Bella Sera Chianti (2006)

May 28, 2009 — Tom & Melody

I bought this Italian Bella Sera Chianti at our local grocery store for about $9. I chose this wine tonight to go with our spaghetti dinner. I started the sauce in the afternoon and it has been simmering in my big old cast iron skillet for hours. (There is something about spaghetti sauce in a cast-iron skillet; I am convinced it tastes better that way.) This was my third vacation day and I am loving my time off. I suppose many people would wish for some entertainment for their vacation, however, I just like being home and doing simple things. I really enjoy it.

This wine starts with a spicy nose. The taste is fruity (raspberries) and dry; to me, this is a very typical Italian table wine.  It is light bodied with medium tannins. I would definitely purchase this again and I would save it for our spaghetti nights!

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Crete Rosse Chianti (2007)

April 20, 2009 — Tom & Melody

It is a rainy, cold April Monday night but we are cozy and happy inside. We have music on the Bose and our son, Tommy, and his girlfriend Amanda are out in the kitchen making a salad to go with our spaghetti dinner. Wow, it is nice to have them making the salad; it gives me time to blog!

The last time we had this wine, I found it to be. . .well, thin. Thin in taste and in the overall body and aroma. I don’t feel that way tonight. This is a light-bodied wine  but the taste is fresh and spicy. I like this wine very much!

Tommy & Amanda just showed me the big and beautiful salad they made (romaine lettuce with dried cherries, walnuts, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados and bleu cheese) so it is time for me to start the water boiling to finish off the spaghetti dinner.

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Salice Salentino (2005)

April 19, 2009 — Tom & Melody

It is Sunday evening and we are relaxing on this cool and rainy evening. We finished reading the Sunday paper because we had to cut short our paper reading this morning. I have a fresh chicken in the oven. I stuffed it was chopped celery because I read an article that suggested that this makes the chicken very juicy. The house smells quite fragrant so I think this will be tasty.

We had our cooking group gathering (for brunch) today. I brought “chocolate rasberry clafouti” which is a baked dessert with raspberries, milk, butter, cocoa, some flour and sugar. . .a custard like dessert with fruit.

This wine is not your usual Italian, austere red wine. The wine has a creamy texture. The taste is predominantly fruit and vanilla.  I think this wine will benefit from breathing although it is perfectly drinkable right after opening.

I am serving our roast chicken tonight with mashed potatoes, a fresh salad, and steamed broccoli.

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Torciano Crete Rosse Chianti (2007)

March 22, 2009 — Tom & Melody

I chose this Italian Torciano Crete Rosse Chianti for our Sunday night supper. I am enjoying being home after a 2-day trip to Indiana, with my school’s  Gymnastics team (it was our conference championship meet). I didn’t get home until very late and was unable to  unwind enough to sleep  — so, a short night for me. Then, up and out the door for my long run (11 miles). So, dinner tonight is simple: A batch of bean soup and a loaf of whole wheat bread. The soup is simmering and the bread is baking. . .and Tom and I are watching some of the basketball games (just watched Michigan State beat University of Southern California and Louisville beat Siena.)

So, back to the wine. This is a light wine. The nose is barely discernable. Perhaps it needs to open for awhile longer. The taste is understated and thin. This would be a great wine for new red-wine drinkers because it has a very mild taste. I’ll bet, though, that tomorrow the wine will have more character than it does tonight.

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Pèppoli Chianti Classico (2004)

October 3, 2008 — Tom & Melody

I chose this Pèppoli Chianti Classico 2004 from Italy for our Friday night feast. We are having spaghetti tonight. I purchased this wine at Kroger’s in Ann Arbor. It was a $27.78 bottle that was in a “discontinued” section for 50% off the price.

This is a quintessentially Italian wine. It is not fruity, yet it is bursting with flavor. The tannins are firm and the mouthfeel is crisp. The nose is pencil shavings and the finish is violets. Simply delicious.

Happy Friday everyone!

