Another Week of Cheers!

Red lipstick and blackberry wine. Classy.

Cheers everyone! It's been a hard week, so thank goodness from some lazy weekends with some lovely girls and yummy labels.

Julia modeling the good stuff

         Perhaps the best mistake I've made so far this semester was to introduce my friends to the idea of wine exploration. Since a few wine-tastings earlier in the Spring semester, (aka still so so winter) several of my friends have been on the look-out to test with me wines they hadn't heard of before or wines they had, but simply didn't know enough about. We've made a few nice discoveries, such as it turns out we don't hate merlots, we're just picky. It's been pretty exciting, and this week was no exception. So, let's get started.

Name: Flickerberry Dew

Variety: Blackberry Fruit Wine

Region: Kinzua Country

Country: United States

Year: 2013

Price: $17.95

What They Say:  "Blackberry & Red Raspberry blend that will knock your socks off! A taste of summer in a bottle. Serve chilled"

What I Say: I was very suspicious of trying a raspberry wine, even though it is my favorite fruit. I had not heard good things about fruit-wines, what with all the Boon's Farm jokes going around. However, this wine was delicious. It of course smelled and tasted like raspberries, but the black fruit was way more powerful than the red on both the nose and the tongue. There was also a much heavier feeling in the mouth than with a lot of grape wines. It was also way less sweet than I expected it to be. It allowed the raw fruit flavor to come forth, with a little edge of green-ness, almost minty. There was just the smell of fresh green leaves on the nose that I couldn't quite place. I would have this wine again, but I don't think I'd ever have it with food since the flavor is so unique.

Name: Kim Crawford Marlborough

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Marlborough’s Wairau Valley

Country: United States

Year: 2008

Price: $15.99

What They Say:  "The aromas exhibit intense tropical fruit and fresh cut grass notes while the palate bursts with passionfriut, citrus and ripe stonefruit flavors. A exuberant and expressive wine that pairs brilliantly with fresh seafood, goat cheese salad or on its own."

What I Say: There was certainly grass in this. The nose was full of grass as well as a lot of citrus, though I would have gone to tangerine rather than passionfruit as they suggest. The taste had a lot of mineral flavor, but I'm learning that I like that. Again there was grass and citrus, but it was softer this time. It seemed like there was a lot of acid but it wasn't more than we could handle! I wouldn't go out of my way for this wine, but it's drinkable.  

Name: Snap Dragon

Variety: Riesling

Region: California

Country: United States

Year: 2011

Price: $8.99

What They Say: "Snap Dragon Riesling is a crisp off-dry wine with apple blossom aromas, pear and peach flavors, and a lingering finish. A perfect wine to drink by itself or pair with seafood dishes or spicy Asian food."

What I Say: This wine was super yummy. The pear was right upfront on the nose, with a little bit of tangerine back note. On the tongue was more pear, and this is where the peach came forward as well, staying in the mouth long after the sip was gone- as if one had actually just bitten into a sticky peach. It was so light, with a little bit of petulance, which I always love. This wine was just a total joy and wonderful to share with a friend into the evening. Would drink again!

Home-made ice buckets are the best ice bucket

Well, that's all for this week, folks! Keep popping corks and having a grand ol' time! Happy April.