Monday, November 17, 2008
2006 Ravenswood Vitners Blend California Zinfandel
Okay, I have to leave for the airport in 45 minutes, so I'm going to make this short and sweet. Overall, I like this wine that I snagged for $8.99 (regularly $10.99). It's fruity up front (and not overly so), but has a nice oaky middle to it and a just-dry-enough finish. It seems full-bodied but not thick. The label says it's all things to all wine drinkers, and I'd have to agree. I could see this pairing with anything from steak to Italian to cheese and crackers. On the patented Chibebräu Wine scale (skip it, only if it's on sale, or buy it again), I'll have to rate this one: buy it again. Now it's time for me to pack!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Costalupe Illuminati Controguerra Bianco (2005)
So, Leah sends me an email a half hour before I leave work. "Can you pick up a bottle of white wine on your way home for deglazing?" Now I'm still not exactly sure what deglazing is, but I say sure. As I walk into our local liquor store, I immediately head for the clearance rack and find a bottle labeled "Illuminati." I've always been fascinated by conspiracy theories, so of course it catches my eye. It's a white wine (per my wife's instructions), it's under $10 (marked down from $12.99 to $9.99) and the label says it's dry, so it meets my three criteria.
The funny thing is, I have no idea what the hell a "controguerra bianco" is (though I'm assuming the first word means "anti-war?"). A google search only found Italian pages and poorly-translated English pages, so I still wasn't entirely sure what it is. Further searching has revealed Controguerra is a region of the Teramo province of Italy. So all I had figured out is it's a white wine from the Controguerra region of Italy. Um, okay... Finally, I found this page which proved that Illuminati is the winery, and I guess Costalupo is the style?
Anyway, on to the review. The nose on this wine is rather tart. You pick up just a hint of a floral, almost herbal aroma, but it's dominated by what I could best describe as an acidic smell. Taking a sip, the wine feels a little heavy and isn't really sweet up front. In fact, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what the initial flavor is. It's very subdued, with hints of apple and pear but tart and alcoholic more than anything. As you swallow, it indeed finishes dry--and again an acidic tang--but it doesn't have that fruitiness up front that I expect from a white wine (even a dry one). It also doesn't have any oakiness or anything else to hang your hat on. It's just kind of there.
So, on the patented Chibebräu Wine scale (skip it, only if it's on sale, or buy it again), I'll have to rate this one: skip it. But on the plus side, it's made me realize one of the things I like from a good white wine: fruitiness. While I really like my white wines dry, dry and fruity can go together (insert your own joke here). Just as a good Pilsner has a strong malt profile up front before the crisp, dry finish, so can a good white wine have a nice fruity flavor profile before the dry finish. Now if only I knew how to apply this knowledge to other white wines (since I'm assuming there aren't a ton of costalupe controguerra biacos floating out there).
The funny thing is, I have no idea what the hell a "controguerra bianco" is (though I'm assuming the first word means "anti-war?"). A google search only found Italian pages and poorly-translated English pages, so I still wasn't entirely sure what it is. Further searching has revealed Controguerra is a region of the Teramo province of Italy. So all I had figured out is it's a white wine from the Controguerra region of Italy. Um, okay... Finally, I found this page which proved that Illuminati is the winery, and I guess Costalupo is the style?
Anyway, on to the review. The nose on this wine is rather tart. You pick up just a hint of a floral, almost herbal aroma, but it's dominated by what I could best describe as an acidic smell. Taking a sip, the wine feels a little heavy and isn't really sweet up front. In fact, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what the initial flavor is. It's very subdued, with hints of apple and pear but tart and alcoholic more than anything. As you swallow, it indeed finishes dry--and again an acidic tang--but it doesn't have that fruitiness up front that I expect from a white wine (even a dry one). It also doesn't have any oakiness or anything else to hang your hat on. It's just kind of there.
So, on the patented Chibebräu Wine scale (skip it, only if it's on sale, or buy it again), I'll have to rate this one: skip it. But on the plus side, it's made me realize one of the things I like from a good white wine: fruitiness. While I really like my white wines dry, dry and fruity can go together (insert your own joke here). Just as a good Pilsner has a strong malt profile up front before the crisp, dry finish, so can a good white wine have a nice fruity flavor profile before the dry finish. Now if only I knew how to apply this knowledge to other white wines (since I'm assuming there aren't a ton of costalupe controguerra biacos floating out there).
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
August Kesseler Kabinett Riesling - Trocken (2005)
My love of beer started when I studied in Germany (Reutlingen, to be specific) in the spring of 1999. Yet while many associate Germany with beer, they also have a proud winemaking tradition. As such, I quickly became familiar with German wine, and particularly the ubiquitous Riesling. The funny thing is while Americans generally associate Rieslings with sweet wines, there are many excellent dry (Trocken) or semi-dry (Halbtrocken) Rieslings available at your local Getränkmarkt. I much prefer the crisp, dry varieties, which unfortunately means taking more time and spending more money here in the States.
