Wineyjanet talks wine.

Tip Your Hat to Washington Wines

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:08:00 +0000

During book club last night one of the bottles opened was a 2006 Columbia Crest Cabernet. It was delicious. Fabulous aroma and a deep ruby color. It was smooth to the taste. I paired it with some fabulous cheeses (Gouda and Grayson) and fresh fruit. Delicious. This is a great bottle for under $10. I've had other years of this blend and it is consistently a great drink.

I need to go exploring more down the "Washington" isle at my favorite wine shop to see what other great bottle I can find. Do you have a favorite Washington wine? If so, let me know.

Enjoy.

Tonight We Drink Red!

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:08:00 +0000

For those who know me and my household you know that this isn't a real surprise but since that is what we plan to do I'm going to write about it. Tonight we are drinking a bottle that was a diamond in the rough -Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Rubric. The vintage is 2005.

We received a bottle as a gift during a dinner party. Not knowing much about Blackstone we opened it and immediately wished for more. It's an amazing bottle (especially for under the $20 price point). In fact, we had to call our local wine shop during the party and make certain they put some on hold for us to pick up the next day. Now that has to be good wine, right.

Since that infamous night we've tagged the bottles of Blackstone Rubric and look forward to the day we get to open another bottle. Well, tonight is one of them.

Here are the wine maker's notes from their website (why re-write greatness, just give them credit):

The grapes for this wine are grown on estate-owned vineyards located on hillsides in the Monferrato and Langhe region of Piemonte. Ruby-red in color with purple highlights. The nose is packed with black fruit, especially blackberries and plums, with slight spicy overtones hinting at black pepper and cinnamon. Sweet, soft tannins come together in a closely-woven texture that merges with the fruit, while a crisp freshness provides a long, tasty finish.

Should you have the burning desire to purchase a bottle, do. It will be hard to find (we know, we've tried). but let us know if you do. We have purchased some Rubric '06 but we're laying it down until later this year to see if the magic will be there.

Enjoy.

Klinker Brick Old Vine Zin.

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:31:00 +0000

Okay, I'll be totally honest here...I bought the bottle because of the name. It struck me as funny and I thought why not?! I'm so glad I did.

This bottle (under $20 bucks) has the most amazing "smokey" aroma to it that you detect from the moment you open and the drink is fabulous. It lingers on your palette in a way that is beautiful.

I've always been a big fan of Old Vine Zinfandel wines because they are such a hearty drink. I can always anticipate a rich and intense glass of wine and the Klinker Brick didn't disappoint.

Since I had no idea who was behind this wine I had to do a little investigating. The winery is in Lodi, California and the grapes come from 110 year old vines and over five generations of family have been involved in the making of the wine. They have a great, rich history and an interesting family story. Click here to read more about the background of this winery and grape.

In the meantime add this wine to your list of "must try in 2011".

Enjoy.

Why Decant Your Red Wines?

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:11:00 +0000

At a recent dinner party the subject of decanting wine came up. There were many opinions as to why someone would decant a bottle of wine. Here are my three reasons:

Older Bottles of Red Wine: Especially red wines, using a decanter will allow you to separate some of the sediment from the wine that is inevitable during the aging process.

Opens the Wine: When you decant a bottle of wine it helps to "open up" the bouquet. We drink a lot of big red wines and we recommend decanting the big wines (young or old).

It Adds to the Dinner Experience: We love to dine with friends and we feel a decanter adds a nice touch to the dinner table. It allows you to see the beauty behind each/every bottle of wine.

Obviously we're big decanters at our home. We decant every red bottle of wine we consume and on hot summer days we will decant our whites and place them in an iced stainless steel bucket. Decanting is very simple. When you decant a bottle of red wine really splash it around when you pour. Once the wine is in the decanter allow 10 to 15 minutes to sit. This allows the flavor of the wine to be enhanced by the exposure.

I love decanters and I'm always on the hunt for a great (unique) decanter. Do you have a cool decanter that you love? If so, I'd like to see it. Post a picture on my blog!

A Spice Rack in a Bottle.

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:56:00 +0000

A wine that we had recently was Artezin. It's a Dry Creek Zinfandel and delicious. The aromas of the wine is of fresh blackberries and black cherry. You can also taste a hint of ripe raspberry. Our dinner guests thought they could taste more subtle aromas of currants, licorice, black pepper and spice.

