Just in time for National Wine Drinking Day tomorrow. Uncork your favorite bottle and dive into your favorite ‘fountain of youth.’
Study: Abstaining from alcohol significantly shortens life | MNN – Mother Nature Network.
Author Archives: corkedcowgirl
Around the Wine World for $20 and Less: Welcome to Australia!
As promised, I am kicking off my ‘world tour’ in finding wonderfully inexpensive deals on REALLY good wine. Our first stop is Australia, where I will drown you in a whole host of tastes from down under…all without breaking the bank.
When you think of Australia, most often you’ll think of those big, fruity Shiraz blends, as there are a ton of them being produced. The hard part is to know which ones to pick. You’ll also be pleasantly surprised to find some really good white wines and dessert wines there as well.
I managed to stumble quite luckily on to a winery that happens to make some INCREDIBLE reds AND whites…and they’re a BARGAIN!
So, let’s introduce you to Australia with a trip to Barossa in South Australia with the wines of St Hallett Winery.
I had the good fortune of meeting Stuart Blackwell, senior winemaker at St Hallett at my favorite ‘wine haunt’ in the Kansas City area: Wine Flights in Leawood, KS. Stuart was promoting the ‘old vine’ Shiraz grown in Barossa Valley that has earned the winery some serious acclaim, as well as the delicious whites from just up the road in Eden Valley.
The first wine was a ‘whimsical’ white called “Poacher’s Blend”, a blend of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Reisling, that got it’s name because Stuart originally STOLE THE GRAPES! Stuart is a bit of a heathen…and a bit of a kindred spirit.
Back to the wine: this one is the perfect party wine! Doesn’t matter if you’ve got friends that like sweet wines and friends that like dry whites…they will ALL love this semi-dry darling. Pale straw color, tropical fruit on the nose, and luscious melon, lime, ripe mango, and pineapple on the tongue. It’s not a thick, heavy wine. It’s light, refreshing, and low in alcohol so you can drink this one all night long! If you decide not to just drink the whole thing by itself, and NEED to eat something, I’d pair it up with seafood…crab in particular…but any light fish or shrimp would be good. Actually, I’d probably pair it up with spicy Thai food. The sweet, light taste would balance out the fire of the spice. Best part of this wine? It’ll only set you back $11-12. Stock up!
The second white I tried was the 2009 Eden Valley Riesling. Let me warn you right now…this is NOT a SWEET Riesling like you’d find out of Germany. It’s drier, but wonderfully refreshing and unlike any other Riesling you will ever try. This one has a pale straw color as well, but the nose is going to knock you for a loop. Strong scent of lime and…well, rocks. Wet rocks. And it’s the same thing when you take that first sip…shocking minerality and a HUGE punch of lime. It’s like putting a rock in one cheek and half a fresh lime in the other, and mixing it up. I know that doesn’t sound terribly good, but for whatever reason, it’s FANTASTIC! Pair it up with fresh oysters or, much like the other, with shellfish or even Pad Thai. This would totally rock with Pad Thai! Also like the ‘Poacher’s Blend’, this one won’t break the bank either. Expect to pay around $15.
For more info on Poacher’s Blend, check out Stuart in this video: http://thecellarkey.com/sthallett/poachers/
Or, for a more laid-back, Corked Cowgirl type of approach, watch my interview with Stuart himself on my YouTube channel:
Next up: the Amazing Reds of St Hallett as we continue our ‘walkabout’ in Australia for $20 and under.
Cheers!
CC
A Wine With A Dual Personality (and lots of it!): 2009 Kris Pinot Noir
Another holiday season has come and gone. Time to put away the decorations, break all of the new resolutions I’ve made, and reflect on which traditions are outdated, and which are worth keeping. As I wearily walk down the lane of recent memories made, I laugh a bit at the dual personality I don during the holiday season: I’m happy, excited, and full of love and a giving spirit, all while I’m cussing, stressing, and absolutely HATING all of the work, rushing around, cleaning, cooking, and struggling to find the perfect gifts in an over-commercialized cacophony of forced generosity. I decide that perhaps it’s time to pick one personality and stick with it…until I remember the KRIS Pinot Noir I tried for the first time over Christmas.
