Neat Thoughts About Food, Wine, Travel & More
I had this wine in Quebec at an outdoor party where it was paired with Dad’s Quebec Smoked Meat Sandwiches.
In the glass, this nicely-balanced wine is a medium red. The ripe cherry nose is fruity and bright. In the mouth, there is a nice level of acidity and cherries mix with strawberries on this light-medium bodied French Pinot Noir.
Pairings: Salmon, pork, roast chicken or duck. Pairs well with most food.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): Pinot Noir
Region: Burgundy, France
Price: $15
I sampled this wine with rare duck breast a few weeks back and really enjoyed it.
The 2010 Hahn Winery Pinot Noir Monterey offers a big noseful of ripe raspberries and cherries that I enjoy, a lot. In the mouth, it is rich with raspberry preserves jammy with undertones of pumpkin pie spice. The finish is medium in length with oaky notes.
Pairings: Grilled chicken. Pan-seared salmon or duck. Wild mushroom risotto.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): Pinot Noir
Region: Monterey, California, USA
Price: $14
This wine was provided to me for sampling and I am adding to my repertoire as it is truly enjoyable.
This North Coast Pinot Noir is ruby in the glass with intense floral and strawberry aromas with earthy/mushroomy notes. Reminds me of grandma’s homemade wild strawberry jam on freshly toasted bread. On the palette, the 2010 Garnet Carneros Pinot Noir offers bright cherry flavors with slightly woodsy undertones. I love this wine’s silkiness, great balance and long flavorful finish.
Winemaker Alison Crowe does a super job with this wine, which is quite possibly the best Carneros Pinot Noir I have had in recent memory.
Pairings: Grilled chicken or pork chops. I cannot think of many foods that would not be a good match to this wine.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): Pinot Noir
Region: Carneros, California, USA
Price: $19.99
This wine was provided to me for sampling and I’m adding to my repertoire as it’s truly enjoyable.
I enjoy Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon and when I was invited to go camping (yes, in a luxury RV, but camping nonetheless) I opted to bring the 2005 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with the prime rib eye steaks I was contributing to the festivities.
In the glass, this Alexander Valley wine is deep crimson. The nose is intensely of dark fruit, pumpkin pie spice, tobacco and black licorice. In the mouth, it’s jammy, smooth and velvety with ripe berry, vanilla and toasted oak notes. The finish is medium in length with some pleasing tannins.
A wine to treat yourself to when you buy the very best steaks for the grill.
Pairings: Grilled prime beef. Cheese course.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Alexander Valley, California, USA
Around $60
Had this Chilean wine at a wine dinner at Morris Tap & Grill and really enjoyed its boldness and food-friendliness.
On the nose, the 2009 Tamaya Reserva Carmenere offers potent aromas of ripe raspberries with spicy and coffee notes. On the palate, it’s a huge mouthful of rich, concentrated dark berries with a long spicy/peppery finish.
Pairings: Grilled beef or lamb. Sharp cheese dishes.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): Carmenere
Region: Limari Valley, Chile
Around $10
Paired this French Bordeaux with rare roasted duck and it was a nice pairing. In the glass, it’s brick red in color. The nose is an appealing blend of plum, coffee and leather. In the mouth, the stone fruit comes through along with vanilla and mocha notes. Medium finish with softened tannins.
Pairings: Grilled or roasted beef or duck. Cheesy dishes.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): 50% Merlot, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc
Region: Bordeaux / Medoc, France
Around $25
Bright purplish ruby in the glass, this affordable Italian wine has a ripe dark fruit nose laced with spiced notes. In the mouth, it’s round with a nice balance of rich dark fruit and chocolate with good acidity.
Had this 2007 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Fattoria Del Cerro paired with rare duck and it was a nice pairing.
Pairings: Grilled chicken or pork, cheese course, mushroom risotto.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo Nero
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Around $20
Paired this Tuscan wine with my cheese course at a recent dinner party and it matched up well. Lighter and fruitier than its counterpart, Brunello di Montalcino, this wine didn’t overwhelm the mild soft cheeses and stood up to the stinkier, riper ones.
In the glass, the 2009 Castello Di Camigliano Rosso di Montalcino is vibrant red and it offers bright fruit on the nose. In the mouth, it’s well-balanced with a dark berry mixed with mushroomy/earthy flavors. Meant to be drunk young, this affordable wine can be served on a Tuesday night with pizza or at a party with more complex dishes.
Pairings: Grilled chicken or pork, cheese course, pasta with red sauce.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): Sangiovese
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Around $22
I’d had this inexpensive Spanish wine in my cellar for a while and opted to uncork it to pair with grilled porterhouse steaks with peppercorn sauce.
In the glass, it shows a deep purple color not unlike the purple band on the bottle’s label. On the nose, I smelled Herbes de Provence and hints of cracked peppercorn. The palate of this Monastrell is a mouthful of dark berries with nice acidity and pine needle notes. The finish is short, which is a bit of a disappointment. Grilled pork chops would have been a better match than my steaks. Nice wine for $10.
Pairings: Grilled pork chops, goat cheese on toasted bread.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): Monastrell (also known as Mourvedre)
Region: Murcia, Spain
Around $10
I’d had this bottle for a while and when I planned a casual grilled steak dinner for Memorial Day weekend, I opted to open it for my guests.
In the glass, the wine is bright ruby with some violet hues. Very pretty. On the nose, there are aromas of stone fruit with a little coffee and chocolate and some spiced notes. On the palate, this rich Australian Shiraz is big with dark cherry flavor and plummy chewiness laced with clove and nutmeg.
Pairings: Grilled steaks, meat lasagna.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): Syrah
Region: South Eastern Australia
Around $10
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