We went ahead and harvested the lemons from our Meyer Lemon Tree. The dry conditions seem to be causing the lemons not to fully ripen. We’ll see if we can get any usable lemon juice from them and also see if they will ripen off the tree.
Can you say lemon meringue pie?
Wine #7 in the $100 Wine Challenge
Winery: Sacred Stone
Type: Blend
Vitnage: 2007
Price: $9.49
The label on this wine indicates that “it makes every meal magical”. In my opinion, it could only be black magic ! I thought it had a very sour taste. At least the sourness was consistent- it was consistently sour on its own, with wine and cheese, and with a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. The label goes on to say that the wine is “ideal for pairing with your favorite outdoor and other casual cuisine”. Perhaps spaghetti and meatballs does not fall under the heading of casual cuisine, but I honestly can’t think of any meal that I think would be good paired with this wine. After a first bad glass of wine, I typically would have just used the rest for cooking with, but I have to admit that we drank the whole bottle. To be fair, that is just because it was Friday evening and I had a really hideous and craptacular week at work. So I guess you can say that this wine is better than no wine- but not by much ! This is my first fully resounding NAY !
This wine was quite bold. I found it to be very robust in its flavor, but not very sophisticated in its blend. I liked the way the wine came on, but as Cynthia mentioned it had a rather sour finish. It held out the promise of being a deep, full bodied red wine with rich textures and flavors but just didn’t deliver. The wine mellowed a bit after it had been open for a while and had a chance to decant, but it was too little, too late. It wasn’t horrible and I did do my part to finish off the bottle, but its not a wine I will likely purchase again. I have to give it a “nay.”
Wine #6 in the $100 Wine Challenge
Winery: Uma
Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Country: Argentina
Vitnage: 2008
Price: $9.98
This was definitely not a shy wine. We paired this wine with a fairly strongly flavored meal of teriyaki salmon fillets and cous cous with roasted garlic and pine nuts, and I enjoyed it. Because the wine was so strong, it did border on the edge of having a sour aftertaste, but that might just be my uneducated palate mistaking the strength of the wine for something else. It definitely had a nice aroma, and a deep color. I don’t have much experience at all with wines from Argentina (other than a few tasty Malbecs!) but was happy to be back in the Land of Corks after the California Screw Top experience. (Call me crazy- a bottle of wine should have a cork- it just should!) If we serve this wine again, I think it might best go with a full-on Jay-style Red Meat and Potatoes meal. Although this was not my favorite wine in the challenge, it was good, and deserves a “yay” vote from me.
I am not shy about my love of a good Malbec. And I have had my share of more than one very tasy Malbec from Argentina, even one from Uma Colección so I guess my expectations may have been set high coming out the shoot. Sadly, my initial impression of this wine was that it was too sour/bitter. It just really seemed to have a lot going in, none of it too pleasant. When taken with food, it seemed to settle a bit and by the time I was finishing my last glass the wine seemed to have mellowed from having been decanted for a little while. This wine just didn’t suit my tastes at all. I haven’t thrown in the towel on Cabernet Sauvignon’s all together, but I will ask our wine Sherpa to steer us down another path when we make our way back to the Cabs. Sorry say, it’s a “nay” from Jay.
Cynthia and I made our annual pilgrimage to the International Quilt Show. This event attracts 10’s of thousands of visitors from all over the country…maybe even the world. I don’t know that I would travel far to attend myself, but since it is held here in Houston it’s an easy drive to and from for an opportunity to shop for some unique fabric and see the quilts that are on display. Many of the quilts have signs on them that say “No Photography.” On top of that, I have not found a consistent way to make photos of quilts interesting.
Of note this year were two rock and roll quilts, one of John Lennon and another of The Rolling Stones.
I made the comment that “yes, indeed, the rock and roll generation is now old enough to quilt” which earned me the shushing of a lifetime by group of women viewing the display…
Also on display was the Pittsburgh Friendship Quilt which is made up of 32,000 hand signed 2.25-inch fabric squares. Very interesting to look at, both close up and at a distance.
