New Wines

My friend introduced me to two new wines recently. They are both cheap and really good, and they're both Shiraz, which is new to me. The first is Jam Jar - you should get it, if just for the great packaging. It's on sale for $9.99 at World Market. I noticed some other well-priced wines in cool bottles there too:

The other is Banrock Station's Shiraz. Here in Chicago you can get it at Jewel-Osco (the local grocery store) for $4.99.

v-day dinner

will made filet mignon medium rare, mashed potatoes and asparagus.  i bought a bottle of 2007 De Loach Pinot Noir, $12.99.  everything was delishhh.

other wine

will heard about sam's wine here in chicago (like a costco for wine - reminded me of bevmo), so we checked it out over the weekend.  we were looking for an affordable, smooth, not dry cabernet.  the guy there was super helpful and recommended this one:

it's a 2005 cab.  the guy described it as smooth and complex.  it was oak-ey and smokey at the same time.  we loved it.

here are some other wines we have at the moment.  the first is the requisite 2 buck chuck sauv blanc for cooking.  the fetzer (vintage 2006) is one we picked up from the store to pair with cheese and crackers on our date night 2 weeks ago.  it was a wild guess but turned out to be a great riesling.  sweet, of course, but not syrup-y.  everyone we've served it to has loved it.  and $10.

wedding wine

we had the privilege of getting two cases of wine from one of our favorite napa wineries, cosentino.  we had taken a trip to napa in 2007 and visited cosentino, on recommendation from a friend, whose brother-in-law worked there.  well, that friend got us a great deal for our wedding.  so we picked a case of will's favorite (cab) and mine (chardonnay) for the wedding.  

it was great.  i definitely recommend visiting cosentino winery and picking up a bottle if you are ever in napa.  it's a very unpretentious winery with friendly staff.  and you can't find their wines at the grocery store.  

i don't know what happened to the leftovers, or if there were any.  hmmm.

bachelorette wine

allison brought this wine to my bachelorette party.  i think it was a strong wine, but don't quote me on that.  regardless, i liked the bottle. ;)

engagement wine

i haven't posted about wine for awhile.  but i wanted to record some stuff, just for my own recollection.  as many of you know, will and i went to santa barbara to celebrate one year of dating.  he ended up taking me back to santa barbara to propose, and it's where we got engaged.

the only wineries i remember trying out that day are zaca mesa and fess parker.  zaca mesa was okay, but we really enjoyed fess parker.  we even took a little nap out there on their big lawn, and another couple was having a picnic there.

more wine posts to come...

santa barbara

I have been dating for a year now! Will took me to Santa Barbara for a day to celebrate 365 days of goodness together. On the drive up we found ourselves unwinding as we inched further away from L.A. and enjoyed the breathtaking view of the coast. Lunch was at Ca 'Dario, an Italian restaurant that is known for its ravioli. It was spectacular. Then we headed to Santa Ynez for wine tasting at Sunstone, Gainey and Beckmen. Sunstone was the favorite. They don't use pesticides and their chardonnay was yum. We stopped by the farmer's market in Solvang before going back.

This was the perfect idea for a day trip. It's close to LA and we kept saying how much we liked it and that we should go more regularly. It was quieter, cozier and less commercialized than Napa.

I found the cutest book at Beckmen: Wine Dogs: USA Edition. The book documents dogs that belong to different winemakers. I was ecstatic when I saw that Gus (dog at Beckmen) and Shelby (Sunstone), dogs we met, are both featured in the book. I wish I had a dog. Sigh. {Photo from winedogs}

wine country

I went to Napa Valley last weekend for wine tasting. It was nice to get away from the city and be in the vineyards. Now I think I can tell a little bit of the difference between wines. I did tons of research on Chowhound so if you want to know wineries that offer quality but free or cheap tastings, or good eats up there, let me know and I'll send you the info. From the wineries we visited, I recommend Cosentino. It's lesser known but great wine with an intimate and friendly atmosphere. Our wine pourer was down to earth and funny. They have a good Sauvignon Blanc and an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon. Also, here are links to the best maps I found of Napa and Sonoma. And this is a map of Napa with a legend. If I ever had one, I think I'd want a wine tasting weekend in Napa for my bachelorette party. ;)