Wine over Water this Saturday

Looking for something to do this Saturday night in the greater Cincinnati Area? Why not come down to the Purple People Bridge on the Newport, KY side and come to the Wine Over Water wine tasting on the bridge with Hors D’oeuvres and live music. Wineries include: Stonebrook Winery, Horseshoe Bend Winery, Redman’s Farm Winery, Smith-Berry Winery, and Little KY River Winery. See ya down there!

Details:

• Saturday, September 15th 7 – 10 PM
• Tickets $25 from website or $30 at door
• Website to buy tickets at: http://www.newportwow.com/Buy_Tickets.html
• Causal attire
• Free music and Hors D’oeuvres

Cheers!

Pennywise what a Wine

Last fall I came across one of the best red's I ever tasted. I had the Pennywise Petite Sirah, and it was bold and built like the way a Petite Sirah should be. To my curiosity, I wanted to find out about more wines from this label. I asked my local wine store Liquor City  to let me know when their Petite Sirah and other wines from Pennywise came in.

This week they came in...finally, I bought the Pennywise Cabernet Sauvignon and the Pinot Noir. Since it's summer I cracked open the Pinot Noir. Wow, was I amazed to have tasted such a vibrant, yummy, jammy wine!

As soon as the cork comes out, there's a hint of Root Beer. I let the wine breathe for about an hour and I could smell the hints of strawberries and cherries. This vibrant wine had tastes of cherries, plums, and strawberries right off the bat. You let it sit on your tongue and small traces of anise and some sandalwood com out.

A great summer red wine that needs to breath for about 30 - 50 minutes to taste all of it's luscious jammy flavors. I would recommend this with a light pasta vodka creme fish dish or a pork dish of any kind. Check out their wines, the Petite Sirah and Pinot Noir are wonderful.  My suggestion, is pick up a few bottles for your collection, my advice these wines will get better with age.

**Spoiler alert: Next Blog posting from me will be on the Pennywise Cabernet Sauvignon.

A Wonderful Wine Restaurant in Cincinnati

Recently, I celebrated my birthday at La Poste Eatery and Wine Room and it was one of the best wine and food experiences ever. We decided to have wine pairings with dinner.

Our first course was the Foie Gras on Banana Bread with a sliced Banana with caramelized sugar on top that had a maple carmel syrup finished with cracked sea salt. We had a glass of Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne. The hint of sweetness from the Champagne complimented the syrup and the Banana Bread and the driness of the brut matched perfectly with the salt. The Foie Gras melted in your mouth and had this creamy after taste.

The second course was an order of Ravioli with a field blend of mushrooms, fresh sage,
cream, and parmesan reggiano. It was paired with Styring Estate Pinot Noir '06, this was one of the best comfort combinations that I ever had. The Ravioli had a parmesan sage cream sauce with crispy pieces of sage on top that added a slight crispiness to the cream. The Styring Estate Pinot Noir was the perfect pairing. It was a very soft tasting with berries and finish with tannins. This is one of the best well balanced Pinot Noir that I have ever tasted.

The third course was fresh catch of John Dory, a nice crispy white fish with a wonderful red wine reduction with sliced carrots and sliced parsnips. A sweet and savory taste intertwined with the light fish was perfect and it was paired with Domaine Aubissieres Cuvee Silex Vouvray '09.  It wasn't tart at all, a slightly sweet taste of melon and fruits. I loved it because it didn't have that sour taste that Sauvignon Blancs have. A wonderful summer wine that you can drink all summer long and for $16.99 a bottle with a 90 point rating from Robert Parker who wouldn't want to.

The last course was a white chocolate bread pudding with dried cherries and a butter cream carmel sauce. It was paired with La Tour Vielle Banyuls dessert wine. First of all anything with white chocolate and bread pudding is exquisite. The taste that carried me into bliss was the port-style wine that in France they chill and drink it as an aperitif. This nutty, fruity dessert paired perfectly with the chocolate dessert.

I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves wines, food and wonderful ambiance.

Cheers,
Angela

Dancing Bull has a great Cabernet Savignon

I tried the Dancing Bull Cabernet Sauvignon, Dancing Bull winery is in Healdsburg CA. This is a Cabernet that you can right now, and it tastes more like a Zinfandel than a Cabernet. The cab has a very floral aroma and had a floral taste. Tastes of cherry, currant, and jam are apparent right off the bat. Medium tannins hit the end of the taste with spice, sugar, and clove. I tried it the first night and left some for the next day and it became even more jammy the second day. It's great with gilled pork, salads and all meat dishes.  I picked up this fabulous wine for about $8.50 a bottle, what a great value.

