Ingredients
Preparation
Shake together all ingredients except twists in a cocktail shaker with ice, then strain into 2 Martini glasses and garnish with lemon twists. Heavenly.
Name: DELTA Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2007
Alcohol content: 13%
Price: $12.99
Description per label: The Delta Wine Company is a partnership… blah, blah, blah. It’s pungent and gooseburryish on the nose with dry nettley fruit on the palate and an intense lingering finish on the palate. It is like…blah, blah, blah.
My mentor, Aldo – a source of constant inspiration.
Review: This yarn begins years ago after a long and intense sampling session. I was being challenged by a rather belligerent fellow sommelier. I would say ‘black cherry’ he would counter ‘chokeberry’. I would say ‘hints of pear’ he would argue ‘notes of peach’ – and so it went. When the conversation degraded to the wines of New Zealand, I calmly removed his spectacles and crushed them. We exchanged unpleasantries and I ended this four-hour dispute by pulling his Mr. Roger’s cardigan over his head and kicking him in the grapes. The net result being, I was banned from my favorite wine market for two months.
New Zealand wines can often be a gamble, as sheep tend to be the chief vintners at many wineries. But I’ll roll the dice with a Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region. Upon twisting off the screw cap of this Delta blend and pouring a sample of the golden liquid, my opinion was quickly formed. The best part of this particular varietal was the pleasant, sweet and berry-like aroma. The taste was that of a watered-down dessert wine with a lingering, pale grapefruity finish. I think this is a fair entertainment wine to be brought out after “the good stuff” has been drained. Usually by that point in the revelry most guests will appreciate most any wine.
On the SMS scale (1-10) I would rate this blend a 4 without a blink.
Suggested pairings: Oysters, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Thai food and celebrating the birth of your weird friend’s fifth child.
Ingredients
Name: LA CREMA 2008 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)
Alcohol content: 13.9%
Price: $24.99
Description per label: 2008 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast cool climate vineyards, Artisan Winemaking. Classic Pinot Noir.
Review:
Due to the various complexities attributed to a good pinot noir, tasting is no easy task. However, drinking an entire bottle of this heavenly liquid is. For less than $25 you are delivered one of the finest varietals in the mid-range Pinot Noir universe. The sophisticated and elegant Sonoma Coast red blesses the palate with numerous pleasing tastes and smells. I find downing copious amounts of La Crema Pinot Noir with breakfast, lunch and dinner perfectly acceptable.
To be candid, I could literally bathe in this wine. I’ve been known to drink it warm or chilled, directly out of the bottle, a glass, a boot, standing and prone. At time of press, I was suckling it from the nipple of a Born Free bottle. Not to go over the precipice with this review but I could rationalize abandoning my day job to allocate my waking hours to just guzzling this red devil. Of course, that may ruin my career, reputation, liver, marriage, and leave me penniless and insane, but nevertheless a laudable consideration….
On the SMS scale of (1-10) it’s a deftly crafted 9.5.
Suggested pairings: Russian caviar, a rare filet mignon, buttery Maine lobster, au gratin potatoes, brownie a la mode, good friends and several more bottles.
As a mother of two ridiculously energetic toddlers, I know how hard it is to find the time to shower ...
