Eno

Posted on April 1, 2014 by melsmosaic

Checked out a (new to me) wine bar in Georgetown (DC) last week — Eno. It’s part of a national chain with other locations in San Francisco, Chicago, and Southern California.

They have a both a wine and food menu (oh, beer, too, if needed). They serve wine in flights and by the glass. Oh, they have wine on tap, too ($5 during Happy Hour). They had a special on that day for a blind flight. If you could identify all three wines you received 10% off. I had to try it. I got 1 of 3 right — a very earthy Pinot from Oregon. They only way I guessed it was from how light it was, color and body-wise. Otherwise the flight had a Bordeaux and another old world wine I could never have placed.

Food-wise we went for some amazing olives, a variety of meats and some delicious pizza.

I would definitely recommend giving Eno a try. Many options from food to wine and great service!

Saturday Wine Tasting

Posted on March 4, 2014 by melsmosaic

I checked out a great wine tasting on Saturday and some of the wines made it home — can never go wrong with that. It was at Wine Cellars of Annapolis and the theme/title was Value Imports from Vintus Wines. We suffered through 3 whites and 3 reds from a total of 4 countries.

2012 Talmard Macon-Chardonnay, Burgundy, France

Per the cheat sheet: Gerald and Philbert Talmard are a father son team carrying on a four century family tradition of grape growing in the French village of Chardonnay, believed to have given the grape its name. The vines are planted in calcareous soil, which provides the wine with a particular mineral characteristic along with fruity aromas. This wine is luscious, showing scents and flavor of butterscotch, honey and lemon with a distinct mineral taste on the finish. $14.99

My notes: Dry Chard (score!), with some butter at the end. Unique in the sense that you wonder how it’s a Chard then voila! There it is right at the finish.

2010 Domaine Des Baumard Savennieres, Loire Valley, France (if you want to check out their true site, here it is, in French obviously — www.baumard.fr)

Per the cheat sheet: “This is perfectly balanced dry Chenin. It had just the amount of richness, aided by a touch of vanilla. The green and white fruit are blended with deceptively soft acidity to give a wine that feels full and ripe in the mouth. Good to drink now, but also worth aging 3-4 years and more.” 93 points Wine Enthusiast $26.99

My notes: Too sweet for me.

2013 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand

Per the cheat sheet: “This is powerful and rich with a reserve and tension. Full and layered with beautiful dried fruits and a bright acidity. Dried apricots and lemons. Lots going on. Loving it. Turns to aniseed and dried lemons.” – James Suckling $22.99

My notes: AMAZING smell — grapefruit, mango. But, the taste doesn’t match the nose.

2011 Tommasi Valpolicella “Rafael”, Veneto, Italy

60% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella, 15% Molinara

Per the cheat sheet: This classic Valpolicella is full of dried-cherry flavor with a hint of smoke and grilled meat on the nose. Offering loads of bold fresh cherries on the palate and a core of mouth-watering acidity in the background behind all the bright cherry fruit. Tart dried cherries and a whiff of smoke linger in a long finish. $16.99

My notes: Cherry, smooth, light but still has body, cranberry. Big stars on my piece of paper. Left with a few bottles — and enjoyed it 1while watching the Red Carpet and Oscars on Sunday.

2010 Heartland Shiraz, Langhorne Creek, Limestone Coast, Australia

Made by star winemaker Ben Glaetzer, this deliciously dark and rich Shiraz has hints of chocolate, pepper and tobacco leaf on the nose. Plums, blackcurrant and spice flavors abound on the palate and are perfectly balanced by fine supple tannins. $19.99

My notes: Coffee, smoke, amazing, light acid taste, will get some soon.

2009 Chatean Lyonnat Lussac Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France

Per the cheat sheet: “Firm, richly dark wine from the Saint-Emilion satellite village of Lassac, with chocolate and coffee flavor, layers of wood and spice. It is packed with ripe plum and black cherry fruits, weighty and already concentrated.” 90 Points Wine Enthusiast $24.99

My notes: Light wine, taste of ‘wet rocks’ — we know exactly what those taste like, right? So funny who we know the taste of random things.

