Cycle Buff Beauty

A couple of days ago I stumbled across a wine store that I had never been to before. The name of this place is The Wine Stop. It's located in Reisterstown, MD. I was actually in search of my favorite cupcake store but lucky for my weight lost plans the cupcake place had closed for the day. Settling for wine instead of cupcakes nearly broke my heart, laugh out loud. 

The undiscovered wine store was small and quaint but they had a great selection of wines. I recently blogged about a wine named "The Show". This was the particular wine I was looking for that day. To my surprise the owner knew of this interesting vino. Unfortunately, he did not have any bottles of the wine remaining in the store. Like any great wine store owner, he recommended another wine that was said to be on the same level as The Show. I was offered a vino with a strange but intriguing name. Cycle Buff Beauty, a 2011 Limited Edition mixture of Shiraz and Malbec grapes from South Australia boating an alcohol content of 14.5%. Talk about great advertising. The bottle alone caught my attention. A regular size bottle canvassed with a comedic scene of two women dressed in only bra and panties, using a non-traditional yet soon to become very popular corking technique, the twist cap. I was more than eager to enjoy my first sip. Since the wine was a 2011, I quickly aerated the red into my glass. The nose of the wine was jammy with medium tannins. At 90%, the Shiraz did its best to shine. At 10%, the Malbec was a great compliment. I did not pair this wine with anything but I would love to sip this beauty with a Five Guys double cheese burger and a bag of greasy fries. Just like the The Wine Stop store owner, I definitely recommend tasting a glass of these fermented grapes. I am positive you will enjoy every delicious sip. 

Cheers to the discovery of great red wines. And the Wine-Ohs who accidentally discover them. I truly live for these "Ahhh" moments as well as enjoy sharing them with you.

Dry Rose' & Pâté'

Tonight I decided to venture out to one of my favorite wines bars in Canton, Chesapeake Wine Company. It's Friday! Not just any ole day of the week but Friday, the last day of the work week and time to try something fresh and new. After looking through the very impressive wine list I decide on a Rose' from Spain. This pink vino is named Ameztoi Txakolina Rose' 2012. It was a delight to the palate. The wine was perfectly dry, with a hint of grapefruit and floral notes. The alcohol content was no concern of mine at 10.5%. I enjoyed one glass of the wine and took a bottle home to share (with me, myself & I). 

For dinner I ventured to try Pâté' for the first time. Believe me, I'm a very adventurous Chic. I love the thrill of something new. Pâté' is actually a cute name for Duck Liver Mousse. This particular one was accompanied with Cognac Dijon mustard. Thanks mom for making me eat liver and rice as a child. It gave me an appreciation for similar dishes. 

Cheers!! Drink well and try new things!! 

Decanter 2014

Upcoming Events: Decanter 2014

Beginning April 12th through April 13th, enjoy live horse races, sample a variety of Maryland wines, browse wine focused arts & crafts and enjoy a day at the Famous Pimlico Race Track. This event is hosted by the MD Wine Association (http://marylandwine.org/events/).

I have attended the Decanter event for three of the four years that it has been active and have enjoyed every bit of the experience. 

My favorite last year was Aliceanna Winery (http://www.aliceannawinery.com). They are a actual Maryland Winery located in the concrete city of Baltimore. Checkout the webpage for more details.

  

Hope to see you there! Maryland Wines Rock! Release your palate from the everyday norm an explore new favorite.

Cheers.

 

The Show

Tonite I decided to venture out for dinner. I ended up at PF Chang's. This very adorable bartender tells me about a great red wine, a Garnacha. This red beauty boasts an alcohol content 14.9%. I'm in love. And I'm not just talking about the the cute guy, lol! 

Garnacha is one of my most favorite complicated grapes. The Show wine does not disappoint. Cheers to my new found obsession!!

*picture thanks to www.theshow.com

2011 Robert Mondavi Private Selection "Meritage"

Tonite I decided to sip on a special vino that I have not tried before (I love a challenge). Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage, vintage 2011. The idea of tasting a Meritage wine is very exciting. There is a great story behind the creation of Meritage wines. The name is a combination of the words merit and heritage. This particular red is a blend of five red grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot). 

Since the vintage is three years old, I decided to aerated the wine. I'm interested in tasting the complete palate. At first sip I noticed a jammy texture, dark berry flavor, and medium tannis. So far so good! Since the wine is layered with all dry grapes, I suggest pairing with a thick juicy steak or Bar-b-q ribs. With an alcohol content of 13.5 you can't go wrong with this wine. I would truly recommend tasting this wine to my great friend Denise. She loves red blends and this one is well worth the sip. 

19 Crimes

After fussing through the super market gathering goods for the kids and I so that we can buckle down for yet another icy winter storm here in Maryland, I decided to visit a wine/liquor store that I had never been to before. I was completely surprised by the variety of wines the store had to offer. Running late (as usual), I try to breeze through the selection of vino. Believe it or not I decided to purchase a 2012 Red Wine named 19 Crimes. Now, I have heard about this particular wine. It's from South Eastern Australia. By what I have been told, it's a very good sweet red. As for my personal preference, I can not get past the marketing and name of the wine. But today I was on a budget and the 19 Crimes wine was just my price. Ok, I have to admit the wine is delish. I tend to lean towards dry reds grapes but was interested in the dark berry, very cherry, low tannin vino in my glass. At first swirl and sniff it was refreshing to smell the fruity notes. I completely recommend 19 Crimes Red Wine to all of my Wine-O's. If the packaging bothers you, keep the bottle in that lovely brown paper bag we all know and love, LOL!

Check out the 19 Crimes Wine website for more details regarding the history behind the vino. 

www.19crimes.com

Cheers!!

Welcome 2014!

As one of my New Year resolutions, I have decided to enjoy 2014 to the fullest! This includes keeping abreast of my most favorite passion (besides my children and vintage hand bags), the love of fermented grapes. The holidays are now over and it's time to settle into great winter wines. I'm a huge fan of the local vineyards. At this point of the season everyone is trying to keep warm from the Maryland frost and are starting to plan for the upcoming spring and summer season of fun and festivals. In October 2013, I was able to assist a local vineyard with their fall harvest. This included picking and bundling grapes right off of the vine. The experience was one of a lifetime and I intend to join them every year from now on. I know what you are thinking, "did we get a chance to stomp grapes with our bare feet"? Unfortunately, we did not. But that has always been a dream of mine, thanks to that famous episode of the TV show I Love Lucy. To my adored Oenophile's, look forward to a new year full of exciting blog posting, videos, and hopefully a new Pod Cast station. 

Cheers!!

XOXOXO

I Heart Fermented Grapes