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