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CulinaryAlchemist · Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 3:28 pm Post subject:

The only thing I tasted with the second bottle was the turkey ravioli with the Cranberry beurre blanc... not so great...
After that the only pairing I could come up with, was the third bottle Wink

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ImStuffed · Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 7:00 pm Post subject:

what do you do when you have a wine thats not worth a review? (ha ha, it rhymed!) ...and Yes....theres a bird on the bottle!!! I guess this could just serve as a warning? Actually it would be nice to hear someone else opinion on this bottle if they can find it

Name: Kalbarri Shiraz
Price: $5.00
Year: 2006
Short intro from the wine maker about the win: With its dark red color and rich, robust flavors of plum blackberry and spice, Kalbarri Shiraz captures the essence of Australlia.
Review: Well, it appeared to be thinner than the last one I had, almost like it was watered down. Very red in color. When I smelled it, I swear I thought I was smelling hints of an ashtray!! It was really weird as I don't have ashtrays in or near my house but there was a distinct ashy odor. When I first sipped it, it was a bit mild then ended with a slight acidic flavor. I thought it was rather pleasant but the more I drank it the worse it got. And that was by itself. I tried it with cheddar cheese and the acid ending was even worse. It didn't taste good with anything I tried although I didnt have any beef or extremely flavorful dishes to pair it with.
Would you buy it again - probably not. I don't want to have to work that hard at getting my wine to taste good.
Wine Pairing Ideas/Recipes: The bottle says to enjoy wiht spiced rubbed grilled beef or lamb. since I didn't have anything like that I can't give a recommendation.
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espressojoe · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:08 am Post subject:

Name: Banrock Station 2007 Shiraz

Price: $7.99

Year: 2007

PHOTO of bottle :

Short intro from the wine maker about the wine:

“Ripe parcels of Shiraz, rich in plum and strawberry fruit flavours have been nurtured with careful handling of the fruit and wine at all stages of production to ensure these inherent flavours are retained.”

Review:

This wine had an unpleasantly sharp, spicy nose. Upon opening the bottle, I almost thought the wine was corked. The legs were nice and thick, though they dissipated quickly. Upon first sip, the tannins took charge and overwhelmed any flavor to the wine. I decided to let it aerate a few moments.

Aeration calmed the tannins down, and the wine had an extremely soft plum flavor. When I say soft, I mean SOFT. I had to strain to make out any flavor. It had the thick consistency that left smoothness to the tongue, normally something I enjoy in a good flavorful wine, unfortunately this wine alone tasted much more like spiced water.

I then opened a bag of Kettle Brand New York Cheddar with Herbs potato chips. Surprisingly the flavor of the wine came to life. A slow heartbeat, but it was life!! The wine was mildly sweet, fruity, crisp and refreshing with no acidity or bite from the tannins. The flavor dissipated quickly, so I had to keep eating more and more chips to coax this shy flavor out.

Well, that’s when the microwave went off. My Ore Ida Cheese and Pepperoni Bagel Bites were done!! With the little bagel pizzas, all the fruit flavor disappeared and was replaced with a strong pepper taste. I mean, it felt like I had dumped a whole bottle of pepper onto the little pizzas, it was so overwhelming. Another taste of Cheddar potato chips and the flavor balanced out, but only if I ate bagel pizza, chip, then sip. Take a sip at the wrong time and it was either mouth full of pepper or as mild as a glass of water.

Overall, it was a struggle to keep this wines flavor balanced and intact. Alone, it tasted like someone tried to turn water to wine and only halfway succeeded. With the chips, it was a hopeful promise of life, and with mild bagel pizza’s its flavor tipped the wrong way and you got a mouthful of pepper. The work required to make this wine drinkable was not worth the effort, when for the same price there are many other bottles to explore. I have had much better Shiraz for half the price!

Would you buy again?: No

Wine Pairing Ideas/Recipes:

I would pair this wine with a nice full bodied Perrier, Maybe compared to good water, this wine will taste more like wine.
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espressojoe · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:11 am Post subject:

Ok, I felt guilty giving such a bad review, but honestly, my palete is not fully refined and as Shane, my standards are not that high, and it was still bad!! And not the "I'm just not at the point where I can apreciate those flavors" bad, it had almost NO flavor till mixed with food, and then it was like palying Russian Roulette!!!

