Arena Valley Vineyard, Idaho

Hmm....Not bad.
I'm sampling the Snake River 2006 Merlot from Arena Valley Vineyard in my hotel room. I've already had dinner, so Im sipping it alone. It's quite nice. Lots of berry flavors, oaky, not too light, gentle tannins.

The label boasts of violets on the nose along with fresh berries...medium bodied with soft tannins. Yup, I agree, except for the violets. It's a descent wine. I'm not a Merlot fan, but I've found during this wine journey that a few are quite nice. This is one of them. It is a stand alone and would certainly compliment the typical red wine dishes as well.

I went to the website, and I have to say that I'm impressed. This winery offers 17 different wines, and from what I read most if not all the grapes come from this vineyard.

I found this wine by going to a beer/wine retailer in historic downtown Idaho Falls and inquired about local wine. I paid $18.00 for this Merlot, but on the Snake river website it retails for $14.00. I do think $18 is a bit much, but $14.00 is reasonable.

Does $4.00 really matter? Well, yes and no. $4.00 doesn't make me any richer or poorer, but it could potentially make a difference when I'm wine shopping. I don't know why, but it would.

This has been educational, I didn't think Idaho had wine, I briefly googled it before I arrived and did not find any wineries, but evidently there are a few. The helpful lady at the wine store told me of Chapelle, which is a popular Idaho wine that is sold at the local grocery stores. I actually found it at Walmart for $6.97 a bottle. I may try some before I leave, if I do - i will definitely blog on it.

The Vino Rosso place I mentioned in my prior blog is also in historic downtown. It's basically a restaurant. I am still intrigued and will hopefully go there for supper tomorrow.

I have never noticed an Idaho wine at any of the wine stores I shop at home. But if any of the other wines from the Arena Valley Vineyard are as good as this one, then maybe one day soon Idaho will it's place among notable wine producers.

You never know.

Until then, Cheers!!

Idaho Falls....

Well, thats where Im headed, so we shall see what wines I can find to blog about for week 19 (wow - is it really week 19? It seems like I just started this journey).

I'm thinking Idaho is not the premier place for wines.... potatoes maybe, but since I'm not blogging about potatoes - that doesn't do me much good.

I think I might have found a fun place online. It's called Vino Rosso. It's not a winery, but rather a place for wine. I'm intrigued.

I can't wait - I love Thursdays!!!. It will be an adventure.

Stay tuned......

Spicy...not so much

Well, as usual things did not go as planned. We initially thought we might enjoy this Washington Hills Gewurztraminer wine with sushi. But, life got in the way and it just didn't work out, so we ended up with pizza...don't ask.
Anyway, the wine was chilled and savored with a slice of pepperoni. And....it wasn't spicy. My hubby described it as fruity, appley, and light. I thought I tasted a spiciness, but it was just the pepperoni.
Dont get me wrong, it's a nice, light, easy drinking wine. It's not too fruity and not too tart. It would be a nice addition to any wine rack. Would I buy it again???? Probably. It's just that I'm not often in the mood for white wines, it seems my palate craves red.
On that boring note. I'm ending this blog for tonight. I'm too tired to think anymore about anything - except that next Thursday is the 29th. I have to go get another Washington state wine.
I'm not even sure if my DF has made it yet.
Well DF. where ever you are...Cheers!!

It rhymes with "Shmawurzt-shmaraminer"

There is a movie entitled "Knocked Up" with Seth Rogen and Kathryn Heigl. At some point during the movie, Seth Rogan's friend is recommending a solution to a problem. Rather than just come out and say it, he adds a "Shma" to the word, preceeding it with, "It rhymes with". I find that method of "not" saying something particularly funny.

In this case, if you don't already get it. Tomorrows vino is a 2009 Paradise Peak Washington State Gewurztraminer that I purchased at Total Wine for $11.00.

According to the back label, "Gewurz" means spicy. I found that interesting as historically, spicy is not a word I would have used to describe a Gewurztraminer. But, I haven't had this type of wine in years, so maybe my palate has evolved enough to notice that. The serving recommendations are either Asian cuisine or light meat. So, of course I will serve it with something other than that.

According to the Google search I did, the name is obviously German, but the French have had the most success with this type of wine (I assume in terms of production and sales) but it actually originated in Italy.

I hate to say it, but I'm not really looking forward to drinking wine tomorrow. I've picked up a bit of a cold and am feeling poorly - so much so that I left work early yesterday and took off today. Sometimes when you have a cold, your sense of taste is dampened somewhat. But, maybe that spiciness will shine through and make me smile. We shall see.

Until tomorrow....Cheers!!

I'm in love....

So, tonight my hubby and dear friend (DF) opened my Washington state bottle of Apex 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley.
It was waiting for me when I got home from work. My DF is supposed to be moving westward, but has had a few delays and stayed the last 2 nights at my house. She is expected to leave in the morning, so tonight we are celebrating life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and sharing this lovely bottle of wine.
I have to say, the label is completely boring. This one is by far the most unassuming, pay-no-attention-to-me label. I would like to reach out to the label creator and have a word. I would say "really???" "Could you be any more nondescript and lifeless". Luckily the wine has much more to say than the label.
When I purchased this wine, along with 2 others to celebrate my DF, I did not save the receipt. So, I had to look up the retail value as I couldn't even begin to remember. It seems $15.00 is about what you would pay. This is a good price and a great wine.
It is definitely a stand alone, it does not "crave food", but would pair nicely with a variety of dishes. My hubby served it with a baked chicken, grilled squash and edamame. It was wonderful. The wine is light enough that it would go with virtually anything.
I am in love with this wine for several reasons. First, it is nice and light. It states Cabernet Sauvignon on the label, but once tasted, it's lighter than you would expect. Upon further investigation, you will find it's actually a red table wine or blend because it does have 5% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot.
That small percentage makes the wine complex, yet light. It does not have the heavy, in-your-face taste of a pure Cabernet. This is why I feel in love. It has the complexity, the name, the predominance of the Cabernet (testosterone), but then you realize this lovely lightness (sensitivity) and you have the perfect wine (man). Wow.

These shoes are made for running, and this wine is made for drinking!!

I made 2 magnificent purchases this weekend. The shoes are Saucony Progrid Kinvara. Completely awesome, neon pink, fits like a glove, perfect running shoe. You see, I fancy myself a runner - jogger actually. For me, buying new running shoes is almost (almost, not quite) as good as buying a new car. I totally love the new smell, the new feel. I love it, I love it.

The next magnificent thing I purchased was this Lucky Star 2009 Pinot Noir from Graton, California which is Sonoma County wine country. The label reads: "Star light, star bright, your Pinot Noir wishes have been granted" I thought that very catchy.

The label further describes ripe raspberry and red cherry. Thats an accurate description as it is a fruity wine, but not too sweet or grape juicy. I was so proud of my 21 year old wine connoisseur daughter. She took a sip and right away identified the raspberry while I was still fumbling around with my wine glass and looking for my glasses and wine journal.

The wine had a bit of a tart finish initially, but this smoothed out beautifully as we slowly drank it with our lunch. The last sentence on the label is quite thoughtful "May our wine shine brightly at your table and bring good fortune to you and those who share it". What a lovely thought.

If you're not a Pinot Noir fan, you likely won't like this wine as it is on the light side. If your on the fence, this one will probably push you right over into being a fan.

We purchased a bottle at the restaurant for $15.00. It was $7.50/glass, and a nice full glass it was. Actually the entire lunch was fabulous. It was by sheer luck that we ended up at a place called Brix American Bistro in Great Falls. It was excellent. The food was fabulous and our server was very attentive. The food took a bit long to get to us, but we were in no hurry so it was not an issue.

We will definitely return to this restaurant and I will definitely shop for this wine the next time I'm at a wine store.

So Cheers, and here's to great shoes and great wine.

Washington State

Tonight we tried the Gordon Brothers 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley in Washington.
The wine is quite nice, even my hubby agreed.

The label describes black currant, rich berry flavors, chocolate and leather and moderate tannins. I would agree except for the chocolate. I would have described it as smokey. It does have a bit of a lingering peppery finish, but it's not overwhelming, just kind of floats around on the tongue. The label describes it as a "smooth, toasty, lingering finish". I liked the word "toasty" - it's a great word for this wine.

As usual we didn't pair it with the recommendations, which was intensely flavored meat and bone in steak with mushroom sauce. I can see how this wine would pair wonderfully with a steak. It would be quite grand actually.

All in all, a keeper for the wine rack. However, with a price tag of over $20, I do believe you could do just as well with a Simi, Jekel or even a Newman's Own.
It would thrill me if someone gave me this as a gift, and I would purchase it as a gift, but not likely to buy it again for a "must have" in my wine rack.

On a final note, from the time I uncorked the bottle until now has been about an hour, and I must say the wine opened up quite nicely. The bouquet is more intense, the taste smoothed out with the "toasty" finish softening to just a gentle lingering flavor.

On that happy note, I'm off to slumber. This day was long and rainy and gray and dreary.

This blog was boring, but the wine was good.

