Monthly Archives: November 2016

Red Thursday, Black Friday, Cyber Monday… we are being pummeled with ‘sale’ advertising and gimmicks and every other reason in the world to part with our hard earned money.  And I understand  it’s the biggest retail season of the year, but it’s getting harder to get a break from it.  I know Christmas is a month away, but I think the only store I went in yesterday was the wine store.  And scored some amazing finds.

People tell me all the time I’m easy to shop for.  Well of course I am, there’s a wine store on every corner.  Now I thought this neat packaging on the Vernissage white and red wine was genius.  Check it out, the packaging is shaped like purses.  And yes there is wine in there, as a matter of fact there are two bottles packed in that purse.

 

The Vernissage white is a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier from France, and has some nice subtle flavors of pear, apple and tropical fruits.  The red wine, in the black purse is a blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, and I think is the perfect gift for any woman.  I love these.  And they are priced under $30 each.  I bought the red to the happy hour in my apartment building yesterday evening and it was a smash hit.  It had great fruit and hints of spice and the purse being equivalent to two bottles of wine.  At $28, that’s excellent.

My friend Judy has been on a real Pinot Noir kick recently, and last Saturday night she showed up at my house with this fabulous find.  Don’t you just love it when friends show up at your house with wine in tow.   This is a fabulous Pinot Noir from Chile.   The winemaker says the influence from the Pacific Ocean makes a big difference.  I found it very interesting that 20% of this wine spend six months in both French and American oak.  Only 20%,  so in no way does the oak overpower the grapes.   It’s the delicious flavour that dominates this wine and its around $20 so very reasonably priced!

And my wine of the week is….

I know, it looks like an eye chart.  Maybe it’s a test for when you finish the bottle.  But this was a fantastic wine and because this time of the year can get expensive, this wine is not.  It’s under $18 and the blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, commonly known as GSM, is heavenly.  I thought I heard angels sing, but then I realized I had Christmas music playing as I started the task of decorating my home for the holidays.   This wine hails from Australia, and the fruit, the herbal notes and the spice are all perfectly balanced.

As we prepare for the busiest retail days of the year, I ask you to please be kind to retail workers.  They are working long hours and are trying their very best.

Thank you and till next week, Cheers

Darlene

 

Last Saturday night I had an affair.  It’s not as wild and crazy as you think, it was a fundraiser for the Dartmouth General Hospital and it featured some fantastic wines from Australia and New Zealand.  I am going to share my surprises, because I tried a few new wines at this event, and discovered some wines I really liked.    Let’s start with my biggest surprise of the evening!

I really like Pinot Grigio, but if it has too much acidity, I find it can give me heartburn.  I love it, it doesn’t love me so much.  This wine, however, I loved and it seemed to love me back.   Imagine how delighted I was to find a Pinot Grigio where we have a mutual love!  It was smooth and refreshing and what a great finish.   As a matter of fact, in my tasting notes I wrote “unbelievable finish”.  This wine stayed with me even after I put the glass down.  Gorgeous flavors of apple, stone fruit and citrus notes, this has to be my favorite Pinot Grigio to date and I’m looking forward to enjoying it again.  This is a very food-friendly wine, and would go with a wide variety of food.

Another great wine I tried from the Oyster Bay collection was the Merlot.  Recently I told you about another Merlot I found from Australia that I really liked, the Exhibitionist.  And this one didn’t disappoint either.  Australia is putting out some fantastic Merlot wines.  The moderate climate and gravel-based soils of Hawkes Bay make it an ideal location for Bordeaux varietals such as Merlot.  This wine was delicious and plummy and very well-balanced.  Plummy is a word, right?  Thats what i had in my tasting notes.   I really enjoyed the Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc as well.  I like Sauvignon Blanc with those mango and passion fruit flavors.

And here was the most popular wine of the evening and my wine of the week….

The Wee Angus from the Angus the Bull collection.   Named after the winemaker’s brother, Angus is the perfect wine to compliment beef.  The blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot makes for a juicy wine with grip.  With a hint of vanilla oak, this easy to drink can be enjoyed with or without food. Because of black pepper notes,  in my opinion it’s a great steak wine.  My friend Judy, who went to the Affair with me, said it was her favorite wine of the night.

I saw this yesterday and it made me chuckle, so although today is Saturday, this is a little laugh to get you through the work week.

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene