Tom and Melody’s wine blog

This Velazco Aminga Valley La Rioja 2007, an Argentinian red, is a blend of 85% Bonarda and 15% Syrah. We have had this wine before and I loved itl. Tonight it is Friday and we have both had a long and hectic work week. I will be teaching this weekend, as well, so I requested a special wine for tonight. Tom chose this wine because he knows that I am a fan of the Bonarda grape. This is a delicious full-bodied, lip smacking blend of spices, plums, and green peppers. So yummy.

For dinner tonight, I browned chicken in a skillet, added diced potatoes and chicken broth, covered and let it simmer. It has been an hour and a half and it is smelling yummy. I also went out to my little garden and harvested lettuce, green onions and cucumbers for the salad. My neighbor gave me some fresh Swiss Chard, which I will steam. All in all, I think this will be a delicious and fragrant Friday night dinner. But, more importantly, a relaxing and nurturing respite from a busy week.

This Castillo De Olleria Valencia 2007 is a wine from Spain that is made from 75% Bobal and 25% Tempranillo. Yum, yum, yum. Delish. The wine is fragrant with cloves on the nose. The taste is fresh and spicy with a crisp finish. I like this very much!

Tomorrow I am taking the day off and will drive to Mackinac Island (with my son, Tommy) to visit my youngest son, Tony, who is working there this summer. It will be a lot of fun to spend time with the boys!

It is a beautiful June Saturday evening. We started the evening with a refreshing gin and tonic with plenty of fresh-squeezed lime. Now, we are having a glass of this Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red Wine 2005, a delicious blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon. This Washington State blend is luscious and fruity. The nose is a delicate whiff of vanilla and cloves. The taste is plums and spice. Tom purchased this wine for about $8 from Polly’s (our local grocery store).

I harvested some lettuce from my little garden for our salad tonight. I am also marinating pork chops, which we will grill. I have brown rice steaming now. Cheers and happy summertime!

This Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red Wine 2005 from Washington State is a blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tom bought this at our local grocery store (Polly’s) today. It is delicious. It tastes of woods and plums. I can taste strawberries on the finish.

We will have this wine tonight with a skillet dish (kielbasa, potatoes, carrots & green beans in a spicy broth). This is a nice way to end a Sunday night. I ran the Dexter - Ann Arbor half marathon this morning. It was a beautiful day for a run. I am a little achy but not too bad!

It is a Wednesday evening; the sun is shining and it is a beautiful evening. Tom chose this wine for us tonight. We’ve had this before and like it very much. This California red is a blend of Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon (predominantly Merlot). It is delicious! I will have to see what I wrote the last time I blogged about this wine. Tonight, I taste a luscious blend of vanilla and cherries with velvety tannins.

I am marinating chicken which I will soon grill (along with marinated peppers). I also have some fresh spinach and green beans (thank you Michelle Bowersox [my neighbor who brings me vegetables from her food co-op]) which I will steam, along with brown rice. Tom chose a good wine for this dinner.

I have been saving (hoarding) this special wine for a long time. The Cherry Creek Montage has been my absolute favorite Michigan wine and I was waiting for a special occasion to open this Proprietor’s Reserve, which we purchased during a wine-tasting expedition to Cherry Creek Cellars. John Burtka, the winemaker, does not disappoint! The wine is complex and acidic with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. The Cabernet contributes color and tannins; the Pinot contributes the soft and velvety feel in the mouth. This is an old-world tasting wine that reminds me of the Italian wines we have enjoyed. This is the opposite of the Australian fruit-forward wine — complex and tantalizing.

It is the close of Memorial Day weekend so that is one reason to celebrate. The other reason is that this is the weekend that Tom & I met (years ago) via being introduced by mutual friends. Who knew that a blind date could be so wonderful? Thank you, Will & Shirley, for getting us together that memorable Memorial Weekend.

Tom and I first tasted this Longview Leelanau Peninsula Rustic Red 2007 in Longview Winery’s tasting room in Cedar, Michigan. We were on a mini-vacation get-away to the gorgeous and serene Homestead Resort in Empire.

On one of the days, we drove to the Dunes and climbed the sandy mountain to the top to view Lake Michigan. It was breathtakingly beautiful. After running and jumping our way back down the dune, we drove to Cedar to visit the Longview Winery and had a pleasant hour or so standing at the polished-wood bar sampling the wines. We ended up purchasing a couple bottles, including this Bordeaux-like red with a rich berry taste and supple tannins. We had this wine last night with barbecued ribs, corn on the cob, and broccoli salad.

I can’t finish this post without also mentioning a wonderful meal we had while staying up north at the Homestead. On Thursday evening, Tom & I ate at Trattoria Funistrada in Burdickville (near Glen Arbor). We knew we were going to love it the moment we walked into the friendly and cozy dining room. We had wonderful service and started our evening with a martini, served generously in a chilled stem-less martini goblet. The special that evening was any two pasta dishes AND a bottle of wine for $40. Tom had a spicy sausage pasta dish and I had angel-hair pasta with grilled chicken. Both were mouth-wateringly delicious. When it came time to choose the wine, we were able to choose from a variety of bottles that were displayed on the bar. We had a Rosso (I will have to look back at my written notes to be more specific). The entire meal from start to finish was everything I could wish for in a meal. We can’t wait to go back the next time we head north.

This Iglesia Vieja Reserva 2003 from Spain, a blend of 68% Mataro, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Tempranillo, is just my style. The color is purplish in the glass. The nose is a refreshingly soft spice. And the taste is fruity and luscious with a peppery finish. This is really a delicious wine. And probably too lovely for a Thursday night, but oh well!

This is a beautiful Michigan evening; children are all out romping around the neighborhood because it is 48 degrees! We can smell spring and we are all giddy about it. Trigger had an active day outside today and now she is sleeping soundly by my side.

Tom: This a great big red: chocolaty and tannic. Some fruit taste, but not fruit forward. Very nice.

This Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2005 from southeastern Australia is normally over $10 a bottle but Tom found it on sale today for $8. This wine is purple in the glass with a nose of oak, black cherries, bing cherries, and a touch of smoke. The finish is robust and lengthy with licorice and oak.

I made us a rather healthy martini tonight because I have an end-of-the-winter cold and Tom told me that “gin is the answer.” I’m sure he is right! Now we are having a glass of this lovely wine while I finish making our dinner. Cheers!