Quick Wine Tip

If you ever go away for a few weeks and when you come back your home has been inundated by little annoying fruit flies, there is a quick way to rid yourself of them. Open up and old bottle of red wine that is no longer drinkable (i.e. 2006 Beaujolais that has been stored in a non-climate controlled environment for years). Open the bottle and leave it out near the flies. The flies will go into the bottle for the wine and be unable to get out of the bottle. They will fall into the wine where they will die a drunken death. The key is not to pour the wine out of the bottle. The shape of the bottle keeps the flies from escaping.

2009 Tell Tale Stubborn Red

This review is more for me than for any readers because the wine we had last night cannot be purchased anywhere. We had the 2009 Tell Tale Stubborn Red which is 100% Gamay (aka Beaujolais). The reason this cannot be purchased anywhere is because it was made in my dinning room. This was my first attempt at home winemaking and it turned out surprisingly potable, even tasty.

The grapes used for this wine were grown in France and I bought them as concentrate. That is they were already pressed into juice and I fermented the concentrate with some added water. After drinking the bottle last night there are only 24 bottles left (if you want to buy a case just give me a call).

Well, it is obviously a red wine, however, it is a light red. We drank it chilled with some pita and spicy hummus, and some chevre and crackers. I smelled the wine and I thought I smelled banana bread, but I've been driving for 3 days, so I may have been mistaken. I took a sip and it was light with no oak flavors. This is good, since I did not oak it at all (if I had tasted oak I would've been worried). During the process of making the wine I added potassium nitrate to kill any yeast that might still be fermenting. Adding this created carbon dioxide. I stirred the wine for about 20 minutes to dissipate the CO2, however, I suppose I didn't stir it enough, so there was a touch of carbonation in the wine, which I thought gave it a little something interesting.

The wine was not overly sweet, but it wasn't dry; I would call it damp. It did not make me pucker my lips like some of those wines that taste like candy, but it wasn't difficult to drink like very oakey and dry wines. By my calculations the wine is about 13% alcohol, but doesn't have any alcohol flavors. It is surprisingly balaced. I had 4 glasses of it and didn't wake up with a headache. All of this being said, the wine is nothing spectacular. This wine will not wow you. It is a good wine for summer relaxation, but definetly not an entertaining wine (although it will be considering that I made it myself). All in all, I would say this wine could be confused with a low-medium end commercial Gamay.

This wine receives 2.75 grapes out of 5.

North Fork of Long Island Wineries

As I said in my last post, Angela and I visited a number of vineyards/wineries on the North Fork of Long Island on Tuesday (my dad came along as well, but he doesn't really drink wine, so he drove). There are somewhere in the vicinity of 40 vineyards/wineries on the North Fork, so it is obviously impossible to visit all 40. Instead, we drove out to the North Fork and stopped at 4 that happened to be opened, however, I only have notes on 3 of these because by #4 (The Lenz Winery) I wasn't so capable of keeping notes anymore. Due to the nature of having tasted around 15 wines I'm going to only touch upon each one, unless I really liked it.

So the three of us (Angela, my dad and I) jumped in the Accord and headed out on the island. After stopping for lunch just past Riverhead we received directions from a nice old man and his wife who probably had never left eastern Long Island in their lives (and also have probably never seen a dentist in their lives). We headed east on Route 25 towards Orient Point, then turned around and headed west and stopped at a number of wineries.

The first one we stopped at was Corey Creek Vineyards (which is owned and operated in conjunction with Bedell Vineyards, which is one of the more famous Long Island vineyards). Corey Creek was ridiculously overpriced. Their wines were all $30+ and frankly were not worth the price. The 2007 Gerwurztraminer was decent. It was a dry Gerwurtz but frankly lacked a strong flavor. The flavor it had was decent, but there just wasn't much of it. I liked the 2007 Taste White, however, it smelled terrible. Once I got past the smell I liked the wine, but not at the high price. The 2007 Reserve Chardonnay was a pretty good Chard. It had a light oak flavor and was quite smooth, but again, the price was exorbitant for the wine. The 2007 Taste Red was the best wine Corey Creek/Bedell had to offer. It was a medium bodied red with a light oak flavor. It had a nice tart tasting finish, but not worth the close to $40 price tag. The final wine we had at Corey Creek was the 2007 Reserve Merlot. I normally don't like merlot but this one was pretty good. It was not a very oakey merlot but had a bit of a smokey taste. Apparently, this wine can be aged up to 10 years, or so the winemaker says. Although this wine was tasty, it was severly overpriced. All in all, Corey Creek had some decent wines, but they certainly did not warrant the hefty price tag. I also might add the tasting room was quite nice, but almost sterile. It had a very corporate feel.