So, sorry if anyone likes it, I didn't
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espressojoe · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 8:08 am Post subject:

Name: Columbia Crest Two Vines Shiraz

Price: $5.99

Year: 2005

PHOTO of bottle

Short intro from the wine maker about the wine:

“The Washington Two Vines Shiraz is crafted in the ripe, jammy fruit-forward style of New World Shiraz. Black cherry is evident in the aromatics and on the palate. The fruit is threaded with subtle white pepper and chocolate nuances. The wine offers a full-mouth feel and supple, lingering finish.”

Review:

After my last bottle of Shiraz, I was a little hesitant to buy another wine from the same store, but figured for the price, it was worth the risk. Shiraz is my favorite wine, and Two Vines met me with a combination of my high standards for this variety, and my somewhat lack of enthusiasm from the last bottle. It was almost as if this wine was being chosen to renew my faith in Shiraz and had a daunting task set before it from the beginning.

Upon opening the bottle, the aroma hit me at once. Deep black cherries and soft, rich chocolate. It had a full, invigorating nose that started to get my hopes up.

I poured the glass and took a cursory look at the legs. Legs are not necessarily that impressive to me, as I have seen great legs on a bad wine, and weak legs on wine I do like. Well, this wine did have good legs, a perfect match to its nose!

Sipped alone the wine was very fruit forward, with a full chocolate cherry richness that lasted until the end. The finish gave hints of pepper and made you anticipate the next sip. Its balanced, crisp flavor is what a Shiraz should be, and I couldn’t picture it getting much better.

To be fair, I decided this wine needed to be put through similar culinary abuse and the previous wine I had tried, so I opened a bag of Lays Wavy Ranch potato chips while I popped two Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets into the microwave.

With the chips, the wine had an even fuller flavor. The pepper was stronger, though not overpowering. I had said I couldn’t picture this wine getting better and it was giving me a pleasant surprise!

With the hot pockets the flavor really popped! The pepper hit first and was followed with a rich, bold flavor that perfectly balances this wine. I didn’t have anything with red sauce, and really wished I could try it with a more complex meal, as this wine seems to just improve and get better the more you challenge it.

Overall, the best $5.99 I have spent in a long time! This wine is everything a Shiraz should be and more!!

Would you buy again?: YES YES YES YES AND YES

Wine Pairing Ideas/Recipes:

Shiraz is recommended for mildly spicy meats and red sauces, though honestly, I can’t picture this wine going “badly” with anything. The more complex the meal, the better this wine will perform, though even at its weakest point, it still out performed wines way past its price tag.
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Babette · Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 1:20 pm Post subject:

Dang.. I was at target last night and I was going to buy one of those wine in a box things .. thinking it would shake things up here but I couldn't remember the type of wine we were doing this month! AARRG! I'll have to stip and pick some up before the end of the month.

I do have some prizes for our wine tasting adventure and they are pretty awesome. So we should decide.. so we want the prizes for this month or do we want to start fresh in Jan? I think that a lot of members have had a really busy month so maybe it's best to start fresh in Jan.

BobtheDude · Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 1:35 pm Post subject:

Name:Pensacal
Price: 6.99
Year: 2004

Short intro from the wine maker about the wine: Nope, nothing on the bottle. Didn't bother looking on the net.
Review: I smell cherries quite strongly, with an herbal smell underneath. Hmm, a bland, timid entry, possibly suitable for patients recovering from surgery. Heh. Seriously though, the taste is flat, no richness at all, with a very clean finish. Not much to it at all really, much more scent than taste. I honestly can't pick out a single flavor. So that's why this was in the discount bin. How sad. Also, no animal on it. What's up with that? Maybe it's an impostor...
Would you buy again?: nope.
Wine Pairing Ideas/Recipes: I made a red sauce with it that turned out good. I deglazed the pan with about a cup of it and reduced it to 1/4 or so, which brought out the closest thing to flavor I had with it. I ate Chinese food with it and all of it completely overpowered the wine.
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BobtheDude · Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 1:42 pm Post subject:

Babette: Prizes? Is this a drinking contest? Cuz if it is I can drink way more than I have been... Laughing

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ImStuffed · Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 2:05 pm Post subject:

are we talking quality or quantity? LOL btw all you wino's out there (or maybe this just pertains to me) its not a good idea to drink some wines while you are congested. you can't taste sh#$ and all you smell is vinegar.
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