Yup... forget Holidays.... Labor Day is a Holiday... Memorial Day is a Holiday... New Year's Day is a Holiday.... Christmas is Christmas....
Then again, I guess you could technically call any day that you get off work a Holiday...
Then again, any day can be an even better Holiday with some nice beverage... i.e. wine.
Over the last 5 months, I've written all kinds of posts to this blog and I don't think anyone is reading them. I may as well be writing in a little journal or diary and tucking it neatly into a night stand before crashing each evening.
Oh, well... doesn't matter. I think this is my first post in about 7-8 weeks. And it's all about getting pleasantly toasted for Christmas.
Perhaps this is because I've had a nice 22oz bottle of my home-brewed IPA tonight and 3 glasses of 2006 3 Rings Barossa Shiraz - one of my favorites. Or maybe it's because I found a bottle of 2008 Yellow Tail Shiraz for $4.99 at Target this afternoon. Or maybe it's because my Rosenblum Red Rangers shipment arrived last week. Or maybe it's because I've been expounding all year long about the merits of buying Columbia Crest wines only to watch its' 2005 Reserve Cabernet top Wine Spectator's Top 100 list for 2009.... or maybe it's just because I like to drink.
It doesn't matter, does it? I mean, whatever is your liking, enjoy it. Whether it's a Holiday or Christmas or both.... all I know is that Jesus turned water to wine... and in the movie "Bottle Shock", it is quoted that wine is the perfect blend of sunlight and water... or something like that... I was drinking when I watched that, too.
Well, in these recessive times... to hell with all of you who think that a $500 bottle of wine is better than a $27 dollar bottle just because it's really cool to brag to all of your Lexus-driving friends that you can match your monthly lease payment on grape juice.... to hell with you. Why? Because if it tastes good, the rating doesn't freaking matter. If it tastes good, raise your glass and say.... with a big healthy intoxicated smile across your beaming mug....
Cheers!
Showing posts with label 3 rings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3 rings. Show all posts
Monday, December 14, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
I remember that!
It's been about 6 weeks since I last contributed to this little series of wine exploits... somewhat because I'm a bit discouraged. I have no idea how to market this or what to even do with it! I love wine and think it would be fun to work around it in some capacity. However, the only credentials I have are pretty much self-learned or gleaned from the expertise of friends. Truly, some of these friends are very knowledgeable about wine and hold fairly high level positions in the wine industry. I've learned alot from them. But, I also pretty much "wing it" when it comes to my wine selections.
Oh, I do the basic stuff like red wine and red meat, white wine with white meat, etc... then I go off and have red wine with a burger or fish, or white wine with tacos or hot wings, then have another red wine to finish things off. It's fun to experiment and I really don't have any boundaries for this. Once we drank a Petite Sirah with sushi! Did the stuff match? Not at all. But the wine tasted good and the food tasted good and that's all I cared about.
Recently, we opened a bottle of 2001 Justin Isosceles at the Melting Pot in Santa Barbara. It worked great. Of course we tasted all kinds of different things... fish, chicken, beef, cheese, bread, veggies, etc... so, the food was all over the place - not to mention the spices and sauces. The wine held up fine. In fact, after sitting out and breathing for about 30 minutes, it softened up into a phenomenally smooth wine but still had the structure to maintain its elegance in spite of the onslaught of flavors circulating the table.
Other wine I've tasted over the last month include the 2006 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet (needs to sit for a while... it's far gentler than the robust 2005)... 2006 3-rings Barossa Shiraz, 2005 Zaca Mesa Syrah, 2006 Rosenblum Rockpile Road Zinfandel... heck, can't really remember them all.
No matter. I'm not really sure what the purpose to this blog is at all, except perhaps a casual journal that I might look upon one day and say... Hey... I remember that!
Cheers!
Oh, I do the basic stuff like red wine and red meat, white wine with white meat, etc... then I go off and have red wine with a burger or fish, or white wine with tacos or hot wings, then have another red wine to finish things off. It's fun to experiment and I really don't have any boundaries for this. Once we drank a Petite Sirah with sushi! Did the stuff match? Not at all. But the wine tasted good and the food tasted good and that's all I cared about.
Recently, we opened a bottle of 2001 Justin Isosceles at the Melting Pot in Santa Barbara. It worked great. Of course we tasted all kinds of different things... fish, chicken, beef, cheese, bread, veggies, etc... so, the food was all over the place - not to mention the spices and sauces. The wine held up fine. In fact, after sitting out and breathing for about 30 minutes, it softened up into a phenomenally smooth wine but still had the structure to maintain its elegance in spite of the onslaught of flavors circulating the table.
Other wine I've tasted over the last month include the 2006 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet (needs to sit for a while... it's far gentler than the robust 2005)... 2006 3-rings Barossa Shiraz, 2005 Zaca Mesa Syrah, 2006 Rosenblum Rockpile Road Zinfandel... heck, can't really remember them all.
No matter. I'm not really sure what the purpose to this blog is at all, except perhaps a casual journal that I might look upon one day and say... Hey... I remember that!
Cheers!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Cost Plus World Market
I love this store. There's one within walking distance of my home and, whenever I'm nearby, I stop in - even just to browse the wines. Usually, there's a great deal on something going on and I unexpectedly surprise myself with a buy on something unanticipated.