Because it was unusually warm for Denver in January we were having grilled salmon. We thought we'd have to do a white (hello, we were having fish), but in all honesty the Artezin bottle made a fabulous pairing with our meal. The glass has a great dynamic spice element to it and enhanced our salmon with each and every bite.

It's a lovely bottle for the price point (under $25, we bought it on sale for under $20).

Freemark Abbey

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:50:00 +0000

Last Night we drank a bottle of FreeMark Abbey that we had tucked away in our wine fridge. Delicious. This Cabernet Franc we had was dark in color. You could taste vanilla and heavy fruit. We had it with BBQ and we hated to see the meal (wine) end. We bought this bottle in Napa but you can find it around town andI hope you do.

The Tax Man is Here. Have Good Wine

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:06:00 +0000

If you didn't know, today is the dreaded "Tax Day". Not sure why so many American's dread this day? It's not like we should be surprised, the tax service companies have been running TV ads for the last 90 days and based on my calendar, April 15th happens every year, so to hear of panic and "all-nighters" to finish before the deadline seems silly. Don't dread today (unless you don't have your taxes done, then by all means, dread) just try harder next year to get it done sooner ("easier said than done" is what a dear friend told me last night in tears because she and her husband were still working on their taxes).

I've decided to take a positive spin on this glorious day of celebration (also known as FREEDOM) and I'm going to enjoy a fabulous wine from another country (that seems backwards, don't you think?) but I'm opening up a bottle of Vietti Barbera D'Alba Tre Vigne (2006).

My husband introduced me to this wine about two years ago. It's wonderful. Of what I know of the Vetti winery they select grapes from top vineyards of Monforte, Barolo, and Castiglion Falletto and from somewhat established vines.

When you open this bottle of red wine (which retails around $25, a bit more than our $20 limit, but less than what I owe Uncle Sam) you will enjoy the scent of ripe red cherry and vanilla. The complexity of the wine is full (or round), great texture, richness, and it is a bottle that you completely enjoyable.

Enjoy.

Each Bottle Tells a Special Story.

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:26:00 +0000

The other night we enjoyed a bottle of Monsanto Chianti Classico. This Riserva red wine consists of 90% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo, and 3% Colorino grapes. It was a beautiful Chianti and went very well with the lamb my husband made (he’s the cook around our house).

The winery recommends that you decant the wine for hours to eliminate its sediment. So we did. If you walked by the table where it was "resting", you could smell that we were in for a delightful drink. It had a sweet scent of herb flavors, soft tannins, and somewhat passionate cherry.

We had not had a bottle from this winery (Castello di Monsanto). Being curious, I looked it up so I could know more about them and when I fulfill my bucket list of going to Tuscany....I will make certain we find this winery. Here is what I read on wine.com:
“In 1961 Fabrizio Bianchi, a successful textile manufacturer from Milan, purchased Castello di Monsanto and, in so doing, realized a long-held dream. Captivated by the beauty of Tuscany and convinced of the property's winemaking potential, Bianchi undertook the complete restoration of the vineyards and winery, while his wife, Giuliana, oversaw the restoration of the villa. Bianchi has relentlessly pursued the highest standards of quality, with particular emphasis on grape selection, natural vinification and a judicious use of technology”.

I love wine for many reasons, but in particular, I love the history, art, and storytelling that goes into each bottle. This was a very good bottle and can be purchased for under $25.

Worth it.

Enjoy.

Sangiovese, I love to say it, I love to drink it.

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Last night we had Brent and Carol over for dinner. If I had to describe our dinner gathering in one word, fun. We started with Pietra Santa a 2004 Sangiovese from Cienega Valley (25 miles east of Monterey). Sangiovese is an Italian wine grape variety. It is from central Italy and it is the main component of the Chianti blend in Tuscany.

Although you don’t need to know all this information to enjoy the wine (just fun facts, people), what you do need to know is that this aromatic wine is beautiful! You can smell and taste the cranberry, cherry and the spiciness is perfect. The finish is amazing.

The moment we opened this bottle we knew we had something special. You’ll find this bottle under $15 and well worth every penny.

Enjoy.

Hello Privada, It's Me Janet

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:04:00 +0000

I found a great new wine last night called Privada. It broke through my cold and made me feel "normal" again.(although we all know that I'm not normal). It's an Argentina wine that has berry notes and soft finish was a delicious winie.

It was under $15. A good deal.

Enjoy.

How to Read an Italian Wine Label.

