Ravenswood Old Vine Zin

My good friend Diane got me into the Old Vine Zins. This is a great, bold Zin. A little fruity with a spicy smooth finish.

This was a huge deal; I picked it up at Target for $6.99, regularly priced at $8.99. I found it online for as much as $15.00.

I like the Old Vine Zins because they are so versatile. I've enjoyed Old Vine Zins with steak; and tonight the Ravenswood went great with the Albertson's take and bake pizza and a Muppet movie. This is definitely on the purchase again list.

Riesling

Pacific Rim Riesling. A nice light Reisling. Sweet (of course), Fruity. This was part of the Simply Wine February club, but is sold in the store for $9.99. This organic wine is great for this lazy Sunday afternoon, watching movies, reading & snacking on Dakota Style Chips.

Pink Champagne

Zibibbo: Sweet, bubbly, Moscato. Excellent.

This is actually Angove Zibibbo Sparkling Pink Moscato from Australia. I picked up this bottle at Sam's Club for $11.95. I thought I recognized it from a post by Reverse Wine Snob (and I did). I've always wanted to try pink champagne, probably since seeing "A Love Affair". It really is a great wine -- fruity, with a great berry flavor. Lots of fun to drink!  Definitely adding this to the purchase again list.

 

And yes, this is not really champagne because it is not French. But the title looks better with champagne, rather thank Sparkling Wine. And I get a chance to do some education on the difference!

Chicken & Turkey, a Red Blend

A great way to get a good deal on wine is to join a club. Clubs will do the selecting for you and there is usually some cash savings involved. Here in Montana, laws prevent you from shipping wine to an individual so you have to look locally. I've written about the Simply Wine store and club on my family blog. Sue has 3 options and I've always gone for the Simply Wine club which is 3 bottles for $29.95. The bottles on their own typically range in price from around $8-9 up to $15-18, depending on what Sue is able to get. I like that I'm able to try wines I probably wouldn't otherwise and am able to afford to do so.

February's selections are 2 reds and a white. The white is a Riesling, which I think I'm going to save for when my mother-in-law is in town as she enjoys sweeter wines. Pacific Rim Organic Riesling is organic and runs $9.99 at Simply Wine. The first red is Caparzo Sangiovese Toscana, and runs around $14.99 at the store. Per Sue's notes, this is one to keep for a couple of years. At $14.99, this is definitely a splurge so might be worth holding on to for a while.

The 2nd red I opened last night and is, yes, Chicken & Turkey, called thusly because it goes well with poultry. So, of course, I had it with pizza. This is a red blend and was much better today after getting a little air. I've really started to enjoy blends and this is a blend of 2 of my favorites: Syrrah and Grenache. This is a beautiful dark red with a touch of purple. Sue's notes mention bing cherry, tobacco and licorice, which is probably the bit of spice I'm getting. On it's own, a bottle is $11.99, so just above my limit. I've enjoyed this one, but not sure I'd go out of my way to get another bottle.

Muscadet

A French, Loire Valley white. When I first opened the bottle, the first thing I noticed was a smell of vanilla. Smooth. Slightly dry. Tangy finish -- maybe a little citrus-y. I believe Diane got this as part of Wine Club. I found it priced online anywhere from $4.99 - $8.99, so this is definitely budget friendly. The muscadet grape has a great history and I enjoyed reading about it on Wikipedia.

I would probably purchase this wine again as it is affordable and I think it would go great with a warm spring evening or on a pizza night.

Super Bowl Wines

Such a fun night! Plenty of food and a great variety of wines to enjoy.  I did not purchase any of these wines, so my prices are going to come from web searches.

The evening started (and ended) with New Age. I've always enjoyed New Age as a fun, light wine with just a bit of bubbles to tickle your nose. It's sweet and easy, good for any occasion or meal.  The price of a bottle is typically around $10. I've been able to fine New Age at most liquor or other wine-selling store, including grocery stores. [And yes, we were drinking out of plastic cups because me and my church friends are classy like that.]

From there, we jumped to the Pinot Noirs. The first was a 2010 Australian called T'Gallant Juliet. It was nice with the spicy foods we snacked on, but there wasn't anything about it that made me want to add it to the purchase again list. Perhaps with a bit more time for the flavors.  I believe Diane got this as part of the Simply Wine Club (more about that later).  A search found this around $13 for a bottle, so definitely on the splurge list.

 

Next was Cloudline, a 2009 from Oregon. Another good paring with our spicy snacks. I liked this one more than the Juliet, it seemed more substantial. It was a fine, classic Pinot Noir that I would probably purchase again; I think it would be great for cooking with, especially a roast beef!  I found it online ranging from $8.00 up to $20.00. Another splurge!

 

And, to enjoy with these Pinot Noirs a Bacon Stout Chocolate Cheesecake [oh yes we went there!]

 

Before going back to New Age, we opened the Miradou Rose Cotes de Provence 2011, a light rose wine and another Simply Wine Club find.  Fruity and reminded me of strawberries.  Most sites have it listed around $13.  I would add this to my purchase again list, especially for a warm spring or summer evening with friends.

So, it really was a splurge night over all. But when it's party time, and your friends bring the bottles, who's to argue?