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Tag Archives: white wines

Enjoying my ‘Tropical Vacation’ In A Bottle From Alsace: 2006 Pierre Sparr ‘One’

11 Jul

Okay, I decided to go out on a limb here and do a VERY out of the box set of pairings with my Alsatian wine. Typically, a bottle of wine from the Alsace region of France will set you back a pretty penny, and often you will pair it with Foie Gras, cheese dishes, duck, grilled fish and seafood, sushi, buttery shellfish.  Me? I paired a 2006 Pierre Sparr “One” (a blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, and Muscatel with both ‘Tater Tot Hot Dish’ and Coconut Gelato (yes, I don’t deny I’m a bit of a redneck eccentric).

The wine is off-dry with wonderful floral, mineral, and spice notes and a definite taste of exotic, tropical fruits, along with that ever familiar peach and melon flavor I’ve come to love from the wines of this French region.  It actually paired well with the casserole (or hot dish) but where it shone was with the gelato.  Okay, that’s an understatement…it was the most mind-blowing, creamy, mouth-filling, better than sex and winning the lottery, buttery Pina Colada explosion my mind could not even DARE to imagine!  My fear is finishing this entire bottle with this entire pint of gelato in a single sitting and needing to do at least 2 hours on the elliptical machine every day for the next 2 weeks to burn it all off…and even then, it might be worth it!  The wine was about $13.50; the gelato $5.  For under $20 I got ‘Fifty Shades of Gray’, ‘Magic Mike’, the Super Bowl, World Series, and a year’s worth of house cleaning all in one single spoon and glass combination.

I feel like I’ve gone to Hawaii, or Belize, or…straight to heaven!  You will too.  Kick off your shoes, pull out your loudest floral print shirt, and let this incredible value wine blow away both your cares and your tastebuds.

Cheers!

~CC

 
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Posted by on July 11, 2012 in Alsace, Around the Wine World for $20 Or Less, French Wines, Gewürztraminer, Muscatel, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, White Wines

 

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Sweet and Sassy in a Glass: 2011 Frisk Prickly Riesling

15 Mar

With the studying portion of my wine adventures finally done (for now at least), I can get back to the really IMPORTANT part of wine education…THE DRINKING! I can not begin to tell you how happy I am to be back to the glass after a very long sabbatical. I’m feeling refreshed and rowdy…which reminds me very much of my latest find from Australia in my Around the Wine World for Under $20 tour.

I stumbled across the 2011 Frisk Prickly Riesling and was immediately taken by the name. I admit, it’s not necessarily the most orthodox way to pick a wine, but let’s face it, most frisky, prickly things are anything but boring, so I figured it should also apply to wine.

This is a low alcohol Riesling, at 9.8% alcohol, so I figured it was going to be a sweet one. Being that it’s from the cooler growing region of Victoria, Australia, I was hoping it would have enough acid in it to balance it out nicely so it wouldn’t taste like a big glass of sugar water. I was not disappointed…in fact, it came with a few VERY pleasant surprises.

This little darling is intoxicating perfume on the nose. Floral notes, green apple, pear. The scent alone takes you to springtime fields. The absolutely fun surprise for me was the ‘fizz’. As the name ‘Prickly’ implies, it’s slightly frizzante, and the gentle sparkle tickles the tongue before hitting you with a sassy BANG of flavor. Bright lemon and citrus with notes of exotic lychee march out first, delivering a delicate, almost mocato-like sweetness, but then the sweetness gives way to a hint of smoke and lovely structure and balance. It finishes dry, with a crisp acidity and minerality that is wonderfully refreshing.

This little number has something for everyone and is about as versatile as they come. This would pair up perfectly with both sweet and spicy dishes, as well as being insanely good on its own. I’m seeing this one as a MUST HAVE in my ‘summer sippers.’

This is a killer bargain too! Found it for under $11. Don’t walk, run to stock up on this one. You’ll find yourself reaching for it time and time again for nearly every occasion.

~CC

 
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Posted by on March 15, 2012 in Australian Wines, Riesling, Uncategorized

 

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Summer Cheap Wine Tour: 2007 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Blanc

11 Jul

POURED: about 1 month ago

2007 E. Guigal Blanc White Rhone Blend (Cotes du Rhone, France)

2007 E. Guigal Blanc White Rhone Blend

You don’t have to be French to enjoy this one! If you’ve ever woken up on a crisp, spring morning and smelled freshly blooming flowers, than you’ll be able to appreciate this floral shop in a glass. White flowers on the nose, then delicious apricots on the tongue with a nice minerality.  Medium bodied, crisp acidity, and a nice fresh finish with a few herbal notes.

 

Beautiful blend of 50% Viognier (I’m becoming a HUGE fan of Viognier blends) with the rest made up from Rousanne, Marsanne, Clairette, and Bourboulenc grapes.  I’d pair this up with some curry dishes usually, but for summer purposes out on the back deck, I’d pour it with grilled pork or scallops.  You can find this one for between $12-14 dollars.

Cheers!

 
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Posted by on July 11, 2011 in Summer Cheap Wine Tour

 

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Corked Cowgirl’s Summer Cheap Wine Tour

11 Jul

Summer is in full swing.  Most of my redneck friends will be cracking open a cheap, American beer and complaining that it’s warm and doesn’t really have much flavor, but it’s cold and does the trick after being out in the heat all day.  My other friends will think they are being a bit more refined and will pour a ‘lovely’ glass of something from a box in shades of cotton candy pink with a rancid smell and an equally bad flavor.  The common theme with all of them as they swill what I consider to be a step up from arsenic is that it is cheap and easy.

Really?  That’s IT?  That’s the only criteria for making a selection that affects nearly all of your senses?  Is your self-esteem so low that you don’t want BETTER for yourself?  You didn’t pick out your spouse or significant other SOLELY because they were cheap and easy, did you? (I suggest you answer with a resounding NO if you want to stay out of the doghouse).  Then why should your choice of beverage be any different.

And so, my friends, thus began the Corked Cowgirl’s mission to save my friends and family from themselves, and prove that you don’t have to give up QUALITY to get a cheap and easy slice of satisfaction.  My goal is to break the ‘boxed wine’ addiction, one sipper at a time, and prove that ANYone and EVERYone can and SHOULD be able to enjoy a nice glass of wine in any setting or situation.

We begin with the Summer Cheap Wine Tour.  Call it a primer of finding great, refreshing, wines to pair up with your relaxed party atmosphere.  Wines you don’t have to overthink. Wines that make you feel good.  Most importantly…wines you can find yourself for under $20.  You, (yes even YOU) can pick out a wine to impress friends, please the masses (and most importantly their taste buds), and do it without breaking the bank or being a Master Sommelier…and I can help you do it.  Nothing snooty or complicated here.  Just good old fashioned summer enjoyment…in a bottle.

So kick back, put your feet up, and hold up your glass…it’s time to get pouring.

Cheers!Get your Summer on!

 
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Posted by on July 11, 2011 in Summer Cheap Wine Tour

 

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