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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.

Hi All – I hope you’ve had an excellent weekend and your favorite team won or will win. I had the opportunity to travel to Ireland a few weeks ago and had a wonderful time. Ireland has excellent places to visit and the people are very friendly. I would recommend a visit to the Jameson Distillery in Dublin as the Jameson history is interesting and the distillery itself is incredible. You’ll get to participate in a tasting, at the end of the tour, where you’ll compare three different brands of whiskeys. We tasted the Jameson Original, Jack Daniels Old No. 7, and Johnnie Walker Black Scotch Whisky. I’m not a whiskey drinker so acknowledge my amateur status, but here goes…. In the spirit of education, you’ll note that I’m using the words “whiskey” and “whisky”. We spell American and Irish whiskeys, more commonly, with the “e”. Whisky is spelled without the “e” in Scotland, Canada, Japan and other countries. The Johnnie Walker Black is a Scotch Whisky aged for 12 years. To be called Scotch Whisky it must be made entirely in Scotland. It doesn’t have to paint itself in white and blue and yell “Give me freedom!” William Wallace style, but you get the picture. Common tasting notes for many Scotch whiskies include more peat and more earthy tones. The Johnnie Walker Black whisky did have notes of peat, smoke, and a slight vanilla taste. The peat tone was the strongest to me and it wasn’t my favorite as was too earthy for me. I then tried the Jack Daniels Old No 7 and detected notes of vanilla, maple, sweet oak, and a spice. It was a bit too much of a maple taste for me, but you could pour it on pancakes and start your day off in a new and interesting way. Finally, I tasted the Jameson Whiskey and liked the notes of vanilla, a slight spice of clove, and more caramel. You could probably say the whole tasting was rigged given it was at the Jameson Distillery, but I did like the Jameson the best. I’m a sucker for marketing I guess. Nonetheless, I’d recommend this Irish whiskey. If you’re not a whiskey neat or whiskey on-the-rocks person, you could try a shot of Jameson with Ginger Ale and a squeeze of lime. It’s a refreshing little drink. You can find the Jameson Original Whiskey at liquor stores for around $21 to $24 per bottle.

Hi Everyone! This post will be a conundrum of a blog. MacGregor versus Mayweather in Vegas. Stephanie versus a Chilean wine in Ireland. Give it a second to make sense and also to figure out if it’s funny. The 2015 MontGras Reservation Cabernet Sauvignon has slight hints of berry with a smoky essence as well. Not too oaky and moderately bold. It was a good wine overall. I have no idea where you can get it in the States, so might update the post when I have a chance to investigate. It’s beer from here on out for the rest of the week. Prayers to those of you in South Texas. Have a great week!

Hi Everyone! It’s been a good week here in Dallas/Ft. Worth. I’m watching The Story of Diana – yeah I’m throwing it out there. This is a two-part series documenting Princess Diana’s life from when she started dating that dork Charles to when she passed away. I know I’ve lost my 11 male readers with that revelation, but let me bring it on home…or to the palace. Sometimes the best royalty doesn’t come from a direct bloodline. I have found some good wines that don’t come directly from Bourdeaux or the Champagne regions of France. I have found some great wines from California, Australia, Oregon, Washington, and…yes…Texas. The 2015 Kirkland Signature Chardonnay is a good wine for a lighter wine drinker. I got the wine from Costco. Ain’t no shame in this wine-drinking game. It is a light to medium-bodied Chardonnay with tastes of pear, melon and slight metal. It has a faint sweetness to it, but not overpowering. It isn’t too oaky or buttery. This Chardonnay goes well with medium-rich foods, but not a heavy dish. I didn’t enjoy this wine as much as an oaky Chardonnay (that’s more my preference), but I did enjoy it. You can find this wine at Costco for around $9.00 per bottle. Have a great rest of the week and weekend by enjoying time with family and friends.

August 11, 2017:  Update to this post. Sometimes the crown fits too tightly on a lesser known bloodline and gives one a headache. Only a glass and a half last night and a headache today. That’s not a positive sign for this wine.

Hi Everyone – it’s been a while since I last posted, but I hope you all are having an excellent week. We have a cold front here in the Dallas area this week – that means low 90’s. I enjoy a good red wine when it’s cold outside, so thought I’d try the 2014 19 Crimes Red Wine.  Sarcasm. This is an Australian wine. The story behind it is interesting because it is based on the 19 crimes that, if convicted in Great Britain, would lead you to be sentenced to live in Australia, rather than death. While it sounds like a great idea now, many died at sea back then. Those who made it to Australia would find themselves in a very rough prison system. The series of wines produced are supposedly in the spirit of the outcast. I can, at times, relate. This is the milder version of their wines. It has a floral essence and has notes of blackberry with a slight tobacco undertone. I wasn’t sure of this wine at first taste, but I really did enjoy it after it breathed a bit more. I’m just not a patient person, but good things come to those who wait. It stands up well to chicken or mild to medium rich foods, but might not be strong enough for a richer steak. I’d recommend this wine and would even like to try the 19 Crimes Cabernet Sauvignon. You can find this wine at larger grocery stores for around $10-$11 per bottle.

