Go For Golan Heights

$11-$20, 4.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings No Responses »

Sep 092010

Today is the first full day of Rosh Hashanah, so instead of getting up early this morning and heading to work, I was up early and went to synagogue. I’ve been going to my shul for more than 8 years, and while I’m no longer much more than a High Holy Day attendee, it feels like home. I’m always greeted by people I haven’t seen in a while, receive warm holiday wishes from the Rabbi, and occasionally (like today) am asked to participate in services.

The Jewish New Year is a more solemn holiday, but it it’s always mixed with happiness for me. I use the High Holy Days as a time of reflection to really examine my relationships, my career, my personal life, and my goals. I try to think about both the positive and negative aspects of each, as well as about how I can improve them and be a better person over the upcoming year. It’s a cathartic holiday, one that often leaves me emotionally drained and with lofty goals, but always leaves me with a feeling of optimism.

This year is no different, and after a long day of service, I came home and went for a run to help work through some of my thoughts. After that, Hubby and I ordered pizza for dinner, since the meat he took out wasn’t fully defrosted, and I opened a Kosher Cabernet Sauvignon.

2008 Golan Heights Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2008 Golan Heights Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (winery, snooth) was made with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and had a deep, purplish ruby color. On the nose, there were blackberries, dark plums, black cherries, blackcurrant, smoke, cedar, vanilla, and a hint of spice and dark chocolate. In the mouth, there were blackberries, black cherries, blackcurrant, vanilla, cedar, and a hint of dark chocolate and minerality. The wine had big, smooth tannins, medium acidity, and a medium-to-full body.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one! What are you waiting for? At $16, this bottle is worth every penny, as it’s absolutely gorgeous. It definitely needs a time to breathe, but as long as you have some patience, it’s worth the wait. The wine can easily transition from a food-friendly, dinner wine to an on-its-own, relaxing-after-eating wine. It’s still young, so it’s fruit-dominated, but the wine has the potential to develop a nice complexity over the next few years. So, take everything you think you know about Kosher wine and forget it because the 2008 Golan Heights Cab is a wine worth drinking whether you’re looking for a kosher wine or not.

Price: $16
Purchased at: Arrowine
Overall: 4.5 Corks

L‘shanah tovah!

Chilean on a Monday

$11-$20, 4.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings No Responses »

Aug 102010

Last week was the start a six-week “slow” period. Truthfully, though, when I looked at my schedule for the next month, things might be slower, but definitely not slow. The big change that my coworkers and I are always excited about is that we have slightly shortened worked days. So, last Monday, after a day of catching up on emails, organizing my files, and clearing off my desk, so I could start the work-period off fresh, I was able to walk out of my office at 5pm. While many people are fortunate enough to do this every day, I always feel lucky when I can leave at 6pm under normal circumstances, and to have a full month of 5pm days is particularly nice. When I arrived home, Hubby and I still had a whole evening ahead of us. So, even though it was hot, I opened a bottle of Chilean red wine and sunk into the couch and relaxed while Hubby made dinner.

2005 Maquis Lien

The 2005 Maquis Lien (winery, snooth) was a blend of 38% Syrah, 32% Carmenere, 15% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, and 7% Malbec grapes. The wine had a deep purplish ruby color. On the nose, the wine was bursting with aromas—blackberries, plums, and blackcurrants mixed with hints of leather, fat, ginger, black pepper, dark chocolate, vanilla, and rosemary. In the mouth, there were black fruits, dark chocolate, vanilla, and something floral. The wine had big tannins, with high acidity, and was very dry.

Is this worth a glass after work? Definitely! If you see this wine in the store, grab it; you won’t be disappointed. At $20, this wine was surprisingly complex and not overdone, even with the number of grapes in the blend. If you’re a wine novice, don’t let all of the characteristics and complexity scare you away, as the wine is very approachable. It’s big and juicy, and it paired beautifully with the grilled steaks and corn on the cob that Hubby made for dinner.

