How Sassy Are You?

Hello fellow wine lovers!  Boy do I have a wine for you!  I was shopping in Lexington (KY) at the Liquor Barn and while I was there; there was this bottle of wine that caught my eye. At $8.99 a bottle I could not resist not to buy a bottle. There is nothing like an exciting title to get some attention.  That is exactly what those two words did for me.  So for my first bottle I chose the Moscato, I was feeling like a sweet wine today.  

Sassy Bitch wine is developed by Tami Fricks, Macon, GA.  The native Georgian started her company after talking with friends on how confusing wine buying can be for the average consumer.  Tami thought that if she could bring a wine to the market that had a catchy label, but tasted great she might have something.  So Tami and her friends thought about a cute name, and settled on Sassy Bitch because, she has some of the sassiest friends.  Tami traveled throughout the world and settled on a vineyard in Chile.  Sassy Bitch wines started out with four wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay.  Since then they have added two more wines, the Sauvignon Blanc, and Moscato.  While all wines are produced in Chile; the Moscato is produced in California.  The Sassy Bitch NV Moscato received 86 points in Wine Enthusiast Magazine, and was also rated as a best buy and online exclusive.  This wine is considered by some market researchers as a wine that is directed towards a younger wine drinker, and possible people who are celebrating bachelorette parties, divorce parties, mothers' day gifts or other special gifts.  It has been said by some wine writers or market researchers that wine drinkers don't take these whimsical labels and wines to seriously and feel that the wine may even taste unsuitable, but I have found this wine to be delightful for the price.

The Sassy Bitch Moscato wine must be served ice cold. This wine is light and airy; However, not too sweet. The wine has soft, gentle floral notes and a fresh fruity aromas.  This is a great stand a lone wine, if I were to pair this wine with something it would be a fruit tray.  I did try to pair this wine with an easy light meal and it just made the wine bitter and not as good.  This wine really is a stand a lone wine and would go nicely with a light dessert.  Desserts like fruit, shortbread cookies, and some white chocolate. I would not rate this as my all time favorite wine. However, it is not a bad choice for the price, and it will make a great summer wine (just serve it ice cold).

If you are looking for a cocktail to try using the Sassy Bitch wines here is a video to help you!

Enjoy and bring out your inner Sassy!

Wine Tasting Club Week 2

Welcome!

Are you ready for week 2 and the new selection?  I know I am!  For this week we will be trying a Chardonnay from the great state of Washington.  

Here is our wine selection:

Chateau Ste. Michelle
Country of Origin:  USA  Washington State  Columbia Valley
Alcohol: 14%
Color: White

Chateau Ste. Michelle

This bottle scored 93 points by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.  I would try pairing this with roasted chicken.  

You can find this wine in the following areas. 

NYC: 

Sherry - Lehmann Wine and Spirits 505 Park Ave NY, NY

67 Wine  179 Columbus Ave NY, NY

K & D Wine and Spirits 1366 Madison Ave NY, NY
Best Buy Neptune Ave, Brooklyn NY  (possibly  hard to really tell from their website)

Rochester, NY 

Marketview Liquor 1100 Jefferson Rd, Rochester NY

Washington D.C. 

Calvert Woodley 4339 Connecticut Ave NW Washington D.C.

Kentucky:

Frankfort:  Capital City Cellars 227 West Broadway

Lexington:  Liquor Barn

                  Meijer 

This Bottle rages in price from $8.99 to $14.99

Happy Tasting and I will see you all on the discussion board! 

Wine Tasting Club Week 1

Welcome!

I am so excited you could take part in the wine tasting club.  I have decided to post the wine selection a little early.

Our first wine selection is the:

Castillo de Monseran 2010, Garnacha.
Country of origin: Spain (Northern Spain)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Color: Red

Castillo de Monseran 2010

 This bottle of wine has scored 85 points in Wine Enthusiast magazine.  I would try pairing this wine with a dark chocolate.

 You can find this wine in the following areas:

NYC:  Long's Wine and Liquor on Fifth Ave between 79th and 80th street in Bay Ridge

Rochester NY:  Marketview Liquor 1100 Jefferson Road, Rochester

Washington D.C. Whole Foods and Cost Plus World Market

San Francisco: K&L 638 4th Street, San Francisco

Hollywood: K&L 1400 Vine St. Hollywood

Frankfort, KY :Capital City Cellars:  227 West Broadway

Lexington, KY : Liquor Barn

This bottle ranges in price from $5.95 to 14.00


Happy Tasting and I will see you all on the discussion board!

