Chardonnay and more

08 Feb 2013 Leave a Comment

by winespiel in The Daily Wine Tags: , , , ,

I’ve been thinking…I know, don’t be scared.
I wanted to write about Chardonnay. The differences and nuances of the grape are amazing to me.

olivier-leflaiveLast night, Peter and I shared a french Chardonnay with Indian food. Olivier LeFlaive, well known french chard maker. dry, lemony, crisp…lovely chardonnay. Tonight, completely different. I met a friend at a restaurant and had a Chateau St. Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay. Soft, creamy, tropical… went perfectly with our appetizers.

Chardonnay is truly an amazing grape that can take on all different kinds of characteristics, depending on the winemaker.

Back to the thinking part… the big box store is preparing for the entrance of Hundred Acre Ark Cabernet. Now, this has completely piqued my interest. As a matter of fact, I can’t stop thinking about it.

This is a really high end, highly sought after, and incredibly expensive wine that has never come close to coming to the big box store! For the hoarder in me…I REALLY want to possess this wine. Now, I can’t afford it, I don’t need it…but that really isn’t the point, is it? Doesn’t the fact that it will be there, calling my name, taunting me to own it…be enough?

Or maybe I will just go visit it until it goes to another good home. Hmmm.

It’s Tuesday… Yay!

05 Feb 2013 Leave a Comment

by winespiel in The Daily Wine Tags: , ,

As some of you might know, there are four different categories of wines in our house.

Tuesday night wines: (the wine of the night), are typically “you know, wine sounds good tonight” wines. They are drinkable, but are usually mandated by the food being ordered (we hate to cook during the week when we’re busy). The ones I referred to in my comments yesterday were, Hudson Shah Cabernet, Kennedy Shah Merlot, and Hedges CMS Red. These are all under $10 at my favorite big box store and made by very competent Washington winemakers. We have the luxury of having many choices in local wines, here in Seattle, that are easy to find and keep on hand.

Saturday night wines: are for just a bit better bottle. It’s Saturday night! Time to relax and not go to work tomorrow. These are typically $15-20 wines. The food is probably homemade and deserves a nicer wine. Sometimes, I’m in the mood for a nice Chardonnay….sometimes steak calls for a Cabernet or a Malbec. One of them usually speaks to me to come join the fun.

Maybe it’s the weekend and we are entertaining. This is the classification of “Company’s coming- wines”. The bottle gets dusted, set upright and invited to the party. We have a wide selection of new world, old world and local wines to choose from. We enjoy almost every kind of wine, and most regions (Pinot Grigio and Pinotage come to mind as exceptions! Blech). Food is important. It will often dictate the selection.

Last but not least, “Wine Company’s coming – wines”. These are the special ones. What seems to be coming into it’s own? What would our company appreciate. Is it something rarely opened? When or should, it be decanted. I have an online system (another day, another discussion) that helps keep track of all of these things for me.

So….it’s Tuesday. Tuesday night wine it is, although I will wait for Peter to get off work. None of these sound good without someone to enjoy them with.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.