Triples

Tried three wines the other night and they were all fabulous and different.

The Muga Rioja 2005 Especial was awesome. A red wine that was slow to open up, but after and hour or two of air time, it was elegant and smooth and rich and fruity and smokey, but not as smokey as the last wine. As nice as it was, it needs more years in the bottle to develop more complexity of flavors. It was the best with the smoked pork ribs. Retail is about 50.

The Selvanova Aglianico from southern Italy was the steal of the night at $19.99 a bottle. This wine has a little cult following at the store, but I admit, I hadn't tasted it in a long time. Don't worry, I bought everything the wholesaler had left in Massachusetts. Worry, he only had 3 cases left and one of the gentlemen who tasted the wine with me the other night, took one of them. Aglianico is the best red grape in southern Italy. It yields a wine that has southern Italian fruit to compliment a red sauce dish, yet enough spice and structure to stand up to northern Italian cuisine. It was delicious with no breathing time at all, and held its flavors thru the night.
I repeat, a steal, but not much left.

Finally, Vacqueras is a town in the Rhone Valley of France the until a change in the wine laws could only be labeled as Cotes du Rhone Villages. This 2007 vintage Vacqueras at $29.99 is expensive for any red wine from this town, but this one is more than worth it. Unfortunately, this was a cradle robbing event. Although the wine was delicious, you know it is only gonna get better the longer you can wait and leave it alone in the cellar. How long? It was so good, I will re-evaluate it this holiday season, but I have lots. A couple of years should metamorphasize this wine from wonderful to SPECTACULAR! Wafts of dried red fruit without sweetness in combination with so much basalm notes I thought I was lumberjacking in Maine. This is the wine that answers the oft asked queston "Bob, I wanna buy a wine that is gonna taste like a hundred bucks in a few years but I dont want to spend that much, what do you have?" This is it! I just loved sipping this the entire evening, food was secondary. Wine is tooooo good.

April 23

Even though my brother was a contestant on Survivor, my favorite reality TV show is Project Runway. I am amazed what the designers can create in such a short amount of time. Those who know me have to be shocked, as my fashion sense runs from Hawaiian shirts in the summer to denim shirts in the winter. No joke, that's my idea of fashion. What does that have to do about wine? How about wine from the town that is half my wardrobe.

Yes, I have tried a pineapple wine from Hawaii, but it was not umm, well, umm, nothing to say.

Chateau Grande Cassagne 2008 from the town of Costieres de Nimes, is a tasty spicy earthy fruity red for $11.99 a bottle. Perfect with grilled burgers and dogs as well as cheese and crackers and any mid-week meal, make sure you are wearing denim when you serve the wine. Yes! Denim was invented in de Nimes. De Nimes is in the south for France not far from the Italian border. The material was worn by the Italian Navy in the 1800's and most of it was shipped out of the city of Genoa. Genoa, not only famous for its salami, but it is where the term, Blue Genes came from.

Did you know that the Genovese love green vegetables more than any other food?

Did you know that tonight was the grand finale of this season's Project Runway? That's why the de Nimes was picked. And I am wearing denim shirt and blue jeans as I blog this.

April 18th

Is there a blog equivalent to "Stop the Presses!?"

Ctrl, Alt, Delete?

I love the classics. Perfect Foie Gras, Creme Brulee, Hot dog with mustard and relish at Fenway.
Domaine Alain Normand 2008 Macon La Roche Vineuse at $19.99 is a classic.
100% Chardonnay from the town of La Roche Vineuse in the district of Macon in the department of Burgundy in the country of France, is a perfectly made dry white wine that rivals Cote d'Or white wines for a third the price. Stay away from this if you like oaky-buttery California Chardonnays, but if you want to learn and not be dissappointed with classic French style Chardonnay, this is the big big winner. Dry, crisp, fruity, balanced with oak not obliterated by it, this is a wonderful wine to drink all summer, nay, all year, well, as long as we have it. It will make seafood sing, chicken chirp and cheese chime. It is one of those wines that the bottle empties too fast and you will wish you had more.

Buy a single bottle first, then buy it by the case only if you love it. If you don't love it, fine by me, cuz more for me.