Wild Horses

Posted on August 17, 2014 by melsmosaic

Over the past several months I have started a part-time job as a wine taster/pourer. So, 1-2 times a week I get to go to a variety of locations and be that person who pours different wines for the customers to sample, while of course sampling them myself to be educated about them to properly inform the shoppers. It’s a win-win situation — learn more about the wine and talk to people about it! It occurred to me the other day — why don’t I write a blog about all my tastings? It has to start sometime, right?

Ok, so Friday night I was doing a tasting for Wild Horse Winery, which is located in the Central Coast of CA. Very nice, affordable wines. I had 3 varietals.

1) Wild Horse Chardonnay. Oaked, but not overkill on it. Very smooth, green apple, pear and vanilla notes. Perfect with fish. Price is around $15-$18.

2) Wild Horse Pinot Noir. Light Pinot, smooth, had both fruit and earth notes, with some mushroom in there. Pretty nice. Would pair well with salmon, grilled vegetables, chicken. Price is around $16-$20. (for some reason they don’t have this one on their site).

3) Wild Horse Chardonnay. Hello happiness, where have you been? The body, the flavor…cherry, berry, cocao. WOW! Wow. Go find one, buy it, open it, drink it. Would be great served with a pizza made on the grill or some steak.

If you go pick any of these up or have had them in the past, let me know what you think. Cheers!

What (wine) do you have on tap?

Posted on August 10, 2014 by melsmosaic

There is a great pizza place in DC that has expanded and now has several locations — Matchbox. I’ve been to the one in Merrifield/Mosaic District recently.

Before enjoying their delicious pizza, I had to try their wine on tap. It’s not available at a lot of restaurant so I couldn’t turn it down. I scanned the menu and it was a tough decision. Hot as heck outside, freezing cold AC inside.

I opted for the Gotham Project Zin. Nice nose all around. Fruity, very fun for a wine on tap.

My friend arrived later and we were ordering some nice pizza and we opted for a white to accompany a prosciutto and fig pizza. We opted for a white on tap. We went with the Tangent Sauvignon Blanc. Very fruity and fresh, perfect for the meal.

Such a fun new way to enjoy wine. Can’t say that it was than much different than a normal glass, but simple changes and simple pleasures!

Chocolate and wine…combined

Posted on August 1, 2014 by melsmosaic

Office, client visit, who happens to be a doctor, thoughtful gift brought from a trip to California. What does it reveal…WINE. What does it next reveal…some kind of heavenly trouble. It’s a good thing doctors tell you wine and dark chocolate have antioxidants, that they’re good for you and all that other jargon because wow, this was a drug in a bottle. What did we get? An innocent (bottle of) chocolate bar by Riboli Wines/San Antonio Winery — (NOT in TX).

It’s on the dessert-side of wine. Sort of port-like. It’s 18% alcohol, so enjoy this as dessert…maybe paired with some angel food cake, strawberries or raspberries. You can only snag it at the winery proper in CA. So if you’re out there, pick up a bottle. Because, going back to do some research on their website, they don’t even list it on there! They only list a Cab.

Some nights…

Posted on July 16, 2014 by melsmosaic

Some nights call for a good wine to numb a long day. I always try to keep my (wine) glass at least half full, but had to shake my head when I was having problems getting it open to even fill it to that point! Really? I am just glad this made me laugh. While opting for a white on this beautiful evening, I (attempted) to open a bottle of Cakebread Chardonnay and the cork split. AHH! Give me my wine! No, it didn’t take long to fix the error, but still. At least good things come to those who wait. Now I am enjoying some yeasty, citrus-y, toasty, oaked California Chard (with a few cork sprinkles). I am not normally a big fan of oaked Chard, but there are some that hold a place in my heart.

Bring me my wine!

Posted on June 20, 2014 by melsmosaic

Over the past couple weeks, I have tasted some amazing new wines that I’m finally writing about. They were great and I just want somebody to bring me more! Or, I suppose I could just go to the store and buy some.

#1 Duetorri Pinot Noir. Italy. Nice and fruity — cherries! Mild tannins, light. Affordable, too — about $10-$12/bottle.

#2 Sarah’s Vineyard Pinot Noir. Central Coast, CA. Just amazing, amazing tastes. That’s all that needs to be said. About $30/bottle.

#3 Antiche Tradizione Lambrusco Rosso IGP Sparkling Red. Italy. Love finding sparkling reds. Just a good bubbly to have, could also pair it with a salad with grilled meat. Can’t find the actual site with the info on it or more price info, but it was $10/glass.

#4 Franciscan Estate Merlot. Napa Valley, CA. This DID NOT take like a Merlot in the least. I don’t particularly enjoy Merlot and I would never have said that’s what this is. I would have claimed it as a Pinot. Dang! This one is about $25/bottle.

Have a great weekend of wine and please share any new ones you find and love!

The Tasting Room

Posted on April 1, 2014 by melsmosaic

DC, March, temps in the 30s, rain and snow. Ugh. Call for wine. I introduced a friend to a local wine shop — The Tasting Room Wine Bar & Shop, owned by Boxwood Estate Winery.

It’s one of those great wine bars where you buy a card, put money on it and then you can sample 1, 3 or 5 oz. pours of wine. So many ways to explore the vino! Let the sipping begin.

I always try to go with something new so my first taste was the Monga Zin Old Vine Zinfandel by Carol Shelton from California Very nice! A bit fruity, very aromatic with spices and smooth. Would recommend it.

Next I opted for a taste of Vinaceous’ 2011 Snake Charmer Shiraz. Nice. Definitely a traditional Shiraz from Australia, can’t go wrong.

Oddly, I wrapped up the day with a quick sip of white (vs. starting with that). Went with 2011 Malma Sauvignon Blanc from Argentina. Light body, not much taste/flavor to it. Not worth writing home about it. But, I’ll blog about it, right?

So many wines to pick from there, will be interested to see what I opt for next sampling time around.

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.

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.

International Pinot Noir Tasting

Posted on November 29, 2013 by melsmosaic

For Thanksgiving we opted to do an international Pinot Noir tasting. Since the varietal is one that has been rumored to pair well with turkey, we thought it would be fun to see how different country’s respective grapes compared. We went for three continents — get everybody to join the party!

Hob Nob, 2011, Languedoc, France: Smooth, oh so smooth. I could taste chocolate. Not a great pairing for turkey, but we took one for the team and still enjoyed it! Hand me some chocolate covered pretzels and this wine…oh yes! Very reasonable — about $10-$12.

Nobilo Icon, 2012, Marlborough, New Zealand: More acidic than Hob Nob, much better pairing for turkey, traditional Pinot taste. I say that as nothing jumped out about it but still very nice. About $15.

Schug, 2010, Carneros, California: Same as above…more acidic than Hob Nob, much better pairing for turkey. Taste of cherries then a bit of smoke at end. About $17-$20.

Definitely a fun element to add to Thanksgiving dinner and it was great listening to all the comments at the table on people’s specific tastes, likes, distinctions, characteristics they took from each wine. Go Pinot!

Pinotage…from CA not SA?

Posted on November 19, 2013 by melsmosaic

When at the store the other day something came up about South Africa, the word Pinotage came about and then next thing I knew we were being led to the California section?! Yes, oh yes. Apparently some vintners are trying to get that amazing grape over here. So we of course had to buy a bottle, from McNab Ridge Winery. It was quite unique. Not as smoky as South Africa, but still darn good. And when it finished, it was creamy, super creamy on the back on the mouth. Definitely worth trying! It was mid-high teens, dollar wise.