Cheers!!

Lots and lots of vino

Much wine was imbibed on Sunday. It was wonderful to see what wine my friends brought with them.
The lovely expectant couple brought 7 deadly Zins. I don't care who ya are, this is a very flavorful, full bodied wine that is easy to enjoy.
The realtor brought Estancia Merlot (and some totally yummy cupcakes).
My dear friend brought a 181 Merlot and a Willowcroft Albarino.
And my volleyball teammate brought a Prosecco.
I completely forgot to buy a Newman's Own Cabernet. But if I would've remembered, it would have been a big hit. It's an exceptional wine, but since I hosted the party and provided all the food, it didn't bother me too much.
Back to the wine....First, the 7 deadly Zins. Just so ya know. It's a Zinfandel from the Lodi region in California. Evidently thats the place to go if you like Zin. Anyway, the wine comes from 7 different growers, hence the name 7 Zins. It's a great wine, great price, with a great full in your face taste. What more could you want? The couple that brought it are really nice folks. She is 5 months along and he is.....a great guy. My daughter and I thought he was gay when we first met him. It's a long story, but he obviously is not, and he obviously has good taste in wine.
The Estancia Merlot was nice. The Realtor that brought it was more fun than the Merlot. She was funny and friendly and high energy. Actually wine spectator gave the 08 Merlot 86 points - Not bad, but I liked her better.
The 181 Merlot. Well, this was good. Nice flavor, smooth finish. This is a Borderaux style Merlot - meaning, it's from California, but we copied the French.
Finally, the Willowcroft Albarino. That's my dear friends favorite winery, so she brought a bottle. It's a lovely white wine, very tart and citrusy, not sweet, but not too dry either.
And last but not least, my volleyball friend brought an awesome Prosecco. This one was a Riondo Spago Nero. It was fun fun fun!! Not too dry, not sweet, easy on the tongue. We downed it quickly.
It was a great barbecue!!
As I mentioned, the rest of September is all about Washington State wine in honor of my dear friend that is leaving for greener pastures - So I went to Total Wine and bought several. For tomorrow, we will be having the Gordon Brothers 2008 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for $23.00. It's the first bottle on the top picture. According to the wonderfully helpful gentlemen from Total Wine. We should LOVE IT!!

It's not a barbecue, it's a wine tasting!!

Tomorrow we are having a barbecue for a dear friend. She will soon be leaving us to go westward. To commemorate my dear friend and the many glasses of vino we have shared through the years, I am going to make the rest of my Thursdays through the month of September Washington state wines. What better way to "Cheers" to my friend.
As a final bash, tomorrows celebration will not only include celebrating friendship (as well as Labor Day), with a menu of ribs, beans, potato salad and corn on the cob, but I've told everyone to bring their favorite bottle of wine and we would have our own wine tasting.
I can't wait to see what everyone brings. My own contribution of wine will be Newman's Own Cabernet Sauvignon. It's one of my all time favorites.
So, hopefully lots of new stuff to blog about tomorrow and starting Thursday - It's all about the state of Washington!!

Petit Sirah from Hopper Creek

What an awesome shirt. I haven't even worn it yet, but I do have plans to wear it the next time I take my bike out on the W & OD.

Now to the wine. This 2006 Sirah is a lovely dark color. The label describes it as a "big inky wine". That's good verbiage. It goes on to further describe "mounds of fruit accompanied by substantial yet smooth tannins.....the soil is shallow and consists of Pleasanton Loam". I have never heard of Pleasanton Loam. Google time..... Nothing major, just the dirt or soil in that area.

Well after having tasted this inky wine, both my hubby and I agree that it is quite nice. It starts off very flavorful and fruity like the label indicated, but it finishes with a bit of a metallic taste - not overwhelmlingly so, but it is notable. It's not quite a stand alone, I think it does "crave food" a bit.

I do not remember how much this bottle cost. I tried to look it up, but was not able to locate it. I asked my hubby if he remembered how much it cost, and his response was "I think you got it for free, because you flashed your b---s!! My response, was "No, I did not in fact flash my b---s, I only took off my ---!! So there!! And I specifically remember it was not free, the shirt was free, we paid heavily for the wine.

As usual, I'm not serving it with the recommended dishes of either grilled steak, lamb and roast duck. Instead we are having "lechon asado" (roast pork) with black beans and rice. The pork is roasted until tender, then pan seared. The wine complimented it quite nicely. It didn't shatter any world records, but it was nice. Would I buy it again?? Well, maybe not. But I would still remove a specific piece of clothing to get the totally cool bicyclist shirt.
Until next week...CHEERS!!