Pontificis 2011(Rhone $6.99 TJ's)
Rhone blend- 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre

Color: Deep Purple/Merlot

Smell: Oak, cranberry, cinnamon, grass, and resin

Taste: Cranberry, dark cherry, pomegranate, cinnamon, and old oak, very low acidity, medium alcohol, and semi-dry

Food Pairings:  WIld Game- Pheasant, Duck, and Guinea Hen 
                            Blue Brie
                            Dark Chocolate
                            
Summary: Pontificis is a formidable Rhone blend for this price point. On the nose there is a heavy oakyness, cranberry, cinnamon, grass, and resin.The dark and heavy fruits hit you first, then followed by cinnamon, resin, and finishing with old oak. 

Wino's Favorite Affordable Bordeaux

Wino's Favorite Affordable Bordeaux

1)Le Cluzet 2009($6.99WFood's)

Le Cluzet 2009 is silky smooth and full bodied.
Widely available at many wine dealer's.

  I first discovered this fine low cost Bordeaux a few winter's back when I on an ice cream run to our local Whole Foods with a girlfriend. It was on a large endcap(yes another endcap they're my undoing) that caught my attention and amused me. It had a large cutout of Le Cluzet Chateau that looked like it was out of a children's popout book. I was very skeptical on first glance of the bottle the label was very plain and ordinary. Later on after dessert we aired it a wide mouth decanter for about a half hour and the taste was phenomenal. Light oakyness, tart dark berries, black pepper, medium tannins, and a silky smooth finish. This has been my go to for four years now. I'd recommend this to any Bordeaux lover!  

Three Win Glasses You Must Own

  There are many options out there when it comes to wine glasses. Far to many for the casual to moderate wine drinker. There are only three you really need to own though and half a dozen of each. The standard red wine glass. My preference is the cab glass it fits nicely into your hand and it can be interchanged for a white glass. The second is port glasses I'm not a huge port drinker anymore, but they're nice to have around and dang near indestructible. They're usually what I pull out when I have rowdy party or when company is visiting. I have half a dozen of these that are riedel and when one of my good childhood friends was visiting last July. He dropped one and it bounced off the wood floor during a party. The last but not least is champagne glasses for special occasions such as anniversary's, holidays, partys, and they can be used for rose as well. I'd recommend Riedel for affordable glassware.  

My True Love Bordeaux

 

My True Love Bordeaux

Bordeaux my one true love,
I never get bored with you, frustrated or tired of,
You leave your luscious deep magenta lipstick behind on my lips,
You are silky and smooth and leave me feeling warm in the hips,
You're there waiting on the kitchen counter after a hard day of work,
You're great by yourself or for dinner with steak, buffalo, or pork,
You're great after dinner when I skip dessert,
You're always alluring to me and you don't even have to flirt,
Bordeaux I love you...I love you so

Rabbit Ridge Allure de Robles 2011

Rabbit Ridge Allure de Robles 2011(California $4.99 TJ's)

Red Blend- Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre

Color: Deep Garnet

Smell: Strawberry, oaky, moss, and black pepper

Taste: Bold strawberry, rosehips, cherry, medium acidity, medium alcohol, and semi-sweet

Food Pairings: Pork Medallions
                          Mildy Seasoned Lamb
                          Beschwipster Huhn(German Drunken Chicken)
                          
    
Summary: Once again I was drawn into buying another bottle of wine that I didn't need by a bright endcap at Trader Joe's. Paso Robles has been putting some magnificent big reds on the market the past three or four years. I wasn't at all hesitant being purchasing being from Paso Robles and the very low price point. On the nose I was hit by strawberries and oak with mild undertones of moss and black pepper. The taste was strong of late September strawberries, rainier cherries, rosehips, and a little spice.

Cocobon 2009/2010(Californian $6.99-9.99 TJ's)

Color: Burgundy

Smell: Raspberry, cherry, cocoa, floral, and smoke

Taste: Cocoa, raspberry, floral, light smokeyness, very low acidity, medium alcohol, and semi-dry

Food Pairings:  Almonds 
                           Bleu de Bresse
                           Stilton
                           Cheese Souffle
    
Summary: Cocobon 2010 is very popular wine I've been noticing served at evening events with appetizers or desserts. I recently ran across Cocoban on an endcap display at my local Trader Joe's in the Alphabet District and eagerly decided to give it a try finally. It's a fun and playful dessert wine that reminds me of dark chocolate with it's strong tone of cocoa and undertone of dark semi-sweet berries. The very light smokeyness helps it to pair very well with a strong cheese. Cocobon will pair very with freshly roasted nuts for an appetizer or snack. This wine would be great at an evening get-together whether it's cold winter night or a balmy summer one.

Wine Openers!

Wine Openers

  Opening a bottle of wine I've always thought was a pretty simple thing. I thought I would write a fun and entertaining post on how many different devices there are anymore to achieve this simple task though. I've always just used a cheap waiters corkscrew, but a winged corkscrew is a good go to. The nice part about a wing corkscrew is it keeps you at a set angle and is pretty much fool proof. The  rechargeable electropull's can be just fun for the lazier individual. The legacy stand corkscrews are nice and make a great piece in your kitchen if you have the counter space. There many alternatives some entertaining, artistic, and others just lazy.

From top left to right. The waiters(favorite), wing, rabbit, connoisser(yes that's the spelling), variable, corkpull, legacy, electropull, and twister. Prices ranging from $2 for the waiters to $180 for the legacy.