Wine Wednesday: Dearly Beloved Forever Red

This past weekend my parents were in town, so I treated them to their first Trader Joe's experience. As we got to the wine section, this fun bottle caught my eye. I try really hard not to be one of those people who picks out their wine based on the label, but this one was just too fun to pass up. Plus, it was the night of the Walking Dead premier so I figured it suited the evening just right.

This red is a blend of Syrah, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Carignane & Grenache and is very dark red in color. It has notes of cherry and blackberry, as the tasting notes indicate; however I did not catch the hints of oak as described. For a bottle under $10, I would recommend it for any of your upcoming Halloween parties or haunts. It has great flavors and a reasonable price and you can't go wrong with either. 

Vintage: 2009

Region: Mendocino County, California

Price: $6.99 at Trader Joe's

Website (link to Trader Joe's site): http://www.traderjoes.com/onthecounter/wine.asp

Wine Wednesday: Murphy-Goode Zinfandel

In Kansas City, we're lucky enough to have the ability to purchase wine at Costco. A bonus is that the store closest to our house has a full-time sommelier on duty...I've heard that it's because our store has the second-highest grossing liquor sales in the country. (And I don't doubt it--I know that we contribute a hefty sum each month). Whenever we're in the store, we always make sure to ask the sommelier for recommendations on the newest options available. That's where we found this wine, the Murphy-Goode Zinfandel, which has turned into one of our favorites.

This Zinfandel comes from Sonoma County and is a mixture of fruit from the Alexander and Dry Creek areas. It's a bold wine with strong flavors of rich blackberries and cherries that are balanced by the soft tannins, which contribute to the perfect amount of dryness on the palate. Being a strong wine, it pairs well with steak, bbq or any other meat. We typically drink this alongside a filet mignon or lamb.

Vintage:2008

Region: Sonoma

Price: $16-20

Website: http://www.murphygoodewinery.com/index.html

Wine Wednesday: Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc wines are my favorite white varietal, hands down. The Marlborough region of New Zealand is famous for producing some of the world's best, primarily because of the climate--cool, moderate and dry. What I love the most about Sauvignon Blancs is the crispness that comes across on the palate and the freshness of the flavor. Kim Crawford's Sauvignon Blanc has notes of citrus and pineapple, which pairs perfectly with various foods, from seafoods to salads, or can be enjoyed on its own. It's also both affordable and award-winning, with the 2009 vintage receiving 89 points from both Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator. I would recommend serving this alongside a first-course at a dinner party, or even on its own when drinking with friends.


Vintage: 2008 or 2009
Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
Price: $12-16.99
Website: http://www.kimcrawfordwines.co.nz/

Wine Wednesday: Estancia Cabernet Sauvignon

We're lucky enough to know people that know about wine. One of Dave's good friends from high school is actually in the process of studying to become a sommelier. He just passed the test for the Introductory Sommelier Course through the Court of Master Sommelier, which I think is pretty impressive! Whenever we're looking for a recommendation on some good or different wine, we hit him up for suggestions. With the new chill in the air, we thought it would be good to try out some new reds--specifically those of the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal.

This past weekend we tried one of his recommendations, the 2006 Estancia Cabernet Sauvignon. It comes from the Paso Robles region of California and is a deep wine with rich color. The peppery flavors definitely come through on the palate and you can taste the hints of cherry throughout. This dry, full bodied wine pairs well with steak, lamb or even chocolate. 


Vintage: 2006
Region: California
Price: $14-16
Website: www.estanciaestates.com

Wine Wednesday: Bogle Chardonnay

 

I'm going to start a new weekly feature on the blog that will allow me to share another passion beyond cooking: wine. The hubs and I are not wine connoisseurs by any means, but we are definitely taking the steps to learn more about wine. He's much better about describing the flavors but I am getting there!

Last weekend, we had Dave's mom and one of her friends over for dinner when they were in town. They were nice enough to bring a couple of bottles of wine to enjoy and actually shared their favorite--Bogle's Chardonnay. I'm typically not a huge chardonnay fan, sometimes the oakiness just takes over the flavors in my opinion. This is not the case with the Bogle version. It's very crisp on the palate, with the fruity flavors of apple and pear that come through. It's lighter in color than most chardonnays but the buttery taste is still there. We served this with a goat cheese and baby greens salad, which was a perfect compliment.

