Month: May 2015

May Wine Wednesdays

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Schmitt

I had wanted to talk about a Riesling since I started this blog.  And the timing couldn’t be better.

Recently, I was introduced to the German tradition of drinking May Wine.  And I’m so happy I was.

I like the concept of steeping herbs, plants, and flowers to enhance a beverages taste. It’s akin to how we prepare our teas.

I had heard of sweet woodruff before, since its a part of my Iranian culture in various festivities.  But little did I know that it’s significant in spring time celebrations, when infused in sweet white wines!  And it’s great to hear about it’s health benefits.

With all that being said, what bottle did we used for the first of many celebrations?

You’ve probably seen Schmitt Sohne in your local beer and wine shop. As the look and label really leave a lasting impression.

How was our Riesling?   It was tremendous. But I had to do a quadruple take.  I didn’t realize they had four varietals!  I’m intrigued.

SchmittGlass

The Crisp and Fruity label helped me decipher what may be contained inside.   The synopsis mentions apples and peach aromas.  I detected what may have been those fruits, or others.  But the woodruff really intensified the flavor and that’s what resonated.   I was blown away by how good this tasted.  This wine went down very easy. And how beautiful is that color?

SchmittWithMeal

I enjoyed my glass with a nice meal of ground turkey tacos with Mexican rice. This is a bottle that can be enjoyed with virtually any meal or by itself. And as the weather brightens, those meal selections will rapidly expand.

SchmittWoodruff

I included my attempt at an aerial  view of the herb inside the bottle.  How cool is this?

May Day can be celebrated throughout the Spring and into the Summer.  And I cannot wait to try more white wines with this amazing flower permeating on the inside.   And you can bet more this awesome vineyard will be included.

Enjoy the rest of May and the warm months ahead!

Best,

Ideen

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A Lovely Feast

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ChateauSteMichele

A dear friend of mine went to Jamaica recently.  And has been on their food kick, since coming back.   We’re fortunate enough to have many International restaurants near us in the area.   And that includes delicious foods from the land of ‘Out of Many, One People’.

And what a perfect opportunity to try some new foods and of course, a bottle, to pair with these dishes!

In doing my in-depth research, I found that the spicier foods (such as what we were about to eat), should be counterbalanced or complemented with some sweeter whites.    We don’t want a full-bodied red or lots of oak, to detract from the food we’re enjoying.  We want the our meal to be enjoyable, and we want the wine to enhance that.  With a lighter selection, more flavors can come out from our dish.  We also want a wine that’s low on tannins.   This is nowhere near as complicated as it sounds.

I am a huge fan of medium to full reds.  But having one of those would completely undermine our meal and our wine.  In some instances, it’s brought out  the cheapness of the food and the wine.   I found this site very useful in my quest.

With the knowledge presented to me, I wanted to get a Gewürztraminer.   It’s a wine I wish I had more of.   We’ve enjoyed this grape a few times over a Thanksgiving meal.  And I’m happy to the opportunity has been presented itself to enjoy once again!

I want to thank Friendship Wine & Liquor of Abingdon, MD, for helping me pick out a bottle.

ChateauChateauBackLabel

I chose the 2013 from Chateau Ste. Michelle.  And this is a winner!

It was very easy to drink and didn’t feel as if it were too sugary or acidity for my liking.  I didn’t detect any clove spice as the synopsis says.   But I could sense some fruit.  Which fruits there were, I don’t know!  But I was loving this choice.  And and under $10, I feel this was a steal and a half!

ChateauWithJamaican

We enjoyed our bottle with a wonderful Brown Stew Chicken, Goat Curry, Plantains, and a Meat Pie.  Everything about our meal, from the food to the wine, was wonderful.    This can pair with many spicy foods, not just Jamaican.  It’s all about personal preference.   Most important of all is to try what you like.   And that you are enjoying the wine and food together.

And I am grateful to have been introduced to another great winery, whose wines will be seeking out on a regular basis now. That’s one of the fun parts of this!  Now I have so many new ones I want to try.

The winery itself looks beautiful from pictures.   And it makes me want to visit them in Washington State.  I suppose I will!

Thanks so much.

Best,

Ideen

Happy Hummus Day!

