Justin Isosceles wine review

It's been awhile since I've blogged about wine, so I thought I would talk about what we had with our Valentine's Day dinner last night.  (Disclaimer here:  I'm a mid-level wine nut.  I can describe bouquets and notes, but don't claim any ability to tell you what score it might get although Wine Spectator magazine and I do tend to agree most of the time.)

I don't know what it is about men and fire, but it seems they always know how to grill meat.  Hubby threw a few steaks on the grill and we enjoyed them with a blue cheese, garlic butter.  Oh yeah, they were as good as they sound.  I would have taken a picture, but hubby gets a little cranky when I have to hold up dinner to take pictures of what we're about to eat to share with the world on my blog.  In his words, "Why does anyone care what you're eating?"  Ah but he has no idea just how sophisticated all of you are.

Now, onto the wine!  I had been saving this bottle.  It was a bit pricey at $40, so I wasn't going to open this one just for a "My Name is Earl" marathon.  (Law and Order, maybe, but not My Name is Earl)  The cork crumbled as I was using the corkscrew, and it was the shriek heard through the neighborhood.  I always get nervous when this happens as I wonder if I'm about to drink a bottle of vinegar.  After filtering and aerating a third of bottle, it was time to taste.  Medium bodied, and a bit lighter than what I expected for a cabernet sauvignon blend.  Berry notes, a touch of vanilla, hint of oak.  Overall, a nice wine.  Too bad it wasn't the "blow my skirt up" I was expecting for $40.  I will enjoy the rest with dinner tonight, but will probably pass on this one next time.  Anyone else been mild to severely disappointed with a pricey bottle of red wine?

Thanksgiving Dinner and a pinot noir wine review

Since my boys are into cooking, I decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner this year.  Normally, I just get a ready made meal and reheat it in the oven.  I must say, I even impressed myself.

I roasted a turkey with a fresh sage butter and made a traditional stuffing with fresh herbs and cranberries.  I also went with a couple of standbys:  garlic mashed potatoes and the ever traditional green bean casserole.  The meal was finished with a fresh herb gravy and homemade wheat rolls.  I really enjoyed the meal and everything was good, except for the rolls.  Yesterday was one of those days that I wished I had two ovens.  Things were taking longer to cook and the rolls got completely overdone. 

Now, onto the wine review.  First, I have to say I'm a red wine kind of girl.  It was just my husband and kids, so I picked a wine that I wanted.  (Hubby is indifferent on the whole wine scene.)  While I'm sure many of you enjoy a white wine with your turkey dinner, I prefer a pinot noir.  At least for me, it's a great companion to the heaver sauces and side dishes that typically accompany a Thanksgiving dinner. 

One of my little indulgences is wine.  I belong to a monthly wine club of Oregon pinot noir wines and had been saving the 2008 Acrobat pinot noir for this occasion.  Pinot noirs are not for the faint of heart.  There can be a wide range of flavors in this variety, but that's part of the fun for me.  This one has to go down as one of my favorites.  There is a lot of "berry" taste to this wine.  Blueberry, blackberry, and a touch of strawberry immediately hit you.  Maybe a hint of vanilla??  It is a medium bodied wine and had a quick, smooth finish on the palate.  I know part of why I really liked this one is that it paired very well with the cranberries in the dressing.  It also went well with the gouda cheese we had as an appetizer.  Overall, a thumbs up and I would be happy to enjoy this red wine again.

An nice, inexpensive red wine

I haven't blogged about wine recently mostly because I haven't been enjoying much of it.  I have been focused on getting jewelry ready for the Downtown Festival and Art Show and have found that drinking a glass of wine (or two) in the evening has sometimes kept me from focusing on the task at hand.  (*wink*)

However, on the advice of a friend, I recently bought a bottle of the Columbia Crest 2008 Two Vines Merlot.  This is a very nice, quality red wine.  It was less than $8 a bottle, so I don't feel at all bad about opening it up just for myself.  There is a bit of cherry and plum in this light to medium bodied red wine.  I would say the wine is a bit young, as I needed to let it breathe for a good 30 minutes for the full bouquet to come through.  I would certainly recommend having a few bottles of this on hand for when unexpected company drops by.

Any wine drinkers out there?

So I consider myself a wine enthusiast.  I like to try new wines and pair them with food.  It's my way of being "artsy" in the kitchen.  I opened two bottles of Malbec (from Argentina) this past weekend and was QUITE disappointed.  Is anyone else having this experience?  They were both 2009 vintages.  Perhaps I just need to let them mature a little longer and try again?  Wine drinkers, please comment!

My little indulgence

Everyone has something they like to indulge themselves on from time to time.  For me, it's wine.  I love the artistry of flavors and textures of the wine.  My love of wine also pairs up with my interest in food and cooking quite nicely.  (Yes, I know it's supposed to work that way.)

I didn't start drinking wine "seriously" until about 10 years ago.  Since then, my tastes have changed, but overall, I enjoy a large majority of the wines out there.

While enjoying the season finale of LOST Sunday night, I opened a bottle of pinot noir from Cottonwood winery in Oregon.  For those of you who aren't wine drinkers, I wouldn't suggest starting with a pinot noir.  It's an acquired taste as they tend to be quite dry.  This one was a good one.  It started out light on my tongue, but as I was thinking to myself that it was lacking in body, it had a nice strong finish.  The more it breathed (open to the air), the more I liked it.  (Tasting notes for you wine enthusiasts:  moderately peppery, slight hint of jam and berry.  I would expect this wine to get better with age.)  Looking forward to enjoying another class tonight.