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:30:00 +0000

This weekend we are drinking Italian wine. I found this bit of "education" on the website about.com (I love the Internet).

Finally, I'll understand what I'm drinking!

A Modern Twist to the Rioja!

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:51:00 +0000

My husband buys wine on the sly. Unfortunately with both of us working out of the home, it's become very difficult to sneak anything in without the other knowing.

But I'm glad he made his recent purchase.

Vina Zaco Tempranillo Rioja 2006 was the wine of drink last weekend (should have posted sooner, shoot me). It was delicious. It's getting great ratings and what I love about this drink, under $15 bucks. In fact, it's been on sale (under $12) at a few wine shops where I’m known to meander down their aisles.
The Tempranillo ’06 is a good glass. It’s loaded with black cherry and blackberry flavors, slightly smoky, you’ll smell chocolate (swear), and above all of this wine lingo, the red wine is a good drink. You can buy it now and enjoy through 2012 (or at least that is what they said in Wine Spectator magazine).

Super Bowl Sunday…It’s an official Beer Day.

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:28:00 +0000

Although Wineyjanet writes about wines (99.9% of the time) there are a few times that writing about beer is appropriate. Today is one of them. Super Bowl Sunday and beer is a match made in heaven and a good time to try new beers while you watch the game.

Beer is not like the beer you use to steal out of your parent’s fridge back when you were a teenager. The new generation of beer (the microbrews) are like wines, they are an amazing art form. It is built with the same use of science and creativity to build phenomenal taste, structure, and flavoring.

We have the basics in the fridge to satisfy any guests who pop over (yes, we have Corona) but here are a few micro beers (my favorite) we will drink at today’s celebration.

Sessions: Made in Oregon (oh how I love that State) and it is one of my all time favorite beer. It's a lager. When poured, it has a good head (that is what you look at in beer learned that from my beer-drinking connoisseur husband). The color is a clear pale-yellow. It is a bit tart and grainy with a bit of a hoppy finish but I love it. It is clean with plenty of carbonation and a dry finish.

Stonewall Ale. A nice light tan head, it smells sweet and a bit darker in color than our Sessions beer. There is a citrus with a honey, caramel and a bit of a hop aroma. It’s a good beer.

Remember, in all the chaos that comes with Super Bowl Sunday, please be careful. Please do not drink and drive. If you’ve had too much to drink, stay put, call a cab, or call a sober friend.

Go Colts!

One Winery, Two Wines, Two Different Prices - You Pick

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:04:00 +0000

Last night Darin made a wonderful Rib eye steak (he is the official cook of our family), steamed asparagus and we shared a twice baked potato. The wine selected for the meal was Tignanello 2005 from Antinori winery. Darin wanted something special. This was it. It’s way out of our normal price range (he purchased it in Italy for $70 US dollars, because he said "we had to have this"). The wine, from the Antinori estate, is a key winery in Italy. They have been around for centuries.

The Tignanello had an intense ruby red color. It was weighty (dense) each sip left a long and lingering taste on the plate. I tasted chocolate (but I always do) and Darin could taste coffee. It was a complex wine. It was a beautiful wine and added to an already spectacular dinner.

But it is expensive. Wineyjanet isn't about that (although no complaints here....it was amazing). So, how do I spin this blog to get it back to something we all can afford, well, this same winery makes other bottles that are just as wonderful, and for less (a lot less). The same winery produces one of our household standards that we love, the Santa Cristina. The wine is ruby red in color with purple hues (trust me on this – pour the wine into a glass and tilt it over something white, like a table cloth or plate, you’ll see). It has a great aroma of fresh fruits and a hint of floral. Like its expensive sibling the Tignanello, the Santa Cristina is well-structured, sweet tannin, and lingering finish. It is a good “family” wine and we have found it for as little as $4.99 (yes, you read that right).

The price of wine doesn’t always mean better. You can find a great bottle, like the Santa Cristina, and have a perfectly fabulous meal.

And, I hope you do. Enjoy

Bucket List: Go to Tuscany, Italy.

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:38:00 +0000

My dream is to go to Tuscany with Darin and drink the wine of the country (a lot of it). I love Italian wines (but not in a snobbish kind of way). I especially enjoy wines from the Tuscany region. The grapes grown in the beautiful Tuscan terroir (okay, that was totally snobbish…I could just say dirt…but why) are amazing. As I make my road map of places I’ll drink, one place I would visit would be the Tenuta di Arceno estate (and drink today’s wine pick) PrimaVoce (pronounced: prima-voy-chay). It is a great Italian wine for the money.

