My new favorite Petite Sirah

Last night I hosted my first wine tasting and it went well. People that came and people bought the wines that I was pouring. If you missed it last night please come to tonight's wine tasting. It's at Liquor City Bakewell in Covington from 4 - 8pm and it's free.

The Petite Sirah, Masked Rider, that I was pouring I had picked for many reasons. I had tried it once before and I enjoyed it plus the price didn't hurt the wallet at $7.89. The Masked Rider Outlaw Petite Sirah tastes wonderful after you let it breathe for about 30 minutes. It has tastes of plum, oak, a lot of berry, and a finish with a black pepper. This wine won the silver medal at the 2010 International Critics Wine Challenge and won the silver medal at the 2010 San Francisco International Wine Competition.

I recommend having this wine with a hearty dish like steak or pork.

Enjoy and please join me for the wine tasting tonight,

Angela

Join me Thursday and Friday for a FREE Wine Tasting

Hello all,

I just wanted to inform everyone that starting Thursday I will be pouring and hosting FREE wine tastings at Liquor City Bakewell in Covington KY.  Thursday and Friday, November 17 and 18, from 4 -8 p.m. I will be pouring the big six grapes. The tasting will be Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.

The big six wine tasting will get you to:

• taste the difference between each grape varietal
• the difference between light, medium, and full bodied wines
• see the color difference between the three whites and the three reds
• and you'll be able to know the basics about wines

If you happen to be in the Covington/Northern Kentucky area this Thursday or Friday please come and see me!

Future wine tastings: November 21st & 23rd at Liquor City Bakewell. Please follow me on Twitter so you can also keep up to date on future wine tastings. My handle is @angelaisfab or go to http://twitter.com/#!/angelaisfab.

Cheers,

Angela

A review of Riondo Sparkling Pinot Grigo NV

Last weekend I was told to try Riondo Sparkling Pinot Grigo NV. Naturally I said yes, because I love sparkling wines and I really like Riondo wines.

I chilled the bottle at proper temperature and I had my champagne flute waiting. When I poured it, it was a beautiful gold color with small bubbles perfect for a sparkling. The taste was drier than a normal glass of Pinot Grigo and it tasted like someone mixed it with club soda. It was very disappointing to me. 

I would not recommend purchasing this for any occasion or to drink as a sparkling wine. You'll be disappointed and want to mix it with something else. Do not try to mix it with orange juice to make a Mimosa because it will taste like orange flavored wine. Some grapes are not meant to be made into sparkling wines, this is one of them. 

Some sparkling Riondo alternatives:   

1. Pink, Spago Argento: Love this sparkling it's fruity, light, and has a hint of sweetness.  
2. Prosecco, Spago Nero: Another prefect sparkling that taste like the perfect Prosecco. 

Cheers to all

 

A drink recipe from my amateur bar tending recipe book

Hello all,
In my spare time I like to come up with my own recipes for drinks. This is a recipe that I came up with while waiting for my Italian dinner to finish baking. I thought about some of the key ingredients that are in a lot of Italian drinks or foods for example vanilla, lemon, and white wine. What I came up with was something called Italian Sparkle.  Its light, has a hint of vanilla, and it adds to any dish.


The Italian Sparkle
¾ bottle of dry white wine
1 ½ oz of Ginger Ale
10 oz of club soda
1 ½ oz of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
¾ oz of lemon juice
2 oz of Apricot Brandy
Mix in chilled pitcher
Chill champagne flutes or wine glasses
Garnish the flutes or glasses with lemon slice
Serves – 8 champagne flutes

***This recipe can also be found on http://www.wine-girl.net/
I recently started writing for wine-girl.net, please check it out.

Cheers,
Angela

Upcoming Wine festivals to visit

Hello all,

There are some great inexpensive wine festivals coming up (I'm sure you'll see me at all of them) and I'd like to share them with you.