We went on our way without any wines from Corey Creek and stopped at Duck Walk Vineyards North. Duck Walk was originally on the South Fork but has since opened a vineyard and tasting room on the North Fork. We walked into an enormous tasting room that felt a little uninviting. However, we walked up to the tasting bar our pourer (Daria) was talking to another guest about bachelorette parties that come in and how they trash the women's restroom. This was just a sample of the friendly feel we got at Duck Walk.

At Duck Walk we tasted 8 different wines, beginning with the 2007 Chardonnay. This wine was a decent chard, but nothing special. The 2008 Chardonnay Reserve was delicious and we actually bought a bottle of this for both Angela and I, and my parents. It was a smooth and fruity chard that I would have no problem serving to friends and family. I don't know if had been oaked at all, but there was little to no oakey flavor. This was a fantastic chardonnay. In fact, I might say it's the best chardonnay I've had in about a year.

The 2008 Duck Walk Chardonnay Reserve gets 4 grapes out of 5.

Other wines at Duck Walk were 2007 Pinot Grigio, which was a decent white with a clean finish, however, it lack a bold flavor. Further, I thought it smelled kind of funny. The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc from Duck Walk was not as good as the pinot grigio. It smelled better, however, it had a sour finish.

I tried 3 reds at Duck Walk, the first of which was a 2007 Pinot Meunier. I had never head of this varietal before, and I will probably not seek it out ever again. It smelled like dog food to me, which should have been my first indication that it might not be good. It tasted terrible. It had an extremely oakey flavor. It had an almost bitter finish. I would not recommend this for anyone ever. The 2007 Duck Walk Cabernet Sauvignon was fantastic. It had a strong and tangy flavor that would have gone well with any red meat. If I were having a big juicy steak, this is a wine I would like to drink. The Duck Walk Windmill Red was a red blend that was quite tasty. It was dry and had no oak flavor. I finished at this vineyard with the 2007 Blueberry Port. This was incredibly alcoholic and sweet. I usually like ports and dessert wines, but this one was not a favorite. It would describe it as mediocre. It was almost too alcoholic and the blueberry flavor was overwhelming.

From Duck Walk we went to Raphael, which might be the most gorgeous tasting room I've ever seen. It is built in the style of an Italian villa and was gorgeous. The tasting fees at this vineyard were ridiculous. It was at least $2 a taste, however, the price was worth it. We started with the 2008 Raphael Rose of Merlot, which was the best wine we tasted all day. We drank it chilled, and on a warm day on Long Island, it was fantastic. It was crisp, refreshing and light but not sweet like many roses. This was the best rose I've ever had, even better than the Canard. I think it is perfect if you are looking for a light and refreshing summer wine.

The 2008 Raphael Rose of Merlot receives 4.1 grapes out of 5.

We also tasted the 2008 First Label Sauvignon Blanc from Raphael. This was supposedly the best Sauv Blanc Raphael has, however, it was the one I liked the least of not only Sauv Blanc but also my least favorite wine of Raphael's. It was light and tangy; it even had some fruity flavors. was just a bit too sweet for me. In terms of Sauv Blanc, I prefered the 2009 Grand Cru, which the woman working at Raphael said was the lesser of the two (but she was snooty). The Grand Cru I thought simply had more flavor than First Label. The flavors were similar, but the Grand Cru just had more flavor. The Grand Cru was citrusy and delicious. I don't know what food it would taste good with, but it would be a nice sitting on the front porch drink.

We finished with Raphael's 2007 La Tavola. This was a red blend. I wanted to taste this because it had a good portion of malbec in it, and I love malbecs. This was a fantastic wine with a strong oakey flavor (i.e. full bodied). It smelled and almost tasted smokey. I think it would be awesome with some BBQ. It was a smooth wine that went down easily, however, there was a bit of a bite at the end. This being said, it was a great wine and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good red wine.

The 2007 Raphael La Tavola receives 4 grapes out of 5.

As an aside, I might add that my father was wondering why Raphael, which is owned and run by the Petrocelli family and housed in a recreation of an Italian villa does not make more Italian style wines. I guess he wanted a chianti or something.

