This was my first blind tasting; that’s not to say I’ve always known what wine I am drinking. But I was really looking forward to this. We didn’t have much direction other than to bring a red wine and spend around $20 a bottle.  I think it’d be interesting if we’d all brought the same varietal to see how much they all differ; maybe next time?

For our venue, we needed a BYOB restaurant. Our ring leader, James set it up at Campania Pizza in Uptown. They also have a Southlake location. If you haven’t checked them out, you should it’s a great little restaurant and I love that they are BYOB. We waited for most everyone to arrive before we began opening the bottles and tasting the wines.

Here are the wines we tasted:

1. Cooper Invencio – 2008 Red Mountain Red Wine
2. Inwood Estates 2008 Cornelius 100% Texas Tempranillo
3. Petalos Bierzo
4. Cahors
5. Mollydooker The Boxer
6. Bodini Malbec – 2010
7. 2009 Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvingnon
8. Haven’s Meritage – 2009 Rutherford, Napa Valley
9. 2009 Domaine Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, Rhone, France
10. Pagos del Moncejo Garnacha 2008
11. La Vierge

What I realize now in going back over my “tasting notes” is that I should probably have smaller tastes and I should probably take better, more descriptive notes.  I’m not even sure I have correct list of all the wines.

My favorites were the Cooper Invencio and Haven’s Meritage.  It doesn’t surprise me that those two were my favorites.  I have discovered lately that I really am a big fan of  red blends.  The Meritage reminded me of a Pinot Noir it was very smooth.  And the Invencio was a nice blend of spice, sweet and smoke.  The close runner ups for me were the Petalos Bierzo and the Toasted Head Cab.

Though to be honest I didn’t really dislike any of them…well other than the “secret” extra bottle that James brought as an experiment.  It was the Inwood Estates Tempranillo.  From the start I was thrown off because to me the wine had smell that reminded me of paint chips and it never really got any better.

Here is the aftermath:

To the rest of the Brown Bag Wine Night people, what were your favorites? And if you have better notes on what exactly each wine is feel free to leave them below!

 

Technorati Tags: blind tasting, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Mollydooker, wine

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Technically I didn’t drink this wine on Wednesday, but there’s a good reason. Actually 2! I started a 10 day herbal cleanse, and no it’s not one of those crazy juice cleanses (otherwise you better believe wine would be included for me!), so I can’t have alcohol. I just can’t eat anything other than fruit, veggies or lean proteins. No real reason for doing it other than I’ve just never done one before and figured I might as well give it a try. Reason number 2 I didn’t drink this wine on Wedsnesday was I hung out with my friend Meredith on Sunday. So I thought Sunday was the perfect opportunity to finally crack open this wine.

Since I’ve been a bit MIA on this blog lately, you may not know my little sis got engaged back in October. You can read about her engagement here. And Meredith got engaged on the 23rd on her way to Vail, CO. When I say on the way…I literally mean on the way…her super creative fiance, Tate, popped the question on their flight. Big props to American Airlines for helping make it extra special (maybe I can blog about for her since she is blogless).

(that’s me with Tate & Meredith)

Meredith is one of my oldest friends, the way I like to tell it, our parents made us become friends in 2nd grade (please don’t do any math…let’s not count how many years ago that was) and we’ve been friends ever since!

Even though it has been months, I hadn’t had a chance to pop (well technically it’s a screw cap) this bottle with Beth yet…I thought why not celebrate with Beth and Meredith? Sounded like the perfect excuse to open the Mollydooker Carnival of Love. 2 birds, one stone or rather 3 girls, one bottle.

I got this bottle for Christmas last year from my dad with the help of my sister. Needless to say, I was pretty anxious to open it up.

Here are the technical stats: it’s a 2009 Shiraz and Syrah

I may be an avid wine drinker but that by no means makes me a professional wine critic, in case you forget in my absence. I enjoyed this wine, it was very dense and had a lot of body to it. Because I knew we were going to be drinking it I poured it into my fun wine decanter (above), from my sister in law (did you know I have one of those now or did I leave that off the blog too?). Due to the density of this wine it almost reminded me of syrup which then made me wonder if that’s where the name Syrah came from. But I could not find anything online to back up my theory. Anyone, anyone?