Overall, some great new finds!

Screw Top Art

Posted on February 13, 2014 by melsmosaic

I can get crafty on the side and the past few years have been having fun. For awhile I was making cork wreaths. I sent notes out to all those I know to save those precious things some throw away when they open their lovely adult beverage and also went around to restaurants to collect them. I made one wreath for myself and then was given 3 enormous bags of corks from a restaurant and gifted and gifted wreaths after hours of labor. Also make cork trivets after buying the frames.

But, there is more fun…screw top wreaths. First, though screw tops are becoming more common, when you try to collect/gather them, they don’t come nearly as quickly as corks. It took me a long to gather enough to make a wreath. Then, when wreath making began, *($%^. There is not nearly the surface area of a cork! This was not as much fun as I thought. After a couple hours, I decided putting cotton balls in the screwtops would give me more surface area. After many months of (more) off and on labor hours, the screw top wreath is complete! I did this tonight while enjoying some great South African wine after just booking a trip to South Africa…there will be many food and wine reports to come in a few months. The wine I enjoyed was one of my favorites, the Wolftrap Red Blend of Syrah, Mourvedre and Viognier.

And, the original wreath I worked on a couple years ago…good old fashioned corks.

Dip & Sip

Posted on February 7, 2014 by melsmosaic

I have a passion for baking and whipped up some Cappuccino Chocolate Chip biscotti last week. My friend and I finished dinner and we needed dessert so I went and found the remaining pieces of the goodies I’d baked. As we were sitting there enjoying our red wine, as well, I said…try dipping it in there. She looked at me for a second, went ahead with the suggestion and never turned back.

Many people equate biscotti with coffee, but find the right wine and the right flavor of treat to dunk and you have an amazing match! At this point in the night we were on my local ‘Two (or three) Buck Chuck’ since I can’t get Trader Joe’s wine because I live in MD. I get Pepperwood Grove (Pinot Noir for this circumstance) for $4.44 down the street at Rodman’s. Love it!

I work on savory biscotti, as well, that pairs nicely with a variety of white wines. Give them a try, dip & sip away!

Italian Find

Posted on February 6, 2014 by melsmosaic

I will admit, I lean hard towards new world wines. I have no problem with others but don’t seek them out. Had some friends over recently who brought a nice Italian vino and wow, that is what reminded me I need to remember where wine started. We enjoyed Savuto Odoardi, which is a blend of Gaglioppo, Greco Nero, Nerello Cappuccio, Magliocco Canino and Sangiovese. Just great tastes all around, and it didn’t even breathe much. Looking online, retails for $13-$18, depending on where you live.

New California Pinot

Posted on January 26, 2014 by melsmosaic

Was checking out some wine tastings yesterday and had a (red) wine recommended to me that was not on the tasting menu. As we got to talking about great grapes and new world wine (my favorite), the pourer/sampler/whatever you’d like to call them, recommended Meiomi Pinot Noir from California. The grapes are from 3 regions in the state — Monterey, Santa Barbara and Sonoma. Quite unique — definitely a light color (very Pinot), but was tough to nail down the flavors at first. Got a bit a spice, then some light vanilla/candy, and a bit of fruit. Also, a vintner who’s using screwtops, if that’s something that catches your attention. Worth trying. At the great store of Rodman’s in DC (a wine lover’s pitfall, among two others in the area) it was $16.

I passed!