Price: $20
Purchased at: World Market
Overall: 4.5 Corks

In Love With Paul D

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Jul 202010

Last week was a big week for me—full of late nights at the office, soup and heated leftovers for dinner, and alarm clocks that buzzed too early in the morning. There was added stress to the week because the project I was working on was one of the biggest that my immediate supervisor will work on this year, and it was the first time that I was running a project like this one. If things didn’t work properly, I would be responsible for making both my immediate supervisor and myself look bad. So, I spent the last few weeks preparing, making sure that I worked out all of the nitty gritty details, could answer obscure questions about the project, and was prepared for the unexpected. My coworkers assured me that the controlled chaos before a big project like this was normal, and they all were amazing in how they helped me when I needed it. All in all, I think The Big Boss was happy with the results, and by Thursday night, the last day of this stage of the project, I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was to come home, get in my day’s run, eat dinner, and relax with Hubby and a glass of wine that I was sure would hit the spot—a 2008 Paul D Grüner Veltliner.

2008 Paul D Grüner Veltliner

The 2008 Paul D Grüner Veltliner (winery, snooth) was 100% Grüner Veltliner. The wine was a medium gold color with some visible bubbles. On the nose, there were peaches, Lifesaver candies, limes, oranges, and a hint of pineapple. In the mouth, there were limes, mandarin oranges (not the syrup, just the oranges), and Lifesaver candies. The wine had a light body, bright acidity, and a touch of spritziness that adds to the freshness.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one! What are you waiting for? At $10, this wine was a steal. It not only was perfect to pair with a light meal, but also deliciously enjoyable on its own. I first tasted this wine when preparing for the “World Tour of Wine” tasting I put together for work, and I fell in love with it immediately. Since then, I brought it a party, where my friend and her husband couldn’t get enough of the wine, saying several times how easy it was to drink because it was fresh, fruity, and didn’t taste like drinking an alcoholic drink. I have also opened a few bottles at home for my own enjoyment, and the bottle I opened on Thursday night was a nice compliment to the lemon pepper chicken with steamed carrots and green beans that Hubby made for dinner. If you see this wine, you should definitely grab it. You won’t be disappointed.

Overall: 4.5 Corks

A Riesling Rave

$11-$20, 4.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings 4 Responses »

Jul 152010

The short week following July 4^th was very quiet for most of my colleagues, but, because the next big phase in my project is going public in mid-July, there was very little break for me. That said, this will be the first time since I started my new job that I’m bringing a project into this next phase, and it has been an amazing experience. Obviously, every project has its obstacles, but I’m learning a lot and excited to see how things will unfold throughout the rest of the month. My project’s progress means that I’ve been working a lot, so I cherish my glass of wine when I finally walk in the door at the end of the day.

Combining my crazy work schedule with the scorching temperatures of last week, left Hubby and me eating lighter meals and opening up some cool, refreshing white wine. On my first day back to work after the holiday, I came home to a chilled Riesling, which was a nice accompaniment to the seared scallops and steamed fresh green beans that Hubby made for dinner.

2008 Loosen Bros. Dr. L Riesling

The 2008 Loosen Bros. Dr. L Riesling (winery, snooth) was a very pale lemon color with a few bubbles. On the nose, there was a lot of citrus—lime, lemon, and grapefruit—with a touch of honeydew and apple. In the mouth, there were mandarin oranges, canned peaches, and honeydew, followed by limes and pink grapefruit. There was a hint of sweetness behind the acidity, and the spritziness added freshness to the wine.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one! What are you waiting for? At $13, this wine smells like a springtime morning and is refreshing in the heat of summer. The wine was delicious on its own, but also paired well with the scallops. It was particularly nice after dinner, as the sweetness kept dessert cravings at bay without being overbearing and syrupy. All the way around, this was a great wine, particularly for the price.