Vintage: 2010
Region: California
Price: $8-10

Restaurant Review: The Westside Local

One of the perks of my job is that we have sales reps who come into town to visit and look to us for suggestions of fun after-work activities. Oftentimes, we visit some of the new up-and-coming places and about a month ago, we found ourselves visiting The Westside Local.

Westside describes itself as a "gathering place that combines the lively social setting of a tavern with flavors and service of upscale dining." With its long picnic tables in the outside beer garden and closely situated tables inside the restaurant, it's a perfect place to connect with friends, new and old alike.

During our visit, we of course started with drinks. Being a beer garden, they have pretty extensive beer list but also had a nice offering of wines. The only downside to drinks is that they were out of not only some of the more adventurous, but also of the local favorites such as Boulevard Pale Ale.

After drinks, we moved on and ordered a few of the small plates and sampled the Deviled Eggs, the Charcuterie Plate, the Cheese Plate and the Arugula Beet salad. With affordable prices ranging in the $2-10 range, these are great options for sharing between a small group or ordering a few of each for sampling with a larger crowd. Everything was a hit that night, with the exception of the beets. But who really likes beets anyway?

As we had been partaking in beverages for quite some time, the majority of us also decided to try some of the large plates on the menu. These range from Steak Frites to Sheep's Cheese Raveloni to an assortment of sandwiches. Everything looked so good and it was hard to pick, but I finally decided on the Mussels while Dave chose the Grilled Cheese.

These mussels were to.die.for. While you'll have to excuse the picture (I was like four glasses of wine in by this time) it just shows how complex this dish was. They weren't just served in boring white wine, but with herbs and croutons and yummy, steamy broth. They were seriously so yummy. It was a perfect combination of buttery goodness combined with the crisp flavors of the wine sauce. If you can't already tell, I just couldn't get over how good these were.

The grilled cheese was served on an aged crusty bread, with a side of garlic pomme frites. It was everything you could ask for in an upscale version of this childhood favorite. Dave even texted one of his good friends, who is obsessed with cheese, and told him to get down there ASAP to enjoy the melty goodness.

Overall, our experience at The Westside Local was a great one. The only suggestion I have is that they should add a happy hour, as I think it would draw in a larger crowd that would probably stay through the night.

Wine Alert: Rex Goliath

Dave's dad introduced us to Rex Goliath some time ago, before it gained it's popularity in the wine world. He and his lovely wife, Anne, were huge fans of the Pinot Noir and we drank it often when spending time at their house. Since then, Dave and I have tried each varietal and we love them all.  

When picking up a few groceries at Sunfresh (hey--don't judge me, it's on the way home from work) I perused the wine aisles and noticed that Rex Goliath is now offered in 1.5 liter bottles. These bottles are perfect for many occassions. We often get them for the parties we throw, as many times they are much more cost-efficient than buying the regular 750 mL bottles. They are also great if you have a good vacuum sealer.

The best part of seeing these at Sunfresh tonight was the fact they were on sale for $8.99 a bottle! The 750 mL bottles were selling for $6.99, so there is really no reason why you shouldn't go for the upgrade. I picked up a couple for any upcoming dinner parties and for our personal enjoyment!

Sale Alert: Fish Eye Wine

Just a friendly PSA for our local readers...Fish Eye Wine varietals are currently on sale at your local CVS for $4.49! Fish Eye wines usually retail between $6.99-7.99, so this is a pretty good discount. CVS also offers a 10% discount when you buy six bottles or more, so right now you can pick up six bottles of this lovely weeknight wine for just around $24. We recommend the Cabernet Sauvignon or the Chardonnay!

Wine Review: Tin Roof Cabernet Sauvignon (2006)

Living in Missouri, we are lucky enough to be able to purchase our spirits at the grocery store. As Dave and I were perusing the aisles of our local Price Chopper, we happened to stumble upon a bottle of the Tin Roof Cabernet Sauvignon (2006). For nights in with just the two of us, we generally stay in the $8-12 price range. This bottle fit in perfectly, retailing at $10.99 and on sale for a lovely $8.99. That is one thing we love about getting wine at the grocery store, it's not hard to find a good deal on good wine.

Tonight we popped this one open with our Sunday night dinner of bruschetta, an assortment of cheeses and cocktail shrimp. The label quotes, "Delicious, handcrafted wines to enjoy under your roof". While that is a great description and proved to be true, it doesn't necessarily stand out from the usual suspects of a Rex Goliath or Smoking Loon Cab. We would purchase this again for a mellow night in with just the two of us.