I included their link above, you should check out the website, it's very educational. The website has grilling tips, wine tips, how to order wine, and many other tips about wines. And they host wine events all over the country so go visit the website.

Happy drinking,
Angela

A Local Winery that Produces Some of the Best Cabernet Franc

I tasted the Kinkead Ridge Estate River Village Cellars Estate Bottled Cabernet Franc again. I love this winery, it's located in Ripley Ohio and their wine towers over so many California wines. The 2008 Cabernet Franc won the Jefferson Cup Invitational in which 600 wines entered and only 20 wines won in 5 different categories. Click here to view their other awards

The Cabernet Franc grape is usually blended with other red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.  It's lighter than the Cabernet Sauvignon and more peppery. River Village Cellers Cabernet Franc is 100% Cabernet Franc. Tastes of cherry, raisin, and oak fills the pallet with medium tannins. The grapes were cold-soaked and fermented in small bins aged in American and French oak barrels. A great wine that goes with beef, stews, red sauce pastas, and pork.

***Update: On Memorial Day weekend Kinkead Ridge Estate are releasing their 2010 vintage white wines. On Labor Day weekend they will release their 2010 vintage red wines. I know where I will be on those Saturdays. I got to sample some of the red wines early and I can't wait for Labor Day. 

A Premium Beer thats Crafted for the Wine Drinker

I recently hosted a wine tasting for a liquor store and I noticed a champagne bottle in the beer section. I asked about it and the beer distributor told me that it was the Sam Adams Infinium Ale. It's a premium beer that was collaborated between Sam Adams Boston Beer Company and the Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan (world's oldest Brewery).

When you peel back the wrapper you'll notice that it has a champagne cork that you open very carefully like a champagne cork. A crisp champagne-like beer with tiny bubbles and a fruity aroma tastes more like a champagne or wine. It has a hint of citrus, pear, and apple taste with a subtle dry taste of hops. The golden amber color has tiny bubbles that makes you want to stare at it for hours. Malt, hops, alcohol, and acidity are a perfect balance, there's nothing that I would change about this perfect champagne beer.

Infinium is a drink that beer drinkers and wine drinkers can enjoy together. But there's only one catch, drink it while it's still on the shelves and it's only drinkable till July of this year.


Cheers,
Angela

Cincinnati International Wine Festival is this Weekend

So once a year I get all giddy inside for my favorite weekend is coming up. The second weekend in March is the Cincinnati International Wine Festival. There are over 600 wines from over 100 wineries from all over the world.

The festival grand tastings are on:

• Friday, March 9th from 6:30 pm - 9 pm $70 before the event and $75 at the door
• Saturday, March 10th from 2:30 - 4:30 pm $60 before the event or $65 at the door
• Saturday, March 10th from 6:30 pm - 9 pm $70 before the event and $75 at the door.

All of the proceeds go to various Cincinnati charities. The price includes a complimentary wine glass for tasting, all the wine you want to try, light bite foods from salads, sandwiches, and deserts. One thing that I enjoy about this event is you get to meet the winemakers and the people that make the wine. It's a great event that I can't wait to go to, hopefully I'll see you there.

For more information on the wine festival. 

Cheers, 

Angela

A Spanish Wine That Caters to all Red Wine Drinkers

I'm a fan of a lot of Hispanic wine grapes, Tempranillo, Malbec (well this is a French grape but the Spanish do it better), and Rioja. Of course the new trendy grape coming out of the Hispanic countries is the Garnacha. 

I'm posting about the Bodegas Borsao Garnacha, I have tasted their Tempranillo and Syrah both were great. I was enthusiastic about trying the Garnacha since it's a lighter red wine that thrives in hot dry climates like Spain. (Basically you can't get it wrong in that type of climate) Garnacha is a grape that's used in a lot of different wines such as sparkling rose wines, red wine blends, table wine blends, and since it has a high sugar level it's used in fortified blends (things like Ports). 

Back to the Bodegas Borsao Garnacha, I opened the bottle and it had a wonderful bouquet of black pepper, rose, and raspberry. This wine had tastes of berries, spice, and a hint of vanilla. If you like a wine with a lot of spice and fruit then this is the wine. I'm serious that the after the first sip of wine, I was debating if I should finish off the bottle, it's a great drinking wine with friends. I paired it with some oriental brown sauce stir-fry and it went perfect with it. The price: Under $10, which doesn't hurt the wallet! 

Note of caution this is a high alcohol content wine 14% alcohol, I would suggest you swirl the glass to get the alcohol fumes out of the glass before you smell. This is a wine that needs to breathe for about 15 to 20 minutes. 

