It's been a while since I've had an opportunity to share my thoughts on the earth given gift made from the grape. And this Thursday night is the perfect evening considering my guilty pleasure show is airing... :O) yah!
Bodega, Elena De Mendoza, Malbec 2011
This is a rich wine. It embodies deep fragrance, (I get dark berries...) The taste is aromatic, acidic, smooth and dry. Great for steaks!
Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2009
This is a 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet, 15% Cabernet Franc blend a dear friend gave me for Christmas.
Deep ruby in color it begins light and crisp with a slightly acidic, sterile finish. It has a fantastic cherry perfume. Overall this was a pleasant wine.
In the exquisitely beautiful area of Chanti you might happen upon a small family owned winery....
Azienda Agricola Poggio Amorelli. The Mazzarrini Family takes pride in what they produce, wines, cheeses, oils, no matter what the product your destine to fine something to enjoy!
Vermentino IGT Maremma 2010 - This is a dry white wine, gold in hue, with a floral aroma. This would be great with a light seafood dish.
Morellino Di Scansano DOCG 2010 - I sense a hint of berry, raspberry or cherry. Its earthy to the nose with a sweet finish. This would be great with a nutty cheese.
Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva 2009 - Aged for a year in oak! This is a smooth, velvet wine and good to drink immediately or age for 20-30 years.... if you can wait :o).
E-mail:
info@vinopoggioamorelli.it
Robert Hall 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon
This is a good wine with an aroma of sensual cherries, exotic spices, and pepper. I taste a subtle vanilla flavor and a few other things I can't quite put my finger on... This Cab. is fantastic with chocolate!
Green Fin 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
This is an organic wine I found at Trader Joe's. It has an oaky nutty aroma... smooth to the palate with a strong distinctive finish.
My latest discovery in the world of wine is the Everson Royce. This is a great little spot to grab a glass and meet some new friends. I really enjoy Ana Henton's design. She incorporated warm, hard materials in a way that feels very inviting. ...But hey when there is wine involved life is inviting!
This past weekend was a blast at the 7th annual LA Wine Festival! I was introduce to some great new wines and met some fantastic wine lovers and foodies!
Me and my Gal Pal Luci at the starting gate...
1st stop Fray!
The friendly guys from Frey Vineyards were more than happy to pose for me... :o)
The Levendi winery from Napa cranks out some brilliantly silky Cabernets...
Almost empty ;o(
You have to love the names of these blends... First Crush wines in San Miguel, Ca offers up some unique experiences, if your ever in their neck of the woods stop by and check out their harvest crush experience!
...ha ha double fisting...
Smell...
Taste...
Some good food was had... Soft shell crab anyone...
...and oysters on the side, my kind of snack!
In the end...
A good time was had by all....
And some new friends were made!
Oh yeah and my favorite wine of the day, hands down...... drum roll please.....
Santa Ema 2011 Sauvignon Blanc! Perfectly refreshing!
In honor of my beautiful friends Peter and Axia I will dedicate some time contemplating the expression of Chianti wines...
Chianti is a red wine produced in Tuscany and for my first sampling I chose a 2008 Riserva Grifone. From the smell of the cork I got an deep oakiness (which I love), the color is a rich, deep ruby.... the fragrance of ripe raspberry and cherry. This wine has a bold flavor... perfume with an after thought of tobacco... Its a good wine for the price!
Last weekend I had my first experience watching the alpaca lose their fur for the summer... The Alpaca hair is used to make fabric for textiles and knitting.
They are quite cute!
I have to say this does not look fun...
All shaven but she doesn't want to go back in her cage... Can you blame her! LOL
While at the Alpaca farm I came across Cheryl Mankin who demonstrated the long lost art of spinning fiber for yarn and knitting.
Here are some samples of her hand crafted yarns.
The cool thing about fabric made from Alpaca is that it will keep you warm like wool but without the itchy...
Here is a sample of spun silk...
Cheryl makes beautiful earrings and reusable shopping bags from her hand dyed yarns. If you want to learn more about Cheryl check out www.valleyofthemoonOjai.com
After a long morning at the Alpaca farm it was time for a break... And what better place to be for an afternoon than Old Creek Ranch Winery.
Wine Trivia!
How much wine is in a bottle? Generally a bottle of wine measures the liquid in milliliters, with 750 ml being the standard amount in most bottles (or about 25 fluid ounces).
How many bottles of wine does it take to make create a case of wine? 12
How many gallons of wine are produced from one acre of grapevines? About 800
Where does the vanilla flavor in wine come from? If newer oak barrels were used in the wine-making process, the wines will often have a hint of vanilla in both the aroma and flavor.
How many varieties of wine grapes exist in the world today? Over 10,000!
How many gallons of wine does California produce annually? Over 17 million gallons
How many calories are in a four ounce glass of red wine Approximately 85
How many gallons of wine are in a single barrel? 60
How many grapevines generally make up an acre? 400
http://wine.about.com/od/winetrivia/a/winetrivia.htm