Overall: 4.5 Corks

Work “World Tour of Wine” Tasting

$11-$20, $21-$30, $31-$40, 4 Corks, 4.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings 2 Responses »

Jun 162010

For those of you who are Facebook fans, you already know that, at the end of May, I was working on a wine tasting for work. After having put together a Spanish wine tasting for coworkers during our April slow period, one of my colleagues talked to The Big Boss about my wine experience and about our staff bonding event. He was thrilled, and, as a wine lover himself, thought it would be fun to have a wine tasting for the staff in both of his DC offices. The tasting was held the Tuesday before Memorial Day.

Half of the people attending the wine tasting were at my Spanish wine event, so I decided that instead of doing a second Spanish-focused tasting, this one would be a “World Tour of Wine.” As the fun part of a tasting is being able to try new wines and broaden wine horizons, I wanted to focus on wines that moved away from the typical Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, and Chardonnays by presenting varietals that are easy to find in wine stores, but that many inexperienced wine drinkers might shy away from buying. Additionally, since I was expecting 30+ people at the event, I wanted to make sure that I covered a range of wine styles.

With all of that in mind, I decided to begin the tasting with a traditional French Champagne—Montaudon Extra-Dry (snooth). The palate cleansing & revitalizing sparkler was followed by two white wines—a 2008 Paul D Grüner Veltliner (winery, snooth) from Austria and a 2009 Spy Valley (winery, snooth) from New Zealand. Following the lighter white wines were a South African Pinotage—2008 Painted Wolf (winery, snooth)—and a California Zinfandel blend—2008 Orin Swift’s “The Prisoner” (winery, snooth). The tasting finished with a Spanish Sherry—Nectar by González Byass (winery, snooth).

Everyone enjoyed the Champagne, which was no surprise to me or to them. However, the other wine that received the most questions and the most refill requests was Orin Swift Cellers’ The Prisoner, followed closely by Paul D’s Grüner Veltliner. The wine that received the most mixed reviews was González Byass’ Nectar, although everyone was happy to have tried it as almost everyone mentioned that it was not a wine they would have tasted on their own.

The Big Boss was very happy with event, particularly as he found a new wine that to enjoy. My coworkers tasted some wines that they loved, as well as some wines that they didn’t like, but there was a lot of conversation about those wines, as the likes and dislikes varied greatly. All in all, it seemed like everyone had a good time and that the tasting was a huge success.

***As a note, while the wines above are the ones I planned to offer and prepared tasting notes for, the wine store was actually sold out of the Spy Valley on the day of the tasting. Therefore, I used a 2009 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc (winery, snooth) as a fallback. I will do a separate review for the Oyster Bay, but wanted to keep the Spy Valley as part of this tasting, as I thought it was a slightly better wine.

Held Captive by “The Prisoner”

$31-$40, 4.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings No Responses »

Jun 102010

Three weeks ago was the due date of my second big work project that week, and while everything was successfully finished by 11am, there was a significant amount of blood (from numerous paper cuts) and sweat that went into the project. Thankfully, there were no tears. The completion of this project brought my most recent hectic work period to a close. However, when I left work on Thursday, rather than the normal exhaustion that usually hit me after I finish a big project, I had a burst of energy, probably due to the fact that I was only working half a day on Friday and would be spending the weekend in rural Pennsylvania drinking wine, eating fabulous food, and talking late into the night with several of my girlfriends. By the time I walked in the door of our condo on Thursday night, Hubby had finished making chicken stir fry, I was chatty, and there was just a general good feeling going into the evening, so I went straight for the California red that I recently purchased because of a review in Wine Spectator.

