Sycamore Valley Paso Robles Zinfandel (2006)

July 8, 2009 — Tom & Melody

It is Wednesday night and we are having a glass of this California Zinfandel to round out our evening meal. We have had this wine before but it has been a quite awhile. I retrieved this from our stock in the basement.

The wine is pleasantly spicy with pepper and rich with the taste of juicy, ripe berries. This is a lovely red wine and it is perfect for grilled meats of any kind.

For dinner tonight, I marinated a thick, boneless pork chop. My marinade was simple but delicious: Olive oil, rice wine vinegar, spicy brown mustard, salt & pepper. After it was marinated, we cooked it on the grill at a high heat so that it was cooked through and  crispy on the outside. We split one chop and also had brown rice and a really yummy salad (we are having salad almost every night because I keep harvesting my fresh lettuce and onions and don’t want it to go to waste — and, it tastes fresh, sweet, crunchy & delicious)!

All in all, a satisfying cocktail hour and mid-week meal. Cheers!

Posted in California wines, Over $10, Under $10, Zinfandel. Tags: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Groote Kapp Pinotage (2007)

July 2, 2009 — Tom & Melody

Groote Kaap Pinotage 2007It is Thursday, July 2, and another unseasonably cool night in Michigan. So I am taking advantage of the cool weather and using my oven. I have prepared a meatloaf, which is baking in the oven (made with ground beef, ground pork, spicy mustard, oatmeal, A-1 sauce, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, onions, celery, green pepper, milk,  salt, pepper, eggs and a little mixture of ketchup and brown sugar for a topping). It smells good. I have also harvested lettuce and green onions from my garden and added yellow peppers and avocados and will mix with my salad dressing (olive oil, red wine vinegar, spicy brown mustard, basil, oregano, rosemary, savory & thyme). So, there is my dinner. . .now on to the wine.

I chose this South African pinotage because it is a new bottle that we haven’t tasted, yet. This wine is 14.5% alcohol (most wines are 13 or 13.5%) but it does not have an alcoholic taste. This is a gutsy tasting big red with a whiff of smoke on the nose and palate. It’s a bit rough around the edges — the oak finish is a little on the harsh side, but even still, this is a very drinkable big red and I think it is a good choice to accompany our meatloaf dinner.  We have four bottles of this wine from our wine club and each bottle will be enjoyed.

Tomorrow is a holiday and Tom & I are off so (once again) we have found a reason to celebrate! Cheers!

(Happy Birthday to Steve Bono, a faithful reader and long-time red-wine enthusiast!)

Posted in Over $10, Pinotage, South African wines. Tags: , , , , . 1 Comment »

Green Acres Zinfandel (2008)

July 1, 2009 — Tom & Melody

Green Acres Ranch Lodi Zinfandel 2008It is a summer Wednesday night in Michigan, the first day of July. We have a cool front with some rain so it is quite cozy tonight. So, I decided to take advantage of the cool weather and use my oven. I baked a batch of double-chocolate, walnut brownies (Tom loves these) and I made a stew out of leftover pot roast and some vegetables, which I put in a cast-iron skillet in the oven. We’ll have a comfy night and a comfy meal tonight.

I chose this California Zinfandel for our post-martini cocktail! (The martini was wonderful — served in an icy cocktail glass with just the right combination of gin & vermouth.) I am happy with this wine. I generally do not gravitate to Zinfandels — only because I am such an avid, die-hard Cabernet Sauvignon fan. But, I thought this would be a good selection for our dinner and I am pleasantly surprised at how good this is. A pleasant burst of raspberries and spice and a mellow mouthfeel. The finish is true oak.

Posted in California wines, Cocktails, Over $10, Zinfandel. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Rosati Barbaresco (2004)

June 30, 2009 — Tom & Melody

Rosati Barbaresco 2004I just finished the bottle of this Italian Rosati Barbaresco wine. (I blogged about it yesterday if you would like to read my tasting notes.)

What I want to blog about tonight is my wonderful group of students who finished their last class in their Master of Educational Leadership program tonight. I am so proud of them. They are dedicated educators and have spent the last two years of their lives taking night classes and conducting a research study. This class was their last class where they (all but three — who are still working feverishly!)  handed in their final research report (and did an oral presentation on their findings). Congratulations to Linka, Tammy, Corrie, Richard, Yolanda, Denelle, Christian, Kristie, Mary & Eric!

Before class, I had put together a pot roast (I browned a chuck roast in hot oil, then added fresh garlic cloves, chopped onions, red wine and chicken broth and then covered it and put it in the oven at 225-degrees). By the time I came home from class, the meat was fork tender. I added potatoes and carrots to the roast while we had our cocktail and read the paper. By the time we were done reading the paper, everything was tender and delicious.

Cheers to the new Masters! Clink!

Posted in Italian wines, Over $10. Tags: , , , . 1 Comment »

Rosati Barbaresco (2004)

June 29, 2009 — Tom & Melody

Rosati Barbaresco 2004It is a Monday evening and Tom opened this wine to celebrate! Celebrate what (you may ask)? Well, we’re celebrating the fact that Tom finally figured out why our newly-installed (by him) ceiling fan was making noise. We were getting to the point where we were saying “This fan is really nice. We just can’t use it at night because it keeps us awake.” It clicked and rattled. But, he thinks he has it fixed, now. So, cheers to a quiet ceiling fan!

