Lindemans Shiraz Cabernet (2008)

September 22, 2009 — -

It has been a long time since Tom & I opened a Lindemans bottle of wine. We became fans of red wine together while drinking Lindemans’ various red wines. Recently, in our eagerness to try as many new wines as possible, we have ignored Lindemans; but Tom purchased a  bottle of the Shiraz Cabernet blend last weekend. What a delightful reminder of why we started out our love of red wine by enjoying  the Australian wine! Certainly, it all starts with the fruit flavors. This is typical, Australian fruit-forward wine, bursting with plums and berries on the palate. The finish is very smooth.

For dinner tonight, I have cut up three boneless, skinless chicken breasts into chunks  for sauteing.  I will be adding onions, artichokes, chicken broth, fresh mushrooms and spices and tossing with linguine. I am also making a fresh salad with lettuce, tomatoes and green onions from my garden.

We are counting down the days until our son, Tony, returns from his year-long job in Paju, South Korea. He comes home this Saturday; I am beyond excited to see him.

Posted in Australian wines, Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Under $10. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Searidge Syrah (2006)

September 1, 2009 — -

I bought two bottles of this wine  for $10 (2 for $10) at a wine shop in Ann Arbor. Now I have found that this wine sells for about $3 a bottle at some other stores. So, I didn’t get the greatest deal in the world, but nonetheless, we think this wine is worth even the $5 a bottle price. We find this wine to have a young nose, despite it’s 2006 vintage. There is nothing unpleasant about this wine; it is just simple.  There is plenty of fruit flavors (but without the layers of complex flavors to explore and savor). However, it is a  perfectly acceptable bottle of wine for a Tuesday night!

I am looking forward to our meal tonight because I was too busy to eat lunch today at my job. For dinner, I took two boneless pork loin chops and browned well in a skillet. I then put those in a baking dish;  to the hot skillet I added chopped onions and green peppers and sauteed. To that I added a can of vegetarian baked beans, 1/2 cup of chili sauce, spicy mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper. . .I think that was all. . .then added that mixture to the pork chops. I covered and put in the oven at 325 and it has been baking for 1.5 hours and will continue to do so until I am good and ready! I will serve this with mashed potatoes and a salad from my garden. Smells yummy.

Posted in California wines, Shiraz, Syrah, Under $10. Leave a Comment »

Stone Cellars by Beringer California Shiraz (2008)

August 8, 2009 — -

We’re enjoying this California Shiraz that Tom picked up at our local grocery story (2 for $11).  It has been a stormy Saturday but it has finally stopped raining. The birds are singing and the grass is much greener. The forecast calls for very hot and humid weather now that the rain has passed. I had planned on a long run this morning, but the thunder and lightening forced me to stay inside. It was actually a pleasant respite. I will run tomorrow, instead.

This Shiraz is full of fruit and spice. Although simple, this wine is easy and fun to drink. . .a cheerful everyday wine for any kind of meal or for just sipping on the patio. I have so many leftovers from this week (because I was a cooking machine all week) so I will serve this wine with leftovers from Thursday night. I had made chicken parmesan, which was delicious (in my humble opinion). Basically, I dredged boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a mixture of spicy bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, browned in hot olive oil, then transfered to a baking dish, covered with tomato sauce. . . baked covered; then, removed the cover and added some cheese and baked some more. I served this with thin spaghetti tossed with olive oil, freshly ground salt & pepper.  I am reheating that dish tonight and making a fresh salad from my garden. Cheers!

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

Lindemans’ Shiraz (2008)

August 1, 2009 — -

This Australian Lindemans’ wine has been on sale for $5.99 at our local grocery store. So Tom has been picking up a couple bottles each time he stops to buy groceries. He poured me a glass of this tonight after we sipped and enjoyed a lovely, ice-cold martini. It is Saturday night and we just returned from a weeks’ vacation in Northern Michigan. We had so much fun! We waded in crystal-clear Lake Superior, ate Whitefish in a small upper-peninsula town, and hiked in lush, green forests out in the middle of nowhere! Now we are home and have unpacked, done the laundry, grocery shopped, etc., so that we are ready to go on Monday when we both go back to work.

This wine is truly new-world. It isn’t shy about being fruit-forward. The wine is uber-plummy and full bodied with a smooth finish. (That use of “uber” is in deference to my running partner, Jeanie, who taught me that word.) Jeanie, Pat and I went for an 8-mile run this morning. None of us were feeling particularly energetic so we were all happy when we finished.

Today was one of those rare days when I couldn’t think of anything to cook for dinner. . .so, in desperation, I took a meatloaf out of the freezer. (Whenever I make meatloaf, I make two and put one in the freezer.)  So that is in the oven now along with a couple of potatoes. This wine is perfect for a meatloaf dinner.

Cheers!

Posted in Australian wines, Shiraz, Under $10. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Quail Creek Shiraz

July 17, 2009 — -

We are still on our Quail Creek binge! (I purchased 3 bottles of their Shiraz and three bottles of their Cabernet (for $4.99) this week while shopping at Whole Foods.) So, what a deal! We have mixed feelings about this wine.

Tonight I taught a class after work so I am getting home rather late. We are going to have pizza so a Shiraz is an excellent choice for our dinner.