Orin Swift’s 2008 “The Prisoner”

Orin Swift’s 2008 “The Prisoner” (winery, snooth) was a blend of 46% Zinfandel, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah, 10% Petite Syrah, 2% Charbono, and 1% Grenache grapes and was a deep purplish ruby color. On the nose, there were blueberries, dark cherries, nutmeg, cinnamon, sage, cedar, forest, and peat. In the mouth, there was a berry pie—blueberry, blackberry, and a hint of raspberry—combined with chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, fennel, and cedar. The wine had a medium body, medium tannins, high alcohol, and high acidity.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one! What are you waiting for? At $40, this wine is on the high end for an “everyday” wine, but it’s well worth the cost. “The Prisoner” is complex and food-friendly, with a flavor combination that is unique and delicious. Due to the high alcohol content, though, the wine can be a little hot and harsh when consumed straight out of the bottle, so I recommend putting the wine through an aerator or decanting it before you drink it. Also, while it’s worth drinking more than one glass, once you’ve given the wine a chance to breathe, the 15.2% alcohol content can be lost in the luscious flavors, so don’t let the wine take you by surprise.

Overall: 4.5 Corks

Packing with Patriota

$21-$30, 4.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings 6 Responses »

May 062010

2007 Tikal Patriota

Somewhere along the way, instead of looking forward to Thursday night because it was the start of the weekend party, I started looking forward to Friday night because it was the recuperation night after a long work week. This past Friday was no exception. Hubby went out to Happy Hour with his former coworkers, an adventure that always turns into a late night out, while I stayed home to watch some girly movies and pack for my girls’ weekend in Cincinnati. My friend Christine ran the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon (congrats Christine!), and as it was her first marathon, 5 of us from different parts of the country met up with her husband to cheer her on. Since the weather was not going to cooperate and as I was heading straight from the airport to work on Monday morning, my night of packing also required doing a little laundry and, of course, opening a bottle of wine, because what is laundry and packing without good wine?

The 2007 Tikal Patriota (winery, snooth) was made with 60% Bonarda and 40% Malbec grapes and was a deep purplish ruby. On the nose, the wine was very complex, with blackberry jam, blueberry, nutmeg, dark chocolate, and cinnamon aromas followed by the slightest touch of fresh mint leaves. In the mouth, it was fully of berries and sweet spices. The wine had big tannins, strong acidity, and a nice body.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one! What are you waiting for? At $23, this Argentinian wine is surprisingly complex, yet easy to drink. The wine should definitely be decanted or go through an aerator, as it was a little tight; however, when it finally opened up, the Patriota was absolutely delicious. This wine is perfect for an evening where you want to just relax, talk, and drink wine, but also pairs beautiful with food, particularly foods with a higher acidity.

Overall: 4.5 Corks

Books, Haikus, and Wine

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Mar 222010

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Anne mentioned that she had an extra ticket to Michael J. Gelb’s book launch, and she asked if I would like to attend with her. The event included a wine tasting, some food, and a copy of Gelb’s book. Combine all of that with Anne’s good company and there was no way I was going to miss the event. So, Monday night after work, I headed to Zola Wine & Kitchen, where the DC launch for Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices was held.

Overall, the event was fun and well attended. There were 5 wines to taste—2 French rosé sparkling wines, 2 Sicilian red wines, and 1 French dessert wine. There were also some delicious hors d’œuvres, which were made while we were watching, and wonderful cheeses and chocolates.

Gelb’s approach to tasting wine is differs from the traditional taste-and-take-notes approach in that it focuses on the idea of using wine as a muse. Therefore, after we all had a chance to get comfortable and taste a few sparkling wines, he read a little from his book and then asked all of us to write wine-inspired poetry instead of traditional tasting notes (I did a little of both). He then collected what everyone wrote and read several winners aloud. While mine wasn’t chosen as a winner, I think that was because there wasn’t enough grape juice flowing to get my creative juices going. That said, here is my Haiku:

Juiciness takes over,
Luscious and warm in my mouth.
Wine is perfection.

Michael Gelb reading from "Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices"

As for the wines themselves, the night started with bubbly—a Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rosé and a François Billion Brut Rosé Champagne Spécial.

The Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rosé (vineyard, snooth) was made with 100% Pinot Noir grapes. The sparkler was a light, salmon color with persistent bubbles. On the nose and the mouth, there were red fruits and flowers, with a hint of toastiness. The wine had nice acidity, was refreshing, and made for a pleasant start to the tasting. At $20, this is definitely a sparkling wine worth looking into.
Overall: 3.5 corks

The François Billion Brut Rosé Champagne Spécial (vineyard, snooth) was a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes. The wine was a medium pink, with a lot of small, persistent bubbles. The sparkler had a beautiful nose, full of toast and a hint of strawberries and cherries. In the mouth, there was toast, cream, cherries, and strawberries. The wine had a crisp acidity, which was very refreshing. At $55, this wine was by far the best of the night.
Overall: 4.5 corks

The two red wines were both made in Sicily from the Nero d’Avola grape—the Cossentino and the 2006 Feudo Maccari Saia.

The Cossentino Nero D’Avola (snooth) was a deep purple. On the nose, there were big fruits, lots of wood, and some herbaceousness. In the mouth, the wine had something “funky” mixed in with blackberries. It was very acidic, and even at $12, it’s not a wine I would recommend.
Overall: 2 corks

The 2006 Feudo Maccari Saia Nero d’Avola (vineyard, snooth) was also a deep purple. On the nose and in the mouth, there were blackberries, cooking spices, and lavender. The wine had a full, luscious body, with smooth, soft tannins. At $42, this wine offers something a little different from the better-known Italian wines. If you’re looking for a new grape, this Sicilian red is worth considering, even at the higher price-point.
Overall: 3.5 corks

The last wine of the night was an intense dessert wine that paired beautifully with Zola Wine & Kitchen’s handmade chocolates. My favorite was pairing the salted caramel squares with the 2007 Domaine du Mas Blanc Rimage Banyuls (vineyard, snooth). The Rimage was a dark, inky purple. On the nose and in the mouth, there were ripe dark cherries, raspberries, and cocoa dust. The fuller body mixed nicely with the creaminess of the caramel in the chocolate. At $30, this wine is a nice dessert wine that isn’t overly sweet.
Overall: 3.5 corks

I was surprised to be the only blogger at the event, but that worked out well, as it gave me a chance to talk with Gelb not only about his books, but also about wine blogging and twittering. I was also thankful that Anne was able to give me the ticket for $30 instead of the full-priced $60, as that was probably a little over priced for this event. That said, I had a good time tasting wine, listing to other attendees’ wine-inspired writing, and meeting Michael Gelb.

I look forward to sharing my thoughts on Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices, once I’ve had a chance to read it. In the meantime, Kudos to Heather Freeman PR, Hooks Books, and Zola Wine & Kitchen for putting together a good event and to Michael Gelb for publishing his latest book.

Falling For The Alluring Ondine

$21-$30, 4.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings 2 Responses »

Mar 162010

2004 Oriel Ondine Sauternes

Friday was a fairly quiet day at work. I had a few meetings, but, for the most part, I was able to spend the day reading emails, returning phone calls, and just generally catching up on the work that I put aside over the last two crazy weeks. For as unusually quiet as my workday was, my night at home was even quieter, as Hubby went on an overnight trip to Atlantic City with some of his guy friends. Therefore, on my way home, I stopped by Harris Teeter to grab dinner for myself and the local wine store to buy a bottle that I thought would be perfect for a quiet night with a good book and a girlie movie.

The 2004 Oriel Ondine Sauternes (company, snooth) was 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc grapes and had a beautiful, dark gold color. On the nose, there were lemon, smoke, caramel, and honey aromas, followed by a touch of pink grapefruit, apricots, and hand-wipes. In the mouth, there were canned mandarin oranges, apricots, lemons, and a touch of burnt caramel. The wine had a voluptuously full body with nice acidity to keep it tasting fresh.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one! What are you waiting for? At $30 for 375 ml, the Oriel Ondine was a luscious dessert wine that lives up to the stories of the mythological water nymph that it’s named after. While I drank most of the wine on its own, it paired nicely with the fried chicken breast I had for dinner, as the sweetness balanced out the grease and salt in the chicken. As someone who generally drinks regular wines instead of dessert wines, the Oriel Ondine was a nice break in routine and definitely a wine that I would buy again.