Posted on January 20, 2014 by melsmosaic

In the fall I took the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) II wine course (which I posted about after each class) through the Capital Wine School. We learned about wine, from start to finish, how to smell it, taste it, know it, rate it, x, y, z. Then, there’s of course a test when you take a course. This thing was hard. I hadn’t studied for an exam for awhile (at least a non-open book one) and you would think studying about wine would be fun. I didn’t get around to making flashcards, but was close (and some people did). I studied for hours and it was a multiple choice test! When all was said and done, I passed. I have know successfully completed the WSET II Course. Debating III…it’s pricey and apparently that test it even worse. Multiple choice, essay and blind tasting. But, we’ll see, it could be fun. Taste on, my friends, taste on.

Wine Recap

Posted on January 19, 2014 by melsmosaic

Over the past month, I’ve had a nice spread of new wines that I’m finally getting around to posting about. From red to white to bubbly, I love trying new happy grapes to add options to my wine rack.

#1 — Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand. Citrus, apple, crisp, light, but still a nice weight to it. Price seems to range from $10-$16/bottle (when looking online).

#2 — Oakley Eighty-Two, California Red Wine. Who makes this one? One of my favorite vintners — Cline. Nice red blend that’s a bit heavier (jammy) and can pair with about anything. Great to have on hand to open and serve (or drink) whenever needed. Price is about $10-$12/bottle.

#3 — Diseno Old Vine Malbec, Argentina. Fruit and spice can make a wine so nice. Price is $8-$10.

#4 — Bleasdale Vineyards Sparkling Shiraz, Australia. I seek out sparkling reds. This one is better than some but a bit sweet. Was drinking it on New Year’s Day, though, so very fun for the occasion. Definitely worth trying. Price is $16-$20. Note, the picture in the link is different than the one below, they might have changed the bottle/label.

#5 — Alvarez de Toledo Roble, Spain. Just a nice red wine. I was at a friend’s place for dinner and it was out and it was so nice. Doing some searching looks like it’s about $8-$10 bottle.

Wente Chardonnay, Livermore Valley, California. Some apple, some tropical fruit. Aged in both barrels and stainless steel tanks it’s a very unique wine. Definitely a Chard I’ll add to my list. About $12-$14.

#6 — Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz, Australia. Berries, a hint of chocolate and smoke and a bit of pepper. Very nice. About $20-$25.

Spanish Food, Good Taste, Nice Price

Posted on January 10, 2014 by melsmosaic

There always seem to be new places opening in this area and it’s fun to actually check them out. There is this new one in Bethesda, MD (part of a franchise) who’s name is tough to figure out based on the font but after discussion, wine, food, more wine and deep thoughts, we find out the official name is 100 Montaditos. And what is this place? Deep research tells you “100 Montaditos was founded in 2000, near the Spanish southern city of Huelva. Recreating the atmosphere of a traditional 19th century Spanish tavern, the restaurant specialized in montaditos, crunchy Spanish rolls baked to order and jam-packed with traditional ingredients as Serrano ham, Spanish tortilla, chorizo sausage and Manchego cheese.”

They have a huge menu of bite size food (basically little sandwiches) with great meats and cheeses. They are all about $1-$3! They also have some options for salad and meat plates. My friend and I split a Spanish Gourmet platter of Serrano, Chorizo, Salami, Manchego, arugula and great bread. It was $9 for more than enough goods.

For wines, she had some nice white for $4/glass. I started with sangria — there are several options of basically wine and soda. They are $3! After that I opted for (straight) red wine for a whopping $4/glass. Very nice house selections.

We sat at the bar so had service right there. Otherwise you walk in, order at the counter, get a number, then they deliver your food to your table. But a waiter continues to come to your table to see if you need anything. Nice casual place. Affordable, tasty, can be quick, or you can stay awhile.

Give Me a Fiver

Posted on January 9, 2014 by melsmosaic

Who’s not always looking for a bargain, and a good tasting one at that? Just saw this great article/blog on epicurious.com about value wines under $5. Will definitely add these to my notes. Never hurts to have them around.

Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw (aka Two Buck Chuck)
Trader Joe’s Coastal
Whole Foods Three Wishes
Walmart Oak Leaf
ALDI’S Winking Owl

Source: epicurious.com