Wine on the Boss

Last Firday, I went to dinner with my work colleagues and Nicole. It was a nice little Italian restaurant, and the boss was paying so everyone was happy. A few minutes into dinner champagne, and wine started flowing freely. I got red wine, Nicole got white. I was excited to try out some of my new techniques on the wine and expected to be able to taste the difference from the wine at this nice restaurant, compared to the cheap stuff I’d been drinking. To my surprise there wasn’t much difference. I could taste a little more flavor in the white wine (wasn’t able to catch the name), and the red wine was on par with what I had been drinking.

It was a Ajello Furat Sicilia IGT 2006. It's a red blend with cabernet, merlot, and syrah grapes. On the menu at the restaurant it went for $49, but I found it online for only $16. That is a pretty nice mark up. It is great to have a bottle of wine at dinner, but probably not the best place to try something for the first time. Overall, nice tone and fruity after taste. I thought it went well with the pasta. I rank it 3.8. Although to keep in mind this is roughly 60% more expensive than the bottles I’ve been drinking.

-Rob

Maroon and White with a Red Wine

Ravenswood - 2007 Petite Sirah, California

Friday night I had some friends over to watch the Texas A&M vs LSU game. A have several friends that are alumni of the university, and occasionally enjoy giving them a hard time. I didnt plan on drinking wine, but when a bottle shows up at my house, there is always a pretty good chance I’ll partake, although in this case, I wish I hadn’t.

After skipping lunch, I ate nearly an entire pizza for dinner, and began the evening by sipping on a vodka sprite. I ended up making a bet with some of my friends that every time LSU scored, they would take a shot, and I would take a shot each time A&M scored. The night appeared as though it would end bad for me, but mid 2^nd quarter LSU took control of the game. A few drinks later, and after 4 quarters of football I spotted the Ravenswood, and asked if I could have a glass.

After admiring the label on the bottle with 3 ravens in the shape of a circle, I poured the dark red wine into a glass. I was certain it would be good, but was disappointed. The wine had a nice fruity smell of plum and blueberry, and first taste was smooth, however the flavor was overwhelming and too strong. I was sincerely happy that I did not have more than one glass, although I probably would have still sucked it down. After noticing the expression on my face Nicole, and my roommate joined in the taste test. Nicole confirmed that this may be the worst wine we’ve had all month. Overall I rate the wine at 3.6, and Nicole scored it at 1.6.

-Rob

B 50 for BINGO

Block 50 - 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia

Tonight was a great night, other than not winning Bingo. I went over to my friend Leigh's apartment and she cooked some delicious fish tacos as we fraternized about work, and our social group. I’ve been giving Leigh a hard time lately about how good my cooking is, I think she wanted to show me whats up.

I ended up having a bottle of Block 50 (the second cabernet sauvignon I’ve tried this week) with dinner, and then later at bingo. In my normal escapades I felt the need to finish the bottle, so after a couple of sips I poured the remaining amount of the bottle into a water bottle and snuck it in. I think sealing the wine hurt the taste a little as it couldn’t breathe. Nicole joined a little after and had a couple sips, she wasn’t too thrilled about how classy I was being. Picture it: bingo, old people, cheap wine, and yes… Nachos. The bottle doesn’t have a cork either, so if you’re trying to impress a date, they may easily spot this short coming.

Overall the wine had decent color, and a nice rich smell. The wine had a pretty distinct after taste. I’d rate it a 4.1, while Nicole is always a little more harsh, and recorded a score of 2.6, although I think her rating would have improved if we weren’t at a bingo hall. Oh, and none of us won, I was within one number, playing 88 cards on 10 different games… bingo is more complicated than you’d think. 

-Rob

A Wasp the Color of the Wine

Root:1 – 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Last night was a little crazy, as I was attacked in the bathroom. After a long hot shower, I reached for the towel and received a sting in the upper left arm. After letting out a loud cry Rob made it down from the porch to find me in the kitchen. I was conviced I had been bitten by a large flying spider. After regaining our composure we snuck into the bathroom, and identified the beast as a red wasp.

After all of the commotion it seemed appropriate to add some wine to our dinner. Venturing to another wine from South American country, we had a Cabernet Sauvignon (One of the world most popular wine making grapes, like the Malbec, it is also known for coming from the Bordeaux region) with burgers. We grilled out, although it may be January, it was warm enough to grill. We made mushroom swiss burgers with tomato and avocado, and they were delicious.

The wine was a ruby red with an intoxicating smell. Cherry aromas are met with a slight sent of mint and licorice. The wine went well with our burgers, and was juicy, not leaving my mouth dry. 

Overall I give the wine a 3.2 out of 5, and think it paired fairly well with grilled beef.

Rob enjoyed the meal, but wasn’t completely satisfied with the burgers. He commented that the wine had a buttery after taste, but I didn’t notice it. He gave the wine a 4.6 

-Nicole

Pizza and Wine in a Cowboy Bottle

The Show – 2009 Malbec, Argentina

Last night, we enjoyed a Malbec (A purple grape, which is now popularly grown in Argentina and Chile, as well as the Cohors region in France) while baking Pizza. A few months ago, Rob made a pizza and I’ve long craved another one. We rummaged through the grocery store looking for toppings and settled on cheese, salami, sausage, tomato, green pepper, mushroom, and my secret ingredient - peperoncini . On the way out we picked up The Show, a wine recommended for Pizza. Rob was impressed by the colorful label on the bottle (and guys make fun of us for liking shiny things..). I am always a little skeptical of wines that call out for attention like this, but I gave it a chance.

The wine was an inky red, intense wine. As I swirled the wine around the glass it had some stick, and was very apparent on Rob’s teeth, that turned a light purple warning for first-date night choosers.

I drank a little more than one glass, and Rob finished the rest. The morning we both felt great and ready to head into the office.

Overall, I believe this wine deserves a 2.9 out of 5 in the under 10 realm, and would consider drinking it again. It wasn't particularly elegant by any means, but it was drinkable. It had hints of mocha and cherry. It didn't posses much grip on the palete and left a strange after taste. I would recommend this wine for a more casual meal - such as for pizza - because of the taste and the cowboy bottle.

Rob enjoyed the wine, and remarked that it tasted like the other red wines he has had. I hope eventually he’ll become less naïve. He scored the wine 4.5 out of 5.

-Nicole

Our Mission

On our blog we’ll tell the story about each bottle of wine:
- describe the type
- detail how we enjoyed each glass 
- discuss the sight, smell, and taste of each bottle
- chronicle any hangovers

Finally, we’ll give a ranking from 1 (Skunk) to 5 (Classic).

Cheers,

Nicole and Rob