Author: Stephanie

Happy Sunday All! It is a beautiful day in the Dallas area and a great day to drink a Chardonnay. I enjoy Chardonnay and the 2018 McBride Sisters Collection Central Coast did not disappoint. It is a medium-bodied wine and has the oak I like in a Chardonnay but also had hints of melon and peach. It will stand up to chicken and fish dishes very well. I read the McBride Sisters’ story and it is incredible. Robin and Andréa were raised separately in the wine regions of Monterey, California and Marlborough, New Zealand and were unaware of each other for half of their lives. They found each other in 1999 and established the largest black-owned wine company in the United States. I am proud to say they established a #yesshecan2021 program that provides grants to professional women in the wine and spirits, hospitality and finance. What I love about this story and these women is that, while their backgrounds were complex, their uniting around a passion for wines and helping others, led to some really great things. I hope you enjoy this Chardonnay for around $15 per bottle at Total Wines and in some grocery stores.

www.mcbridesisters.com

Hello All! I hope you’re having a good weekend. It was an interesting weekend weather wise. Saturday was warm and in the 70’s, but a bit windy. However, it made me think of spring and summer which I always do in January because I get tired of winter. Of course, I can say that when the winters in Dallas are much less brutal than elsewhere, but it’s relative. My pallor might not reflect it, but I’m a warm-weather lady. When I think of spring and summer, I think of white wine and I found a good one. It’s 13 Celsius Sauvignon Blanc made at 13 Celsius Vineyards in the Marlborough region of Australia where many good Sauvignon Blanc wines are made. I tasted citrus, melon, and a slight apple undertone. It has a crispness to it oftentimes associated with its minerality and the soil in which it’s grown. I enjoyed this wine and it is definitely a good white wine for summer and for those who don’t like a heavy white. You can find it at Total Wines for around $11.00 which makes it a great buy.

Happy 2021! I say that with an exclamation of a new year and new hope although I say it with a bit of trepidation. I enjoyed a good holiday season as I hope everyone else has as well. I’m remiss in my posts, so going to catch up. Prior to Thanksgiving (yeah I know this is way past due), I went to the grocery store to purchase the turkey and some side items. I spent more in wine than in turkey and sides…sigh. Nonetheless, Jake from Market Street (not State Farm) helped me make some selections in the wine department. I’ve enjoyed a few and will blog about them. However, Jake from Market Street made a bold statement about the 2018 Treana Blanc. He said it was the perfect wine pairing for Thanksgiving dinner. Now that’s bold, so I went ahead and bought a bottle and chilled it at 55 degrees per his guidance. My sister, some friends and family and I drank it with our dinner. Treana is part of the Hope Family wines that includes Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon, which I enjoy. This was not the perfect wine pairing for Thanksgiving dinner. It was almost too complex in and of itself to pair with Thanksgiving in my opinion. Normally a bold red or a strong white are a good complement, but this just didn’t do it for me. I tasted notes of melon and some peach from this blend of Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne grapes. I’m a big fan of a Viognier, but not as familiar with Marsanne and Roussanne. The others who tried this felt this wasn’t the perfect pairing either. This was just my opinion, so perhaps other palettes will better enjoy this. You can find it at Market Street for just under $30 per bottle.

It’s a Numbers Game…I’ve always defined myself by numbers. Numbers like grades in school, GPA, clothing size, weight, height, money made, people with whom I was acquainted, the things I had, even number of “likes” I get on Facebook, etc. Numbers like the grades I didn’t get, the GPA I didn’t attain, the clothing size I can’t seem to get back into, the weight I can’t seem to keep off, the money not made, people with whom I’m not acquainted, things I didn’t have, number of people who didn’t “like” my Facebook post, etc. However, what would it be like to hold myself accountable to the number of people I helped, the number of people I greeted in a given day, the number of people I prayed for, the number of square meals I could fund, the number of times I was a true friend to someone. These are the numbers that should define me and I hope, with this self-reflection, I can at least start to shift my focus. Maybe I can even hold myself accountable for the number of times I count my successes at this as opposed to number of my failures at it. Anyway…these are the things I’m pondering while sitting with my head in my hands trying to figure out why these three strands of Christmas lights aren’t working…

I hope everyone is doing well in the midst of what is one of the most challenging years we have seen in a very long time. Thanksgiving is coming up…as everyone knows… so I hope you all are able to take a day to connect, in whatever way, with family and friends. The one thing we can most often count on, other than giving thanks on Thanksgiving, is the meal. Whatever meal that may be. The following are some good wines overall and that I feel would go well with Thanksgiving turkey and some of the richer sides. As for white wines, I always go with any of the following: Rombauer Chardonnay, Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Chardonnay, Caymus Conundrum White (with some of the less rich foods), Martin Ray Sauvignon Blanc, or Governor’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc. As for red wines, I would suggest the following: Belle Glos Clark & Telephone or Belle Glos Dairyman Pinot Noir, Hall Cabernet Sauvignon, Skyfall Merlot, or Juggernaut Cabernet Sauvignon. Some Syrah’s will also do well in terms of standing up to the heavier or richer poultry and foods. I’m suggesting wines that people can more easily find in grocery stores. However, I would suggest wandering into your locally-owned wine store (shop small businesses!!) to talk with the salespeople. Let them know what you’re cooking and what you or your guests like in wine. They can be extremely helpful in finding that right balance at the right price as well. Please have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

If 2020 was a bottle of wine…it’s a mess and I’m getting little to nothing out of it.