The Swiss Wine Festival - Vevay, IN (about 5 minutes past Belterra Casino)
When: August 25th - 28th
Where: 101 Ferry Street, Vevay, IN 47043
About: This is a great festival, they have live music, wine tastings, beer tastings, river boat cruises, grape stomping contest (which I'm all ready registered for), food, arts & crafts, and much much more.
Cost: It's $4 to get into the festival and if you want to taste all of the wines in the wine pavilion that's $15 per person or $25 for two people. There are quite a few wineries on the Indiana wine trail that participate in the wine tasting, I believe they have over 35 wines to try. The wine pavilion will be open till 10pm for tastings. Now the beer tent will be open till 1am and have live music.
Check out their website: http://www.swisswinefestival.org/



Vinoklet Art & Wine Festival - Cincinnati, OH

When: September 10th (noon - 10pm) & 11th (1 - 7pm)
Where: Vinoklet Winery at 11069 Colerain Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45252
About: This festival has been running for 13 years now and they have over 50 artist showing and selling their art work! Live music, awesome food, and you can buy wines by the glass or by the bottle. Or you can buy a sampling of 6 wines for only $5.
Website: http://www.vinokletwines.com

Northern Kentucky Wine Festival - Covington, KY
When: October 15 from 3 - 10pm
Where:  Main Strasse Village on the Sixth Street Promenade at the Goose Girl Fountain.
About: Northern Kentucky will be hosting it's sixth annual wine festival at MainStrasse Village. Kentucky wineries will be featured on the Sixth Street Promenade at the Goose Girl Fountain. Each guest will be given a souvenir wine glass and four sample tickets. Additional sample tickets and glasses, bottles and cases of wine can be purchased. There will also be food, artisans and live entertainment. Rain or shine. Must be 21 to attend.
Cost: $10 includes a souvenir wine glass and four sample tickets.
Website: http://www.mainstrasse.org/

Jungle Jim's Wine International Festival - Fairfield OH
When: November 18th & 19th
Where: Jungle Jim's Upstairs in their convention/reception hall 5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield, OH
About: This festival is very similar to the Cincinnati International Festival that happens in March. I've been to this festival before and it rocked, all the wineries come from all over the globe! Your ticket price includes a small booklet that has all the wineries listed with all the wines you'll be tasting, a wine glass, and some lite bite food to try. It's a great time and I look forward to this festival every year.
Cost: TBA on the website
Website: http://www.junglejims.com/winefest/

Hopefully I'll see you all at one of these festivals! Please publish if you're going to one of the festivals and which one below or publish a question for me on any of the festivals.

Cheers,
Angela

Clombia Crest Winery...A Winery thats Kicking A** and Taking Names

It use to be that Columbia Crest made everyday wines that you would find in your chain grocery stores and in my opinion they weren't that great. I just viewed them as a mass-produced wine that didn't really get into the complexity of the grapes and what they can achieve.

Recently, I've noticed a change in this winery. I went to a wine tasting that had H3 Columbia Crest Wines and I was shocked. I had the Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Les Chevaux Red, and the Cabernet Sauvignon, all extraordinary wines. Here were my thoughts:

1. Chardonnay- I'm really picky about Chardonnay because I prefer the French not so much oak traditional flavor. Usually I shy away from California Chards (too buttery and sugary) but I tried this one. The first taste was apples and pear then came a hint of oak with a little bit of vanilla. Now this is not an overdone typical Chard, the natural surrounding flavors come out and it blossoms in your mouth. It got 89 points by the Wine Spectator and it's only about $15 a bottle. It's worth every penny, a great wine for the summer. http://www.columbiacrest.com/HorseHeavenHills/release/179
2. Pinot Gris - I love Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio so I knew I would like it. It was very citrus and usually you'd get that from a Sauvignon Blanc, but it was mixed with a flowery taste. It was very smooth to the taste no twinging in the jaws. The words that come to mind crisp, light, and clean. Another 89 from the Wine Spectator and only $15 a bottle, I recommend you pick up a few bottles. http://www.columbiacrest.com/HorseHeavenHills/release/180
3. Les Chevaux Red - Holy Moley this wine ROCKED! What a wine, right up my alley a big red. This red wine blend consists of 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 18% Syrah, 10% Malbec, and 3% Cabernet Franc. There were so many different flavors, a little oak, a little licorice, some black cherry, some berry, and a small amount of tannins. The legs on this wine took forever to seep back into the bottom of the glass; I knew that this was a great wine. 91 points from the wine spectator and only $15, I would suggest getting some nice juicy stakes and share a bottle with close friends for dinner. http://www.columbiacrest.com/HorseHeavenHills/release/178
4. 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon - Okay so not as big as the red wine above but still a great cab. 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3% Syrah, and 2% Malbec. I suggest that you let this bad boy breathe for an hour or so before drinking, it opens up the wine more. Right off the bat I tasted a little jammy taste of berries. Some hints of earth but once it breathed I tasted oak and licorice. Good Cab for the price, $15, I would suggest picking up a few bottles and opening them in a couple of years and got an 88 rating from the Wine Spectator. http://www.columbiacrest.com/HorseHeavenHills/release/176

