Where is Spring?

I went out for a jog this morning, and practically froze to death.  I had two long sleeve layers on, including a fleece, and it was cold.  It dawned on me that’s why the snow hasn’t been melting,,, it’s too cold.   It’s almost the middle of April and it’s too cold for the snow to melt. This time last year I had my snow tires off.  So what do you do… drink wine, it will keep you sane.   I have been trying a few new wines lately.   And I like getting out of my wine rut every time I find myself reverting back to my old favorites. Here are a few.

Hardy’s Butcher’s Gold is a blend of Syrah and Sangiovese.  It’s a great wine for when BBQ season finally arrives.  It’s a gorgeous deep rubycolor with plum and cherry flavors and there’s a great balance between tannins and acidity.  The Syrah adds great structure and the Sangiovese adds a softness that makes this wine very food friendly.

Here’s a new California Red Blend I tried this past week.  The Whiplash Red Blend is an exotic blend of Zinfandel, Barbera and Syrah.  Sweet black fruits, with gorgeous plum flavors and a hint of chocolate.  It is not an overly sweet wine, but there is a kiss of sweetness that will have you wanting more.  Perfect BBQ wine if BBQ season ever arrives!

This was a great find, because I love finding really tasty Spanish wines at reasonable prices.  This wine is a Tempranillo done in the Crianza style, which means it was aged for 18 months before release, and 6 of those months were in oak.  This is an easy to drink wine with strawberry and cherry notes, and a bit of vanilla spiciness from the oak aging.  And I paid under $15 for this wine.  Win – win all around.

This was my absolute favorite find of the past week.  It is a Syrah out of Chile called Signos de Origen.  And it is completely organic wine.  It is 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier.  And the Viognier adds a touch of zip that made me go ‘Wow’ when it hit the palate.  This fantastic find is under $20 right now, here in Nova Scotia.  Gorgeous flavors of blueberry, black pepper and nutmeg.  It’s full-bodied, smooth and has tremendous structure.

So that’s it for this week.  Till next week, drink responsibly and enjoy a glass of wine.

Darlene