I normally drink Riesling well chilled on a warm summer day, but it is in the mid-60′s here in California so – well, this weather kind of feels like summer to me!   And Riesling pairs so well with Thai takeout  :-)   This Riesling is very light in color and the nose has peach and lemon notes.   It is not overly aromatic, very subtle.  It is lightweight on the midpalate as well, some definite sweetness there.   I really liked the crisp clean finish – definite lemon aftertaste.

This is a very well made Riesling with great balance – the slight sugary notes on the midpalate coupled with the crisp acidity on the finish.   This would be perfect with Thai or Indian food…   I had a honeyed spicy cauliflower dish I may just have to try with this wine  :-)

$24.00 3 Liter Octavin

Triple

Primitivo is the same grape as Zinfandel, so a Primitivo will not have the same flavor profile as a bottle of Chianti or Brunello.   Most Italian wines are food wines, but the Primitivo grape is definitely enjoyable on its own.   My boyfriend Tim has taken a liking to Zinfandel, so when I made lasagna I wanted to get a bottle that he would also enjoy- but an Italian wine of course!   So, I picked up this bottle at the wonderful two story Whole Foods in Cupertino (HUGE beer and wine selection there!).

This wine had a big red raspberry nose.   I smelled a hint of other spices, but this wine was mostly fruit, fruit, and more fruit.   It was not jammy like many of the warmer climate Zinfandels and had a lighter body to it.   The finish was more tart – a bit deceiving because the raspberries smelled ripe, but the finish had an acidic bite!   This was definitely an easy drinking wine with nice acid (not much tannin) on the finish, and – mission accomplished! – Tim enjoyed it as well.   He also got the berryness in the wine and liked the fact that the “harsh”-ness was absent.

$10.99/bottle

Double

I visited Fenestra Winery in Livermore, CA and it was great!   They make great wine and host lots of fun events – plus their wines are a great value.   Check out http://www.fenestrawinery.com/.   Their Semillion was the standout and I may have to blog that one sometime was well  :-)   The late harvest Riesling was also fabulous!

Their True Red is a combination of many, many grapes harvested during different vintages.   The blend changes every lot.  Fruit-punchy nose, lots of cherry and sweet berries.   The wine is medium bodied with lingering tart cherry on the finish.   This is a fruit-filled, easy drinking wine that is great for just drinking on its own.

$10.99/bottle

Double

Cava is made in the same method as Champagne, yet will taste different because the grapes and climate are not the same. But if you like how Champagne has millions of bubbles, Cava will not disappoint. And many times, Cava offers a much better value than Champagne.   Cava is produced in Spain, and this cava is made of 50% Parellada, 30% Macabeo, and 20% Xarel-lo.

I tried this Cava on New Years Eve of course, with my friend Sandy – who is starting to get into wine herself.   Her line… “I haven’t met a sparkling wine I haven’t liked”.   Just the right person to open this bottle with!   This cava is a pretty pale gold color with – of course – millions of teeny bubbles.   I thought it smelled doughy, Sandy smelled citrus – which I got too.   This was definitely ripe on the midpalate (lemony) and finished dry – but not as dry as the Extra Brut’s out there.   I liked the crispness and the slight doughy aftertaste as well.   This bottle was aged on the lees for over a year, as many high quality Champagne bottles are so the complexity was definitely there for a fraction of the price.  

$14.99/bottle

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