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RetsinaHummusNoGlass

Today we’re celebrating International Hummus Day!   It seems that only recently hummus has blown up in popularity all around the world.  It used to be we found it only in restaurants as an appetizer, in International markets, and maybe a few flavors here and there at select grocery stores.

Now it’s everywhere.  There are flavors that were once only imagined, and have now come to fruition.

Finding a wine to pair with our meal was a bit daunting.  But once again, thanks to the awesome staff at Wine World of Abingdon, MD for their assistance.

The flavors chosen for this review were a Roasted Garlic and an Edamame.  The latter I’ve only discovered recently.  And it’s so yummy.

RetsinaRetsinaBackLabel

So with the spicier offerings in mind and without further adieu, the wine selected was the Retsina from Greece.

It’s not a wine I’ve sipped too often.  I recall trying these at Greek Festivals in the Maryland and Washington, DC area.

RetsinaGlass

This is an acquired taste.  Honestly, I couldn’t finish my glass.  It’s not something I’m used to.  Maybe in time, it will be a glass I will learn to appreciate with Greek appetizers and the right vibe or environment. But, in this case, it wasn’t for me.

When I uncorked the bottle, the nose was really strange.  I’m not sure what I was smelling.  It wasn’t the most pleasing.

However, the golden color does have a charm to it.

In many instances, I like to try wines, without knowing ahead of time what fruits, flavors, or spices are included.  This was no exception.  What I tasted was very earth like.  But not in that earthy tones term that people like to throw out there  It tasted like nature.  It had a familiar taste of Spring.  It was like something I recall in my backyard when I was a kid.   Then I did my research and saw that taste was the pine-tree resin.

This was the wine of the gods.  And I think that’s awesome.  But it’s not awesome for me.  Not yet at least.  That doesn’t mean you or yours wouldn’t like it.   We all have different tastes and that’s what makes us all unique and all the same.  In doing some research, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Noir have been common suggestions. Hopefully you’ll be able to find a wine that goes well with this special day

RetsinaHummus,

In the meanwhile, I celebrated hummus yesterday and will continue today.    Here we have some whole wheat pita triangles and pita chips thrown in, to dip and delight.

Enjoy today.

Best,

Ideen

Mother’s Day Special

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MothersDay

I wanted to find a wine that would fit the mold of the Mother’s Day holiday.   Sunday will be fun.  And we will also celebrate the warm weather, happiness, joy, love, peace, and anything else that makes you feel good.   I believe my choice fits both the holiday and the season.

A Rose was suggested and a Rose is what I got! I didn’t have to look too far.  I found a stunning bottle.  Now the look  shape is unique and wonderful.  But the salmon color inside is a beauty.  Thanks to the great folks at Wine World in Abingdon, MD for their help.

They had a holiday section set up with various Roses’, at the front of the store.   Per a team members suggestion, not just for the shape, but for the taste, the Aime Roquesante Cotes De Provence 2014 was the immediate choice. I am not a huge fan nor a detractor of the the sweeter wines.  But this blog is going to help me appreciate white, lighter, and fruitier wines as the weather breaks.

And this bottle is fun.  It tasted fuller than I thought it would be.

MothersDayRose

How pretty is that?

I’m assuming the fullness comes from the Syrah.  If I hadn’t looked it up, I wouldn’t have known it was made of the aforementioned Syrah, Grenache, and Cinsault.  The latter one is new to me. I tasted a lot of citrus flavors and maybe some hints of flowers.

I thought for sure they wouldn’t have a website.  How silly and presumptuous of me.   It’s in French and I find that fun.  I don’t see anywhere to translate, but I prefer it that way.  Maybe it’s so beautiful, I don’t need to know what they’re saying.   The birds chirping is all I needed.

However, the amount of reviews for the bottle were plentiful.  And once again, there’s different interpretations of what smells and flavors are detected, along with the suggested food pairings.

I don’t think you can go wrong in the food department.   Whatever your holiday meal is, this wine will go with it.  Whether’s it’s meat, vegetables, cheese, or appetizers.   I believe this bottle is a great complement to any of those and many other dishes.

MomsDayRose

I’ve seen prices ranging from $9.99 to $14.99 in various stores. As always, the cheaper the better.   But this is a bottle worthy of the higher price point.

I wish you all a great week! And a Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours!

Best,

Ideen