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Ruffino Il Ducale Toscana (2004)

August 24, 2008 — Tom & Melody

This Italian red is another one of the deals I found at my local Kroger this week. They had a table full of discontinued wines at 50% off the regular price. This one was regularly priced at $25.09. This is a lovely Tuscany wine with a delicate nose, an austere, yet fruity, palate and structured tannins. This wine will be perfect with our dinner of baked mostacolli and a fresh-from-the-garden tossed salad.

The four of us went canoeing this morning on the Huron River. It was about a 6 mile trip and it was beautiful. About half-way down the river, we stopped and had our picnic lunch in our boats. It was a great time. I think Tom will post some pictures here of our trip.

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Castello della Paneretta Chianti Classico (2002)

April 6, 2008 — Tom & Melody

Castella Della Paneretta Chianti Classico 2002

Our son Tony gave us this wine for our birthdays. This Castello della Paneretta Chianti Classico 2002 is a deep, ruby red with a medium body. The nose is red cherries, vanilla, with a touch of tobacco. On the palate is red cherries, dark chocolate, plums, and luscious tannins. What more could you ask for in a wine? Tony really did a great job choosing this wine for us. Thanks, Tones!

Today is Tommy’s 24th birthday. He was born around 9:30 a.m. on April 6, 1984. Both Tommy and Tony will be coming to dinner at around 8:00 p.m. tonight. I have a cast-iron skillet in the oven with red potatoes that have been tossed with chopped garlic, rosemary, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and olive oil. On the stove is a skillet of highly-seasoned chicken that I browned and is now simmering. I have fresh baby-spinach leaves waiting to sautee and a loaf of Italian crusty bread for the oven. Oh, and a pan of freshly-baked dark-chocolate-walnut brownies. This is Tommy’s birthday dinner!

This wine is delicious and will be a great accompaniment to our dinner.

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Cetamura Chianti (2005)

January 11, 2008 — Tom & Melody

Cetamura Chianti 2005This Cetamura Chianti 2005 from Tuscany is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo grapes. The nose is pleasant with flowers, herbs, and berries. On the palate is blackberries with zing. By “zing” I mean there is a subtle fizzy quality to this wine, which will probably subside as it breathes. It is medium bodied with lots of fruit and supple tannins.

Tom chose this wine for our Friday night (post martini) to go with our dinner of angel-hair pasta with bolognese sauce and steamed spinach. We are both happy it is Friday night. Trigger seems happy, too, as she relaxes next to me on my chair.

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Aquila D’Oro Chianti (2006)

November 5, 2007 — Tom & Melody

aquila-doro-chianti-2006.pngTom selected this Aquila D’Oro Chianti 2006 to accompany our dinner of angel hair pasta with fresh tomato sauce (made from tomatoes from the garden) and steamed broccoli. It is an easy-drinking chianti without being too light. It is fruity but tannic. This will go well with our pasta dinner tonight.

It is getting cold in Michigan! There is a chance of snow tomorrow. Trigger is on my lap (and she loves the polar fleece throw that is covering us, too). I was grateful for daylight savings time this morning because the morning was brighter than of late. But driving home from work I needed my headlights and it was dark as dark can be. Well, you can’t have it both ways!

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Aquila D’Oro Chianti (2006)

September 22, 2007 — Tom & Melody

Aquila d'Oro Chianti 2006This Aquila D’Oro Chianti 2006 is a real value wine from Trader Joe’s. The color is purple and the body is light. The aroma is metal and cloves. (The aroma brings back memories of the monkey bars at my little two-room schoolhouse. This is very pleasant!) The taste is lovely; it is earthy and woodsy. There is fruit but it is not jammy. It is quite tannic. This will go well with our spaghetti dinner.

Tom: This Aquila D’Oro [Golden Eagle] Chianti 2006 is very nice. It has a rich, organic bouquet and taste: a certain yeastiness that seems indicative of chiantis. A nice fruit flavor. Very drinkable.

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