The last wine I will rave about from these guys is the 2008 Grand Estates Amitage Red Wine. This is by far my favorite from this winery. It received an 89 from the Wine Spectator and it's only $10 a bottle. Find the nearest wine store and clear them out of this wine! One of the best red wines I've ever tried. A great dry wine with hints of plum, spice, and berries that have a smooth finish. Columbia Crest really know how to blend their grapes, 64% Merlot, 19% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4.5% Malbec. I had this with a petite filet with blue cheese crumbled over it and I tell you it was the best. Even trying the cheese with the wine was great. This can be enjoyed with blue cheese, meats, and alone.  http://www.columbiacrest.com/grandEstates/release/435

Let me know what your favorite Columbia Crest wines are and share some stories below in the comments section.

Cheers,
Angela

A Florida Winery that I love for the summer

Recently I went to Florida for a vacation and my boyfriend and I were shopping in an outside strip mall area called Johns Pass in Madeira Florida. We came across a little wine shop called Vino Florida, and of course I had to walk in. They had a wine bar, beer bar, wine slushies, a whole selection of wines and wine wine trinkets, and the room where the wines were made.  Of course I couldn't say no to the FREE wine tastings. The first wine I tasted is my favorite, it was a blend called Cisa. The wine was a Sauvignon Blanc with Key Lime blended. The tastes of Key Lime, Grapefruit, and a crisp clean finish a Sauvignon Blanc should have. It was a little sweet from the Key Limes and a dry smooth finish. I liked this wine so much I bought 3 bottles to bring home to drink. http://www.thefloridawinery.com/viflci.html

Another great wine was their Sangria, I tried their red Sangria and it was so refreshing. The tastes of oranges, cherries, and apples stood out the most for me. It was chilled and it comes in a 1.5 liter bottle, which is the perfect size for parties. Buy one of these bottles and have some friends over and enjoy! http://www.thefloridawinery.com/viflse.html

Now not only do they have wines made from grapes but they also have wines made from other fruit. I tried a wine called Vino Florida ORWI, it was a wine made from 100% oranges. It was awesome it was like drinking Sunday brunch, this tasted like a Mimosa but not as tart. It was sweet and clean and fruity. http://www.thefloridawinery.com/viflor.html

They even had wine slushies, that's right wine slushies! These were heavenly drinks that are perfect for the summer. I had the Raspberry Wine freeze; it was sweet and had the hint of raspberry and wine. You can buy the mix and blend it with whatever wine, and ice and you have the perfect summer drink. They come in 5 different flavors: Strawberry, Raspberry, Pina Colada, Mango, and Key Lime Margarita. http://www.thefloridawinery.com/wine-freeze.html

Now you might be wondering why I'm writing about a local Florida winery? Well the greatest answer is they ship anywhere in the country so go shop! This great winery has a bottle of wine for everyone. Check out their website at http://www.thefloridawinery.com/index.html.  If you're ever in St.
Pete's or Madeira Florida, I suggest you stop in and have a glass of wine at the wine bar.

Cheers,
Angela Laible