Well, that being said, Angela and I leave for Denton tomorrow, we should arrive in a few days, but there probably won't be any posts for a while. Next stop, Staunton, VA.

2008 Paso a Paso Verdejo

Not many people are familiar with Verdejo, and I must confess this is my first time ever drinking a Verdejo. According to Wikipedia, Verdejo is a white Spanish wine from the Rueda region, you can read more here. I bought this bottle for $10.99 at Bargain Liquors in Rockville Centre, New York. I figured this was going to be a good wine, for a few reasons, 1) it's from Spain, 2) it cost more than $9 (that's generally my cutoff), and 3) it was purchased in a town where they misspell center to be a bit snooty.

Angela allowed me to pick this out all on my own, and that was, in my view, a mistake. This wine was in my opinion a subpar wine. I drank the wine with my mother's homemade pasta sauce (there was also pasta, it wasn't just the sauce). Her sauce is far from those super sweet store bought jarred sauces, it is almost tangy, and delicious (Angela felt the need to comment how I haven't exactly mastered that sauce yet). Well, I took my first sip and I was immediately pleased, however, that happiness dissapated as I swallowed. It was kind of harsh and I could really taste the alcohol. It wasn't dry, it wasn't sweet, it didn't have oak flavors, it was just kind of rough. I personally do not like my wines to taste like vodka.

I thought that maybe it was just interacting with the sauce poorly. So I got a glass of water (or rather Angela got it for me), and I took a big gulp, and took another swig of wine. It was just as harsh that time. I decided I was done with this wine. Dejected I switched to water only. Oh well, you live and learn.

All in all, I probably would not recommend this wine to many people. However, it may just be young. If I were going to drink this again, I would let it sit for probably another year or so, no more than that, as it has a synthetic cork. All in all, if you like wines that have a bit of a bite you might enjoy this one because the first flavors are delicious.

This wine receive 1 grape out of 5.

2007 Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

So, Angela and I have made the trek from Boston to Hartford to New York and we arrived in New York on Friday afternoon. After watching the Mets lose to the Yankees 2-1 on Friday night at Citi Field I needed a glass of wine. Last night, Angela and I had another New Zealand Sauv Blanc (sorry Paul, it was hot and humid; no time for reds). This was a 2007 and was purchased at Valley Stream Wine and Liquor in Valley Stream, NY for $11. Since we're in New York we had it with some real New York pizza.

Unfortunately, we did not have time to chill this wine, however, it was still very good. I would describe it as smooth with some fruity flavors. It was quite light and went well with the pizza. I detected a low level of carbonation, almost like all of the bubbles didn't disperse before being bottled. It wasn't bad, it added a touch of novelty to the wine. This wine was very similar to, although I think slightly better than, the 2008 Monkey Bay Suav Blanc that we tasted a few days ago. It was far better than the 2009 Monkey Bay Suav Blanc we also had that evening. This wine, like most on this blog, will not blow anyone away, but I would certainly have no problem serving it to guests. I think it would be great with spicy BBQ, like some brisket. . .mmmm. . .brisket.

This wine receives 3.75 grapes out of 5.

Just as a note, on Tuesday, Angela, my father and I are heading out to the North Fork of Long Island to do some tasting, so I will try to keep some good notes on what I taste and let everyone know.

2009/2008 Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc

I haven't posted in a few days as I've been in Boston. Angela did the 39.3 mile Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. She was in fact in it to end it. Well, she finished on Sunday and yesterday evening we visited some relatives of Angela's, Doug and Marille. Doug is a music teacher with a degree from Berklee School of Music and is possibly one of the most interesting characters I have ever met. He showed Angela and I some pictures of when we was touring the midwest with his rock and roll bands. Marille is a very interesting French woman who is married to Doug. She is told us some stories of her mother and living in France. All in all it was an excellent evening. But now you're probably asking what does this have to do with wine. Well, we drank wine before and with dinner.

I don't remember what the wine with dinner was, although it was good, the wine we had before dinner was actually great, especially for the price. As you can see from the title, we had Monkey Bay Suavignon Blanc. Since there were 5 of us (one of Doug's former bandmates, Gary, was also there), we had to open two bottles. They were of different vintage, which was an awesome experiment. This is a relatively cheap wine, the bottle I believe said $8.99, from New Zealand. It has a screwtop so you probably don't want to age it too long, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good.