Lately I have been on a bit of a Pinot Noir kick so this was quite a change, but I would still recommend it if you can get your hands on it. Locally I have been able to find quite a few Mollydooker wines and many different stores but have never seen this one. So if you find it, let me know!

Cheers

Technorati Tags: Mollydooker, Shiraz, Syrah, wine

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I can’t believe how long it’s been since I blogged, but I have a legit excuse! My laptop is dying a very slow and for me painful death so I bit the bullet and bought a brand new computer I’ve been dreaming about for months. But enough about that for now, I’m here to talk about wine.

A little over a month ago my cousin Todd got married down in Corpus Christi. The rehearsal dinner was at an amazing restaurant called Vietnam Restaurant. At dinner his (now) wife, Lindsey picked out a few different wines. (Side not so glad he married a wino!) I had never tried the 2008 Hess Cabernet, but I fell in love.

Luckily for me, my local grocery store has had it on sale for the last few weeks and it has become the wine I like to keep around the house for whenever I get…thirsty. It has been hovering right around the $15 a bottle mark, a little more than I used to spend on an everyday bottle but this one is worth it.

Usually I blow off the suggestion to let a bottle of wine breath before drinking it, but with this one it really does get better the longer it is open.

Give it a try and like always be sure to let me know what you think!

Cheers!

Technorati Tags: Cabernet Sauvignon, Hess

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Today I thought I do a different kind of wine o. wednesday post. With Christmas just 3 days away pocket books are probably on the pretty lean side right about now, I don’t want you to think that means you have to forgo the wine this holiday season (as if anyone would really do that?).

After being lovingly scolded by Beau & Melanie for confessing that I do like Barefoot wines, I decided to ask my Twitter friends to tell me their favorite wines under $10 so you won’t break the bank stocking your bar and here are the suggestions I got:

Suggestions I have tried:

Jason (@BigJax34) suggests the Yellow Tail Cabernet or Shiraz

Sarah (@SarahBoswell) Menage a Trois (the red blend) mainly because of the name, just don’t take it to a dinner party with your parents!

Tiffany (@apiphany) Robert Mondavi Merlot but suggests letting it breath a bit.

Debbie (@CoffeeGirlPlano) Mark West Pinot Noir, she says this is a delicious wine

Kimberly (@kizzlethizzle) is not a wine fan, YET, but suggested Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill because it takes her back to high school.

Suggestions I haven’t tried, yet:

Beau (@UCBeau) had a few suggestions: 2007 Folie a Deux Amador County Zin & the 2007 Teague Vineyards 2007 San Benito Cabernet

Whitney (@WhitforBrit) Lucky Duck Cabernet to share with her man from across the pond; be sure to check out their fairytale!

Sara (@PolitoSara) Rex Goliath Merlot or Cabernet

Citimaven (@citimaven) says that the Antano Rioja is a great everyday wine.

Misty (@MSFJones) prefers whites and suggests: Barefoot Moscato, Beringer White Zinfandel & Moscato and Pacific Rim Riesling

Lynn (@lynnsherwood) Altos Las Hormigas Malbec, this is the wine they keep on hand at their house.

Monica (@FabOCGirl) suggests Volteo Tempranillo & for those of you with access, Trader Joe’s VINTJ’s Pinot Gris.

James (@JFTxWine) first became a wine fan because of the Banrock Station Merlot and Cabernet/Shiraz blend.

Jennifer (@txgourmetmom) Llano Chenin Blanc besides it being a Texas wine, she says it is cheap, refreshing and sweet. She always keeps 2 bottles on hand in her fridge.

Cheers & Happy Holidays!

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Last night’s Wine Wednesday was a little different. Instead of picking up a new bottle and drinking it at home with Beth, we switched it up and met up with some Twitter friends at a local wine bar.

I have been Twitter friends with @politosara and @melanieO for quite awhile now and despite all of us living around Dallas we had never gotten together. Melanie suggested Veritas, which I was excited to try. I always see it and had heard nothing but great things about it but had never actually stopped by.

Beth & I arrived a few minutes late, but luckily we did not keep Sara and Melanie waiting. They had picked out a delicious 2006 Robert Sinskey Vandal Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. I had never heard of Robert Sinskey but thoroughly enjoyed this selection. As we were getting to know each other and enjoying this wonderful Cabernet we were joined by @JFTxWine who braved being the only dude with four women.

Needless to say the first bottle didn’t last too long and we moved on to a 2006 Burgess Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine was equally delicious and also new to me.