Valentine's Day Pink Chocolate Chip Cookies

Normally I write about wine on this blog.  However, since it is Valentine's day tomorrow I thought I would share this recipe to my faithful followers.  This cookie would go nice with a Cabernet Sauvignon, a French wine  Banyuls, or Grenache Noir.

1 cup unsalted butter soften
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar

Mix well... then add
2 large eggs (beat in one at a time)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well... then add
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (if you use salted butter, you can leave the salt out)

Mix well... Then add your food coloring.  I used Wilton food coloring (color Rose ~ 1/2 teaspoon or until you get the desired color you would like).

Add your chocolate chips and bake at 375 for 8 minutes

Enjoy

Another Great Red Wine from Deer Run Winery

If you liked Runway Red, you are going to like Max Black.  Deer Run Winery has done it again with this great red wine.  Max Black is in honor of the winemakers’ Scottish terrier, Max and is appealing to the sweeter wine enthusiast. 

Max Black gets it deep dark red color that almost appears black from a vintage grape that is not used very much anymore, the Vincent grape.  The Vincent was developed in Ontario, Canada at the Vineland Research station in 1967, and was developed to grow well in a cold climate. This allows the Vincent grape to be one of the last varieties to be harvested in the fall. Extra care must be taken while growing this grape, and according to research there are only three wineries in the United States that makes wine using the Vincent grape.  Deer Run Winery is one of the wineries in the United States making wine using the Vincent grape.  The Vincent is very useful for blending.  When I tasted Max Black wine I thought it tasted similar to the Concord grape, because Max Black has a very grapey taste. When I checked out what grapes are in this wine, to my disbelief the Concord was not listed, but the Niagara grape was. My next thought was that maybe the Vincent and the Niagara grape blended together could create the Concord taste; however, I had to know more. I was in such disbelief that I had to contact one of the owners to explain this to me.  Scott Kuyon, one of the owners of Deer Run Winery and vineyard manager explained this strange phenomenon.  The Niagara and Concord grapes are in the same family (Vitis labrusca).  The Niagara grape can be successfully grown in any grape district in New York.  The Niagara is a white grape and is used for freshness; however, it is not as cold hardy as the Concord.  Both the Concord and Niagara grape have the same flavor profile and characteristics.

I found Max Black to be a sweet, fruity, red wine that is smooth; with a nice fresh lingering taste.  Max Black has a 5.0% residual sugar making it a slightly sweeter red then Runway Red, which has 3.0% residual sugar.  Even though I found Max Black to be a sweet wine, it went well with pot roast, pizza, and 70% dark chocolate.

Since its release Max Black has been one of the tasting room’s most popular choices along with Runway Red, and Pebble Beach.  So if you enjoy good quality wine that has a consistent taste year after year… visit Deer Run Winery where the wine sampling is free, and Joan Kuyon (owner), a retired teacher, makes sure the retail shop is filled with delicious local cheese, mustards, and jams.  You could even sit out on the lawn and enjoy a bottle of wine that has been carefully crafted by George Kuyon (owner), a retired Kodak employee, who not only loves wine but loves to create different blends for others to enjoy.     

Comer con gusto,  Jouir, Genieten, Godere, Enjoy!

Max Black $8.49/bottle (What a deal!)

 Try this recipe to go with your next bottle of Max Black

Prosciutto-Wrapped Grapes

Ingredients

·         4 1/2 ounces very thinly-sliced prosciutto, cut into 36 relatively equal strips (about 1 1/2 inches wide by 3-inches long, if possible)

·         36 black seedless grapes

·         36 decorative toothpicks

Directions

Wrap a strip of prosciutto around each grape. Arrange them on a large plate or platter and place a toothpick in the center of each grape. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings. Each (6 grape) serving has: 66 calories, 6 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 2 g fat, <1 g saturated fat, 17 mg cholesterol, trace fiber, 570 mg sodium

Fly into Runway Red by Deer Run Winery

Are you looking for a red wine that will make your taste buds soar?  Deer Run Winery has a very nice, bold, spicy red wine that is just for you!