Cynthia emerges from the “Quilt Matrix” …
Wine #5 in the $100 Wine Challenge
Winery: Ca’ Momi
Vintage: 2007 Rosso Di California
Price: $7.99
We selected this wine as the next wine in our challenge in response to Gerald’s answer to our review of Wine # 3 -the Reserve Del ’Aube Syrah Merlot. Our wine # 3 did not pair well with spicy food, despite the promise of the label. The Wine Sherpa suggested that this Ca’ Momi would hold up well when paired with a strong food, and he was right. I enjoyed this wine with a spicy pizza, and it was just perfect. The wine was not overpowering when sipped ahead of the meal, or with the cheese and crackers which have become our defacto appetizer course, and still stood up to the challenge of the spicy pizza flavors. I had to admit to a certain prejudice surrounding wines with screw tops instead of corks (sorry to all the Australian wine lovers out there !) but this wine was good enough to help me overcome that. I am somewhat confused about exactly what type of grape went into this wine- other than an indication that this is a California red wine, there is no hint on the label regarding what kind of grapes might have been used. Can someone enlighten me about this? Is this lack of detail because this is an American wine, or because it is just an inexpensive table wine? I did read, with interest, about the ghost of the previous owner of the winery, Momi Dea Bionda, who is said to still haunt the property. All right.. haunted wine, and right before Halloween too ! This wine receives a “yay” from me !
With the red screw top I somewhat expected to hear a “psst” when I twisted off the top. My meal was some left over pot roast with BBQ sauce and this wine paired with it very well. A very smooth wine with a full, rich flavor that stood up well to the heavier meal without overpowering the taste buds and blowing away the flavor of the main course. As Cynthia mentioned, it also stood on its own very well and also played nice with some mild cheese. In looking online I see this is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Zinfendel, 15% Petite Sirah (one of my all time faves!) and 5% Merlot aged 8 months in 75% French and 25% heavy toast oak barrels. I enjoyed this wine immensely, not only for the way it complimented the meal, but also for the rich character of the wine. It is mind boggling to me that the wine was less than $10. I give this one a hearty “yay” and ask our wine Sherpa to PLEASE hold on to a few bottles of this for when we revisit the store!
Country: SPAIN
Region: ARAGON
Sub-Region: CARINENA
Grape Varietal: GARNACHA
Type: Still wine
Price: $8.99
Our fourth wine in the $100 Wine Challenge
I must admit that I do like a good Grenache- so possibly I was not the most objective with the Castillo De Monséran Garnacha. (I am also predisposed to like wines from Spain, to be completely honest !) We served this wine with a very casual dinner of turkey sausages topped with sautéed tomato, red pepper and onions, along with honey mustard, and accompanied by delicious sweet potato French fries. I really enjoyed this wine but I have to admit that I thought it had a peculiar odor. The flavor of the wine was just fine, as long as I didn’t get a nose full of the aroma, which was decidedly antiseptic. I wondered if the alcohol content was really high on this wine, which would account for the antiseptic smell, but the label on the bottle indicates an alcohol content of 12.5% by volume, which doesn’t seem really out of line with the other wines in our ”wine challenge”. The wine stood up well, both on its own, with an appetizer of cheese and crackers, and with the main meal. I think you could pair this wine with a huge variety of different cuisines and still have a wonderful experience. As I continue to learn about wines, this was another instance in which I could taste the fruit without confusing it with sweetness. (Still a hard lesson for me to grasp!) When drinking a wine on a “school night” I typically like to leave half a glass of wine to enjoy during my evening bubble bath, but this one was so delicious that I didn’t have the willpower to leave the requisite half glass- just drank it all. This wine receives a “yay” from me. Thanks Gerald !
I too must confess a weakness for the Spanish wines. This is probably because it is a reminder of our recent trips to visit. Although we didn’t consume as much wine on our first trip as we did on our second.
After uncorking the bottle I poured two full glasses and we each had a sip. I commented that it tasted pretty good and Cynthia said she liked the taste but didn’t care for the smell. I guess I wasn’t being a proper wine taster because I failed to have the customary swirl and sniff prior to taking the first taste. I brought the glass back to my nose and took a snort. Immediately I was stuck by how much the smell reminded me of being at the doctor. You know when they wipe you down with the alcohol swab before plunging the needle into your arm? It was that smell. Not overwhelming and not all together unpleasant, but it was a bit hard to shake once you noticed it.
