joeandshirl

Sometimes you can open, pour and taste a wine and not expect anything other than just a drinkable table wine and get much more.  That happened today when Shirley asked for a Marsala to use in a new Chicken Marsala recipe she was trying.  Unfortunately, I had no Marsala or a Port or Sherry that I would have suggested as a substitute. Needing a dry fortified wine I opened a "baby Barolo" I had on hand and just for shits and giggles added a shot of Brandy to one cup of the wine.  That was my way... Read Full Story

I'll start this post out by saying I know nothing about Touriga Nacional, a native grape of Portugal.  What I do understand is that this grape is used for blends and primarily for port wine and that it is a very small grape with a very low yield, thus making for an expensive wine.  Surprise, Surprise!!  Not expensive at all, at least when I found this 2009 Aveleda Follies Touriga Nacional / Cabernet Sauvignon for only ( $10 ).  What I also found was a big bold blend of 70% Touriga Nacional... Read Full Story

Sometimes Shirley just picks the wrong time to do one of her signature dishes.  Tonight it was her Southern style BBQ pork ribs. This would have been a perfect dish for Super Bowl Sunday next week, but I'll probably go with the usual pizza and wings for the game. I had no idea on what wine I would open with the ribs, so I decided to search the net for a proper pairing.  Basically, I found that this dish would pair well with just about any red wine and even a few white wines, but they all... Read Full Story

I like football (i.e. American Football) almost as much as Major League Baseball and NCAA Basketball.  So this past Sunday was a big day where the NFL Conference Championships were decided.  My team (Philadelphia) was not part of this season's playoff's, but another favorite team (NY Giants) was playing in the NFC title game. I started off the afternoon dicing up some veggies and cheese bites with a few dips and opening up a NEW YORK Finger Lakes 2010 dry Riesling from the Fox Run Vineyards... Read Full Story

Merlot is another one of many wines that I can 'take it' or 'leave it.'  Not very high on my list of favorites. So, I very seldom have any on hand and very seldom search this wine out when wine shopping.  This past year, I have tried a few from Long Island, where Merlot seems to be king, but was not impressed.  I also have not, until now, found a Finger Lakes Merlot that pleased the palate. I usually bring home a few when on a wine tour or from the annual wine fest, but like many wines tasted... Read Full Story

I got caught at the right time to open one of my few remaining Albariño wines.  Shirley, decided to cook up a broiled salmon steak with some baked Ore-Ida 'Fast Food Fries" and a garden salad for dinner.  Tonight it was a Licia Albariño 2010 ( $13 ). This is a Albariño that I found at one of the counties larger wine outlets.   I have become very fond of this grape, which until recently was hard to find locally.  It does appear, however, that this grape is now becoming very popular and easier... Read Full Story

I have often mentioned that my favorite white wine is Riesling, especially those from the New York Finger Lakes region.  Another that I discovered in the past year that rivals those favorites is the Albariño wines from the Rias Baixas region of Spain.  I now think that it is maybe because I found the Riesling and Albariño so similar.  At least that is what I found in three samples I just received from the PR folks at Cornerstone Communications . I was going to taste all three and then post a... Read Full Story

I very rarely buy, order or drink French wines.  For 'old world' wines I have always enjoyed those from Italy and Spain and paid little attention to wines from France. There have been some I have enjoyed, like Beaujolais, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and some Bordeaux and one in particular that I had a few years ago, a Gigondas.  So, on my last wine shopping spree I picked up a bottle of E.Guigal Gigondas 2007 ( $24 ) Gigondas is situated right under the rugged, rocky range of the... Read Full Story

I guess saying that 2011 was not as eventful as 2010 would be understating it a little.  Although one must still put up with some of the aches and pains of old age there was nothing very serious to deal with other than a slight weight issue.  Seems I have found the pounds that were lost or misplaced during the early part of the year.  I did get back into the gym, but have been delinquent  since Thanksgiving.  I should be back on track after the holiday season. The year has been the most... Read Full Story

In May of 2009 I reviewed a Chardonnay from California that I named as the best Chardonnay I have ever tasted, a Clos Du Bois Calcaire .  Since then I have treated myself to some very nice red wines from that same winery.  Most notably the blended Marlstone and Briarstone Cabernet Sauvignon. Since their inception in 1974, Clos du Bois has been a champion of sustainability. They are especially proud of their solar initiative, which utilizes over 4,000 solar panels to power their winery almost... Read Full Story