We started with the 2009 which had a touch of sweetness and was actually quite refreshing and smooth. I was eating some cashews with it, and it was great. I would certainly drink this wine again. I don't know how it will go with food, it would probably be fine with something light or with a sweet dessert. It is probably most suited for pre-dinner cocktail.

After we finished off the 2009 we moved to the 2008. The '09 was in my mind a better tasting wine. The 2008 was a bit harsh. It had an aftertaste that was not pleasant, but this may be because it was a slightly older wine than the 2009. That being said, the 2008 was a decent wine, I certainly would not turn it down. Neither of these wines had oak flavors, probably because Sauvignon Blanc is rarely oaked when it is 100% varietal (i.e. not a blend). For the amount of this wine that we drank, I would have expected to awaken not feeling great, but I awakened this morning (on an air matress I might add) feeling sleepy but with no lingering effects of the wine! This is a big plus for me, and is usually the sign of a wine that has few impurities. All in all, I would recommend both the 2009 and the 2008, but I prefer the 2009.

The 2009 Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc gets 3.5 grapes out of 5.

The 2008 Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc gets 2.75 grapes out of 5.

2008 Cupcake Chardonnay

I've probably had this wine at least 2 dozen times but for the price it's perfect. It's a chardonnay from the central California coast and we get it at our local Kroger for $10. I had it last night with some pork chops, broccoli and rice (I might add, the pork chops were overcooked and the rice slightly undercooked, Angela is out of town and I'm a terrible cook). The wine, however, made the meal slightly more bearable.

It a light chardonnay, not too overpowering, which I find those oak barrel aged chardonnays are, but it wasn't lacking in flavor like you find in stainless steel aged chardonnays. In order to make my pork chops taste a little better I used a generous amount of Tabasco. Usually spicy and wine do not go well together, but the Cupcake wasn't bad. It is pretty smooth. With the spiciness of the Tabasco you could taste just a bit of the alcohol.

Unlike a lot of white wines, which I find to be a bit too sweet, there is very little sweetness in this wine. I can't really pinpoint one flavor in it, but it was quite flavorful. If you are trying to impress a guest, DO NOT serve this wine. Although it is good, it will not blow anyone away. This being said, I would say it is a perfect "everyday" wine. It is fairly cheap and very versatile.

This wine receives 2.75 grapes out of 5.

2007 Canard Napa Valley Rose

Tonight I had a 2007 Canard Napa Valley Rose. It cost $13 at a specialty shop in Denton called Vigne, but can be purchased for $12 from the Canard's website (just as a note, the winemaker Brian Graham is a Denton native).

I had had this wine before and I wasn't sure if I was crazy about it, but turns out, I think it is a solid wine. It's apparently made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, however, they don't just use the straight juice. It's what wine people call "Saignier." This basically means that the wine touches the skins for a bit, but not for long (one of two ways of making rose wine). Well, that's is enough of the wine expert stuff.

I was not sure if I liked this wine the first time I drank it, but it really grew on me the second time. I drank it was teriyaki chicken salad (which Angela made and was delicious). It had a touch of sweetness to it, but not overpouring sweetness. It was delicious with the chicken and was perfect on a warm May night in Texas. We served it chilled and it was light and refreshing. The sweetness went really well with the salty and sweetness of the teriyaki.

The finish is a little rough. You can really taste the alcohol as you swallow. It doesn't go down as smooth as other roses (i.e. white zinfandel), but the flavor was much less like grape juice. All in all, I would definetly recommend this wine in certain situations. It is certainly not a wine for entertaining important folk, but if you're looking to have a bbq in the summer in the backyard with some close friends, this wine is perfect. It is quite refreshing.

This wine receives 3.5 grapes out of 5.

Inaugural Post

Wine is possibly the most scrutinized food or beverage in the world. Experts constantly tell us what wine is the most complex, or what wine is best with what foods. However, very few common wine consumers can taste half of what the experts taste. When I taste a glass of wine I couldn't tell you if it has undertones of currant or whether it has a high level of tannins, or really anything other than whether I like it or not.

This blog is devoted to being a wine novice and discovering the best wine for a non-expert. I like to drink wine, I like to eat, and I like to drink wine while I eat. When I drink a new wine I will share with all of you what I thought of it, what it tasted good with and why I thought it tasted good. Every new wine I drink will be categorized and discussed in laymen's terms, so we don't get confused with all the ridiculousness of the wine world.

Check back soon to see a review of the first wine.

Chris