If ever there was a dual personality wine, this is it. Even as I write, I’m still not exactly sure how to describe this wine, other than to say I am truly smitten.
When you think of Pinot Noir, you don’t think of Italy. You think of the big, bold Super Tuscans, or the brazen Sangioveses and Nebbiolos. You don’t think of subtleties or light fruits. You think of wines that will wrangle you into submission. Pinot Noirs are subtle and delicate and complicated and oh-so-very French. If not French, then they at least have the savvy and sophistication of Northern California, Washington, and Oregon…they just don’t have the boisterous Italian ‘personality.’
Apparently no one told KRIS wines that.
Ruby red in the glass, a little lighter than I’d have expected, and lovely Pinot aromas of black cherry, and something reminiscent of wet stone.
It’s the taste that’s got me wondering what wine I’m drinking.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s DIVINE, but it’s unlike any Pinot Noir I’ve ever had before. Tart cherries, cranberries, balanced tannins, and what I can only describe as ‘red dirt.’ I don’t know how to explain it. Rusty? Dusty? That doesn’t sound good, and yet, it IS. The only way to describe it is to say it tastes like ‘Italy.’ That certain characteristic flavor you find only in Italian wines…it’s in this one…but yet, it’s still got all of the characteristics of a delightful, light, Pinot Noir.
It’s got a dual personality…a double secret life, if you will.
And with that duality comes an incredible ability to pair it with darn near anything! I paired it with the Christmas spaghetti…ground beef and sausage, rich marinara sauce with mushrooms…and OH how it works with mushrooms. I could just as easily pair it with salmon, chicken, veal, steak, pork chops…well, you get the idea…and OH how it works with cheese…lots of glorious cheese.
To say this wine has versatility is an understatement. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this wine???
Unlike the majority of Italian wines, or good Pinot Noirs for that matter, you won’t have to sell your first born child to enjoy this romantic taste of heaven. At right around $13 a bottle, heaven just became an affordable luxury.
Oh What A Difference A Day Makes: 2007 Casillero del Diablo Carmenere
I love the fall and winter for one reason and one reason only….BOLD RED WINES. It is the ONLY reason I can think of to enjoy cold, blustery, frozen weather. A glass of that red, liquid jewel in my glass as I don enough clothing to overwhelm an eskimo and huddle next to the fireplace, pretending I’m off in some tropical locale.
Fortunately for me, Chile provides me with that exotic escape in the form of the Casillero del Diablo winery. It’s the ‘little mischievous brother’ winery owned by Concha y Toro, the powerhouse winery that puts out the top rated Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, but at a fraction of the price. This bottle ran me a whopping $9…how could I pass it up?
2007 was considered a historic year for the Carmenere grape, and quite frankly, I was feeling rather historic myself…or perhaps the proper word was ancient…the kids have been taking a toll on me lately, so I could’t wait to open up the bottle and sip my first ‘history lesson.’
For those of you who have no clue what Carmenere is, think of it as a grape that falls somewhere between a nice, silky Merlot and a big, bad Cabernet Sauvignon. All the rich flavor, but smoother tannins so you don’t get the dry mouth effect, but you also don’t have the thin ‘grape juice’ effect you sometimes get with the other two grapes. It was one of the original six grapes of Bordeaux, but the French pretty much chucked it, and, like the celebrated pawn stars of reality tv, the Chileans took it and turned it into treasure, making it the country’s rock star wine grape.
Okay, enough history, let’s taste it.
In the glass, this ‘devil’ is as dark and brooding as you’d expect. Dark, crimson red, looking almost black, much like the color of a Syrah/Shiraz.
On the nose, you get a whole care package of currants, dark plum, chocolate, spice, cigars, and bell pepper.
Knowing how much I love both Casillero del Diablo and Concha y Toro wines, I rushed in for the taste…
…I should have sauntered in slowly.
I was immediately overpowered by the bell peppers to the point where I nearly couldn’t finish the glass.
Now, before jumping to the conclusion that this was a bad wine, I had to remind myself that I gave the opened bottle NO time whatsoever to breathe. I’m an impatient, impetuous woman at times. I have needs, dammit, and I needed that glass of wine STAT. I decided maybe I just needed to give it a little time to adjust to its new home. After all, who wants to rush the charms of a Latin lover, right? So I decanted it and counted the hours until the next day.
And OH what a difference a day made!
Instead of the bell pepper, my tastebuds were greeted with flavors of plum, blackberry, and blueberry…maybe even a hit of cranberry on the initial sip. As it glided across my tongue, dark chocolate and spice took over. The finish serenaded me with hints of coffee, toffee, slivers of vanilla, and that smoky goodness of toasted American Oak.
Yes, that is what I was dreaming of…and it was most DEFINITELY worth the wait.
Casillero del Diablo/Concha y Toro never fails to titillate and seduce my palate. It’s why it’s been in my favorites list for so long.
All of the complexities, all of that amazing goodness, all in a bottle price around $10.
This 2007 Carmenere demands to be paired with steak and mushroom dishes, perhaps serve it with prime rib at your holiday gatherings. It can subdue it like a matador at a bullfight. Keep it handy always for those ‘fireplace’ kind of nights. At this price, you’ll wish winter would never end.
This Bird is of a Different Feather: 2010 Little Penguin Pinot Noir
The only good thing about this week is that I have a wine glass full of the sweet, alcoholic nectar made by my newest, bestest friends in the entire world…the winemakers.
Yes, I realize it’s only Monday, but it already feels like an ETERNITY of Mondays have slipped the proverbial doom and gloom noose around my neck and are threatening to let me drop at any moment.
I figured the best way to make the world go away was to uncork the bottle and empty it, one delicious glass at a time. It certainly beats throwing in a full box of Calgon bubble bath and screaming, “Take me away, dammit!!!” (Do they even MAKE Calgon anymore? Did I just inadvertently date myself and will need to drink more to forget my blunder?)
At any rate, I wanted cheap and easy…and cute…but I didn’t want the trouble of a ‘date’, so I grabbed a $4.99 bottle of 2010 Little Penguin Pinot Noir from SouthEastern Australia. Australia isn’t exactly known for their Pinots…they’re known for big, jammy Shiraz, but I thought, ‘What the heck? We’re getting close to the holidays, I need to find a lovely little Pinot to go with turkey and cranberries, plus, my family will be celebrating with me…I need mass quantities of cheap wine that will not taste like the swill my mother pours out of the box.”
It’s a little darker in the glass than I would have expected from a Pinot Noir- dark garnet in color- which is a little concerning, but the nose is pretty heavenly. Strawberries…not necessarily like fresh strawberries…something sweeter, but definitely profuse aromas of strawberry. Okay, the smell definitely balanced out the questionable dark color of the wine. I could smell this glass all day long.
The taste left me a little flat, however.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad taste. It’s just not the taste of a Pinot Noir. It’s also not anything terribly special to take me away to that far away, exotic place I was longing for in my mind after being bombarded by the slave drivers I affectionately call my family all day long.
Upon first sip, you drown in fruit. That same sweet strawberry you couldn’t get enough of on the nose is there putting a death grip on your tongue. There might be the slightest hint of vanilla in there, but it gets body slammed by more strawberry. Fruit bomb…that’s what I would call this. None of the nuances or complexity you’d look for in a Pinot Noir. On the finish, it goes from sweet to almost a little sour. Believe it or not, it doesn’t take away from the wine. Everything is balanced and all…no pucker factor, no oversweet cloying effect. It’s balanced…it’s just…lacking something. The finish doesn’t last long. You get that quick hint of sour, and then everything just sort of disappears. No lingering finish whatsoever.
