Chardonnay #3

Chardonnay #3:  Quail Creek Chardonnay 2009, California, 12.5% alcohol, $5.99.

Aroma:  White grapes, grass, artichokes, acorn squash
Flavor:  Tart, flavor of unripe peaches.  Watery mouth feel, slight bitterness of flavor.  Not all thrifty priced wines taste bland, however this one does.  I had to rack my brain to find hints of flavors other that white grapes, tartness, and slight bitterness.  This is the type of wine that you would liquor people up with at a backyard barbeque.  I would not serve this with a meal.  Its not complex its something to drink
a lot of and get tipsy while doing the electric slide at a 4th of July barbeque.


Bonus:

This wine was paired with the same cheese from last week.  I have to mention once again that I absolutely adore this cheese.   The quail creek wine ruined the sumptuous flavor of the cheese.  The cheese enhance the bitterness of the cheese.  Blah!   I tried to enjoy this wine with last week's cheese and ligonberry preserves, five spice tofu, wild rice and hot spiced pickled beets.  The wine went surprisingly well with the ligonberry preserves.  Ligonberries taste like a cross between blueberries and strawberries.  This is a sweet wine but not overly sweet.  It has a tartness.  It blended well with the ligonberry preserves and the tartness cuts some of the berries sweetness.  The bitterness of the wine was eliminated by the ligonberry preserves.  Perhaps this wine may go well with a dessert of some sort.   The wine went well with the five spice tofu and ok with the spiced beets.   

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Chardonnay #2

Chardonnay #2:

Barnard Griffin Columbia Valley Chardonnay,  2009 from   Richland, Washington, 13.2% alcohol

Aroma: Fresh peaches, slight blue cheese aroma

Flavor: Peaches, but not overly sweet

I enjoyed this wine with Gazpacho, two cheese described below, and fresh raspberries.  The wine goes great with the gazpacho, and especially great with the raspberries. 

Bonus: 

I enjoyed this wine with the Tallegio Cheese from Chardonnay #1.   The Barnard Chardonnay does not go well with the Tallegio Cheese at all.  The Barnard wine ruins the flavor of the Tallegio cheese by creating a bitter taste on the tongue. 

Cheese:  Follow your heart Nacho Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative

The flavor and spices of this Tofu Cheese alternative really remind me of nachos, but its not creamy. However it will satisfy my desire for nachos while I'm on my diet.  Interestingly the vegan nacho cheese goes great with the Barnard Chardonnay.

Chardonnay YAY!!!!!

Chardonnay #1:

Stellar Organics Reserve Chardonnay, 2008 W.O. Western Cape, South Africa, 13.0% alcohol

Aroma: Burnt toast, oyster mushrooms, collard greens

Flavor:  Black currant, collard greens, artichokes

I enjoyed this wine with a late afternoon snack of morning star vegetarian corndogs.  I think that this wine went well with the corndogs!

Bonus:

 

Taleggio Cows milk Italian Cheese  $14.99/lb   $7.20 for 0.48lb

Amazing!  A, soft, spreadable, creamy cheese with a flavor like vanilla ice cream.  This cheese is so wonderful that I want to marry it.  The cheese also has a slight summer vegetable flavor like green beans, zucchini, or cucumber with mushroom? 

I do not like the Stella Chardonnay with this cheese.  The pairing is all wrong.

Pinot Grigio #3

Pinot Grigio #3
Villa Sonie Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie from Gattinara, Italy, 12.0% alcohol $9.99
Aroma: rainbow sherbet
Flavor: light smooth citrus

I enjoyed this wine with Kale, grilled baby octopus, spaghetti squash, and grilled artichokes.  The wine went well with all items of this meal

Bonus: La Serena Raw Sheeps Milk Spanish Cheese
Made iwth Milk thistle flower, $21.99/lb  $6.38 for 0.29 lb
Flavor: smooth creamy soft spreadable cheese. Very delicious and went great with the Villa Sonie Pino Grio

Pinot Grigios!!!!!!!

Last month I completed the tasting of seven Cabernet Sauvingnons under $15.  Now it's time to move onto Pinot Grigios!

Pinot Grigio #1:  Innovacion Pino Grigio, 2009, Mendoza region of Argentina, $9.99

Aroma: Warm Apple pie and pie crust

Flavor: Sweet (however not overly sweet), smooth and creamy, floral

I enjoyed this wine with eggplant Parmesan and filet mignon cooked in a red wine sauce.  The Innovacion wine went great witht the eggplant Parmesan.  However not surprisingly, it did not go well with the filet mignon in red wine sauce. 



Bonus: 

Cypress Grove Humbolt Fog Goat's Milk Cheese  $21.99/lb $5.94 for a 0.27 lb

Flavor:  ash, smooth near rind, dry in the center.  A light blue cheese, doesn't have an overwhelming blue cheese flavor.  This cheese goes perfectly with the Innovacion Pinot Grigio.  The wine actually tastes sweeter when paired with the the Cypress Grove Humbolt Fog cheese.



Pinot Grigio #2:

The Naked Grape Pinot Grigio, California, 12.5% alcohol, $8.99

Aroma:  Molding Bread

Flavor: Sweet, watery mouth feel, anise, unripe peach

I enjoyed this wine with miso soup and a seitan and quinoa stuffed red pepper.  The wine paired perfectly with both items.


Bonus:

Pantaleo Goat's Milk Cheese, $17.99/lb  or $5.76 for 0.32 lb

Flavor:  Bright and lemony.  Perfect for summer.  This hard cheese has  a romano or Parmesan flavor and texture.  I really love the lemony flavor of this cheese!  This wine goes great with the Naked Grape Pinot Grigio, however it makes the Innovacion Pinot Grigio taste astringent.

Sauvignon Blanc #6 and #7

#6 Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc, 2009, 12.5% alcohol  $11.99 sale price  ($16.99  regular price)

The Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc is from Marlborough, New Zealand.

Aroma: Ruby red grapefruit, tangerine, and cantaloupe

Flavor: Ruby red grapefruit

Bonus:

I enjoyed this wine with my dinner which included starfruit and two cheeses for my first course.

Carr Vally Smoke Gouda, $17.99/ lb $5.22 for 0.29 lb

Flavor:

This cheese is wonderful!   It is slightly salty, faint tartness, and not overly smokey.  I think that it went well with the Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc.



Herve Mons Tomme Des Bois Noir, Raw Goat's milk $15.99 $6.24 for 0.39 lb

This cheese is horrible!  It taste like dirt.  Furthermore it tastes like burnt dirt with the Fire Road sauvignon blanc.  If someone gives you this cheese, the appropriate response should be to punch them in the face. 






For my main course I enjoyed a steak with chimichuri sauce, garlic crabs, and swiss chards.  The Fire Road wine goes great with the steak with chimichuri and the swiss chards.  However, the sweetness of the the wine seemed to be too much with the sweetness of the garlic crabs.  It was a sweetness overload.



#7  Valdivieso Sauvignon Blanc, 2009, Chile $12.5% alcohol

Aroma:

Oatmeal perhaps?

Flavor:  Sweet, low acidity, flavor of oatmeal.  This wine brings out the ash flavor of the canna de cabra cheese that I reviewed in the last post.  It's not a good combo.