers and onions. The wine, given to me by a good friend who really loves white wine, was a Sauvignon Blanc.

The Wine: Astica 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Country: Argentina

Region: Mendoza

Vintage: 2005

Category: Sauvignon Blanc

Price: $7.99

Tasting Notes:

The Color: Very, very light straw color.

The Nose: Beautiful and fragrant. Very nice full fruit: apples (as my wife said and I quote "smells like the granny smiths I bake with"), citrus and a little honeydew melon. Wonderful floral/lavender hints.

The Taste: A wonderful explosion of light fruits and citrus right off the bat. Apple and pear flavors are really pronounced up front. Citrus lemon and orange flavors shine through in the middle, with a slight tartness. The finish is very smooth, and flavors of pear, melon and vanilla seem to linger on the tongue.

Overall, I found this wine very enjoyable. For those of you who've drank with me before, perhaps the best comparison I can give you is a Casal Garcia, without the effervescence. The fruit is very nice, but not the type of wine that tastes like coolaid. That's likely because the tartness of the citrus counteracts the sweetness of the apple and pear.

Thanks to my friend Sean for sending me this bottle. I found it to be a very nice companion to my shrimp.

The Verdict: 8 corks

Taste of Portugal: Wine rating #2 of 5

The Wine: Lavradires/de/Feitoria Tres Bagos 2003

Winery: Lavradoes de Feitoria
Country: Portugal

Region: Douro

Category: Red Table Wine

Vintage: 2003

Price: $11.99

Decanted or Not: No

Alcohol: 13%

Tasting Notes:

The Color: A pitch black, very dark red

The Nose: Powerful nose, with black raspberries and ripe cherries, small notes of vanilla.

The Taste: Tastes of currants, dried red fruits; not overly fruity, but showing well. Nice structure to the wine with good legs and a nice, but not overly long finish. A very solid wine that paired well with a hearty Italian meal, but didn't overwhelm the food.

The Verdict: 8 corks

Taste of Spain: #4 of 5

The Wine: Bodegas Hijos de Juan Gil 2003
Country: Spain
Region: Jumilla
Category: Mourvèdre
Vintage: 2003
Price: $14.99
Decanted or Not: No

Tasting Notes

Color: Dark Ruby

The Nose: Fruity bouquet, showing currants, raspberries, maybe even a touch strawberry and vanilla.

The Taste: As the nose would suggest, dried cherries and currant flavors, lots of fruit up front, mellowing out with some mineral notes, vanilla and spice from oak. Beautiful silky texture and mouthfeel. Just an all around well crafted wine. Highly recommended, delicious wine.

As many of you have probably noticed, I don't give out corks very easily, but I particularly liked this wine. I paired it with a pork braciole (did I spell that right?) and acted a worthy foil to the cheeses and hearty red sauce. Mrs. Grape Nut actually purchased this wine and it was a great find. She knows me well.

Verdict: 9

A Taste of Argentina: #3 of 5

FIRST WHITE WINE REVIEWED HERE...Hoorayyyyyyyy

The Wine: 2005 Jacques & Francois Lurton Pinot Gris
Country: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Category: Pinot Gris
Vintage: 2005
Price: $7.99
Decanted or not: No


Tasting Notes:

The Color: Light Yellow

The Nose: Big citrus aromasand pineapple, little smoke, slightly metallic

The Taste: Big and fruity at the start, with lingering flavors of orange, pineapple and pear. The oak is noticeable, but not overbearing. Finish is smooth, flavorful, and a little bitter but refreshing. Also dryer than I expected. Tastes more like a dry chardonnay than a true pinot gris.

Overall a nice bottle, but I'm not a fan of dry whites. Not the kind of wine you can drink all day at a summer BBQ, if you ask me. At the price, however, it may be worth a shot for all you white wine drinkers out there. Probably be great with some grilled chicken, clams and shrimp.

The Verdict: 7 Corks

WSJ - Tastings Column

Not sure if you have read Friday's TASTINGS column by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, but I generally enjoy their reviews. (Click here, but password is required)

I believe this husband and wife team tend to emulate a lot of households out there. When you go to the wine store do you buy for just your palate or do you have another constituent in the household who is influencing your purchase?

For example, I love Rieslings. My wife, is for the most part not a fan. Because of this, I find I only buy Rieslings on special occasion or to pair with a specific food. I guess this is because I'm trying to please both our palates. One solution would be to just buy more wine, wines for both our palates. (And I do sometimes) But in order to stay within the budget, I tend to try to find the middle ground.

What do you do? Do you try and please a spouse, partner, hell a roommate with your purchases? Or do you just say damn them and buy whatever you like?

Drink the Vine Rating #1: A Taste of Portugal

The Wine: Quinta Do Vale Meao Meandro 2004
Country: Portugal
Region: Duoro
Category: Red Table Wine
Vintage: 2004
Price: $18.99
Decanted or Not: Decanted ~ 1 hour


I know, I know. You guys are thinking "how predictable he picks a wine from Portugal." But, I wanted to kickoff the our wine ratings with this bottle for a number of reasons. First, to toot the Portuguese horn. Second, and more importantly, I have been drinking Portuguese red wine ever since I was a kid. It is something I am extremely familiar with, and that will play into the review later. While most of you know the Duoro region in Portugal for it world renowned Port wines, this region is finally starting to creat a buzz in the red table wine arena. Anyway, here we go:


Tasting Notes:

• The Color: Very dark ruby red

• The Legs: This one really lingers on the side of the glass...almost like throwing wet gummy bears on a mirror.

• The Nose: Grabs you by the nostrils with aggressive scents very dark, ripe fruit; and strong oak.

• The Taste: In a word, powerful. Very intense rich, ripe fruit, with surprising amount of spice. Taste the oak but not overbearing, as can be the case with some of these Portuguse table wines. Burst of smokeyness and plum right at the end. Very smooth and moderate finish (20 seconds). Not nearly as dry as some other reds I've had from this region. Very nice.

The Verdict: 8 corks