A Cotes du Rhone and a Chardonnay

A Cotes du Rhone and a Chardonnay

In these days of high unemployment and global financial crisis, it’s nice to relax with a bottle of wine that doesn’t break your pocketbook. I’m here to sort out the memorable from the truly awful, and each bottle is under $10 unless noted otherwise.

label of cote du rhoneVidal-Fleury Cotes du Rhone 2010 Imported by W.J. Deutsch and Sons Ltd, White Plains, NY  Alcohol 14% by Volume; $12.99 at BevMo, on a 5 cent sale for two – $6.52 per bottle.

On the Label: “Established in 1781 in the Northern Rhone Valey, Vidal-Fleury is the oldest continuously operating winery in the Rhone Valley. Today we vinify and age wines from the Rhone’s renowned appelations, focusing on the choicest terroirs. This specific blend of Cotes du Rhone is a typical Southern Rhone wine, full bodied, smooth with young and fruity flavors.”

My Take: An easy-drinking wine. Cotes du Rhone wines are plentiful in Europe, and are as close as a guarantee of an easy to drink wine as I can possibly give you. When the hubby and I were in the Netherlands many moons ago, we stopped at a gas station slash market, and bought two bottles of Cotes du Rhone (not the Vidal-Fleury, it must be said) for under $10. The cashier smirked at us, but I will say it was VERY drinkable wine! If you go for an undemanding red wine that you just want to sip and not worry about, then this is a good one.

My Rating:  ~ Very Drinkable ~ An easy-going wine that won’t offend you or your guests.

Alexander Valley Vineyards Chardonnay 2010 Sonoma County, Wetzel Family Label for Alexander Valley Vineyards ChardonnayEstate  Alcohol 14% by Volume  $11.99 at Pavilions

On the Label: “Everything about the Alexander Valley – the morning fog, the soils, the cool night air – create the perfect conditions for growing Chardonnay. When that fruit is in the hands of a skilled winemaker, you get a stellar wine like this 2010 Estate Chardonnay. Vibrant flavors of green apples, ripe pears and citrus unfold in the glass, making it a fine companion with sauteed shrimp or creamy pasta dishes.

“This is a perfectly balanced wine, melding the crispness and richness of Chardonnay fermented and aged in both stainless steel and French oak barrels. Pour a glass and discover why our historic family-owned winery on the homestead of pioneer Cyrus Alexander continues to be recognized for producing superb estate wines that are superbly priced.”

My Take: Well, as usual, I have to gag over the label. The first paragraph isn’t bad, but the second? Let’s just say they lost me at “Pour a glass…” . It’s like an author writing the back of the book blurb, and then writing “now open up the book and start reading to see how brilliant it is.” Um, not too classy.

Okay, rant over. All that aside, the wine was a decent Chardonnay. It went well with roasted chicken and a spinach salad and some crunchy garlic bread (surprisingly well with the garlic bread, actually).  For those of you who are turning your backs on buttery Chardonnays, don’t worry – the oak on this wine isn’t heavy and the butter doesn’t overwhelm. Overall, it’s a clean, crisp wine with just a hint of creaminess to it.

My Rating: ~ Very Drinkable ~

That’s it for today, folks. It seems autumn has finally arrived in my neck of the woods, and soon we’ll be turning our clocks back. Remember to spread joy all throughout the year, and help your fellow humans in need whenever you can. Hugs!

As usual, this is just my honest opinion and depend upon my mood, the weather, and what cycle the moon is in. Your taste buds will differ.

~ Until the next time, cheers – and remember to drink responsibly! ~

Demon Soul, Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt are all available for the Kindle! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?

My rating system: Undrinkable, Barely Drinkable, Drinkable, Very Drinkable, and the ever popular Stay away! This is MY wine, you slut!

Two wines, 50% Off

Two wines, 50% Off

I have a love-hate relationship with the 50% Off shopping cart parked in the wine aisle at my local Pavillions grocery store. Half the time there’s nothing there I want to sample; the rest of the time there are deals too good to pass up. This post points up why sometimes, when dealing with Sale wine, a “too good” deal can cut both ways.

photo of the bottle of a woodbridge chardonnayWoodbridge California Chardonnay 2011 by Robert Mondavi Alcohol 13.5% by volume; 1.5L; Regular price $15.99, half price $8.00 at Pavillions.

