Summer Lovin’!

 

I don’t know about you, but here in Eastern Canada we had one heck of a winter.  A bad one!  So, with the arrival of July, everyone seems to be in a good mood.   Summer is a glorious time, isn’t it?  Sunshine, warm temperatures, patio parties and lots of wine flowing.  I’ve found a few new wines recently that will help make Summer even better.

This is my favorite new find.  The Mac Murray Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County in California.  If you’re one of those people that think all Pinot Noir wines are wimpy, move over!  I had the 2012 vintage, which had an extended growing season.  This extended growing season gave the grapes a full-bodied richness.   This spectacular example of a Pinot Noir has classic raspberry and cherry flavors with a hint of oak aging.  It’s so smooth and rich, this Pinot Noir would even pair well with beef.  I can’t wait to have this one again.

 

This is my colleague at work, Matt Slaney.  Matt is my adopted son… I love to cook, and he loves to eat so it works out great for both of us.  He’s mid-20’s, lives on his own, and got a full time job.  Hey, I know when to adopt!!  LOL.  Anyway, recently Matt gave me a few bottles of wine from California, and this was one of them.  It was the first time having this particular wine, and I loved it.  The Double Decker California Red Blend is a gorgeous blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Sirah and Barbera.  This is the perfect barbecue wine, it will go with anything you put on the grill.  With blackberry and plum flavors, this would be the absolute perfect wine to have with BBQ ribs.

Sorry for the blurry picture, but with warm temperatures, don’t you find yourself firing up the grill more often.  If steak is on the menu, here’s a new find that will pair well, and at under $17, you can fire up the grill any time the mood hits.  Last summer around this time, I wrote about the Fetzer Zinfandel, another great wine for barbecue food.  This time I tried the Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is a beautiful Cabernet with flavors of blackberry, mocha, toffee and vanilla notes.  Great wine, great price.

And for my white wine loving friends, look no further than the Wolf Blass Chardonnay out of Australia.  This gorgeous rich Chardonnay is the perfect Summer wine, whether you are barbecuing or just sitting on the patio.  Citrus and peach flavors with hints of spice, it’s a rich and full-bodied white wine and very food friendly.

I will close this week’s blog off with a great piece of advice… Life is too short, drink the good stuff now.  Growing up my mom would save the good dishes, good glasses and all the other good stuff for ‘special occasions’.  Not me… every day is a special occasion and I use the good linens, the good wine glasses, and I drink the good wine now!  Enjoy every minute

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene