In honor of Monday's trip to Mallorca, Spain, we popped open a bottle of Spanish Cava. We have been big fans of Spanish sparkling wine since we first tried Frexeinet in 1997, back when it retailed for around $6.
This wine, Casteller Cava Brut, is light, bubbly, and nicely dry. It has a slight hint of citrus but isn't sweet. So many inexpensive sparkling wines taste like fermented ginger ale, but this one definitely does not. At around $11, Casteller Cava is a great value, and we wholeheartedly recommend it!
Next weekend, we'll still be in Spain, so look for our next post (hopefully a write-up of more Spanish wines) the first weekend of June. Happy Memorial Day!
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Celebration!
In honor of Daryl's birthday (we won't say which) and his mom's arrival, we opened a bottle of one of our favorite red wines: 2001 Franciscan Oakville Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This was given to us as a gift just about a year ago, after we had written enthusiastically about their 1999 vintage. Once again, we were not disappointed!
This cab is full-bodied, rich and striking. Upon opening, Daryl immediately smelled cinnamon and could taste various spices when sipping. Kath loved the rich, dark cherry notes. It paired very nicely with a T-bone steak accompanied by jasmine rice and a simple green salad - a perfect birthday meal! We paid around $25 for the '99 and have seen other vintages priced comparably. We love this wine.
Before we sign off for this week, we wanted to give special recognition to the season finale of The Office - how awesome was that kiss???!!!
This cab is full-bodied, rich and striking. Upon opening, Daryl immediately smelled cinnamon and could taste various spices when sipping. Kath loved the rich, dark cherry notes. It paired very nicely with a T-bone steak accompanied by jasmine rice and a simple green salad - a perfect birthday meal! We paid around $25 for the '99 and have seen other vintages priced comparably. We love this wine.
Before we sign off for this week, we wanted to give special recognition to the season finale of The Office - how awesome was that kiss???!!!
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Southern Seyval
We first visited Tennessee in 2003 and brought back quite a few bottles of locally produced wine. With two exceptions, we have drunk all of those bottles. So, when Daryl passed through there on a recent trip South, he purchased several bottles from Sumner Crest Winery in West Portland. Today, we opened their Seyval Blanc Table Wine (around $12).
Its color is golden, much like an American Chardonnay, and it has aromas of butter, cream and Swiss cheese. Kath could taste the cheese upon sipping, and Daryl noted that it had a subtle finish. Last summer, we tasted a Seyval Blanc from Prince Edward Island, Canada, and we noted that the Canadian wine was slightly syrupy and rather sweet. This Tennessee wine is much drier and has a cleaner mouth-feel to it - interesting how the same grape grown in different areas can produce two wines with distinct qualities. Is this the influence of terrior, a term so often used in describing French wines?
We enjoyed it - both agreeing that this was a nice wine for a relaxed weekend afternoon!
Its color is golden, much like an American Chardonnay, and it has aromas of butter, cream and Swiss cheese. Kath could taste the cheese upon sipping, and Daryl noted that it had a subtle finish. Last summer, we tasted a Seyval Blanc from Prince Edward Island, Canada, and we noted that the Canadian wine was slightly syrupy and rather sweet. This Tennessee wine is much drier and has a cleaner mouth-feel to it - interesting how the same grape grown in different areas can produce two wines with distinct qualities. Is this the influence of terrior, a term so often used in describing French wines?
We enjoyed it - both agreeing that this was a nice wine for a relaxed weekend afternoon!
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