Overall: 4.5 Corks

Hunkering Down With Mulled Wine

$11-$20, $21-$30, 4.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings No Responses »

Feb 102010

Friday was a one of those crazy days where I hit the ground running and didn’t stop all day. Part of the rush was work-related and part was because there was so much uncertainty about when Snowmaggedon 2010 was going to hit the DC region. I started off the morning realizing that I didn’t submit mandatory paperwork for a recent work-related trip to Philadelphia. It had to be submitted on Friday, and with federal offices closing at noon, it was a mad dash to the office so that I could complete the forms, get them signed by my boss, and get them submitted. In truth, I had to do all of that by 9:30am because I needed to be at the Newseum for conference where I was speaking on a panel. I arrived in time to listen to the panel before mine, which was nice, as I learned a lot from the speakers. All of that finished around noon, and since my office was closing at noon because of the impending snow, I went home, grabbed the car, and braved the grocery store. Hubby and I tried to go on Thursday night, but the line of cars to get into the grocery store was 1/2 a mile long and no parking spots were to be found, so that left me going after work. I made it home from the store with time to spare, as the snow didn’t begin until 3:30ish. By 8:30pm, we had a solid 6 inches and this is what it looked like outside our condo building.

View from the front door of our building on at 8:30pm on night #1 of Snowmaggedon 2010.

Swedenburg Estate Vineyard Autumn Red Table Wine

Cold, wintry weather like Snowmaggedon 2010 is exactly the type of weather that makes me think of mulled wine, although I admit that until Friday, I’ve never actually had any. Thanks to a loyal reader and wine friend, I actually had a bottle of Virginia-made mulled wine in my possession and being snowed in our condo for several days seemed like the perfect opportunity to open it. So, after spending the morning working and preparing for the storm, I braved the cold to take a few pictures of what it looked like after about 5 hours of snow and then heated up some wine to warm myself up and relax for the duration of Snowmaggedon.

The Swedenburg Estate Vineyard Autumn Red Table Wine (winery) was a deep, dark purple with ruby flecks. The wine smelled like a cup of Christmas potpourri. There were nutmeg, cinnamon, fennel, black pepper, gingerbread, blackberry, pinecone, pine needle, tobacco, and menthol aromas. In the mouth, there was cinnamon, ginger, and fennel, followed by blackberries and ripe black plums. On the finish, there was the slightest hint of pine needles and menthol. The wine felt velvety smooth in my mouth, with low acid and tannins.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one! What are you waiting for? Since this was a present, I don’t know how much the bottle of wine cost, but as most of Swedenburg’s wines sell for between $15-$25, I assume that it is somewhere in that price range. At $20, the hard work of mixing in the right combination of mulling spices is done and all that is left is to warm it up in a microwave of crock-pot. So, if you’re looking for a good mulled wine to serve at a holiday party or to warm up with after the Dupont Circle Snowball fight, Swedenburg’s Autumn Red is definitely a wine worth considering. As for me and Snowmaggedon 2010, the only thing that kept my evening from being one of those perfect, snowed-in nights is that my condo doesn’t have a fireplace. Otherwise, Hubby and I hunkered down for a cozy night, each with a good book and me with some delicious, warm mulled wine. Thanks for making my first mulled wine experience such a great one, Doug!

Overall: 4.5 Corks

Pretty view at the end of our road after the snow stopped at 7pm on night #2 of Snowmaggedon 2010.

Hope all of you in the mid-Atlantic were warm, safe, and had a chance to drink some fun wines during Snowmaggedon 2010.

Older Entries

Go For Golan Heights

L‘shanah tovah!

Chilean on a Monday

In Love With Paul D

A Riesling Rave

Work “World Tour of Wine” Tasting

Held Captive by “The Prisoner”

Packing with Patriota

Books, Haikus, and Wine

Falling For The Alluring Ondine

Hunkering Down With Mulled Wine

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