Tonight Leah made some Hühner (chicken) Schnitzel mit Spätzle for dinner, and while I had a couple bottles of Left Hand Oktoberfest Märzen in the fridge I decided to finally bust open my bottle of August Kesseler Kabinett Riesling (Trocken) that I've been sitting on seemingly forever. See, here's the problem... White wines need to be refrigerated, and I generally don't think far enough ahead to throw the wine in the fridge ahead of time. Plus, we generally only drink wines with Italian food, and that generally dictates red wine. So the end result is we've had this bottle of Reisling for at least a year. And the problem with that is while we kept it down in the basement it still wasn't optimal conditions during the summer. Nonetheless I'll go ahead and review it with the caveat that it probably hasn't aged as well as it would have in a proper cellar.
The good news was when I poured it in my glass there wasn't anything noticeably offensive. It didn't have that nasty vinegar smell or that sickly sweet communion wine smell. Apparently it aged well considering the conditions. It had that tangy sweet, floral, cidery smell I associate with Rielslings. Upon taking a sip it was clean up front, with an acidic tartness giving way to your traditional Riesling sweetness of grape skins and green apple. Typical of a trocken Riesling, the sweetness was subdued. My one criticism of this wine would be that it didn't have that crisp finish I look for in a dry Riesling. It dried out a little with a slight alcohol burn but still left a tart sweetness on the back of my tongue. The problem is that I'm not sure if the residual sweetness is the result of improper storage. Overall, I found this to be a solid wine so I'll give it one more shot and try to drink it fresh next time. For now, however, on the patented Chibebräu Wine scale (skip it, only if it's on sale, or buy it again), I'll have to rate this one: only if it's on sale. Stay tuned for an updated review should I purchase this wine again.
Tonight Leah made some Hühner (chicken) Schnitzel mit Spätzle for dinner, and while I had a couple bottles of Left Hand Oktoberfest Märzen in the fridge I decided to finally bust open my bottle of August Kesseler Kabinett Riesling (Trocken) that I've been sitting on seemingly forever. See, here's the problem... White wines need to be refrigerated, and I generally don't think far enough ahead to throw the wine in the fridge ahead of time. Plus, we generally only drink wines with Italian food, and that generally dictates red wine. So the end result is we've had this bottle of Reisling for at least a year. And the problem with that is while we kept it down in the basement it still wasn't optimal conditions during the summer. Nonetheless I'll go ahead and review it with the caveat that it probably hasn't aged as well as it would have in a proper cellar.
The good news was when I poured it in my glass there wasn't anything noticeably offensive. It didn't have that nasty vinegar smell or that sickly sweet communion wine smell. Apparently it aged well considering the conditions. It had that tangy sweet, floral, cidery smell I associate with Rielslings. Upon taking a sip it was clean up front, with an acidic tartness giving way to your traditional Riesling sweetness of grape skins and green apple. Typical of a trocken Riesling, the sweetness was subdued. My one criticism of this wine would be that it didn't have that crisp finish I look for in a dry Riesling. It dried out a little with a slight alcohol burn but still left a tart sweetness on the back of my tongue. The problem is that I'm not sure if the residual sweetness is the result of improper storage. Overall, I found this to be a solid wine so I'll give it one more shot and try to drink it fresh next time. For now, however, on the patented Chibebräu Wine scale (skip it, only if it's on sale, or buy it again), I'll have to rate this one: only if it's on sale. Stay tuned for an updated review should I purchase this wine again.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Charles Shaw 2007 Shiraz
For our second wine review, we offer the one, the only... Two Buck Chuck! Actually, at the Trader Joe's by us it's Three Buck Chuck these days, but hey, I can cough up an extra dollar.
FUN FACT: At the 2004 International Eastern Wine Competition, the 2002 Charles Shaw Shiraz beat out 2,300 wines to win a prestigious double gold medal.
Anyway, here's my take... For $3, you really can't beat this wine. That being said, I didn't like it as much as the Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz. On the plus side, there wasn't anything disagreeable about the Two (Three) Buck Chuck. At the same time, it sort of lacked that pizazz that makes you come back for more. The wine started out sweet with a touch of tartness, and had a nice dry finish with ample tannins. My problem is that, unlike the Lindemans, the sweetness was just too one-dimensional. I wasn't picking up any stone fruit. I wasn't picking up any oak. It was just sort of a generic grape sweetness. As such, it's not a bad accompaniment with dinner where you're looking for the wine to play second fiddle to the food, but it's certainly not ready to be the headlining act. On the patented Chibebräu Wine scale (skip it, only if it's on sale, or buy it again), I'm rating this one: only if it's on sale. Of course, one could argue this is always on sale (I mean, it IS only $3), and one would have a point. This would be a good bottle to keep on hand as a table wine, but not particularly something I would enjoy having over and over and over again.
FUN FACT: At the 2004 International Eastern Wine Competition, the 2002 Charles Shaw Shiraz beat out 2,300 wines to win a prestigious double gold medal.