About the mixed feelings: Well, on the one hand, I appreciate the value of this wine. I mean, it’s $4.99 a bottle and it’s a California, which I have found generally to be very good. However, as I said before when I blogged about this wine, there is a kerosene quality to this wine that can’t be ignored. But, the longer it breathes, the better it gets. It doesn’t get to the level of being what I call a really “yummy” wine. . .but, it’s certainly adequate and I am enjoying it. The nose is quite pungent with cedar and cloves. The taste is tobacco and the finish is such that it makes your mouth feel like you just had strong black or green tea. . .

Yet, all in all, I like the wine. It’s an appropriate accompaniment to pizza. And, further, how can anything taste unpleasant on a Friday night?

Posted in California wines, Shiraz, Under $10. Tags: , , , , . 4 Comments »

Quail Creek Shiraz (2008)

July 15, 2009 — -

I purchased this bottle (along with 2 others and 3 bottles of the Cabernet) at Whole Foods Market the other night. We had the Cabernet last night and tonight I wanted to try the Shiraz. This wine was on sale for $4.99.

At first whiff and taste, this wine has kerosene qualities. Not impressive initially. I am going to let the wine breathe a bit before I share any additional tasting notes.

Meanwhile, I can describe our dinner, which will be almost entirely made from leftovers. Tom is going to reheat (on the grill) a boneless loin pork chop (we grilled two the other night but ended up sharing one) and I will reheat some brown rice and a dish of leftover cheddar mashers that I made for another meal. I am going to put together a delicious fresh salad with my home-grown lettuce and onions (and store-bought tomatoes, avocado, peppers and cucumbers) and homemade vinaigrette.

Okay, I allowed the wine time to breathe and I am back at my computer to report on my tasting. The wine has a delightful purple color on the rim. I still detect a bit of kerosene on the palate, but the wine is much better now than it was 20 minutes ago.  As the kerosene taste diminishes, tobacco and caramel become evident. The finish is sharp and pungent, yet quite satisfying.

This will not rank as one of my favorite wines, yet I see it as a good value at $4.99 and not at all distasteful for a midweek quaff.

Posted in California wines, Shiraz, Under $10. Tags: , , , , . 2 Comments »

Le Grand Noir Cabernet-Shiraz (2006)

June 8, 2009 — -

I discovered this French blend Le Grand Noir Cabernet-Shiraz at our local market in town. I stopped in today to pick up a fresh chicken for dinner and the owner recommended this wine to me. I am really enjoying this wine. The nose is both spicey and earthy. The taste is great — fruity with some black dirt — nice finish. Really lovely. I will definitely buy this again.

For dinner, I have baked chicken in the oven, along with baked potatoes. I picked lettuce and little green onions from the garden and will make a fresh salad. Tommy just arrived to join us for dinner so I need to go add the final touches. Cheers!

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

Down Under Shiraz (2008)

May 31, 2009 — -

It was a perfect day. I have tried to imprint it in my mind so I can remember it always! The weather was gorgeous. I ran a good 1/2 marathon with some of my girlfriends. Our son, Tommy, and his girlfriend, Amanda, came over for dinner. This was my kind of day!

Tom & I started our cocktail hour with a cold and fizzy gin & tonic with a fresh wedge of lime. Then, out to the grill to start the steak. We opened a bottle of this Down Under Shiraz, which was the perfect choice for our steak dinner. I also made oven-roasted potatoes (potatoes cut up in chunks with skin, mixed with olive oil and freshly ground salt & pepper, then roasted in the oven for about 90 minutes), and a really delicious fresh salad.  I grilled aspargus on the grill, as well. I also made brownies for dessert with ice cream. Everything tasted delicious.

But, back to the wine. A perfect choice for a grilled steak — full of berry flavors with a  generous complement of black pepper and hints of oak. Excellent!

Posted in Australian wines, Over $10, Shiraz. Tags: , , , . 2 Comments »

Westend Estate Down Under Shiraz (2008)

April 3, 2009 — -

This Australian Down Under Shiraz is our pick for a cold and blustery Friday night in Michigan. We Michiganders are tired of cold weather and today was really COLD! But, we are home and snuggled in for the night so we can’t complain.

For dinner tonight, I browned pork loin chops in hot olive oil until brown (in a heavy cast-iron skillet) then I added potatoes (cubed, with skins on) and a sauce of chicken broth and mushrooms (thickened) and it has been simmering for over an hour. I will add a vegetable when we finally decide we are done reading the paper and ready to sit down and eat.

Happily, this wine is a treat. The nose is big and bold and the color is inky. On the palate, this is bursting with black pepper with oak on the finish. It is truly an Australian Shiraz from start to finish. A great complement to our dinner tonight.

Gigi, you would like this one!

Posted in Australian wines, Over $10, Shiraz. Tags: , , , , . 8 Comments »

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet (2007)

March 15, 2009 — -

It is Sunday evening and we have had a beautiful spring day in Michigan. I think we saw every, single person under the age of 12 in our neighborhood today — either on a scooter, a bike or bouncing a ball. We Michiganders sure do love the first snow-free, semi-warm day! (I also saw my first robin — a sure sign of spring!)

We are finishing this bottle of Penfolds Shiraz Cabernet from Australia tonight. This is the kind of wine that put Australia wines on the map. Deep red in the glass with pomegranate,  spice, dried cranberries and a bit of wood. Luscious and fruity, the tannins are firm. This is just an easy-to-drink, very enjoyable, lush red wine.

We are going to have a pot of homemade soup and a loaf of home-made bread tonight. Just a simple Sunday-night dinner. Cheers!

Posted in Australian wines, Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Under $10. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »
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