Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Halloween Dark chocolate pairs with Wine

With the spirit of Halloween I wanted to tie in chocolate. More specifically, dark mint chocolate. Maybe you're asking if I've switched from being a wino to being a foodie? Honestly I like both, but I love wine and of course, this being a wine blog, a pairing was inevitable. So after tasting numerous red wines, and pairing them with Dark mint chocolate, I only found couple that paired modestly. Then I thought, what about a Riesling? The reason being, the Riesling grape has the ability to pull off dry and off dry wines equally. This time I already know which Riesling will pair well. The Chateau Ste. Michelle is very accessible at the price of 10 dollars. When you pair it with, to be specific, the Ghirardelli Intense dark chocolate Mint bliss and this Riesling you get from the chocolate a light bitterness, and a subtle mint. With the wine you pick up green apples, a little spice and a earthiness that pair very well with the mint. This wine also has a spritz of lime and bell pepper, which enhances the good concentrated acid up the middle of the tongue. All in all, if you Halloween goers love Dark mint chocolate, here's a wine that can pair well with your indulgences. So to all you Vampires and Werewolves have fun, and be safe this Halloween while drinking wine.

The Rolling Stone - Best of Friends

Today your humble author has a wierd new twist for the blog. I received a letter, not more than five days ago, from my old friend Tiberius, living somewhere in southern Mexico and traveling freely about the country. The letter was written on a long sheet of papyrus and sealed inside an empty wine bottle, for reasons that have not been made clear.

It seems like a desperate attempt at publicity from this wretched bastard, and perhaps some last-ditch effort to increase the stock of the vineyard he has just invested in.

If for nothing other than the sake of entertainment, here is the letter, in its near entirety, courtesy of Tiberius Wellington Nero:

Dear Jay,

Trapped inside this fucking room with nothing more than a bleeding pen and this rancid shred of papyrus paper that I found in the corner. They must have abandoned me here for two hours already. Something about a drug deal gone bad. I was scouring through the room when I found an unopened bottle of La Redonda Vino Blanco Semi Seco; 2004.

Desperate with panic, I uncorked the bugger and twisted it toward my lips.

The first sip was filled with cork, which I swallowed down heartily. Never use a Swiss Army pocketknife to open a bottle, my friend. But then you already know that.

But back to the wine, eh?

Upon my first real sip, which I have just taken, I feel the zest of lemon, or some kind of sour citrus.

Fuck! The staleness at the tip of my tongue is wretched. Keep going. Tangy now. A twist of some kind of grapefruit. Maybe.

People are familiar with the wines from our Baja Region, but few know of the secret treasures of the cabernet and malbec vino here in Queretaro, Zacatecas and Aguas Calientes,

I am thinking of fish now. Suddenly. Maybe some Halibut or Mackerel. Yes. A squirt of lime with fish would be nice. Always squeeze the lime upward. Keep the seeds out of your food.

Fuck. Open the bottle Jay. Take a whiff of this sweet fruit. Grown right here in the bitter heart of Queretaro. Maybe, just maybe, this bottle will get me through the next few hours. Hopefully less. No one really knows the raw power of the beast. This sickly mead we sip on in the dark hours, when we think no one is looking. But that is for us to know and them to find out, eh? Women may have the call of the siren, but we will always have the upper hand -- as long as we control the booze.

Faster now. Half the bottle is gone, and I still have a ways yet to go on this papyrus. There is a damp, musty smell in this rotten room, and the oak-laden texture of this fucking grape soda is not doing much to help it.

But I apologize. I know better than to refer to wine as grape soda. Especially in front of an old merlot field like yourself.

....................[Edited due to obscene content].......................

Reaching the bottom of the bottle now. Too hazy to focus. I have to get out of this room. Shit, this letter may be the last I write. I am drifting off. Got to preserve it. Stick it in the bottle. I hope this letter reaches you well. Sorry there was no wine left. But

I have always been a liquor-monger.

Keep the Faith.

Yours,

T.W.N.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Dolcetto: Where have you been all my Life.

In the world of wine, some varietals, in my opinion can only be described as sexy. My friends, let me introduce you to Dolcetto (dole-chet-toe). Based out of Italy, this wine is not as big in the United States market, as say it's fellow country grapes; Chianti or Pinot Grigio, but it's just as consistent of a wine. I personally love wines from Italy, and have tasted a good number of them, but because of limited access to Dolcetto, it took me awhile to get a taste of this grape. Well, now that I've sunk my teeth into this wonderful varietal, the word I would use to describe Dolcetto is sexy. And for around 11 dollars, you too can experience a Jonz in your Bonz without even listening to D'angelo (listen to the man's first album, and you'll know what song I'm talking about). The name of the specific bottle I'm reviewing is Bruno Porro San Luigi Dolcetto di Dogiani 2007. The seduction of this wine begins with it's nose which has a beautiful array of rose petals, smeared in candied red fruits such as cherry and strawberry. This Dolcetto also carries with it hints of vanilla and licorice. Now that this Dolcetto has teased your taste buds with a little four-play, it's time to consume it. As this wine embraces your mouth, your palate at the front end, is smothered with pure earthy wild cherries that travels through to the mid into the finish, but as it moves throughout your mouth it's joined by some other distinctive flavors. Joining the previous flavors it also introduces a chalky chocolate component on the transition mid to finish. This wine brings together a number of characteristics that when combined translate into silk throughout your palate. So to all you self-professed wino's out there, go ahead and romance yourself with this smooth as silk wine, I know I will, Cheers!