For me, opening a bottle of wine is like taking a mini-trip around the world.  Each bottle captures the different flavors of its region – and in a single sip, you are transported to a different country.

The three bottles I received were just that – a mini-trip around the world.

My line-up included: Benziger Family Winery 2011 Sauvignon Blanc (California), Chateau de Berne 2011 Rose (France) and Villa 2011 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Italy).

Three Great Wines

I started with the Benziger 2011 Sauvignon Blanc. It was pale yellow in color and had a crisp citrus nose – light white grapefruit.  The palette had lots of great acid, very refreshing and lemony.  I could imagine sitting on the porch in the summer, eating a chicken salad and enjoying this wine.

- A side note, Benziger is Certified Sustainable Growth – meaning the way they grow their grapes is good for the environment.  Forward thinking.

Cool Square Bottle

I then tried the Chateau de Berne, Cotes de Provence Rosé 2011.  The wine was pale pink with an orange tint and has a super light nose,  I could smell very light tannins.  The palette was a little savory, with a slight taste of peaches and apricots.  I LOVED the bottle shape of this wine – a cool square design, very unique.

- Chateau de Berne is a true Chateau, you could actually stay overnight, wine and dine – nice!

The last wine was the Villa 2011 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  The wine was shades of dark plum and burgundy, and had a nose of cooked dark fruits, plums and cherries.  The palette had light tannins, as well as cherries, berries and ripe fruit.  This wine would be great on its own or with a meal (pizza maybe).

____

The one thing I found interesting was the Benziger was a little cloudy when it was first poured, but that dissipated after a few minutes.  I am thinking this was titrates….It didn’t affect the wines taste – it was still great!

I enjoyed all three wines, but I was really torn between the Benziger and the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo as my top favorite.  I am also going to investigate other wines these wineries have to offer.

I was recently introduced to Methode Champenoise – basically making sparkling wine the same way as Champagne (just not in Champagne, France).

I am quite fond of comparing different wines, and with my family all getting together, I thought what a better way to celebrate than with a Champagne taste-off!

I had a bottle of growers Champagne, Champagne Aubry, and a bottle of Methode Champenoise, Arbor Crest Estate.  My brother contributed a bottle from a Champagne House, Drappier.

The corks were popped, the glass poured and the tasting began:

1. Champagne Aubry, Premier Cru (Growers Champagne).  Very pale yellow in color, it had a nose of citrus – tart and sour.  The palette was light citrus, very dry – good acidity.
2. Arbor Crest Estates (Methode Champenoise). Also very pale, but with a hint of pink.  It had an earthy nose to me – I could smell a touch of sulfur.  The palette was slightly sweet and savory – and dry.
3. Drappier, Carte-D’Or Brut (Champagne House).  This wine was more of a honey color, with a nose of yeast.  The palette had citrus, slightly sweet and slightly bready – kind of like dry toast.

All of the wines were good.  The Arbor Crest was the sweetest, the Drappier the driest.  But of all three, we all thought the Aubry was the winner!

The best part – I purchased this bottle all on my own – I think my studies and tasting are starting to sink in!

I do really enjoy these different taste-offs and am looking forward to the next (and am always open to recommendations).

The grapes he used for this wine, Chenin Blanc, are hand-picked and averaging 40 years of age, planted to soils containing sedimentary rock, slate and coal.

I can be weary of sweet wines – many of them bring me back to my college days and overly sweet (and dangerous) cocktails.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by this wine.

The wine was garnet in color, with a nose of brown sugar, maple syrup and honey.  The palette was reminiscent of strawberries, honey and was very fruity.

The wine also had a very nice aftertaste, always leaving me to want another sip. It was the perfect end to my sunny afternoon at the beach, and was a great substitute for actual dessert.

It was also a nice contrast to the Silex Noir Vouvray I had enjoyed earlier in my journey through France.

I am still virtually making my way through Spain, nibble and sip, but today, I was somewhat unprepared culinary-wise.  But then again, maybe not.  I poured myself a small bowl of salted almonds, a glass of wine and found a sunny corner of the kitchen to sit and bask.  This could be very European of me, now that I think of it – no big production, just enjoying life with a glass of wine on the side.

