Author

About the Author
midwestern girl who just really really really likes wine.

Honey Moon 2012 Viognier

I often wonder why Viognier isn’t more popular in the US. It stands well on its own and is often co-fermented with Syrah in the Rhone Valley in France, so it has solid credentials. It has the weight of the ever popular, Chardonnay, but with sooo much more going on. So if you’ve never had…

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Domaine Pichot 2010 Vouvray Le Peu de la Moriette

​Most people avoid French Wines because they are…confusing and so, well, French. ​They don’t label things what they are, and you’re just supposed to know what’s in the bottle because they’ve been growing it there, that way, in that style for forever and that’s that. So, I’m sure you’re wondering, what ​the heck​ is Vouvray?…

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Ruffino Il Ducale 2009 Toscana

​I​ am so glad Italy decided to support those making non-traditional Super Tusca​n​s vs. trying to eradicate these renegade winemakers – otherwise this Toscana wouldn’t be in the world​. And that​, my friends,​ would be a very sad world indeed. Comprised of 60% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot, and 20% Syrah, this is all you could want…

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Nisia Old Vines Verdejo 2011

Ever needed to bring a white wine to a steakhouse? I was heading to a BYOB dinner at an Argentinean steakhouse with a couple non-red wine drinking friends and was in a predicament: what white wine should I bring? I had never had this $18.99 ($13.99 @ Binny’s) Verdejo before but am glad the store…

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Valckenberg Gewurztraminer 2010

Gewurztraminer (guh – wertz – trah – meaner) is a hard wine to pin down. Sometimes it’s sweet, sometimes it’s oily, sometimes it’s effervescent, and other times…it is none of these things. So when I picked up Valckenberg’s 2010 Gewurztraminer for $13.99 at Whole Foods, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was surprised to…

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Brisa Do Mar 2011 Vinho Verde Rose

Rosés have come a long way. Before all you’d see was White Zinfandel or White Merlot, but now it seems the American palate has become a bit more refined. Suddenly rosés out of Provence and Tavel have made a come back and brought a lot of other unique wines along with them. The one I…

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Corte Giara 2009 Merlot Corvina Del Veneto

When I saw this wine for $8.99 at Evolution Wines & Spirits, I had to try it – the blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Corvina was too intriguing to pass up. I enjoy Merlot because it is typically a soft easy going wine, and my familiarity with Corvina was from a brief love affair…

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Villa Wolf 2011 Dornfelder

I knew Germany made red wine, but until I encountered Villa Wolf’s Dornfelder for $12.99 at Evolution Wines & Spirits, I’d never seen or consumed any. I assumed the wine wine would be highly acidic and quite tart in character – what the industry might call a “stern” wine – but this was nothing of…

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Queen of Hearts 2009 Pinot Noir

I picked up this wine because I’d heard good things, it was $15.99, and I like a vineyard that has some fun with their label. I was rewarded with a good, full-bodied, surprisingly boozy Pinot Noir. Made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes and hailing from my one of my favorite wine areas, Santa Barbara County,…

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Chateau Ducasse 2010 Bordeaux Blanc

Most white Bordeauxs I’ve encountered are typically blends with the dominant grape being Sauvignon Blanc. However, this wine has quite a different mix. It is made up of 60% Semillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Muscadelle. If you’re thinking “wait, isn’t Semillon usually a dessert wine?”, don’t worry – I had the same reaction. There…

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Bodegas Juan Gil 2009 Monastrell

Monastrell is what the Spanish call Mourvedre. I truly didn’t think it could stand up on its own since my previous encounters with Mourvedre were in Rhone blends and a couple mediocre dessert wines. So color me surprised by this $14.99 bold red I picked up at Evolution Wines and Spirits. The skill of the…

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Flavium Crianza 2008 Mencia

If your palate’s fatigued from one dimensional wines or if you just need something odd and funky in your life, give this $9.99 bottle a try. Hailing from Bierzo, Spain, this wine is made up of 100% indigenous Mencia grapes. I had never heard of Mencia before, and the label wasn’t very descriptive. So, I…

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Monte Degli Angeli Piemonte 2010 Pinot Noir

This 100% Pinot Noir out of Piedmont, Italy- yes, Italy – is an absolute steal for $9.99 at Evolution Wines and Spirits. Pinot Noir is not a typical grape for Italy or its “foot of the mountain” Piedmont region. However, this region shares a border with Burgundy, and the similar continental climate of Piedmont suggests…

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Il Tarocco 2008 Chianti Classico

This is a very smooth, medium bodied, and traditional Tuscan wine. I say traditional because Chianti Classico falls within the original Chianti designation they drew up back in the 1700s. This small sub-region of Chianti has more restrictive wine laws and more traditional winemaking practices than the rest of Chianti. Il Tarocco bears the black…

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Chateau Haut Peyruguet 2010 White Bordeaux

Sauvignon Blanc has always been hit or miss for me. I often find the grape a bit too acidic to truly enjoy the wine without food. However, this $13.99 bottle form the Entre Deux Mers region of Bordeaux (literally meaning between the seas) changed that for me. It is a blend of 50% Sauvignon Blanc,…

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