Definitely not a favorite Pinot Noir.
With that said though, it’s not a bad little wine, ESPECIALLY when you’re picking it up under $5. It’s an easy sipper, perfect to stock up on and serve when you just want something quick and easy sitting on the deck, or hanging out for movie night. If you’re going to pair it with food, I’d recommend pairing it with the same types of stuff you’d pair with a Shiraz. Don’t pair it with salmon or fish or any of the stuff you’d match up with a Pinot Noir. Think bbq sauce with this one..or even venison…something to offset the big fruit in this wine.
Why Did the Chicken Grace My Wine Glass? Rex Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon
As I hunker down inside the house, listening to the cold winds whip and the pellets of sleet hitting the window, my ‘Cheap Summer Wine Tour’ seems like a sad distant memory. Did I mention I hate the winter, and I hate being holed up like a prisoner to the cold?
With defiance, I grab a pair of fuzzy slippers and my wine glass, and, come hell or high snow drifts, I’m going to find a way to enjoy the season. It will be with copious amounts of wine.
And so begins my Winter Wine Adventure, where, with the change leftover from spending too much on Christmas gifts for people I may or may not even like, I will purchase and explore bargain wines with the same character and depth you’d find in the knit scarf and mittens your Aunt Clara would make.
The first wine of the season is a non-vintage wine out of California called HRM Rex~Goliath Free Range Cabernet Sauvignon. The bottle immediately caught my attention as it sports artwork reflecting a 47 lb Giant Rooster of circus fame that held the name of Rex Goliath. Yes…a 47lb giant circus rooster.
This wine is either going to have tons of character or be bad beyond belief. At $6.99, I’m praying for a miracle.
Pouring into the glass, the big bad liquid bird struts out in a deep, inky purple-ish red in color. The nose is equally boisterous with heavy notes of cedar and smoky oak. A second sniff also reveals scents of plum and mocha as well, but the cedar takes the center ring overall.
And now for the main event..will it be a showstopper for the right reasons?
On the initial sip, I thought it was too much. This big bird definitely has some bite, but, after letting it breathe for about 40 minutes, I tried it again.
Not bad!
It doesn’t taste like some cheap, one-dimensional, rot-gut fruit punch trying to capitalize on the California Cabernet Sauvignon craze. This actually has some good things going on here. Lots of dark, ripe fruit in here laced with the smoky oak flavor and cedar that was on the nose. Soft, smooth tannins and a nice, lingering finish. For $7.00, this could EASILY be an every day ‘go to’ wine. Yes, we’re having chicken yet again.
But the only place you want the ‘chicken’ is poured in your glass. It’s too bold to pair with poultry. This wine DEFINITELY needs a big, hearty beef dish…a thick steak or a hearty beef stew is in order.
Pluck this bird from your local liquor store and sip it often.
Niagara Falls: Forget the water; go for the wine…Hillebrand Estates Winery
It’s hard to believe that a week has gone by since I was overlooking the breathtakingly powerful and spectacular Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Niagara is far more than the water or the tourist attractions of the ‘wedding capital’ of North America. Niagara-on-the-Lake is a spectacular wine haven, especially this time of the year: beautiful homes along the water, dazzling fall colors on the trees, warm hues of the vineyards at harvest in contrast with the cool temperatures, and quite frankly some surprisingly good wine finds you might not expect if you’ve not ventured out of the wine country of the U.S. west coast.
This was my second visit to the Niagara VQA, and sadly, I still haven’t had enough time to enjoy the many quaint wineries. There will be many more trips in my future to explore it all, but I did manage to make a couple new ‘friends’ on this trip, and revisited a couple of favorites. Tonight, I think I’d like to introduce you to one of those favorite friends: Hillebrand Estate Winery.
