A Riesling Rave

$11-$20, 4.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings 4 Responses »
Jul 152010

The short week following July 4th 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

Posted by Alleigh at 8:00 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

Steamer Pots and Lighthouses

$11-$20, 2.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings 4 Responses »
Sep 032009

While we didn’t know it at the time, Day 5 in OBX was actually our last day on the beach. With a couple of hurricanes approaching the Eastern coast of the US, the waves were high and the current was strong. It was beautiful to watch, but by Day 6 it would be too dangerous to go in the water. Unfortunately, even on Day 5, my sun allergy was acting up a little, so I spent most of my time watching everyone in the water instead of going in myself. Hubby was having a blast body surfing the 8 ft waves, which are big ones for the East Coast, and a number of people tried surfing and water kayaking. Needless to say, the people-watcher inside of me was entertained for much of the day.

After a great day on the beach, instead of going out for dinner, I convinced Hubby that it would be fun to get a steamer pot from Coastal Provisions Market. What could be better than steamed shrimp, oysters, clams, and crabs with corn on the cob, sausage, and potatoes? Let’s just say that while the idea was great, the reality was a disaster. Even though the directions said to steam the corn, sausage, and potatoes with the shellfish, we should have gone with our gut instinct and cooked them separately, and we should have steamed everything longer than we did. Basically, we had undercooked shrimp and crab to go with potatoes that were mushy from cooking in the questionable seafood liquid and corn that tasted like shellfish instead of corn. I can’t blame anyone but myself for the disgusting mess that was dinner, which also means that Hubby won’t let me forget about it any time soon.

To accompany what I thought was going to be a delicious collection of seafood, I opened the 2007 Moselland Lighthouse Series Riesling (winery, snooth). The wine was a medium lemon color with some small bubbles in the glass. On the nose, there were lemon zest, apricot, and peach aromas, with a hint of lime. In the mouth, there were lime, lemon, apricot, and peach flavors, with a hint of granny smith apples. There was also bit of fizz on the tongue. The wine had a medium body and good acid, but I expected more crispness to balance out some of the sweetness.

Is this worth a glass after work? Eh…if you have a bottle on hand, drink it, but I wouldn’t go searching it out either. At $13, this wine could be an ok addition to a summer outing where you didn’t want to spend too much money, but, in general, it’s a little too flabby to really offer the freshness of a great Riesling. Had the steamer pot worked out the way I envisioned, the wine may have made for a decent, beachy pairing. As it was, I drank the Riesling on its own, which was a fine way to spend the evening.

Overall: 2.5 Corks

Posted by Alleigh at 2:59 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

2 Brothers, 1 Great Cause

$11-$20, 3 Corks, Prices, Ratings 1 Response »
Jun 082009

Last week, the temperature and humidity in the bullpen made it feel like I was working in a tropical rain forest. It was bad enough at the beginning of the week, when it was actually hot outside, because the air conditioning wasn’t working in my office. However, by the end of the week, the heat was on in the office, even though the temperature outside was a fairly reasonable upper-60s/low-70s. Wearing a suit in those types of conditions is just not fun, and it certainly doesn’t make for the best work environment. By the time I got home, I was practically suffering from heat exhaustion. All I wanted was some light food and some cool, crisp wine.

With that in mind, I opened the 2006 2 Brothers Riesling (winery; snooth). I purchased the wine without realizing that the 2 Brothers Winery, which is a partnership between two real-life brothers—Erik and Alex Bartholomaus—donates 50 cents to certain breast cancer research and hospice care charities in honor of their mother, Liliana S. Bartholomaus, who lost her battle against cancer in 2000. The project began in 2002, and by mid-2007, the 2 Brothers Winery donated over $1 million. Since then, they have continued to grow and hope to donate another $1 million by the end of 2009.

As I opened the screw top on the 2006 2 Brothers Riesling, I could smell the pronounced aromas immediately. Then, while pouring the wine into the glass, peach and apricot aromas came wafting up. Thankfully, the intensity dissipated quickly, leaving a medium pronounced smell of stone fruits—peach and apricot—and lime. There were also minerally aromas and a hint of white blossoms. Because the smells were so captivating, I dove right into them without checking the wine’s appearance. So, I had to go back and examine it, and I found the wine to be a pale gold with very slow forming legs. In the mouth, the mineral flavors dominated, but didn’t overpower the peaches and apricots. There was a hint of lime, honeydew melon, and blossoms on the finish. The wine could have had a little more crisp acidity to counter the juiciness, but that is more my preference rather than an actual complaint. Don’t be fooled by fruity descriptions, though, as the wine is not overly sweet.

Is this worth a glass after work? Sure…you won’t be drinking anything out of the ordinary, but you’ll definitely have a decent, reliable glass of wine. For $15 a bottle, you’ll not only be helping a good cause, but also be drinking a good wine. In terms of food, the 2006 2 Brothers Riesling would be nice to have with anything grilled. I drank it with grilled lemon pepper chicken, where the citrus from the chicken combined nicely with the citrus flavors in the wine. The Riesling also went well with hot dogs and mac & cheese, as the wine is light and crisp enough to help cut some of the grease from the hot dogs without overpowering them. If you’re looking to just sit and sip, the Riesling doesn’t have to be paired with food, as it is quite enjoyable on its own.

Overall: 3 Corks

Posted by Alleigh at 3:52 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,
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