I happen to be very pleased with my choice.  The wine, Javier Sanz Viticultor 2010 Villa Narcisa Verdejo, was the perfect pairing to a sunny day.  Light yellow in color (like a ray of sun), it had a green, fresh, light nose.  I could smell hints of honey, lemon or just citrus, but nothing over powering.  The palette matched the nose, light, airy, hints of citrus, a little floral.  Basically, it was Spring in a glass.

And this wine is worth raving about!  I love, love, loved the lightness of the wine.  It was the perfect match to my salty snack.  There was nothing over powering or too strong about this wine.  It is also a great stand alone wine.  To be honest, I had all of two almonds before ditching them just for the wine.

It has been awhile since I have enjoyed a glass of white this much and it was worth the wait.

I wanted to try a red from Spain, and settled on a bottle of Bodegas La Cartuja 2011.  I am slowly starting to get the pairing bit, so I decided to pair my wine with another tapa – Garlic Pan-Fried Chorizo and Bread.

Ok, this wine is delicious.  It has a beautiful ruby-red color and smells of plums, warm cooked fruits and dark cherries.  The palette is multidimensional.  It has the initial taste of the same warm cooked fruits and cherries as the nose, but it also has hints of spices, black pepper and tannins.

My tapas did not turn out as pretty as the cookbook picture, but it was still tasty.  I used fresh chorizo, instead of pre-cooked (whoops), but I think in the end it added to the dish.  The bread sopped up the juices from the fresh chorizo, making the small bites rich and spicy.

I was a little concerned the wine wouldn’t hold up to my dish, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The spiciness of the wine paired well with the sausage, and made for an overall yummy experience.

The La Caruja is 70% Garnacha, 30% Cariñena, and reminded me of Maison Bleue’s Grenache (which I also love).  Yum!

I also tried a glass of Protocolo Vino de la Tierra de Castilla 2010 Tempranillo.  This wine was also quite tasty and had the same warm cooked fruits and stone fruit palette and nose as the La Cartuja.  It did lack the spice of the La Cartuja, but paired nicely with my steak sandwich.

The wines of Spain have so far been very impressive and helped to grow my understanding of wine and my palette.  I am looking forward to more!

I had purchased a bottle of Hidalgo Cream Alameda last week during my trip to The Spanish Table, so the next step was to figure out what to pair with the wine.

I was in the mood for shrimp, and Jerez is in Southwestern Spain and close to the sea, so I figured shrimp would be a good pairing.  I had been given a tapas cookbook a while back, that had a recipe for spicy shrimp in sherry. Perfect!

I had also read that Sherry and shrimp were a great combination.  Well, it turns out I have a lot to learn about Sherry.

For starters, I poured myself a big old glass – apparently there are Sherry glasses – a little smaller than a wine glass.  Also, shrimp should be paired with dry Sherry, not cream Sherry.

At least I am learning on the job, right?

My shrimp was actually quite tasty (I was a bit too light handed on the cayenne pepper – note to self for next time), and I ate it separately from the Sherry.

The Sherry was beautiful.  It was a garnet color and smelled of caramel, brown sugar and tobacco.  It also tasted sweet, like brown sugar.  But what I found most interesting was the place the Sherry took me when I sipped it.  It was almost like I was transported to a different time, a time of leather, pipe tobacco and old furniture – a different century almost.  I could imagine men in top hats sitting around a fire, sipping Sherry.

I was also happy to learn that Sherry last for quite some time.  The next time I try my cream Sherry, I am going to pair it with a dessert, maybe something creamy and rich.

I did my research before I went to the store.  I looked at their wine selection online and crossed referenced my Wine Bible (by Karen MacNeil) and Complete Wine Course (by Kevin Zraly), creating a list of options for the Priorat, Jerez and Rueda regions.

The clerk (the owner or manager maybe) was super helpful, steering me in the right direction and recommending some good wines.

I ended up with the following selections:

• Javier Sanz Villa Narcisa (Rueda)
• La Cartuja Priorat 2011(Priorat)
• Hidalgo Cream Alameda (Jerez)

I also ended up with a really cool re-usable wine bag.