Deer Run Winery is located at the end of the Finger Lakes Wine Trail.  It is a picturesque winery that is not far from Conesus lake.  Deer Run Winery opened its doors to the public in 2003.  In its fist year they produced 5 varietals. After their first year, Deer Run also produced two semi dry wines- one red and one white.  Deer Run has a panoramic view of the Lakeville water tower and airfield. The owners (George, Joan, and Scott Kuyon) thought it would be fun to name these two new wines after the water tower and air field, thus giving you Runway Red and Watertower White.  In addition to their award winning wines, Deer Run offers many different wine-themed educational and social events.  These events include: the vintner's dinner, harvest festival, and wine pairings.  

Recently, I was able to order 6 bottles of wine from Deer Run and had them delivered to my brother and sister-in-law's home in D.C. I am a lucky girl especially since I cannot get wine delivered to me here in KY (www.freethegrapes.com).  One of the bottles that I had was the Runway Red and I highly recommend it. While the wine bottle does not feature a runway model, it does make you feel fashionable.  Runway Red is a bold, red wine with a hint of spice.  It is a well balanced, smooth, semi-dry red wine that will bring class and sophistication to your table.    I paired Runway Red with pot roast, mashed potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding, and it was a great combination. You could also pair Runway Red with pasta, eggplant Parmesan  prime rib, or lasagna.  If you like red wine but find that most red wines are either too dry or have a really strong oak taste, you will be pleasantly surprised by this red, and you may find it to be your favorite red.

If you are in the Finger Lakes region and have some time, go check out Deer Run Winery.  They have a lovely shop that offers their wines and free tastings.  You could also order a bottle online, or go to one of the many store locations listed to find this and some of their other wines. If you would like to find out more about Deer Run Winery before you go check out this video.

Deer Run Winery

3772 West Lake Rd

Geneseo, NY 14454

585 346 0850

Passionate Kisses for you!

No I am not giving out passionate kisses, but I am going to talk about the wine named Passionate Kiss by Equus Run Vineyards.  If you like chocolate covered cherries, you will love this wine.  A few weeks ago my husband and I went to Equus Run Winery where we were greeted by one of the wine pours.  She was very friendly and she helped us maximized our wine tastings.  One of our tastings included Passionate Kiss, which is a red dessert wine.

We had started the day with a stop at one of Kentucky's finest bourbon makers, Woodford Reserve on the Kentucky bourbon trail and very close to our home. On our way to Lexington for dinner and a movie (as this was our date night) we saw Equus Run Vineyards, so we decided to stop in to see if the tasting room was still open.  The tasting room was open and we were greeted warmly.  While there we got the chance to learn more about the owner Cynthia Bohn and the property as well.  While tasting the wine I noticed that the Cabernet and the Merlot had a distinct flavor that I could not discern.  It was at this point we learned that the vineyard was once a tobacco farm. Not only could you taste hints of minerals from the limestone here in Kentucky but you can also taste the tobacco flavor as well, which gave the wine a very unique flavor.

Getting back to our dessert wine, this chocolate infused Cabernet Sauvignon is a great wine.  It is not a powerfully sweet wine.  It is not quite a semi dry wine either.  It is a smooth, velvety, wine that has a lingering chocolate and black cherry flavor that stays with you.  At the tasting room they had you pair it with chocolate chips; however, after I bought this bottle I pared it with a Lindt dark chocolate truffle and a milk chocolate truffle.  All I have to say is-wow!  I will be buying another bottle of this as one of my wine club purchases.

Equus Run Vineyard is more than just a winery they have many events and picnic in the vineyard.  They offer self guided tours and privet tours, wine tastings $3.00 for seven tastings and you keep the glass, they have live music at the vineyard every Sunday, and if you are part of there wine club there are special events for you too.  The wine club is very neat.  Every quarter, 3 bottles are selected that non wine club members do not have access too.

So if you love chocolate covered cherries and wine; and have been looking for a dessert wine that is not too sweet this is a perfect choice.

Equus Run Vineyards
1280 Moores Mill Rd
Midway, KY 40347
859 846 9463