It Starts With A Grape

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I wish i could tell you exactly what grapes went into making this refreshing Portuguese white, but the most I could find on its contents was its made with white varietals native to the Beiras region in Portugal. That being said…it is an enticing shade of golden hay, with interestingly thick, long legs. There’s fresh granny smith apples on the nose, accompanied by prickly pear, hay, thyme and white pepper. Right off the bat it fills your mouth with its creamy texture, but transitions quickly to a more mineralistic, crisp white. It showcases flavors of red tea, papaya and fresh squeezed lemon, with a finish made of slate and lemongrass. I would recommend that you don’t serve this one super chilled, it was only once that it came down in temp a little that it really opened up. This peculiar white would pair famously with hearty white fish in a light lemon and herb sauce, or simply done crab legs with lemon-butter sauce and a side of rice pilaf.

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From the Languedoc region in France comes this terrifically blended red, consisting of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Carignan. It opens with a nose of blackberry jam, blueberries, and mild oak, with subtle aromas of roasted green peppers. Its medium-heavy in body, and a deep shade of cranberry in color. Plenty of blueberry carries over to the palate, along with a surprisingly fair amount of oak, given its subtle presence in the bouquet. It has an interesting layer of earth to it, reminiscent of a wet decaying tree covered in moss, but in a good way, if you can imagine that. Though i could see it standing up well to something as heavy and simple as grilled steak, I think it would be better suited paired along side grilled pork in a medium-sweet/savory tomato based sauce.

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Cotes Du Rhone (Coat-do-rone) is traditionally a blend made of any of the fallowing grapes: Syrah, Grenache, Mourverde, and Carignan. Its called Cotes Du Rhone because of where its grown in France, as is the case with the majority of French wines. This particular Cotes Du Rhone, Saint Esprit, is made up of 75% Syrah, and 25% Greanche. Its a beautiful deep shade of garnet, and opens with a nose of black cherry and tart plumb. Fallowed by light smokey oak and just a hint of cinnamon. With a medium body, its tannins are silky smooth, but maintain enough oomph to give it a fair amount of backbone. Flavors of juicy raspberry and an array of black fruit glide over your taste-buds, moving you gracefully into a finish of soft, smooth oak finish. This is one very well balanced red, that would lend itself well to a number of foods, or could be drunk on its own. Broiled, juicy steak in a garlic sauce with a side of herb-ed red mashed potatoes comes to mind, but it would go just as well with a mild cheese. One word of caution with this wine, I would recommend either decanting it or just giving it a while to open up in your glass, the tannins and acidity were a little much the first time around, but they calm down fairly quickly when aerated.

Good news, with a new month, comes new promo codes! Check the side bar for wine.com’s promo codes for the month of July.

And don’t forget, if you read the review here and it sounds good to you, simply click on the picture of the label to the left, it will sweep you away to its ‘buy’ page on wine.com! Happy sipping everyone!

frugally yours,

It Starts With a Grape

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Rolling in from Spain at the rock bottom price of $8.99 is this scrumptious Monastrell. Its deep plum in color, and its spicy dark nose is bursting with currant, jammy fruit, and black tea. Even though there’s an abundance of charred oak on the palate it remains smooth in your mouth. The cassis from the nose carries over well, accompanied by blackberry preserves, and a touch of raisin. If I could use just two words to sum this one up they would be dark and mysterious. The oaky finish is fairly dry with a surprising re-emergence of the aforementioned black tea lingering about. It pairs surprisingly well with fresh strawberries (a completely accidental find), really bringing out the fruit in the wine. It would also work well with a grilled steak seasoned liberally with black pepper in a berry glaze, sprinkled lightly with crumbled gorgonzola.

Because many people are still not familiar with this varietal (Monastrell) here’s a little info:

Monastrell also goes by the names Mourverde and Mataro. If you have ever heard the term GSM when someone was describing a wine, well its blend, and the ‘M’ stands for Mourverde, (the G and S are Grenache and Syrah). When its not being used in this popular blend, it produces big, deep, and sometimes earthy reds on its own, its also a favorite among winemakers for roses.

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Straight from Central Tuscany comes this this rather yummy red blend of Sangiovese(%85) and Cabernet Sauvignon(%15). Its not super fragrant, but there are subtle, pleasant aromas of plum, fresh fig, and mild oak, with just a nuance of vanilla. Its medium in body, super easy going, and its soft oak lends structure without being overbearing. Not to mention its smooth as silk tannins, this is one wonderfully balanced wine. Though the fruit isn’t ‘in your face’ it is quite juicy with plenty of ripe red raspberry, and strawberry jam. This smooth Tuscan treat is perfect for pizza night. I enjoyed it with bacon and onion toppings, but could see it working with a sweet sausage topping as well.

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This super tasty summertime white out of South Africa has a bright tropical nose, namely pineapple and mango with hints of orange peel. Its pale straw in color and has fairly thick legs for a Sauv Blanc. I must say it is a refreshing break form the overbearingly grape-fruity Sauv Blanc that had recently dominated the market. Initially there’s a delicious burst of cracked white pepper on the palate, fallowed gracefully by pineapple and lemon zest. It has just enough citrus, and a super clean slate finish. For a most enjoyable drinking experience, pair it with grilled chicken breast topped with a basil, sauteed apple and roasted fig medley, sprinkled with crumbled goat cheese.  For a simple snack, goat cheese and a slice of apple on wheat crackers.

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Happy sipping everyone!

It Starts With a Grape

All of the promo codes for wine.com can now be found in the side bar to the right so you can find them easily all month long.

We will also be adding “but it here” links to a website called DrinkUpForLess.com for some of the wines we review, the wines on this site are great values, and they also offer great promos which we will fill you in on. The only down side we found to this site is availability, as they rotate their stock frequently they seem to run out quicker, we will do our best to keep our reviews as current as possible but try and cut us some slack if they run out ; )

frugally yours,

It Starts With a Grape

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Just in case anyone is wondering about the whole ‘old vine’ thing, it implies that the wine was made from grapes produced literally from old vines. There is no rule in place that says the wine really has to be from old vines, but reputable producers don’t use the term loosely. Just like you can taste when wine came from ‘young’ vines, you can also tell when it comes from old vines (generally). But enough with the tech talk, on to the good stuff…

This red beauty has a rich bouquet of raisins, blackberry jam, and molasses, with hints of eucalyptus and strong brewed chai tea. It has a ridiculously smooth and silky mouth feel, delivering huge deep fruit flavors to your taste buds.  Super soft, but structured tannins are the perfect vehicle for its jammy fruit flavors, reminiscent of a spiced fig tart. Clove and toasted oak linger on its lengthy finish. Enjoy it with chipotle-BBQ chicken, or super sharp cheese.