PrimaVoce, Arceno Toscana 2005.

After sharing this bottle with friends, I had to look it up and find out more about this fantastic bottle. The wine came as a recommendation so I had no clue what I was drinking (shame on me, I should have done my homework and savored the glass). PrimaVoce is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet, Cabernet Fran, and Syrah. It was named for the leading voice in an opera. It is a smooth Merlot blended in a powerhouse Cabernet Sauvignon region. I taste plums and vanilla. The wine maker will tell you that you also should taste a hint of ginger, white chocolate, and cherries.

Whether you taste them or not, who cares. It’s a very good bottle for just over $20 (I bought it for $21 but then 2 weeks later I found it on sale for $18). Enjoy.

Help, I've Fallen and It's Not Because of the Wine!

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:26:00 +0000

I stopped writing. Sorry about that. I guess I lost my way. I don’t blame it on the drink I blame it on me just being preoccupied with life. I had self doubt that my 10 followers would really care if I jotted down my latest notes on a bottle of wine I had or not (me being selfish).

But then a follower reached out and said “you haven’t written anything in a long time” (me feeling guilty). They are reading, following, and they do care. Even if I had only one follower waiting for my blog, I can’t let them down. I better get it together.

So, today I am and I will work on my consistency with my entries. I’ve stored over 50 bottles of consumed wine out in the garage with the notion “I’m going to write about this bottle”. Now, before you past judgment on the 50 plus bottles, I want to disclaim that I have been the host of numerous gatherings at my home over the last 6 months where wine was in mass consumption. So, it wasn’t just me and my husband. I have to blame a few dear friends and my neighbor if I’m going to call people out and make them share blame.

Let’s start with a new favorite that is a fabulous wine with a wonderful label. I found it by complete accident. I’m a fan of the color orange, so you can see why this bottle of wine spoke to me.

Bodegas Tomas Cusine El Vilosell, 2006 (the label only says Vilosell).

The winery is Tomas Cusine. It’s from Spain and the varietal is a Tempranillo (and it’s red). This bottle is a blend of Tempranillo (65%), Merlot (17%), Cabernet Sauvignon (13%), and Syrah (5%), and yes I looked that bit of information up. This wine is delicious. It was smooth and juicy. It is a medium-bodied wine and I could taste raspberry. Loved it and we are proud owners a few more bottles hiding in our basement. It’s definitely a bottle you can buy under $20; we got it on sale for under $15. My friend Jill said you can purchase Vilosell at Costco (now we are talkin').

If you can find it, get it and completely enjoy it.

My New Favorites!

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:37:00 +0000

It's been a while since I have sat down to write on my wine blog. Sorry about that. It’s not that I’ve haven't been drinking wine, I have, but I'm working on a few things, including doing my homework on wines, and while doing so I just kept my thoughts in my head (I know, a bit uncharacteristic of me).

It’s been a busy red wine drinking summer, love that. We've had way too many social events and gatherings to go over the last few months and our "theme" for bringing wine to these events was to branch out and bring new wines we had not tried to these social gatherings we were so graciously invited to.

Here are just a few of our new favorites we are adding to our wine closet. I hope you get a chance to taste them too.

My very favorite is Juan Gil, 2006 Jumilla Red Wine. If I was to ever have children of my own (no, Darin, we're not...I said "if"), I’d name my first born Juan Gil (a bit over the top I realize but I really loved this wine). A Jumilla Red Wine from Spain, it is produced by the Bodegas Hijos De Juan Gil Winery. It’s made with 100% Monastrell grapes. It has a very dark cherry color and a powerful aroma of red berries. It is a pleasant and easy drink. I spent less than $15 on this wine. I will be back to buy more.

Privada, 2005 Lujan De Cuyo Mendoza, Argentina. One word, delicious. I tend to be set in my ways when it comes to the wines that I buy and that I drink. I honestly forgot that Argentina has some great vineyards and Darin had to gently remind what I'm missing. He purchased the wine (must give the man the credit on this one), and we brought it to a summer BBQ party with friends. The wine was a delicious blend of oak, blackberries, plum, and a hint of dark chocolate. It drinks very well and I bought this bottle for under $15.

