Author: Stephanie

This particular white, a Blanc Tradition from the Cote du Jura region of France, was a slightly sweet wine that was almost reminiscent of a port.   It was not as sweet, but had a hint of the port flavors – slight licorice and cough syrup.   That is what it tasted like to me.  It did not pair well with a savory item such as turkey, but did pair fairly well with a brown-sugar glazed ham.  It’s just not my favorite because I’m just not a fan of that type of wine. A bit of trivia…the Cotes du Jura region is in eastern France and is the largest appellation in terms of size.   That’s as far as we’ll take the geology into the science experiment.  I only dabble in wine samples, not soil samples.  We’re halfway through Twelve Nights of Wine – even though we’re past Christmas.   Sometimes science needs an extended timetable for purposes of more comprehensive findings.

First of all….Merry Christmas!! The best of blessings to all of you!

Given that I’m behind on the experiment, I decided to try two wines last night on Christmas Eve while watching It’s a Wonderful Life. I am calling this a double-blind comparison.   I tried both an Italian Cabernet Sauvignon and French Beaujolais.  In order to develop a standard, I decided to pair them both with pizza.  All the while riding the It’s a Wonderful Life emotional roller coaster. A lot of variables going on with this particular testing scenario.

2017 Italian Cabernet Sauvignon – Berry on the nose.   A lot of mineral.  Long finish and while I enjoy a bold cab, this wasn’t my favorite.  I didn’t enjoy it with pizza at all.  It tasted like burnt mustard when paired with it.

2015 French Beajolais – Pungent on the nose.  Relatively smooth finish.  I did enjoy this with the pizza.  

This revelation – that a French Beajolais would taste better with pizza than an Italian Cabernet Sauvignon is a prime example of the need for true scientific testing. This is a historical finding!

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French Rosé

Team – I realize I have been remiss in my science experiment publication.   I’d tell you I’ve been busy with other highly critical scientific projects, but that’s simply not true.  I did manage to apply lab testing to the third wine – a rosé.   It had a hint of strawberry and was a nice lighter wine.  You should pair it with lighter cheeses and fruit.   That combination really goes well with this wine. 

On a party bus riding around looking at Christmas lights. Yeah a vial on a party bus probably doesn’t reflect a respectable wine blogger. However, this is a solid, earthy with a slight clove (maybe?) red but needs to breathe. I’d tell you the varietal but can’t read the label. Yeah just an aging party girl here.

Did I mention this was a blind study? I’m going to keep the brands hidden, although not sure why. Mad scientist and all that.
Appelation: Muscadet Sevre et Maine
This was a pretty good dry white wine with hints of melon. It would pair well with lighter chicken or seafood dishes – nothing too heavy. Further investigation is required to determine where/if I can find this wine.  In addition, I’m creating a solid rating system that includes charting and diagrams.

Merry Christmas Everyone! As promised, I am trying my first Vinebox 2018 Twelve Nights of Wine. This box contains..well…12 single-servings of wine. Each wine is in what look like vials or test tubes, so that makes it official…SCIENCE EXPERIMENT!! If you know me, you know I’m all about the science and ensuring accuracy of my experiments.

The first orders of business were 1. Proper labeling and 2. Proper storage. I don’t have a lot of funding for my lab, so I created some labels – see below.

What were you thinking – Johns Hopkins? No…it’s Stephanie’s Upstairs Lounge and Lab.It’s about the science, not the style. Once properly labeled, I then proceeded to store the test variables in their temperature-controlled environments..aka..my wine refrigerator. Safety first in Stephanie’s Upstairs Lounge and Lab so I label any potential hazards.

I’m putting on my lab coat, safety glasses, neoprene gloves, and a scientific mindset. I’m also putting it in hyperdrive because if you’re better at math than science you’ll realize I’m running a little behind in my experiment to finish it in time for Christmas. (They didn’t offer STEM programs when I was in school, so I only did well in one subject and it wasn’t math). We’ll see if I can finish this experiment with solid data and in time for Christmas. Stay tuned.

Tree up. Feet up. Wine down. #yeahnotmytree

Alright…I’m going to try this for purposes of research and in the spirit of Christmas. The Twelve Nights of Wine Box.  I will provide results in December.

https://www.facebook.com/getVINEBOX/posts/2354652397881724

 

Happy Thursday Everyone! I bought a wine because of the name. That’s right…just because of the name. Troublemaker Red Blend 10…sounds about right. This wine is made by Hope Family Wines in Paso Robles, CA. This is a blend of several varietals… Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Mourvèdre and Zinfandel. I paired this wine with chili. It’s called Troublemaker so why not. It’s like the Annie Oakley of wines. It was fruit forward, which is not my fave, but ended up with a hint of cinnamon, pepper and slight smoke. It paired really well with the chili. Note I did buy this bottle of wine after having gone to the shooting range, but the reference to Annie Oakley was really just a happy accident in writing this. I then decided to look up information on Annie Oakley as I was inspired. She provided some phenomenal quotes including “Aim at a high mark and you’ll hit it. No, not the first time, nor the second time. Maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect”. Am I an expert markswoman? No. Am I a troublemaker? Definitely. I’d recommend this wine and you can find it at Kroger for around $16-17 per bottle. One day until the weekend! Enjoy!

Happy Thursday everyone! Almost to Friday!  I decided to break up the marathon review of reds a bit by trying a rosé given it was warm here in the Dallas area this past weekend. I purchased the 2017 Château d’Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé from France.  This had strong hints of peach and melon and was a relatively rich and dry rosé.  This would pair well with some salads, lighter fish or mild to medium cheeses. The Côtes de Provence region of France is where this rosé originates.  This large terrain is located in the southeastern region of France where they make many rosés and other wines. Whispering Angel is an interesting name and not at all applicable to me.  My attempts at whispering are not like that of an angel and have the opposite effect of what I intend.  I find that lowering the pitch of my voice is, in fact, not whispering and not at all cherubic in nature but it is what it is.  Nonetheless, I would recommend this rosé and you can find it at Target or some other grocery stores for just under $20 per bottle.