Want to buy things?
I’ve been getting really good at buying things lately…practice makes perfect!!
Anyway, I just got this wine glass rack and I can’t wait to put it up. This website is pretty good, check it out if you have any wine needs
http://www.wineenthusiast.com/
Delicious Sparkling White Wine from…England?
I didn’t believe it either. The only “wine” I’d had from England was truly awful, and probably cost about £1, which I purchased while an intern in London. At the time, my meager peasant’s salary couldn’t afford much more than that. If I remember correctly, the wine was an atrocious yellow-ish green color, which should have been my first indication that this wine should not actually be consumed unless already severely intoxicated, or to be drunk out of a paper bag whilst loitering under a bridge.
On a side note, did you know you can drink cheap champagne out of plastic cups on English trains?!
So it was with surprise that while reading the NY Times several weeks ago, that they suggested the Brits were making sparkling white wine to rival Champagne (that that’s Champagne with a capital C, not some knock-off from outside of France).
I took a trip to London this past June, and I made it a goal of mine to seek out some of this fabled wine. After asking some locals where I could find English wine, I was told that the supermarket chain, Waitrose, was a carrier. I opted to go with wine from the Ridgeview Estate, which the Queen herself drank at her 80th birthday, and whose Grosvenor Blanc de Blancs beat out Champagne for Decanter’s international trophy in 2010.
I took two bottles back across the pond, one for myself, and one as a souvenir for a faculty member in my office… Continue reading
Your Favorite Wine, Aug 2011??
Hey All,
We want your input! We are calling for our readers to comment on this post with their favorite wine and maybe a short (~100 word) description of why you enjoy it oh-so-much.
Lila and I will pick a few that sound awesome, try them ourselves, and then include your description in with our review. We are excited for this opportunity to get to know you guys a little better!!
Get Crackin’!!
-Mk and Lila
Folie à Deux, Ménage à Trois, California Red 2009
Napa Valley, California
$10.00
I’m sure most of you have heard about this wine and if you haven’t you better get out to the store and get yourself a bottle. I think that this is just about the most agreeable wine I have ever tasted. This is because Folie à Deux crafted this wine using a mixture of three of California’s heavy hitters: Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The end affect is a wine that suits almost any red palate, a good-humored wine perfect for sharing with friends. Out of 17 bottles, Ménage à Trois was the winner of the blind tasting at my Brown Bag Wine Party and for that reason and many others I give this wine a rating of 4!
My only complaint about this wine is that it’s name, while clever, comes off as so kitschy to me. Maybe I’m just being a snob but I always find myself cringing when I say it. Oh well, that is easy to get over after a little taste of this stuff.
You really get the best of both worlds with this wine. The Zinfandel starts things off with its signature jammy taste at the front of the mouth giving you a pleasant, cherry flavor that lingers as you drink. Then you are hit with the tannins of the Merlot and Cabernet that leave you with a bold and rich finish. You can really feel this wine change with its position in your… Continue reading
Wine Tasting in Central Arizona
On a recent trip to Flagstaff from Tucson, my guide wanted me to experience the cultural and scenic attractions of Jerome, Arizona–population 450. Expecting rednecks with guns (this is Arizona, after all), I was initially unimpressed at the first sight of the town’s dilapidated wooden buildings. But as we drove through the narrow, windy streets, the little place grew on me, and the layout of the town became reminiscent of similarly structured towns clinging to hillsides along the Italian coast… the only thing missing was the water… and, well, the history and general upkeep.
Okay, well… maybe with time… and global warming….
With my thoughts wandering to those Italian villages, it didn’t take me long to wonder, “there must be wine here.” Thankfully, there was.
First stop was the Caduceus Cellars and Merkin (yes, that’s right, like the pubic hair wig) Vineyard Wine Tasting Room in downtown Jerome. Begun by Maynard Keenan, lead singer of Tool, we had the Merkin Vineyards tasting flight. It was less expensive than the Caduceus flight, whose bottles were well out of my $20ish per bottle limit. It was, overall, unimpressive. Perhaps they are still honing their technique, or maybe the Caduceus flight was hording all the good wine, but nothing in our flight stood out enough for me to dish out $$ for a full bottle. The place was also crowded, so we didn’t get much individual attention or explanation about the wines. All was not lost, though, as we met a… Continue reading
Juiced Background by Britt Markey
We want to say a great big Thank You to Britt Markey for designing our background image! It is lovely, just like she is!!