On the Label:  “Our Chardonnay’s vibrant fruit, spice notes and creamy texture make it an elegant match for roasted chicken, grilled fish, fresh salads and creamy cheeses. Believing that wine should be an integral part of life, Robert Mondavi founded Woodbridge Wintery in 1979 to make fine wines for every occasion. He returned to his childhood roots in historic Lodi, California to craft wines using his signature techniques that combine rich tradition with state-of-the-art innovatin. To learn more, visit www.woodbridgewines.com .”

My take: I’ll be honest. I picked up this wine for three reasons: $8 for 1.5L, 2011 Chardonnay, and the Robert Mondavi name. I don’t remember but I believe when I first became aware of Woodbridge, they didn’t tie the Mondavi name to it; and I didn’t like what I tasted when I first found it, years ago now. So I almost never pick up Woodbridge wines. Plus, this was a bulk wine, and while I usually don’t mind bulk wines (especially chardonnays or pinot grigios), this was a Woodbridge bulk wine.

But I picked it up anyway. And for once, the label rang true. This wine went with chicken one night, fish the next. It was a terrific sipping wine for the cook; and because it was a 1.5 liter bottle, it lasted longer than two days which is always a plus.

My Rating: ~ Very Good ~ I went back to pick up another bottle, but didn’t find any still on sale. Found a lot of Woodbridge Muscat, which made me think that perhaps this bottle got mis-sale-labelled? If so, yay for me!

Byron Santa Maria Valley 2002 Chardonnay Alcohol 14.2% by volume; Regularphoto of bottle of Byron chardonnay 2002 price $18.97, 50% off for $9.49 at Pavillions.

On the Label: Santa Maria Valley’s unique combination of ultra-cool climate and very long growing season makes it a natural wonder of the winegrowing world.  This wine was proudly grown, produced, and bottled on our estate to achieve the ultimate expression of California Chardonnay. ~Ken Brown, Founder & Winemaker May be cellared for five years or more. www.byronwines.com

My Take: Oooookay. I was good with the label until the last line…”may be cellared for five years or more”. Since this is a 2002, five years would put it at 2007. A judicious “or more” would be two more years – which would put it at 2009. And here we are, at the tail end of 2012.

I was really looking forward to tasting this wine, as Byron has a good reputation. Unfortunately, ten years past the bottling date is (and I’m guessing here) 3 to 5 years too long, which makes me wonder a) why Pavillions still had enough of this wine to put more than a bottle or two in the cart for their 50% off sale and b) if it was a new purchase, for God’s sakes, why? Two questions I’ll never know the answer to, I’m guessing.

This wine was to go with the roasted chicken. I tasted it. Hubby tasted it. We opened the Woodbridge that night, instead, and I decided I’d turn the Byron into Sangria. I put it back in the fridge and forgot about it until a couple days later. The next time I noticed it? After tasting it again, I poured it down the drain.

My Rating: ~ Life’s Too Short to Drink Out-Of-Date Wine ~ (otherwise known as Undrinkable) I’m hoping another Byron wine will come my way, so I can do a proper tasting. But as I mentioned in another post, do NOT drink white wines any further out than five years from the date on the bottle, unless a) you paid a heck of a lot more than $10 for it and b) someone else is treating you.

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As usual, this is just my honest opinion and will totally depend upon my mood, the weather, and what cycle the moon is in. Your taste buds will differ.

~ Until the next time, cheers – and remember to drink responsibly! ~

Demon Soul, Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt are all available for the Kindle! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?

My Rating System: Undrinkable, Barely Drinkable, Drinkable, Very Drinkable, and the ever popular Stay away! This is MY wine, you slut!

Cameron Hughes Wines

Cameron Hughes Wines

In these days of high unemployment and global financial crisis, it’s nice to relax with a bottle of wine that doesn’t break your pocketbook. I’m here to sort out the memorable from the truly awful, and each bottle is either under $10 or close to it.

As we’re always looking for a bargain, when hubby stumbled on a Cameron Hughes wine in the 50% off bin at Vons, he promptly picked it up. Then a day later, there was a spread on Cameron Hughes wines at Costco, with a spokesperson there hawking the wines. He said basically that Hughes gets “first pick” of grapes from many different growers across the world, and then makes his wines based on the grapes he buys. So he doesn’t actually grow his own grapes (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

One of the issues, however, is that he doesn’t produce in quantity in any one year. So the wine at Costco was running low – and Costco likes volume. So Costco was selling the wines at a discount.