Renwood, 2004 Zinfandel “Old Vine” Amador County. I'm really enjoying my Zins lately. This is a hand-crafted beauty, and of course, it could be a difficult bottle to find. Sorry about writing on a wine that might not be so readily available, but that is what happens when you save a wine for "good” it might not been around after you figure it out it was good, very good. The wine was a big spicy Zinfandel. Loved it and it will be worth the hunt to find it. I just ordered two bottles of the 2005, so I hope it is somewhat similar in structure and taste. I'll be happy.

Campos Reales Tempranillo (and it was a 2008). Nice easy red to drink, well balanced. Slightly dry, black pepper and cherries. We had it last night at a free summer concert with friends and it went with anything. I loved this wine not only for the taste, structure, and blend, but also because I purchased it for under $10.

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:36:00 +0000

Michael, a friend of Darin’s from his Vistage group, introduced us to Orin Swift wines. In particular, “the prisoner” wine (although we are on a family mission to try everything this winery makes).

I will define “the prisoner” as yummy. Not your typical wine tasting notes (I know), but there is not any other simple way to describe this delicious wine. Although this bottle will cost between $30 to $35 range (a bit higher than we like to buy on an ordinary wine run), it is a nice bottle to spend the money on (you will enjoy this, I promise). The Prisoner is a great combination of grapes – mostly Zin (of course, we have been on the Zin kick as you will read below) but has Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Syrah, Charbono, and Grenache.

It is a flavorful bottle of wine. We found it to be wicked (in a very, very good way) and we loved that! It is a complex wine. We had it with an amazing flank steak and great sides.

If you happen to be a person who selects wine based on labels (which there are a lot of us out there) I looked into the image on the bottle. The image was inspired by an original etching depicting a prisoner in chains Dave Phinney received as a gift from his mother and father (Orin and Swift).

WineyJanet is all about finding good wines for a fair price that those of us “ordinary” people who love a glass a wine for the purpose of drinking wine can enjoy. Please don’t drink and drive.

Searching for Seghesio Zinfandel '07 Sonoma County

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:10:00 +0000

I met up with friends on Friday night for wine (a great little wine bar called Cru in a shopping mall - go figure).

I enjoyed a flight tasting of wines (it was Flight #7, Sexy Reds) and one of the glass of wines in the sample was amazing. It was Seghesio Zinfandel ’07 Sonoma County. Of course, I come to find out (day late, dollar short) during my wine tasting, that it received a 93 rating from Wine Spectator magazine. Of course you can’t find it anywhere (I know this first hand, I’ve been looking). I want to find a few bottles. If anyone knows a site or location that has a few bottles remaining please let me know.

WineyJanet is all about finding good wines for a fair price that those of us “ordinary” people who love a glass a wine for the purpose of drinking wine can enjoy. Please don’t drink and drive.

Good Drink. Good Deal.

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:55:00 +0000

For some reason our love for a Zinfandel has taken front and center in our wine drinking life. Darin and I have had a few good bottles of wine lately and they've mostly been Zinfandel. Now we seem to be drifting down the “Zin” isle when we are at a liquor store (which seems more often lately). We are building a good reserve of Zinfandel wines in our small, but filled with love, wine cellar.

One “Zin” wine that we like was the Ravenswood Sonoma County Old Vine from the 2006 vintage. It’s good (actually we thought it was very good) bottle of wine for under $20 (under $15 when on sale – you can’t beat that). Although it has an ageability of 10 years we can’t help ourselves to drink it now. It’s a great Zinfandel and typical in “Zin” style – deep, dark, full and spicy (love that). The flavor of the wine is raspberry and blackberry. Darin smells vanilla and I smell cinnamon.

As we continue with our new love affair with Zinfandel wines we have found that Sonoma County produces some of the best. We are going to keep trying them out and we will let you know.

WineyJanet is all about finding good wines for a fair price that those of us “ordinary” people who love a glass a wine for the purpose of drinking wine can enjoy. Please don’t drink and drive.

To Schug or Not to Schug...that is the question

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:54:00 +0000

We are a Schug family. We love this wine. We stumbled upon this wine (not to make you think we were drunk at the time) by pure luck and the wine from the Schug Carneros Estate and it is one you should try. It is above the typical $20 range that we try to stay below here at wineyjanet, but there are times we have found it on sale for $24 (and even less). In all honesty, it is well worth the purchase if you need a bottle for a special event, a special evening, or because you just want a good bottle.

