Month: October 2017

Bonjour mes amis!  And that’s about it for my French-speaking abilities.   A group of friends and I decided to have a French-themed dinner party last night.  We all found our inner Child…get it… Julia Child??  I attempted a Beef Bourguignon and it wasn’t too bad at all.  The most impressive thing is that I didn’t burn down the house when I lit it on fire to burn off the Cognac.  When I go in, I go all in.  The French Onion Soup, Spinach Soufflé and Chocolate Mousse were really good….thanks to Elizabeth, Martha and Jenna.  If we’re going to have French food, then we need good French wine, so that brings me to today’s review.  I took a 2014 Chateau De Segries Cotes du Rhone Grenache.  The Cotes du Rhone region is an appellation in the Rhone Valley in France where they make some really good red, rosé and white wines.  This label just highlighted the name Cotes du Rhone, as do some of the wines from this region, and may be a blend of grapes.   The red wines, in particular, can originate from Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Carignane, Counoise and Mourvèdre grapes.  The Chateau De Segries had hints of raspberry and black cherry, but wasn’t too fruit forward.   There was a hint of pepper up front with a smooth transition into the slight fruit on the back end.  It paired great with Raclette and Manchego cheeses as well as the meal.   We paired it with a very strong cheese that tasted like what a rancid toe smells like and it did the best it could there.   I would recommend this wine for anyone who enjoys a good peppery red and wants to step out and enjoy this good French wine.  You can find it at Total Wines for $16.49 per bottle.  Have a great week!

Hello All – There is no wine to review in this blog. This blog is about sending thoughts and prayers to the people in Napa, Sonoma and southern California who are fighting the fires that are threatening their lives and livelihood. Keep those people and all of the people suffering natural disasters in your thoughts and prayers. Stand, kneel or whatever, but just remember it’s about people in the end.

Hello Everyone – I hope you’ve had an enjoyable weekend. We’re now officially into Fall, but we’re experiencing the typical late Summer warmth that is the Fall season in Texas. That’s my segue into this week’s review of the 2015 Hogue Late Harvest Riesling. (I recognize it wasn’t the smoothest transition…) This Riesling is grown in Eastern Washington in the Columbia Valley area. Rieslings are not my favorite wine as they’re generally too sweet for me. This 2015 Riesling was even sweeter than past years given it was a warmer season and the grapes ripened sooner. Perhaps they should have marked through “Late Harvest” on the label and updated it with “Not as Late Harvest”. I did detect a slight scent of rubber which can be a by-product sulfur. Sulfur Dioxide is used in stabilizing most wines. However, sulfur can also present itself in dihydrogen sulfide which is a bi-product of fermentation. I only caught a hint of it, but if your wine has a strong smell or taste of rubber or a burnt match, then feel free to send it back at a restaurant. It won’t harm you, but nobody wants to pay good money for a burnt match. Back to the wine review…the initial taste was of honey and apricot with a hint of apple. I had to research some suggested pairings to the Riesling as I’m just not familiar with it. The suggestions included tuna, hard cheeses, nuts, pears, and apples. A common recommendation was to try it with spicy and citrus-based Asian foods. I did pair it with cheese and spicy guacamole. The Riesling paired well with the guacamole, so I might consider it next time I order a spicy dish. The cheese didn’t mellow the sweetness of the wine, so that wasn’t my favorite pairing.  My mother did enjoy this wine.  I would recommend this wine for those who like sweeter wines. You can find it in grocery stores for approximately $9.00 per bottle.