Below is my take on two of the wines of Cameron Hughes.

Cameron Hughes Evergreen Series 2006 Chardonnay Carneros Alcohol 14.5% by Volume; $4.50 at half price sale from Vons.

On The Label: “Cameron Hughes Wine is a trading company sourcing ultra premium wines from wineries and growers around the globe. Our Evergreen Series represents year-round availability and demonstrates our commitment to environmental sustainability.

“Our Carneros Chardonnay is sourced from the finest growers and winery partners. Because they produce wines for much more expensive projects they must remain anonymous. A rich multifaceted Chardonnay featuring bright layers of pear, apricot and honeysuckle flabors. Hints of toasted hazelnut and holiday spice complete this elegant wine.

“Through our partnership with Carbonfund.org, we purchase carbon offsets to ensure our Evergreen Series has zero net carbon impact on our environment. For more information visit www.chwine.com.”

My Take: I find the label high in the snob factor (“Our Carneros Chardonnay is sourced from the finest growers and winery partners. Because they produce wines for much more expensive projects they must remain anonymous.), plus the lack of commas is appalling. I guess they didn’t think to have anyone look at the label from a grammar standpoint. I guess you could say I’m a label snob; the less on the label, the more I like it. This label gets a huge D- from me.

That said, six years is about the limit you want to take a Chardonnay, especially one under $10 not on sale. This was just on the line of a respectable Chardonnay. I am not sure, though, if I’d waited even a week, that the wine would have been any good.  It was an acceptable accompaniment to the panko-fried fish we had for dinner.

However, I was very surprised at the high alcohol content of this wine. I prefer my whites in the 13% range, and did find this wine a bit astringent.

My Rating: ~ Drinkable ~  Though I suggest finding a 2009 Chardonnay, and avoiding the 2006 at this point. The good reviews I found were from 2008.

Cameron Hughes Lot 234 2009 Meritage Atlas Peak, Napa Valley Alcohol 14.2% by Volume; $11.99 at Costco.

On The Label: “Cameron Hughes is an international negociant, sourcing and producing small lots of high quality wine from the world’s best regions. Cameron offers a diverse range of wines uniquely represented by the Lot number on this label.

“Lot 234 is rich with wild berries, violet and herbacious flavors. Exotic fruit and savory notes compete for attention. True Atlas Peak. Outstanding.”

My Take: Regarding the label, the snob factor is still there. Plus I’m irritated that they didn’t list the types of grapes melded in this “meritage”. Just because they say it’s one doesn’t mean it is, especially if they don’t name the grapes. Makes me suspicious, but that’s me I guess.

That said, I did enjoy this wine. It’s got a nice flavor, is juicy and big, and went perfectly with our grilled steaks and corn on the cob. I bought two bottles, thinking this is a wine I’ll like, and I’m glad I did as there aren’t any more in Costco.

My Rating: ~ Very Drinkable ~

Overall, regarding Cameron Hughes wines, I will not go out of my way to find, or consume, any more. The labels with their snobbish attitude were a huge turnoff. I’d much rather press the hand of the winery owner as I stand in their tasting room, and hear his stories of the latest harvest. I’d much rather stroll the vineyards on a chilly spring morning.  Maybe that’s the California girl in me, but I like having that connection, even when buying wines in the grocery store. Cameron Hughes wines doesn’t go out of their way to reach me as a consumer. They’re targeting someone with a bigger wallet, I guess. And that is totally their prerogative.

Cameron Hughes feels like a big wine corporation, not a person. I prefer my wines to be personable. Am I being unreasonable? Perhaps. But I doubt my opinion will matter that much in the grander scheme of things.

As usual, this is just my honest opinion and depend upon my mood, the weather, and what cycle the moon is in. Your taste buds will differ.

~ Until the next time, cheers – and remember to drink responsibly! ~

Demon Soul, Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt are all available for the KindleHave you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?

My Rating System: Undrinkable, Barely Drinkable, Drinkable, Very Drinkable, and the ever popular Stay away! This is MY wine, you slut!

 
Wrestling with Recipes – Vegetarian

Wrestling with Recipes – Vegetarian

Sorry about the lack of blog posts the last couple of weeks. I’m finding healing takes up a lot of energy! I am, however, getting a lot of work done on my latest book, so that’s a plus.

But as I get stronger, I am at last cooking again and enjoying it. Getting adventurous. So, yesterday I made this terrific recipe that ended up being more of a pain than it needed to be. (Afterwards, I was a zombie. And it wasn’t the wine I drank that made me a zombie! I guess I need to cook something less ambitious for now.)