An Organic Chardonnay Thats Worth Trying

This week I tried the Emiliana Natura Organic Unoaked Chardonnay. I'm not to big on overdone over oaked California Chardonnay. So when I tried Natura Chardonnay I was pleased. First of all, it's from Chile in the Casablanca Valley. Second of all, it's priced under $8 a bottle! Here are my notes on this great wine

• Tastes:  True Chardonnay, crisp, a little creamy, very acidic fruit with hints of grapefruit. Very tropical fruit tastes are in the finish. Very balanced and light bodied. 
• Aging: The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks with no oak. 
• About the Winery: The winery is 100% organic from a mobile chicken coop to an organic garden in the middle of the vineyard to help the soil. They use their own compost; have windmill and solar power. They have biodiversity, which is having different species coexist within the same physical space. Which means in the farm vineyards the horses, geese, and alpacas live and control the weeds. 

A great bottle of wine that is thinking about it's own green footprint.

Cheers,
Angela

Port and Dessert Wines that great for any occasion

Hello all, I have a few great dessert wines to share with you today. I have 4 different wines that I have reviewed and would like to share. Before we get started here is some insight to Ports and Ice Rieslings.

When people think of Ports they think of the sweet red wine that is usually served after dinner. People assume its from Italy but it's not. Port comes from Portugal in the northern region. It's a fortified wine that has the grape spirt added to help it from soiling and stops it from fermenting. This leaves in a lot of residual sugars and higher alcohol content than most wines. Only the wine coming from Portugal can be called Port or Porto.

Ice Riesling usually called Ice wine that comes from the grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids don't freeze, but the water does, allowing a more concentrated grape. A smaller amount of wine is a result from pressing of frozen grapes but it's a very sweet wine.

• Fonseca Bin 27 Port Premium Reserve - This is blended from reserve wines selected from the winery for their color and depth in taste. Tastes of ripe plum, mocha, black currant, and cherry with a lingering finish of berries and fruit. Great with Chocolate. Great for all who like a heavy intense red wine. Great after dinner drink
• Quinta Do Noval 10 year-old Tawny Port - The 10 year-old Tawny is a blend of old ports from different vintages that have matured in oak casks for 10 years. A medium ruby color, the bouquet is bursting with rasin, chocolate, menthol, cherry, and spice. This is a wonderful port that has an oak finish and very tannic. If you enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon then this will be the port to choose. 
• Frost Bitten Ice Riesling - The Ice riesling has a sweet and tangy taste that is a medium bodied. The bouquet has pineapple, pear, orange zest and some ginger. Awesome by itself or with creamy cheeses. 
• Easley Blueberry - This is the taste of blueberry preserves, a great fruit wine. Perfect for brunch or buttery dishes.  

You can try these all this week at Liquor City Bakewell  in Covington for free on January 26th and 27th from 4 - 7.  Please join me. 

Cheers. 

Four different Chardonnays worth trying

Here are four Chardonnay wines that are different but have some similar qualities.

I recently tried 4 Chardonnay wines that were all wonderful and worth purchasing. 

Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County Chardonnay: What a great Chardonnay a little creamy not to oaky and has a mineral taste. The bouquet has tastes of Lemon zest, a little bit of melon, nut, and a hint of floral. Very light on the oak aging.  Great wine that I would recommend with sushi or light pasta dishes. 

Simi Chardonnay Sonoma County Chardonnay: If you are into buttery creamy Chardonnays then this is your pick. This is a buttery Chardonnay with a hint of oak, a little bit of citrus, vanilla, and honey. Great with pasta light red sauce or a heavy cream sauce. Also goes with crab cakes, seafood casseroles, or seafood chowder. 

Francis Ford Coppola Director's Chardonnay: This is a very light Chardonnay it's fermented in Stainless steel instead of oak. Very crisp, with tastes of pear, apple, citrus, and a little bit of vanilla. I would recommend this with any fish, chicken, or cheese dishes. Very vibrant wine nothing but the true taste of Chardonnay comes out!

Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Collection Chardonnay: The big dog Chardonnay, this is very buttery, very oaky, and very creamy. Tastes of cream, brown sugar, carmel, apple, and a hint of pear. Very crisp and full-bodied Chardonnay. I would recommend this award winning Chardonnay with pasta with clams, alfredo sauce, chicken cordon blu, and fried chicken. 

You can try all these wines tonight at Liquor City Bakewell tonight from 4 - 8 pm. Please join me, it's free. 

Cheers, 

Angela