The first wine I opened was their Trius White 2009. I’m thinking this one is going to be the one I pick at Thanksgiving because it just ‘works’. And there’s plenty to be thankful for in this one. In the glass, it holds a very pale straw color…reminds me of the fall fields actually. The nose more than makes up for any lack of color though. Very aromatic with strong floral and lemony citrus perfume wafting out of the glass. As it warms, you pick up a hint of pear or melon in it, but the floral and lemon bowl you over to start.
On the tongue, there’s a crispness to match the cool October air. Refreshing flavors of tropical fruit (I got a lot of pineapple) with that hint of lemon, some melon, and even a little pear flavor. Lots of fruit in this one, but not sweet. Like I said, it’s dry, crisp, and refreshing. This is going to be PERFECT with my roasted bird over the holidays. And apparently I’m not the only one that thinks this blend of Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and unoaked Chardonnay is a winner as it has already received medals at some of the Ontario wine competitions.
The next bottle I opened is pretty much a ‘favorite child’. Seriously, I think it is my favorite Cabernet Franc…period. I tried it on the first visit, brought some back to try with my friends at Wine Flights in Leawood, Kansas, and we all agreed, this is by far one of the best Cab Francs we had ever tasted. This is their Showcase Cabernet Franc 2008. Their Showcase wines are truly that…’showcased’ by winemaker Craig McDonald. These are the ‘luxury’ wines and this one in particular is a Rolls Royce in my opinion. Brilliant ruby red in the glass with a whole host of complexities going on with the bouquet: dark fruits, mint, tobacco, and what I like to call the typical Cabernet Franc ‘funk’. The only way to explain it is to say it’s reminiscent of the way a forest smells after a rain. That smell is PERFECT in a glass of Cabernet Franc!
But not as perfect as the taste.
It is smooth and refined, complex but not overpowering. Those same sweet black fruits shine through with toasted vanilla oak. I will take this wine over a lot of Cabernet Sauvignons, quite frankly…or I guess in this case…’Franc’ly. This wine has received acclaim internationally. It should receive acclaim from your taste buds as well.
Hillebrand also has unbelievably exceptional icewines (which I will be reviewing in the next few days).
Not only are the wines exceptional, but the level of customer service is phenomenal. Keep in mind, I’ve only visited once before back in May (where they treated me like a queen for no reason other than because they wanted to). I walked in with my friends and found the lovely woman (Lynda) behind the tasting counter who had introduced me to the wines the first time. After 5 months and only one brief meeting, she remembered me on the spot. Again, one of the friendliest and most delightful people you will run into. She quickly spirited my friends and I (simply out of the goodness of her heart) up to the VIP room as she had done the time before. Upstairs, it was very busy, but we spotted the gentleman (Jeff) who had introduced us to the Showcase series five months prior. Again, he spotted and recognized us on the spot, and made certain he took care of us personally, answering any questions, and again, going over and above the call of duty. These people treat everyone that walks in like the most important person they have ever met.
If you decide you want a wine experience that is unpretentious, fun, and pure wine heaven, that will give you the royal treatment both in the glass and in your personal interactions, then I highly suggest you consider a wine trip to ONTARIO wine country…and Hillebrand Estate Wineries.
Trius White 2009: $19
Showcase Cabernet Franc 2008: $38.00
Fight Italians with Cheap Italians: Licking my wounds with Banfi Centine 2008 Toscana
Alright, it’s true. I thought I was the SuperWoman of wine. I thought I could scoff at the Society of Wine Educators recommendation to study 6-12 months prior to taking my Certified Specialist of Wine exam and do it in 2 months.
I came close. Missed it by three miserable questions.
And who do I have to blame (because I couldn’t POSSIBLY have myself to blame, right?)…the Italians.
Yes, Italy got the best of me. I spent so much of my wino studying time wooing the French, playing with the Australians, being seduced by the Spanish and Argentinians, and of course, surfing California wines, that I paid little heed to the Italians.
Quite frankly, they confused the hell out of me with their Montelpulciano di Abruzzo’s, Vino Nobile di Montepulcianos, and Brunello di Montalcinos that I couldn’t see straight.