Hi All – I hope you had a great weekend. It was hot in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this past weekend. This was a good reminder to me, and should be to everyone, that cars get very hot. Nothing should remain in a hot car for any length of time…period. A couple of years ago, I was going to celebrate my friend, Amy’s, birthday and I picked up a nice bottle of St. Supery Cabernet Sauvignon as a gift to her. It was a surprise party, so another friend and I took her to a day out while her husband, Brad, prepped for her surprise party. The bottle of wine remained in my car…all afternoon. Rookie mistake! We got her back to their house where the party was. I pulled the bottle, in a gift bag, out of the car and headed into the party. I would say I’m normally very aware of my surroundings, but, for some reason, would have missed a wine-soaked, fire-breathing dragon flying out of the bag that day. She began to open the presents later and found the wine gift bag and happily guessed what it might be. Amy pulled the bottle of wine out of the bag, found that the cork was partially pushed out, and a third of the bottle of wine was gone. I like a good practical joke, but I never joke with wine. If you leave wine in a hot car, the wine can heat up and expand in the bottle, break the seal, and then push out the cork. You don’t want to drink that wine as it can become contaminated by chemicals or bacteria. Even if the cork isn’t pushed out, the wine can become contaminated so don’t drink it. If you are going to put a bottle of wine in a hot car for any amount of time, just ensure it is put on ice and is kept cool. Consider this a PSA…hot cars are not for storage of people, pets, food, or wine. On that note, have a great week!

Hi All – I hope you’re having a fantastic week. I decided to review a Rosé this week. I am not as familiar with Rosés, so I went with the coolest-looking bottle. It was a total right-brain decision. I took a left brain versus right brain test years ago and found I’m only slightly more left-brained than right-brained. That probably explains a lot to those of you who know me. I used to love math until I was introduced to Algebra where the numbers and letters just don’t pair well. Moving on…the 2016 Gérard Bertrand Cote des Roses Rosé is what I picked – see pictures below as to why. The second picture is of the bottom of the bottle. This Rosé is from the Languedoc appellation. This area stretches along the Mediterranean coast from the Spanish border to Nîmes, France. This particular Rosé is derived from the Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah grapes. It is a very light wine as many Rosés are. There are floral notes in the nose. This is a slightly drier Rosé and is really nice with lighter dishes. It is predominantly melon with strawberry undertones per my palette. Their website describes flavors of summer fruits and a hint of grapefruit. I did taste the grapefruit, slightly, on the back end. This Rosé is slightly earthy too, so it makes it interesting. I didn’t like it at first, but it grew on me. You can find this Rosé at Kroger for around $16.00 per bottle. Have a great rest of the week and weekend!

Hi All – I hope you have all had an excellent week! I decided to review a wine suggested to me by my friend, Amy.  Amy and I have had a few glasses of red wine together over the years, so I’ll listen to her suggestion on a cab. She recommended the 2013 Revelry Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes that make up this wine are from various regions in Washington state. I could smell a slight essence of smoke and, also, tasted it initially. The initial taste then developed into tastes of currant, cherry and black licorice. The black licorice was very slight and really just accented the overall flavors. There’s a lot going on in this wine, but it is still a medium complexity and really nice to enjoy on its own. I kinda sounded professional there, didn’t I? ? Seriously though, I’d recommend this wine. You can find it at Costco for $14.79. Have a great rest of the week and weekend. Enjoy a great wine and great family and friends!

Hi All – I hope you’re having a fantastic week! I wasn’t going to blog about another canned wine for a while, but the opportunity knocked via a taco stand on Central Expressway, so I cracked it open. I might have lost a portion of the more uppity populous in that last sentence, but I’m a representative of the majority. Great wines can come from anywhere…just like great people can. With that ideology in mind, I tried The Infinite Monkey Theorem Urban Winery White Wine. The winery states the following: “Loads of upfront starfruit on the nose with white peach, citrus and cardamom following. The light carbonation lifts the citrus fruits on the palate to a smooth and refreshing finish.” I state that this tasted a bit like unsweetened Mountain Dew. I did get a hint of the white peach and citrus, but not enough to combat the overall Mountain Dewiness of it. I just didn’t like this wine. Note that my ideology has not changed as it relates to people, but I’m a bit more reserved now as it relates to wine in a can. On that inspiring yet head-scratching note…have a great rest of the week and weekend!