The wine was quite delicious. I found it fruity and just the slightest bit of a sweet taste on the finish. And smooooooth! This wine paired extremely well with the sausage dish Cynthia had prepared and was equally pleasant with some after dinner crackers and cheese.
I give Gerald (our wine Sherpa) an enthusiastic “yay” on this one, even WITH the antiseptic smell.
Winery: Erik Banti
Varietal: Sangiovese Blend
Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany > Toscana Igt
Vintage: 2006
Price: $11.99
I liked this wine. This wasn’t much of a surprise to me when I read the label and discovered that it contained 70% Sangiovese grapes. Although I am a beginner when it comes to wine- I love the Tuscan wines, and I recognized this name. (Although it seems to be spelled in a variety of ways, depending upon the native language of the label designer) The remaining recipe for this wine is 25% Merlot and 5% Sirah. (Sirah is also subject to imaginative spelling it seems !) We decanted this wine about 15 minutes before dinner. I still don’t know exactly why letting the air get to the wine is a good thing, but maybe that’s because I worked for years in the grocery industry, where we spent all our time frantically trying to keep air out of practically everything utilizing skillfully designed packaging. We served this wine with a rather heavy meal- pork loin, augratin potatoes and creamed spinach- and the wine stood up to the challenge. Typically, I am a vegetarian, and don’t consume much of the meat portion of the meal, but I did eat a few bites of pork loin, just so that I could see how it paired with the wine. I actually did notice a difference- the wine seemed a bit heavy with just the vegetables, but that heaviness disappeared when I added the pork loin to my plate. The label also indicates that the wine has been aged for 12 months in American and Slovenian oak barrels. Slovenian??? Maybe someone out there can tell me what the particular benefits of Slovenian oak are??? At any rate, I repeat, I liked this wine: I give it a “yay”. Gerald is 2 for 2 thus far!
The Toscana Carato is not a heavy red wine, though the color might make you think otherwise. It smells fantastic! To the tastbuds, it is mildly complex, but not overwhelming at all. Smooth and flavorful it pairs very well with a drier meat dish like the pork loin we had for dinner. I think this would not have been the case had Cynthia prepared the pork with any kind of rich sauce or gravy as it would have overwhelmed the more subtle aspects of this particular wine.
I really do like the blended wines, ESPECIALLY the Super Tuscans and this one seemed to me to be a very nice mix of the well tempered Sangiovese grape and \just the right touch of the bolder Merlot and the spicy Sirah.
I give the Toscan Carato a “yay” and have even saved a few glasses for later consumption. It definitely goes on the list for restocking the wine rack when the challenge is over.
Cynthia and I have been educating ourselves about wine over the last few years. We’ve enjoyed the occasional trip to our local Italian restaurant which offers a modest corking fee when you bring your own bottle to enjoy with dinner and we’ve especially enjoyed exploring local wines when traveling to Spain.
As part of our ongoing education we have been visiting Spec’s and have the services of a knowledgeable young man by the name of Gerald. He has been giving us good advice and has come to know what we like and don’t like in regards to wine and has been very helpful to us. We’ve taken to calling Gerald our “Wine Sherpa” …
Gerald has been very good about making recommendations about wine that fits our budget, which is in the $15-$20 per bottle range. We’ve occasionally bought more expensive bottles for special occasions or to have on hand and we’ve also had some very tasty $10 bottles.
Since we know it’s quite easy to spend $100 plus on a single bottle of good wine we came up with the idea of finding $100 worth of good wine in the form of 10 bottle for $10 or less. The concept has a lot of appeal to me as 10 bottles of $10 wine will stretch quite a bit further than one bottle of $100 wine. This would also serve as a gauge of our Wine Sherpa’s skill in suggesting wine for us. We told Gerald of our plan and we gave him one week to think about it before returning to his store to let him pick out the wine.
When we arrived at the store yesterday Gerald walked us around and presented us with 10 bottles he thought we would enjoy.
In the spirit of absolute honesty, there is one bottle in this batch that was closer to $11 but the rest were under $10 and the whole purchase came out to $100.74
Over the next few weeks we will be sampling the choices made for us and writing our thoughts about each one and posting them here.