I purchased this wine because it was “discontinued” and on sale. The regular price for this wine is $40 but it was on sale for $19. So, I wanted to see what a $40 bottle of wine tasted like. Here are my tasting notes:

The color is cherry red (not inky black like many of the wines that I like). The nose is floral and sweet. On the palate, the wine has a velvety texture with not a lot of body (typical old-world Italian, in my opinion). The taste is woody with magnificent tannins. This is a delicious wine and I like it very much. I am glad I was able to try it; I wouldn’t have purchased it at its regular price of $40.

The weather has cooled off a bit since our latest heat wave, so I am making spaghetti for dinner. This wine will complement our dinner perfectly. Can’t wait to fall asleep under our quiet fan. . .

Posted in Italian wines, Over $10. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Monasterio de Santa Cruz (2008)

June 28, 2009 — Tom & Melody

This is a Spanish wine that recently arrived at our house as part of a wine club shipment. This wine is made in the region of Tarragona on the Mediterranean, near Barcelona.

I chose this wine for our summer Sunday night dinner. This is a deep red, delectable and elaborate big red. The texture is smooth and the finish is woody.

I didn’t know what to expect from this wine because the label did not reveal any grapes or varietal for which I was familiar. Well, is is sumptuous. This is a complex wine with layers of fruit and oak.

I didn’t feel like grocery shopping today so I took  two steaks out of the freezer. We grilled those and I made steamed brown rice and sauteed mushrooms (in Malbec wine) and a salad from my garden (with my homemade viniagrette [olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, horseradish mustard, basil, oregano, rosemary, savory & thyme]). Dinner was delicious and the wine was a perfect match for a steak.

Posted in Monastrell, Over $10, Spanish wines. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Opi Malbec (2008)

June 26, 2009 — Tom & Melody

Tom chose this lusciously delicious Argentinian Malbec for our Friday evening. Malbec happens to be one of my favorite all-time reds and this one does not disappoint.  The color is deep and opaque and the nose makes me think of ripe, concord grapes. The taste is sumptuous: dark chocolate, plums and pepper. I am enjoying this wine very much.

For dinner tonight, I made homemade tacos. We haven’t had them for a long time and I had a pound of ground beef to use. I browned the ground beef and added onions and peppers and pinto beans, along with cumin, oregano, and  chili pepper. The toppings included chopped avocados, chopped onions, chopped lettuce (yes, of course from my garden), shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa.

A fun meal for a fun, Friday night!

Posted in Argentine wines, Malbec, Over $10. Tags: , , , . 2 Comments »

Forbes Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (2007)

June 22, 2009 — Tom & Melody

This is our second bottle of California Forbes Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (from our 4Seasons wine club). It is a Monday evening and we are grilling marinated pork loin chops on the grill. It is so gorgeous outside tonight! I love Michigan summers! I have to say, this is quickly becoming one of my favorite wines. I love this one. It has everything I love in a wine: Big flavor, fruity but not sweet, dry with plenty of black pepper (and a little oak) on the finish. Absolute yummyness.

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California wines, Over $10. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »

Forbes Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (2007)

June 14, 2009 — Tom & Melody

We received four bottles of this California Forbes Creek Cabernet Sauvignon in our 4Seasons wine club shipment. I opened a bottle tonight; a beautiful summer June evening. It is just delicious. I am very glad to know there are three bottles remaining! This is very easy-to-drink with  flavors of ripe fruit, black pepper and a hint of tobacco. There is a subtle touch of oak on the finish. This is delightful! Tom & I had no problem finishing the bottle.

For dinner, I had planned on making stir fry. Tom volunteered to grill the steak, so instead of stir-frying the steak, we grilled it. I first marinated the steak in a marinade of olive oil, red-wine vinegar, salt & pepper and spicy mustard. While the steak was grilling, I made a salad (with lettuce from our garden, red & yellow peppers, avacados and cucumbers); I also cooked a pot of penne pasta. Then, I sauteed asparagus in hot oil along with chopped garlic tops (the green stem that grows up from the garlic bulb). I tossed the asparagus and garlic tops with the penne pasta along with olive oil and fresh ground salt & pepper to accompany the grilled steak and the salad. It was just delicious. And, the California Cab was perfect with this meal.

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California wines, Over $10. Tags: , , , , , . 1 Comment »

Il Papavero

June 13, 2009 — Tom & Melody

We have had this Italian red table wine, Il Papavero, before and really enjoyed it. This is delightful; a juicy cherry-flavored  quaff; dark and spicy with ripe fruit and chocolate.

For dinner tonight, I am making baked, spicy chicken, steamed brown rice and vegetables. I also baked some brownies with chopped walnuts. Tom was craving my brownies. . .

We both had busy weeks. Tom was in Montreal on business and I was up north to see my folks and to watch our son, Tommy, play his bass guitar in The Ben Daniels Band at “The Loading Dock” in Traverse City. My 77-year-old mother came with me to the bar; the band started playing at 11:00 p.m. and my mom was as lively as can be. What fun!

I am missing our youngest son, Tony. Hurry home, Tones!

Posted in Blends, Italian wines, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Nero d'Avola, Over $10, Sangiovese. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »
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