Cover of Vegetarian Cook BookI’d bought this book called Vegetarian, over 300 healthy and wholesome recipes chosen from around the world, pubbed by Metro Books with Nicola Graimes listed as the Consultant Editor. (If you click on the link, it’ll take you to Amazon.)

So there’s no one driving Chef force behind the recipes, which may account for the rather randomness of it. And while this is a Vegetarian cook book, they use a lot of dairy and eggs and cheese throughout, which surprised me. Plus there’s NO nutritional information, so don’t go looking for it.

There is, however, a comprehensive introduction and discussion on the basic vegetarian whole food diet, the essentials you need for good health, and over 100 pages on The Vegetarian Kitchen and what to stock and why. Interesting reading, and I’m glad I picked it up in the bargain bin when Borders was going out of business. (Sniff…I miss my Borders!)

Anyway. I’d found this meal in the book called Potato Rosti and Tofu with Fresh Tomato and Ginger Sauce (pg. 312). Since we’re trying to eat a couple meals a week meat-free, and since I have a back yard full of tomatoes, this looked like a good start.

My first hangup? The recipe called for 3 3/4 cups of tofu, cut into 1/2 inch pieces. How do you buy 3 and 3/4 cups of tofu? I went by weight, only later realizing that weight doesn’t equal – well, never mind. I wish they had just said buy one 16 oz block of Tofu. I ended up buying 32 ounces of tofu (two 16 oz blocks) – which frankly was 16 ounces too many (but they were on sale, so I lucked out).

Then the recipe had me marinating the cut-up pieces in a TERRIFIC marinade – but there wasn’t enough marinade, so I had to double the recipe. (I’m finding that to be true very often. Is it just me? Or do recipes tend to skimp on marinade amounts?) After an hour of marinating, scatter on a cookie sheet then bake until crispy, 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Um, let me just say – there is no way, even with turning, that you’ll get crispy tofu in an oven. No way. The only way, in my experience, to get crispy tofu is to fry it. If I’m wrong I’d love someone to explain how to do it! My tofu, after baking, was still soft (and yes, I used extra firm).

The rosti was fun – 2 lbs of potatoes cut in large chunks and boiled, cooled, then grated into shreds. Season with salt & pepper, then form by hand into potato cakes, and fry in a thin layer of oil for 6 minutes per side. This recipe made more than we needed, and we ended up using the leftovers for dinner tonight – but would be spectacular with breakfast, as well.

Then there’s a sauce – you add the marinade to 8 chopped up tomatoes and some olive oil in a hot pan, and cook the heck out of it. The recipe called for me to strain the sauce to get rid of the skins, but by that time I’d been in the kitchen far too long to do such nonsense. (By the way – this is a long slog in the kitchen. Easily two hours, with minimal time to just sit and stare at nothing. This is not a recipe you want to make on a busy weeknight with the kids screaming in hunger.)

Two rosti, a scatter of tofu, and topped with the delish sauce. Add a tossed green salad, and it was a wonderful meal. EXCEPT – when I make this again, I will split a cake of tofu in half width wise, then cut in quarters before marinading. None of this 1/2 inch crap. After marinating, I’ll probably dip it into some – oh darn, forgot the name of it…rice based dry stuff – anyway, dip it in that and then fry it quickly for the crispy.

I might add an egg to the rosti, just to keep the potato cakes from separating so easily in the pan. That was a minor headache.

All in all, the men loved the dish. LOVED it. It was a light and yet filling meal, with an label for Alexander Valley Vineyards ChardonnayAsian flair that everyone appreciated. The hubby and I shared half a bottle of Alexander Valley Vineyards 2010 Chardonnay, regularly $18.00 but on sale for $11.99 at Vons. A terrific addition to the meal, though a Sauvignon Blanc would have worked as well.

This is the first recipe I’ve made out of this book, and I think before I make another one I will read the recipe carefully and see where the traps are for the unwary cook. I’d much rather change something up as I go, than buy ingredients I don’t need.

Wrestle Factor (time + grrr moments):  ~ High ~  
Taste/Likeability Factor: ~ High~
A Remake? ~ Yes, Absolutely, With Variations ~

Do you have cookbooks that you always have to “fix” the recipe? Or are you a slave to how it’s written? AND – What’s your favorite cookbook? With the advent of the internet, I do a lot of last minute “what do I want to make tonight” searches, but I still prefer to skim through a cookbook in my lazy time and think of filling happy bellies. What about you?