I was excited to try the 2015 Domaine De L Echevin, a red blend from the Rhône Valley in France. A cork can crumble if it was made incorrectly, inserted into the bottle incorrectly, or the bottle was stored in dry or hot conditions or not stored on its side.

Sometimes that’s the way the cork crumbles.

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend and are ready for the week. I was excited to try a new wine. Let’s face it, I’m excited to try any wine, but let’s focus on the “new”. I receive emails from a local wine distributor…and I’m a sucker…henceforth, I buy new and exciting wines based on an email. I bought two bottles of the 2017 Planeta Red Wine. This is a Sicilian wine made of both Nero d’Avola and Frappato grapes that are grown in Sicily. The Nero d’Avola grapes can be compared to Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, but the Frappato are more fruity by nature. Per Wine Folly, the Frappato grapes are paired with the Nero d’Avola grapes to give them more complexity. In this case, I didn’t get the complexity. It tasted dark cherry and some paper believe it or not. It was juicy (yeah I know I sound ridiculous saying it), but it was a juicy wine. It was a relative light wine overall. I let it breathe and then tried it again. I think I drink too many bolder wines as this just didn’t stand up even as a drinking wine. This wine is $20 to $25 per bottle but it is more difficult to find unless you end up on the email distribution list of a local wine distributor…like me. Have a great week.

Hello Everyone!   It’s been a while since I last blogged, so working to get back into it.  That doesn’t mean I haven’t been drinking wine, just not writing about it.  Sigh.  I did try a Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina a couple of weeks ago.   It was the 2013 Terrazas de los Andes single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  I was excited to try it as hadn’t had an Argentinian wine in a while.  Some Argentinian and Chilean wines can include minerality and earthiness.   I’m all in on that.   I wasn’t all in on this.  There is minerality and earthiness and then there is..well..not of this earth.   It was skunky and I suspect might not have been stored well.  I took a sip but thought letting it breathe a bit would help.  It didn’t.   I’m not sure this was the wine or perhaps the storage of the wine that did not pull in its favor, it was just poor smell and taste.   I also bought a 2014 Terrazas Malbec at the same time, so curious to see how that goes.   Both bottles of wine were in the $30 range.  I’ll keep you posted on the Malbec.

Happy Sunday All.  I hope you’ve had a great weekend and are staying healthy and safe.   I binge-watched Narcos this weekend and feel that I’m now an expert on the Colombian drug trade history from the 1980’s and early 90’s.  I’m not sure what I will do with my new-found knowledge, but I might hold my own during a very specific type of trivia night.  Note that it is spelled Colombia with an “o” not Columbia with a “u”.    You’re either going to a beautiful country historically wrought with violence with a cartel that brought in billions of dollars of drug money or you’re going to an ivy-league university.   Big difference there.   No matter the country’s history, I understand it is a beautiful and much safer country and one I’d like to visit at one point.   In a very ironic and unplanned twist of fate, I’d opened the 2017 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley – no relation to either the country or university.   The Columbia Valley lies in the Columbia River Plateau, through much of central and southern Washington State, with a small section crossing into the neighboring state of Oregon. This area has been established as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) and is known for its different varietals of wines.   I enjoyed this wine with fruit notes of cherry and blackberry mixed with a solid oak essence.   The great thing about this wine is that while it had solid fruit notes, it was a good blend and the fruit didn’t overpower the experience.  You can find Chateau Ste. Michelle wines at many different locations.  I was able to buy this year and varietal at Market Street for $16 on sale.  It normally retails closer to $20 per bottle.   Enjoy your week!

Hey Everyone!  I have certainly been remiss in blogging about any wine for the last few weeks.  These have been interesting times – mostly bad, some good.   I was looking for a white wine that I could just drink without too much effort – one with a screw cap was a good start as little fuss there.   Don’t judge.  Some white wines and “younger” reds do well with a screw cap as it does not allow any oxygen into the wine and those wines don’t need to “settle”.   Bolder red wines, on the other hand, do well with corks because the corks allow some oxygen into the wines which helps with smoothing out the tannins.  More winemakers these days, than in the past, are using screw caps for their wine bottles as it is more a more convenient way to open and close for their consumers.   It is also a way for wine producers to remove the potential of cork taint from production.   Cork taint may affect up to 2% of wines every year and can ruin batches of wine or ruin consumer’s views of a particular wine if not caught before shipping to market.  Cork taint is caused by a chemical, Trichloroanisole, that can be introduced into your bottle of wine somewhere in the production effort and usually through the cork.  Wines with cork taint may smell like moldy newspaper or wet dog.  

Back to the wine…I opened the 2018 Martin Ray Chardonnay…with a screw cap.   It had hints of apple and pear and was a medium oak Chardonnay and did well on a hot June day, so a definite recommendation.   You can find this wine in some grocery stores and at Total Wines for around $18 per bottle.