So, I figure the best way to regroup and go at it again, is to invade and conquer the Italian wines…in my glass. Tonight, I fight Tuscany with Banfi’s Centine 2008 Toscana.
I half expected to go into battle by pouring a blood-red wine into my glass, but it is a very lovely ruby-red. On the nose, it’s comforting…rich leather and cherries. I want to be angry, but it’s so hard when it smells this good…like a plush leather sofa, calling out to you to sit by the fire, grab some chocolate, and kick back while the wine ‘massages’ your senses.
Then the sip.
I can’t be angry with Italy when it tastes like this.
Cherries, leather, violets, and just a subtle hint of black olives. It’s smooth and supple. It doesn’t knock you over with it’s bold tannins. It doesn’t dry your mouth out. It doesn’t cause pucker overload with tart fruits. It simply woos you with the romance you would expect from Italy.
This lovely blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot is a perfect every day wine for pizzas, pastas, or simply for those days when you’re angry with the world and just need a hug.
Fall into this wine’s ‘arms’. At $12 a bottle, you could carry on a love affair for years to come.
Ah Italy…Now I know why I have been defeated by you…and I succumb willingly
Summer’s Last Hurrah: Flip Flop Moscato
The kids have been back in school for a bit now, I’ve been enjoying several nights of roasting s’mores over the fire pit in the back yard, there’s a chill in the air in the evenings and mornings…and yet I haven’t been quite able to let go of summer as I jaunt about in my flip-flops.
So with that mindset, and the fact that several of my Corked Cowgirl followers on Facebook have mentioned a certain cheap Moscato from FlipFlop wines that I needed to try, I caved and picked up a bottle.
The first thing I noticed was the screw top cap. Back in the day, that might have made me cringe and back away, but no longer. Lots of quality wines are now found in bottles adorned with a screw cap top. I moved forward.
Next I noticed where it was from: California. No specific region, no lauded appellation; simply California. Still, I was not dissuaded. There’s a lot of decent table wine out there that isn’t from a specific AVA…especially in California.
Then I looked at the price…$4.49 with my Price Chopper grocery card. I paused. Thoughts of countless cheap Moscatos that I’ve poured, all like liquid cotton candy in a glass with little other discerning qualities came to mind. My life is enough of a circus without adding a cloying beverage to my itinerary. I set the bottle back down.
Then I thought about the Corkies who INSISTED it was a great bottle of wine at an even better price. I sighed, brought it home, and decided to try it just because I have always told them I’m open to new adventures, and wine is NEVER supposed to be a snooty thing.
As I poured it into my glass, the pale, straw colored wine almost skipped into my glass…much like the summer sun skipping along the waters of the lake I love to hang out on.
On the nose, honeysuckle, pineapple, hints of lemon, and peaches…definitely summertime smells. So far so good, but now, I braced for what inevitably would be that syrupy, sickeningly sweet taste that would stick in my throat.
Except it didn’t happen.
At first taste, it’s like biting into a ginormous honeyed peach. Mid-palate comes a refreshing zing of pineapple. The finish, is a wonderfully creamy taste of lemon curd. But the surprising thing about this wine is that it is crisp and refreshing! There is enough acidity in it to keep it balanced…it isn’t the cotton candy sugar bomb I expected.
All in a screw cap topped bottle for $4.49. Who’d a thunk it?
Excited by the prospect, I paired it up with a slightly spicy Thom Yum soup with seafood for lunch. Absolutely perfect! This little number would work well with mildly spicy dishes, pad thai, General Tso’s chicken, or just as a fun little sipper.
It definitely deserves to be in my ‘summer’ portfolio.
And with the weatherman promising 80 degree weather and sunshine tomorrow, I think I’ll find it paired up with one last cruise on the boat…in my flip flops no less.
FlipFlop Winery has also paired up with Soles4Soles and is donating a pair of shoes to those in need for every bottle of wine sold. They have several other varietals available as well, and I am certain I will be trying them in the near future…you should do the same!
Cheers!
Corked Cowgirl 