Sorry the picture isn’t much better, I snapped it real quick at the end of the night with my phone so that I could be sure and remember the great wines we had.

As good as the wines were the company was even better! I have yet to be disappointed when I meet a Twitter friend in real life and am looking forward to many more glasses of wine with my new friends.

If you are in the Dallas area, I highly recommend stopping by Veritas. Granted I was a little focused on enjoying the wine and getting to know everyone to really explore Veritas, but it only made me want to go back and visit. Brooks, one of the brothers that owns the wine bar stopped by to say hi. The layout is perfect for small gatherings or larger groups. The walls are adorned with amazing artwork throughout the entire space, and wine bottles are on racks up and down both sides offering a wide variety to choose from.

Hope your wine Wednesday was as great as mine!

Cheers!

Technorati Tags: Burgess, Cabernet Sauvignon, Robert Sinskey, Twitter, Veritas Dallas

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This week, again in honor of October being Texas Wine Month, I wanted to feature not only a Texas winery, but my favorite Texas Winery: Flat Creek Estate.

I have been fortunate enough to visit this winery twice, because a good friend of mine has a lake house just around the bend from it. It is an absolutely beautiful winery with a great tasting room and very friendly staff. I borrowed this picture from their website, and let me tell you it is not a perfectly staged picture, the winery is just that breathtaking:

On my first visit to the winery I fell in love with their Muscato D’ Arancia. I’m not much of a dessert wine person, but this one is amazing, especially if you pair it with something chocolaty. Every time I have introduced someone to this wine they have also been impressed.

The second time I went back my favorite wine of theirs became the Super Texan. If I remember correctly it is similar to a Sangiovese. And fortunately for me they do sell this one at Central Market here in Dallas. However I didn’t know that at the time and left the winery with a case of wine!

I was disappointed this year when I realized Flat Creek wasn’t at Grapefest because I always love seeing them at events and having the opportunity to taste their wines. However I was pleasantly surprised that the day I went to the State Fair of Texas not only were the Flat Creek wines spotlighted but also Rick one of the proprietors was there which gave me the opportunity to visit with him.

This time around, the Pinot Grigio was my favorite, which is really surprising because I am not typically a Pinot Grigio fan. Of course the combination of the afternoon heat and the chill of the Pinot Grigio may have been the perfect scenario to wine me over.

I highly recommend not only the Flat Creek wines but also a visit to the Winery itself. I know I plan to go back. If you live in Texas and don’t see it at your local wine store be sure to ask for it (over and over and over again).

Cheers!

Technorati Tags: Flat Creek Estate, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, Texas Wine, Texas Winery

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In honor of October being Texas Wine month, I’ve decided to spend the month trying wines from various Texas Vineyards. Ironically it can be kind of tricky to find Texas wines in local wine stores and grocery stores. Central Market would be an exception though, they tend to have a much wider variety of Texas wines than anywhere else I’ve seen.

This week’s wines I selected were (try not to envy my photography skills):

Being an Aggie, I am more than familiar with the name Messina Hoff, every time I’d drive in or out of College Station I would pass the turn off for the winery, though sadly I’ve never actually visited the winery. I’m also not that familiar with their wines so I was excited to give this one a try.

After opening the bottle I poured myself a small glass, and found this Cabernet to be dry and woody. It didn’t have any sweetness to it. I set it to the side and moved on to the Fall Creek Cabernet. When I came back to the Messina Hoff Cabernet an hour later it had really opened up and the dryness had eased and it was even a bit sweet. It didn’t initially win me over but after the second round I would most definitely say I’d drink this wine again.

From the first glass on, the Flat Creek Cabernet was my favorite of the two. Unfortunately since I liked it so much I didn’t do the same experiment and wait an hour to see if the wine changed. But I suppose that was a good sign. To me this Cabernet had a more, well rounded palette that I preferred. It had a small hint of sweetness and was not dry at all.

To be honest I am not that familiar with Texas wines or wineries but I do believe quit a few of the grapes are brought in from multiple parts of the state or even from other states, so these may not truly be 100% Texas Wines. But, nonetheless I really enjoyed my first week of tasting Texas wines and am looking forward to next week’s tasting.

Technorati Tags: Cabernet Sauvignon, Flat Creek, Messina Hof, Texas Wine

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