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Thanks so much for stopping by! If you like this post, do let me know. I’m thinking about having a regular feature on recipes if there’s any interest. Of course, I may do it anyway, because I’m like that, lol! Cheers, and remember to drink responsibly!

White Wine Spritzers for Summer

White Wine Spritzers for Summer

It’s hot. Muggy. The humidity is rising faster than the heat, and the air conditioning can barely keep up. What’s a rational person to drink while barbecuing pizza at night, with the temps still in the upper 80s?

Try a white wine spritzer. Any white wine will do, actually, but I like going for the less expensive wines. Here’s the recipe:

One large glass – either a tumbler or a big wine glass.
Fill with ice
Fill half full with white wine
Squeeze half a small lemon or lime or – heck – an orange – into the wine (or get fancy, like the picture)
Add sparkling water (soda water) to the brim

(Contrariwise, you can always add some Sprite or 7-Up or other lemon-lime type soda instead of plain soda water. But beware; you add calories, too.)

Last night’s Spritzers were made with two different wines.

Side By Side 2010 California Chardonnay Alcohol 13.5% by volume; closeout sale at Vons, under $10.

On The Label: “Beyond the strategic relationship, so many of us from both nations have fought literally side by side, that this modern relationship between the US and UK military means a great deal to us. It has a depth and an emotion to it that is profound.”     –Major General Phil Jones

Proceeds to benefit Azalea Charities Aid for Wounded Warriors program at http://azaleacharities.org ”

My Take: This was an easy-drinking wine, and the soda water and lemon made it go down even easier. I tried and failed to find the wine on-line; the label is a beautiful painting of two soldiers, one wearing a US flag, one wearing a UK flag. I wish I knew more about the wine; and where to get it. As it was on close out sale, my guess is its gone from the places I usually get wine.

My Rating: ~ Drinkable ~ Perfect for a Spritzer, but just as drinkable without the extras.

Discoveries Vineyards 2009 California Chardonnay Alcohol 13.5% by Volume Label of Discoveries Vineyards Chardonnay showing a pier stretching out to Anacapa Island, California$7.99 at Vons

On The Label: “It’s not always the journey that changes our lives. It’s often the discoveries we make along the way. Our first discovery shows the silhouette of Ventura Pier and Anacapa Island in the distance warmed by the setting sun. Our second discovery is this Chardonnay. Both are soft and tranquil. Only one has fresh fruit and toasted oak in the finish.”

My Take:  I sipped this wine straight out of the bottle after Tom made me a spritzer with it, just so I could get a sense of it. I went back to the spritzer. It turns out the lime/lemon added along with the soda water really made a difference in how the wine tasted, which made it perfect for a spritzer.

My Rating: ~ Perfect for a Spritzer ~ A new rating. I would otherwise rate it on the Barely Drinkable to Drinkable scale.

Two More Wines For Summer (that I would not use for Spritzers):

photo of the Cupcake Vineyards Angel Food wine bottleIf you haven’t yet tried Cupcake Vineyards 2011 Angel Food, do give it a try. At first taste it does remind me of angel food cake, which is my all-time favorite. It’s got a great vanilla flavor with a little more than a hint of sweetness, cut by some green apple. I was vastly surprised that I liked it. My Rating: ~ Very Drinkable ~ Under $10 at Vons, on sale.

Also new to the stores is Be. Fresh Chardonnay 2011. Introductory price under $10; don’t know how long that will last. It’s a Beringer Vineyards wine, so the lineage is strong. I liked it; fresh, fruity, and when really cold, revitalizing. It was not in a typical Chardonnay-style bottle, but I got over it pretty quickly, lol. My Rating: ~ Very Drinkable ~ (I couldn’t grab a picture of the bottle – but here’s the web page http://bewinery.com/fresh.php .)

As usual, this is just my honest opinion and depend upon my mood, the weather, how many political ads I’ve been bombarded with, and if Mercury is in Retrograde or not. Your taste buds will differ.

~ Until the next time, cheers – and remember to drink responsibly! ~

DEMON HUNT Arrives July 16, 2012!

My Rating System: Undrinkable, Perfect for a Spritzer, Barely Drinkable, Drinkable, Very Drinkable, and the ever popular Stay away! This is MY wine, you slut!