Accessible, light, easy finish
$9 at Hennepin lake liquors
3.5/5
Price unknown
3.5/5
It’s been nearly a year since the last post. Kind of forgot about the blog!
Well, this evening I tried the 2008 Tempra Tantrum a Spanish Tempranillo and Merlot blend. We ate a pasta with pumpkin, sage and sausage recipe from Nick Stellino’s family kitchen cookbook.
The wine was very nice. It was both smooth and strong with a bit of spice that went well with the spicy sausage.
We had the good fortune to win a raffle at a neighborhood event for this fine specimen. Provided by the Cork Dork of South Minneapolis, (no website?) this may be the first wine I have ever tasted from Portugal.
The Twisted Douro was an excellent find, not too tannic, nor overly fruity, it was very drinkable, and went wonderfully with the steak and arugula salad that we had for dinner.
I went to the local liquor store thinking I might find some other Portugese wines to taste, but alas, no luck.
Saturday night, Kris and I had two very good friends over for dinner. The kind of dinner party I enjoy, one does the cooking and one brings the vin. While I served red snapper, Jared and Stephanie brought a delicious Muscadet. This white Loire wine was the perfect combination of crisp and fruity, and perfectly balanced the spicy mustard sauce of the fish.
The wine was purchased at Uncork It! in Chicago. While I have not yet stopped by this establishment, Jared and Stephanie praised the staff as friendly, unpretentious and extremely helpful. From the gem that they brought for dinner, they weren’t led astray! You can pick up this bottle for roughly $15.
The great thing about wine…well one of the great things about wine, is that no matter who you are or where you are from, what you do for a living or how much money you make, you can enjoy good wine. Wine used to be for the snootie pooties. Well, we are here to banish those stigmas! You can find delicious, and ahem, affordable wine from all over the world. One of my perennial favorites, is of course from the beautiful country of Argentina.
Argentina is known for a many great things, the steak, the beautiful people, Patagonia, and now the wine! Alamos Malbec not only is affordable- Under $10! But it sings in harmony with grilled meats, sharp cheeses, and dreams of campfires, vaqueros, and starry nights. Anyone thirsty yet?!
I could not start co-blogging without posting my wedding wine. 2008 was a great year in our family. My husband and I got married (drank this wine) and my niece was born. I will always remember 2008 with this delicious Barbera. A great starter Barbera, priced roughly at $15 a beautiful wine, at a beautiful price.
We had the pleasure of enjoying the Monte Volpe Primo Rosso for a discounted price at Cavé Vin in South Minneapolis. They have half-priced bottles on Monday and Tuesday. Luckily, a certain someone’s birthday fell on a Tuesday this year.
We were able to enjoy this gem for $12. It went wonderfully with both the Scallops and the Pork.