You will be seeing plenty more of her artwork here on Juiced so stay tuned
Andre Champagne Cellars
California
$5
Andre got me through many a good night in college so I am tempted to give it a 5 star rating but my better judgment keeps me from doing so. But lets just be honest, there are some situations in life where a $5 bottle of champagne is not only appropriate but is damn near necessary. I do believe that these situations become fewer and farther between as we age but all the same, therein lies the beauty of Andre.
You may ask yourself, “What are these situations that you speak of?” so let me name a few for the sake of clarity. Hot-tubbing, late night dance parties, bottomless mimosas, making it rain, celebrating unemployment, etc, etc.
Too sweet, too flat, too blah…In the end, Andre is really better for shaking and spraying all over people than actually drinking and so I give it a rating of 1. You really can’t do much worse than Andre but that’s not to say we haven’t all been there at one point or another.
Disclaimer: Never underestimate the power of cheap champagne… or the powerful headache it will give you the next morning.
-Mk
Summer Sangria!
Wowie, it’s been a while since I have written but I need to get this recipe up while there are still summer BBQs to enjoy. I swear this is the BEST summer sangria recipe, believe me it’s a lady killer! Boys, make this at your BBQs and you will have all the girls in your backyard all summer.
It’s a white sangria so it’s a little unique (by the way, I would love some suggestions if anyone has a good recipe for a red). The peach and mango bits soak up all of the booze and make a delicious snack when you get to the bottom of your glass and the fresh mint adds a crispness that is perfect for a summer evening. I grow fresh mint in my garden, which I highly recommend because it grows like a weed and is such a nice touch in drinks or as a garnish for summer dishes.
I would recommend using either a Viognier or a Sauvignon Blanc for the wine in this recipe. They are generally bright and fresh and lend themselves nicely to the overall taste. To be honest with you I go with Blackbox’s Sav Blanc. First of all, as you can read in my review, I think that Blackbox is actually really great wine at a great price (4 star rating). Secondly, you get about four bottles in one box so you can make a lot of sangria if you are having… Continue reading
Brown Bag Wine Party!
Our fancy blind tasting procedure
I have the perfect party idea for you and all of your cheap friends! I’ve already given it a test run and it was a blast! Here is how it works…
Each person brings two bottles of the same wine to the party. It doesn’t matter what varietal you bring or how much money you spend, all bottles are on an even playing field at this party. One bottle immediately goes into the prize pile and the other is opened up. All of the opened bottles are given a number and the labels are hidden so that you can have a blind tasting. (We did this by putting all of the bottles into brown paper bags…I know, nice touch. I’m sure there is a more sophisticated way of doing this but I sort of liked the hobo-chic feeling of it).
So then during the party the guests try all of the wines, pick their favorite, and cast a vote. At the end of the night you tally up the votes and whoever brought the winning bottle gets to take home all of the unopened bottles as their prize!
We all played dress up for the night and made it a black tie affair which is fun because there aren’t very many reasons to get all dressed up these days. We ended up with 17 bottles of wine to try so everyone was quite drunk by the end of the night. I served dolmas, cheese, and… Continue reading
The Peñascal Estate, Tempranillo 2008
Castilla y Leon, Spain
$10.00
I have just been loving Tempranillo lately. Drinking a glass is like having a sexy, latin salsa teacher at your side for the night! It’s one of my go-to’s for those nights when I get all dressed up and am feeling sassy.
This black grape is native to Spain and get’s its name from the Spanish word “temprano”, meaning “early” because these grapes ripen weeks earlier than most other red varietals grown in Spain. Tempranillos are well known for being spicy, herbaceous, and slightly tannic.
Peñascal Estate’s Tempranillo has that spice that we are all looking for. It is a blend of grapes, mostly the Tempranillo varietal but with small amounts of Shiraz to add some complexity. It is aged in American oak, which compliments the earthiness of this wine perfectly. There are rich flavors of tart black cherry and tobacco but with an extremely smooth finish. It would be a perfect pairing for a meaty meal like braised beef, hearty pork chops, or a Portobello dish. It made me want some dark chocolate…and maybe that sexy, latin salsa teacher I mentioned earlier! I am going to give it a 4 and a big recommendation for your next dinner party.
Mk