It was truly inspirational to be around all kinds of Spanish wines, foods and products.  It got my brain working, trying to think of which foods to pair with my wines.  The store was great!

Currently, I am thinking something with shrimp, maybe something with chorizo and I am not sure….looks like I have some research to do.

The Spanish Table also has a selection of Portuguese, Argentinian and Greek wines, so I will be back as I continue my adventure.

Thank you Spanish Table for a great shopping experience.

Last weekend was also my birthday – but I figured I would just make this whole month a celebration!  And what better way to celebrate than with bubbly!

Birthday Cake

Spain’s sparkling wine is called Cava and is mostly produced in the Penedes region of Spain.  I read about the Penedes region in my trusty Wine Bible (by Karen MacNeil) and found that this was one area of Spain I could live in.

For one, Cava is considered more of a comfort wine contrary to say, Champagne.  In fact, often Spaniards will eat pan con tomate (thick pieces of grilled bread that have been rubbed with tomato and drizzled with olive oil) with their Cava.  Score!  Not to mention my Grandmother’s favorite sandwich is just a tomato sandwich.  So the minute I read about pan con tomate, I automatically thought of her.

Second, they dip their babies’ pacifiers in Cava to keep them quiet during church – nice! Maybe I should try that on myself

I found two different bottles of Cava to try:

Cava and Cake

The first was the ever present Freixenet Cordon Negro.  The funny part is that I actually drank this at my very first stop on my world tour, not even realizing what I was drinking.  The Freixenet was light yellow, almost clear in color.  It had a slightly yeasty, citrus nose, with a citrus and ginger palette. I guess you could call it a dry sparkling wine.

The second Cava I tried was Codorniu. I was super excited to try this one since it was listed as a “Cava to know” in my Wine Bible.  This wine is apparently the first chardonnay-based Cava.  It was a nice contrast to the Freixenet; a touch fuller, fruitier with notes of honey.  It was just right, not too sweet and not too dry.  Yummmmmmy!

I really enjoyed the Codorniu, even though I tend to lean more towards the Brut and Extra Brut champagnes and sparkling wines. The fruity flavors were not overwhelming and it was a very smooth drink.

Being that it was my birthday and all, I paired my Cavas with my birthday cake.

Happy Birthday to me! And cheers to Spain – thank you for your lovely Cavas.

I first stumbled upon Chateau Miraval and their Pink Floyd Rosé during my French wine tour extravaganza.  I loved, loved, loved the fact that the wine was named Pink Floyd because The Wall was recorded at the winery.  I felt so cool and hip for once!

And now….well, blah….

But, I shouldn’t be so quick to judge.  It looks like Brangelina’s intentions may be good.  They are, after all, working with the Perrin family, a renowned name in the Rhône Valley, and per an article (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie launch wine with Perrin family)  on Decanter. com, the Perrin’s have been involved since last year and have some good ideas for the soil…hmm…

I think what makes me so bitter is that they are renaming the Pink Floyd Rosé.  It will now just be called Miraval. I guess I shouldn’t be too snide, I mean, wasn’t it Shakespeare that said something about a rose still smelling sweet even if you called it something else or whatever?  Plus, the new bottle looks kind of cool.

This weekend, I plan to go out and purchase a bottle or two of Pink Floyd for old time’s sake.  And when this new Miraval comes out, I will give it a try. Maybe I will even write a post about how great the wine used to be or something, just to sound angry and snooty.  Who knows -

LOL! Listen to me, you would think I am some huge wine critic!  Could this be me actually starting to get a grasp of wine and my likes and dislikes?  Or is it just me being bitter and jealous, because I too would love to just purchase a winery on a whim and start pumping out wine.

Looks like it is time for me to have a glass of wine and chill out.

I decided to pair my meal with The Velvet Devil Merlot.  Over the summer I drank both Charles Smith’s Red Devil and Charles and Charles Rosé, and really enjoyed both.  I knew going into this meal, that my wine selection would not disappoint.  The fruits and tannins of the wine stood up nicely to my rich, flavorful meal.

To be honest, I have yet to try a Charles Smith wine that I didn’t like and I hope to be able to go visit his winery soon.

…and now back to the game!