Recently we had the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Valley and it was a very good glass. It was well-structured. We could taste the ripe flavors of currant and cherry. Darin picked up “spice”, but I couldn’t. This seems to be a classic wine from a very good and solid winery. We had it with a steak and the wine enhanced the dinner experience. Our guy at Heritage Liquours (in Centennial, Co) said that it is ready to drink now but will develop over the next 5 years.

So, to answer the question: To Schug or Not to Schug....I say Schug (if you couldn't figure that out after the first sentence). Keep this wine on your list and if you can pick one up, do so.

WineyJanet is all about finding good wines for a fair price that those of us “ordinary” people who love a glass a wine for the purpose of drinking wine can enjoy. Please don’t drink and drive.

A New Favorite

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:33:00 +0000

Last night we enjoyed a great bottle of wine from Rodney Strong. It was a 2006 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a new release and under $20. The color of this wine is dark. The aromas we could pick out included blackberry, cherry, and cocoa. The tannins were lush and mature. Darin has always liked Rodney Strong. We have not had it in a while (because he was trying to tell me that I did not like their wine) but he bought one yesterday and I had to eat my words (that I don’t recall saying). We went back today and picked up a few more bottles. This is a great cabernet sauvignon and will be good over the next several years.

WineyJanet is all about finding good wines for a fair price that those of us “ordinary” people who love a glass a wine for the purpose of drinking wine can enjoy. Please don’t drink and drive.

Book Club

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:16:00 +0000

I’m off to “book club #1” (I’m lucky to be in two clubs so I conveniently call them BC1 and BC2). We read The White Elephant by Aravind Adiga and I’m bringing a bottle of Chablis as a gift. No, not a jug of white wine that you might recall seeing gathering dust on the shelves of your local liquor store, but a bottle of the good stuff, that is just as good (if not better if you know what to look for) as Chardonnay.

It’s going to be 80 degrees today, so bringing a bottle of chilled Chablis will be delightful.

Today’s wine selection is J. Moreau & Fils. The wine is a vintage 2006 made from 100% Chardonnay grapes (also called Beaunois – I looked this up) and under $20. What I have found fascinating with Chablis is that true Chablis is the purest representation of Chardonnay. Chablis is the name of a medieval city and the wine region (between Paris and Beaune). I did not know. The bottle we had a while ago was fresh and light with a compelling citrus blend and I’m certain this will be one of the bottles that we will drink tonight. I’ll report back tomorrow.

WineyJanet is all about finding good wines for a fair price that those of us “ordinary” people who love a glass a wine for the purpose of drinking wine can enjoy. Please don’t drink and drive.

"I Smell Dirt"

noreply@blogger.com (Winey Janet) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:17:00 +0000

I was eavesdropping on a conversation the other day while having a glass of wine with my husband. I was intent listening to Darin (husband) talk about his recent travels to Antigo, Wisconsin, but the guy sitting next to Darin was sticking his nose far into his glass of red wine and telling his friend that he “smells dirt”. I lost my concentration.

Smelling dirt is not something I seek to identify when having a nice glass of red wine, but it intrigued me to listen in on their conversation to find out more (yes, my husband will tell you that I’m a total “Gladys Kravitz”).

He proceeded to stir his wine, smell it, and discuss elements of his adult beverage.

The guy was obviously a connoisseur of wines (or at least he had a great public show that captured everyone’s attention around him…especially mine) but it’s this type of chatter that I find fascinating and more prevalent when people drink wine in a social setting. Why can’t knowledgeable wine drinkers simply drink a glass of wine like how other people drink beer or a sip a cocktail? Why do you have to smell anything? And, better yet, why do you have to tell people what you smell as if we are not capable of smelling anything? I understand, based on my basic and limited, knowledge of the components of wines, that the “dirt” smell is referring back to the aroma the smell of the terroir (territory conditions where the grapes were grown) but still, do you really need to talk about dirt or anything else you might smell in your glass? I don’t think so!

WineyJanet is all about finding good wines for a fair price that those of us “ordinary” people who love a glass a wine for the purpose of drinking wine can enjoy. Today’s wine selection is Layer Cake. The wine is a vintage 2006 Primitivo (a.k.a. Zinfandel). It is made from 100% Primitivo from Puglia, Italy. You can find it for under $20. The wine is purple in color and if you don’t have allergies you should be able to smell black fruit and cherries. If you can’t smell them…who cares, enjoy anyhow.