Happy Easter

I would like to take a moment to wish all my readers a very happy Easter.  I hope you have a fabulous long weekend, and that there is some fabulous wine in store for you.  As you know, I spent last week in Newfoundland taking care of my two nephews.  As someone with no kids, it was awesome to spend the week with them.  As someone with no kids, it was awesome to enjoy a glass of wine once I got them to bed.

So there was 12 year old Riley (pictured on the left), and 16 year old Brady.

And then of course my co-pilot wherever I went that week, their beautiful dog, a Westie, Bailey.   We had a lot of laughs and I tried a few new wines.  And the funny thing was, I couldn’t find the one corkscrew my sister owned, so I literally was shopping for only wines with screw tops.

This was my favorite new find of the past week.  Two Tracks Pinot Noir from the Marlborough region of New Zealand.  Gorgeous raspberry and plum flavors.  It had some spice on the palate with a hint of chocolate.  This was a very delicious wine, and not available here in Nova Scotia.  It really is too bad, because this was a great Pinot Noir at a great price, around the $22 mark.  I am really looking forward to enjoying this wine again on my next trip back to Newfoundland.

Again, not many California wines have a screw cap yet.  So I picked up the Full Circle Red Blend, a delicious blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah and Syrah.  Just from the blend, you can imagine how juicy and fruit-forward this wine was.  Merlot and Zinfandel make it plummy and berry rich with hints of vanilla and chocolate.  It had great structure too, thanks to the Syrah and Petite Sirah.  Great BBQ wine, and yes there is still a lot of snow on the ground, but my deck is snow free and BBQ ready.

 

This was the priciest wine I tried last week, and I apologize for the blurry picture, so I thought I would post a stock picture.  As you may remember, the Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorites.  And I love Pinot Noir from New Zealand.  This one didn’t disappoint.  At about $30, I want a nice Pinot Noir from New Zealand.  This was soft and silky with Mocha notes and well integrated toasted oak.  I was curious about the Lattitude Pinot Noir.  Stoneleigh makes a Pinot Noir that looks like this

What’s with the Lattitude?  By the way, I have not tried the above wine, but I have it picked up and plan on it this weekend, so I can compare.  I have discovered the Lattitude grapes come from a strip of land known as the Golden Mile.  It’s a very fertile strip of land known for producing extraordinary grapes.  It also won a Silver medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition.  The difference in price point is about $5.  I’m looking forward to trying the above wine and comparing it to the Lattitude.

Much to my dismay we had a few snowy days while I was home.  And by few, I mean more than 2.  I did, however, get to go skiing a couple of times.  When life gives you lemons – make lemonade.  In this instance, when life gives you snow, go skiing!

Spring is coming…… right?

Till next week, take care and enjoy your wine responsibly.

Darlene