Post by T. Miller on Nov 1, 2004 11:37:28 GMT -5
OK! I'm starting a wine thread! I may be the only one posting here, but oh well!!
Teruzzi & Puthod Vernaccia di San Gimignano (2002): This wine was recommended to me by a friend of mine. I found it priced around $12. I had this Italian white wine with strongly herbed chicken, and it held up amazingly well to the strong flavour. It is very light and crisp, with a little bit of tartness to it. It was also very smooth and easy to drink. There was a lot of fruityness to it, but not overly so, and no oak, so people preferring sweeter wines will probably like this one. I would most definitely purchase this wine again.
Since I mentioned a white, let me mention now a red. Tortoise Creek Les Amoureux Merlot Cabernet (2002): Sadly I did not note the price, but it must be budget friendly considering the type of person that happened to leave this at my house one day. This full bodied red is a mixture of Merlot and Cabernet (70% and 30%, respectively) from France. You can definitely taste characteristics of the two types of grape. Overall, this full wine is pretty mellow, tasting soft and buttery, especially in the finish (when it lingers on your tongue, for those not accustomed to wine jargon). When it first hits your mouth, it's almost tart and grapey, but then that butter taste sneaks in so subtley and blooms wonderfully. If you smell it, it smells like leather, a common characteristic of Cabernet. It has the same darker warm colour to it that Cabs have, but the full-bodiedness was more in line with a typical Merlot, not quite as heavy as a Cab. All in all, I liked this wine very much; thinking about it makes me wish for a good steak or roast lamb, which it would accompany nicely. Beefbrain would have to let me know about the venison end of things. For more info, this vineyard has a website: www.tortoisecreekwines.com .
Just one more, to prove that I don't like everything I put in my head! Stella Italia Pinot Grigio Umbria (2002): $7. There is another Pinot Grigio that I adore (Gabbiano) which I will describe next time. After buying it again and again, it was suggested to me that I try this one and save some $ - "they're quite similar!" they said. Hmmm... maybe if I leave out the Gabbiano for a few days after I open it and then open the Stella will they be similar!! It wasn't a horrible wine or anything - medium bodied with a bit of a butter taste towards the end, possible good with a simply dressed pasta or spinach - but it wasn't my beloved Gabbiano. It didn't hold a candle in the complexity or smoothness of flavour, so I went and proceeded to use the Stella solely as a cooking wine.
I keep a journal of the wines I've tried over the last 4 years or so. For whatever interest it may be, the first two wines were tried in Sept & August of this year, while the Stella was from Oct of last year. Cheers!
Teruzzi & Puthod Vernaccia di San Gimignano (2002): This wine was recommended to me by a friend of mine. I found it priced around $12. I had this Italian white wine with strongly herbed chicken, and it held up amazingly well to the strong flavour. It is very light and crisp, with a little bit of tartness to it. It was also very smooth and easy to drink. There was a lot of fruityness to it, but not overly so, and no oak, so people preferring sweeter wines will probably like this one. I would most definitely purchase this wine again.
Since I mentioned a white, let me mention now a red. Tortoise Creek Les Amoureux Merlot Cabernet (2002): Sadly I did not note the price, but it must be budget friendly considering the type of person that happened to leave this at my house one day. This full bodied red is a mixture of Merlot and Cabernet (70% and 30%, respectively) from France. You can definitely taste characteristics of the two types of grape. Overall, this full wine is pretty mellow, tasting soft and buttery, especially in the finish (when it lingers on your tongue, for those not accustomed to wine jargon). When it first hits your mouth, it's almost tart and grapey, but then that butter taste sneaks in so subtley and blooms wonderfully. If you smell it, it smells like leather, a common characteristic of Cabernet. It has the same darker warm colour to it that Cabs have, but the full-bodiedness was more in line with a typical Merlot, not quite as heavy as a Cab. All in all, I liked this wine very much; thinking about it makes me wish for a good steak or roast lamb, which it would accompany nicely. Beefbrain would have to let me know about the venison end of things. For more info, this vineyard has a website: www.tortoisecreekwines.com .
Just one more, to prove that I don't like everything I put in my head! Stella Italia Pinot Grigio Umbria (2002): $7. There is another Pinot Grigio that I adore (Gabbiano) which I will describe next time. After buying it again and again, it was suggested to me that I try this one and save some $ - "they're quite similar!" they said. Hmmm... maybe if I leave out the Gabbiano for a few days after I open it and then open the Stella will they be similar!! It wasn't a horrible wine or anything - medium bodied with a bit of a butter taste towards the end, possible good with a simply dressed pasta or spinach - but it wasn't my beloved Gabbiano. It didn't hold a candle in the complexity or smoothness of flavour, so I went and proceeded to use the Stella solely as a cooking wine.
I keep a journal of the wines I've tried over the last 4 years or so. For whatever interest it may be, the first two wines were tried in Sept & August of this year, while the Stella was from Oct of last year. Cheers!