For instance, two days ago, I stopped in and found the 2007 R Wines Luchador Shiraz. I love this wine - being a fan of big bold Australian reds... darn thing only cost $15. I like that.
Next to the Luchador was the 2006 3 Rings Shiraz for $18. If I didn't already have 2 bottles at home, I'd have bought a couple of these as well.
Then, I found a Santa Ema Cabernet - WS 90 - for only $11. Yup. Bought it.
What I like most about Cost Plus World Market is that their wine selection contains many that cannot be found in the local supermarkets - all of which seem to have the same wine buyer... Yes, I like BV, Sterling, Kendall Jackson, Mondavi, and Yellow Tail... but COME ON! It's nice to find wines from Waterbrook, Heitz, Yalumba, Four Vines, and Marquis Philips in my neighborhood.
Cheers!
For instance, two days ago, I stopped in and found the 2007 R Wines Luchador Shiraz. I love this wine - being a fan of big bold Australian reds... darn thing only cost $15. I like that.
Next to the Luchador was the 2006 3 Rings Shiraz for $18. If I didn't already have 2 bottles at home, I'd have bought a couple of these as well.
Then, I found a Santa Ema Cabernet - WS 90 - for only $11. Yup. Bought it.
What I like most about Cost Plus World Market is that their wine selection contains many that cannot be found in the local supermarkets - all of which seem to have the same wine buyer... Yes, I like BV, Sterling, Kendall Jackson, Mondavi, and Yellow Tail... but COME ON! It's nice to find wines from Waterbrook, Heitz, Yalumba, Four Vines, and Marquis Philips in my neighborhood.
Cheers!
Friday, May 15, 2009
My Favorite (somewhat) Cheap Wines...
Not much comment here... just a list of wines that are usually (as long as the store you buy them at doesn't overprice them) about $20 or less... some quite a bit less... some not...
Marquis Philips Sara's Blend - about $12 at Costco
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet - about $8 at Trader Joe's
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot - about $8 at Trader Joe's
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay - about $8 at Trader Joe's
Pillar Box Red - about $10 at Cost Plus World Market
ERATH Oregon Pinot Noir - about $14 at Costco
Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir - about $15 at Costco
Mondavi Napa Cabernet - about $18 at Costco
Vina Santa Rita 120 Cabernet - about $6 at Trader Joe's
Concha Y Toro Puente Alto Marques De Casa Concha Cabernet - about $15 at Costco
Sterling Vintner's Cabernet - about $11 at Cost Plus World Market
Carmel Road Pinot Noir - about $15 at Wine Exchange
3 Rings Barossa Shiraz - about $16 at Costco
Kim Crawford Sauvingon Blanc - about $17 at various stores
There's much more but, these are wines that I tend to keep around on an ongoing basis.... they aren't mind blowing but they're all very good in their own way. Drink up!
Cheers :)
Marquis Philips Sara's Blend - about $12 at Costco
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet - about $8 at Trader Joe's
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot - about $8 at Trader Joe's
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay - about $8 at Trader Joe's
Pillar Box Red - about $10 at Cost Plus World Market
ERATH Oregon Pinot Noir - about $14 at Costco
Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir - about $15 at Costco
Mondavi Napa Cabernet - about $18 at Costco
Vina Santa Rita 120 Cabernet - about $6 at Trader Joe's
Concha Y Toro Puente Alto Marques De Casa Concha Cabernet - about $15 at Costco
Sterling Vintner's Cabernet - about $11 at Cost Plus World Market
Carmel Road Pinot Noir - about $15 at Wine Exchange
3 Rings Barossa Shiraz - about $16 at Costco
Kim Crawford Sauvingon Blanc - about $17 at various stores
There's much more but, these are wines that I tend to keep around on an ongoing basis.... they aren't mind blowing but they're all very good in their own way. Drink up!
Cheers :)
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Shiraz and Pizza
Got home from northern California yesterday and re-heated some store-bought pizza... pepperoni... medium crust... actually quite tasty.... and, of course, the thought came to my mind: what wine would go with this? That thought quickly became: what wine do I want to drink?
The question changed because I realized that how the wine tasted was more important to me than how the food tasted. If the food didn't compliment the wine, I would grab something that would.... twice-reheated-pizza anyone?
Just kidding.
I opened a bottle of 2006 3 Rings Barossa Shiraz... one of my favorite deals in Shiraz. I love this wine. It's especially good when your local Costco sells it because their price is usually a couple of bucks less than anyone else - even the big wine stores. Anyway - not much description here... it's a big-ass Shiraz with lots of blackberry and spicy vanilla and.... oh, whatever. It tasted good, went with the pizza, after which we digressed to watching a couple of "House" episodes.
Nice way to top off our trip, don't you think?
The question changed because I realized that how the wine tasted was more important to me than how the food tasted. If the food didn't compliment the wine, I would grab something that would.... twice-reheated-pizza anyone?
Just kidding.
I opened a bottle of 2006 3 Rings Barossa Shiraz... one of my favorite deals in Shiraz. I love this wine. It's especially good when your local Costco sells it because their price is usually a couple of bucks less than anyone else - even the big wine stores. Anyway - not much description here... it's a big-ass Shiraz with lots of blackberry and spicy vanilla and.... oh, whatever. It tasted good, went with the pizza, after which we digressed to watching a couple of "House" episodes.
Nice way to top off our trip, don't you think?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)