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.

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!

Tom chose this Pico Syrah 2005 for our Friday night cocktail hour. I just came home from watching the EMU baseball team play in the first round of the NCAA championship game. We played Arizona. We were ahead in the 6th inning but we did eventually lose. It is double elimination so we play again tomorrow at 2:00 — we’ll play the loser of the U/Michigan vs. U/Kentucky game, which is being played right now.

This Syrah has a lovely nose — black licorice and mint.  The taste is full of fruit — cherries and blueberries — as well as some good old black dirt. The finish is buttered toast and pepper. Yum, yum.

We’re having leftover pizza tonight — it’s Friday night and it was a good night to take a break from cooking.

This Velazco Aminga Valley La Rioja 2007, an Argentinian red, is a blend of 85% Bonarda and 15% Syrah and, oh, is it wonderful. We actually opened it last night (Friday night) and we finished the bottle, but I took notes. (Our son, Tony, would love this one!) We know, of course the smoky, peppery flavor of Syrah, but the blend of the Bonarda grape produces an exciting mouthful of cherries, plums and spice.

This wine was perfect for our dinner of marinated steak on the grill with grilled orange, yellow and red peppers, steamed brown rice and asparagus. By the way, this is the first time I have grilled peppers. I know it is not novel to most, but it was to me. I drizzled olive oil on the peppers and we grilled them — probably about 3 minutes a side. They were splendidly delicious! This will be a standard now for the summer.

This Bradgate Syrah 2004 from South Africa is quite pungent when first opened and then settles down after decanting. The nose is black licorice while on the palate I taste a variety of juicy plums, bramble, and lilacs. I also detect peppercorns and bay leaves on the finish.

This is a different-tasting Syrah from what I am accustomed. And this is one of the many things I enjoy about wine — new tastes that are challenging to describe — flavors that are complex, yet familiar. The wine mellows beneath the warmth of your hand on the glass and it transforms with the air that it breathes. Cheers!

I am finishing this bottle of Pico Syrah 2005, which we opened last night. This is a lovely and delicious red wine. I rated this wine as over $10 but I believe you can purchase it for a bit under $10. I received it as a wine-club shipment, and with the cost of shipping it exceeded $10. This is a rich and tasty syrah, full of blackberries and black dirt. There is the expected pepper in the aftertaste, which is long and spicy.

We are having extreme weather in Michigan today. Blowing and drifting snow, sub-zero temperatures, with a brutal wind chill. We are thankful to be safe in our warm and cozy home. I have a pot of soup on the stove for a light supper tonight.

It is TGIF night at the Werner household. We have both had a demanding week with several late nights and early mornings. So, here we are, a blessed Friday evening, with dinner simmering on the stove and Trigger relaxing in Tom’s lap.

Tonight, we are having this Ginestière Coteaux dur Languedoc 2005, a wonderful French blend of Syrah and Grenache. This is a full-bodied red with a nose of ginger and spice. On the palate are lots of fruit and firm tannins. The finish is rich with caramel and thyme.

For dinner we are having a soup that I made on the weekend — it’s a tasty vegetable soup — along with whole-wheat bread and white cheddar cheese. Cheers!

This Snoqualmie Syrah 2003 from Washington state was a Christmas gift from Tom. I chose it tonight to accompany a casserole I made with our leftover Christmas ham. I am very excited about this wine. It is bursting with blackberries and blueberries on the palate. The finish is mocha, oak, and crisp apples. The tannins are graceful and lush. Thank you for a delicious gift, Tom!

Last night Tom and I went out to dinner at the Common Grill in Chelsea. We sat at the bar where we could watch the activity in the kitchen and also do some people watching from our perch on the stools. We both enjoyed the evening out.

I ordered a glass of the Rock Rabbit Shiraz Central Coast 2004. It was mellow and round, with a nose of bacon and pine trees. It went well with my whitefish entre.

Tom ordered a Francis Coppola Syrah-Sirah 2006 with his chicken dish. It was intriguing, a big wine. It combined the chocolatiness of a syrah and the spiciness of a shiraz.

Third Stone Monterey County Syrah 2006 is from California and we received it from one of our wine clubs. The aroma is enticing; plums, pepper, and bramble. I think this wine is delectable. It has a lovely balance of fruit and tannins, which I am discovering is so very important to me. I do not like a syrupy wine! The flavors of plum and cedar and the long finish of pepper and woods is wonderful.

I had a long and demanding day at work today. When I got home, I decided to make a comforting dinner with food that I had on hand - I created what I think will be a delicious casserole of savory sage sausage, diced potatoes, eggs, and cheese. . . we’ll see!