Anyway, here's my take... For $3, you really can't beat this wine. That being said, I didn't like it as much as the Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz. On the plus side, there wasn't anything disagreeable about the Two (Three) Buck Chuck. At the same time, it sort of lacked that pizazz that makes you come back for more. The wine started out sweet with a touch of tartness, and had a nice dry finish with ample tannins. My problem is that, unlike the Lindemans, the sweetness was just too one-dimensional. I wasn't picking up any stone fruit. I wasn't picking up any oak. It was just sort of a generic grape sweetness. As such, it's not a bad accompaniment with dinner where you're looking for the wine to play second fiddle to the food, but it's certainly not ready to be the headlining act. On the patented Chibebräu Wine scale (skip it, only if it's on sale, or buy it again), I'm rating this one: only if it's on sale. Of course, one could argue this is always on sale (I mean, it IS only $3), and one would have a point. This would be a good bottle to keep on hand as a table wine, but not particularly something I would enjoy having over and over and over again.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz (2007)
For the inaugural review, we have Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz, an Australian offering that's regularly $11.49 but I scored for $5.99 at my local Jewel grocery store.
So I tend to like wines that are dry but fruity, and wines that have some body to them, and I've found that Shiraz/Syrah wines tend to fit the bill. What's interesting about this wine is that it's quite sweet but yet I still really enjoyed it. More specifically, it has a strong dark cherry/stone fruit flavor when it hits your tongue, but a tart, meaty (maybe oaky?) finish that seems to balance the sweetness. I'm bad with the whole tannin thing, so maybe it's the tannins that balance out the sweetness, but I don't think so. That being said, wikipedia says Syrah wines are known for their high tannic content, so I'm probably wrong. Whatever it is, I really like this one, and if you're fortunate to find one for the price I paid, I'd grab it in a heartbeat. On the patented Chibebräu Wine scale (skip it, only if it's on sale, or buy it again), I'm rating this one: buy it again.
So there you go, the first Chibebräu wine review. Here's to many more!
So I tend to like wines that are dry but fruity, and wines that have some body to them, and I've found that Shiraz/Syrah wines tend to fit the bill. What's interesting about this wine is that it's quite sweet but yet I still really enjoyed it. More specifically, it has a strong dark cherry/stone fruit flavor when it hits your tongue, but a tart, meaty (maybe oaky?) finish that seems to balance the sweetness. I'm bad with the whole tannin thing, so maybe it's the tannins that balance out the sweetness, but I don't think so. That being said, wikipedia says Syrah wines are known for their high tannic content, so I'm probably wrong. Whatever it is, I really like this one, and if you're fortunate to find one for the price I paid, I'd grab it in a heartbeat. On the patented Chibebräu Wine scale (skip it, only if it's on sale, or buy it again), I'm rating this one: buy it again.
So there you go, the first Chibebräu wine review. Here's to many more!
Welcome to Chibebräu Wine!
Just a quick introduction... Leah and I are homebrewers who blog at chibebrau.blogspot.com. Despite our love of beer, we occasionally crave a good bottle of wine (usually red, usually dry, usually under $15, usually with Italian food). My method of purchasing wine can be described as follows:
1. Decide if I want a red or white.
2. If I want a white, skip to step 6.
3. If I want a red, go to local grocery store/drug store (or, if I'm feeling fancy, the local liquor store).
4. Find every wine that's regularly more than $10 but is on sale for less than $10.
5. Pick the wine with the largest difference between regular price and sale price (skipping Merlot unless it's a way expensive Merlot that's significantly on sale).
6. If in the mood for a white, decide if I want a Riesling or something else.
7. If I want a Riesling, pick the cheapest one that's Trocken (dry) or Halb Trocken (half-dry). [Note: this usually requires going to a halfway decent liquor store.]
8. If I don't want a Riesling, or if I can't go to a good liquor store, look for any white that's under $10 and described as dry and, preferably, oaky.
So there you have it. As you can tell, I'm not a very sophisticated wine consumer. However, I'm planning on using this blog to keep track of the wines I try so I can be a more informed consumer in the future. If you happen to stumble upon this blog, I hope you find it helpful (either for buying wine yourself or curing insomnia). If you're a wine expert and you can't believe I think a certain wine is good, take pity on me. And if you're a wine expert whose idea of a good beer is Heineken or Stella Artois, consider us even.
1. Decide if I want a red or white.
2. If I want a white, skip to step 6.
3. If I want a red, go to local grocery store/drug store (or, if I'm feeling fancy, the local liquor store).
4. Find every wine that's regularly more than $10 but is on sale for less than $10.
5. Pick the wine with the largest difference between regular price and sale price (skipping Merlot unless it's a way expensive Merlot that's significantly on sale).
6. If in the mood for a white, decide if I want a Riesling or something else.
7. If I want a Riesling, pick the cheapest one that's Trocken (dry) or Halb Trocken (half-dry). [Note: this usually requires going to a halfway decent liquor store.]
8. If I don't want a Riesling, or if I can't go to a good liquor store, look for any white that's under $10 and described as dry and, preferably, oaky.
So there you have it. As you can tell, I'm not a very sophisticated wine consumer. However, I'm planning on using this blog to keep track of the wines I try so I can be a more informed consumer in the future. If you happen to stumble upon this blog, I hope you find it helpful (either for buying wine yourself or curing insomnia). If you're a wine expert and you can't believe I think a certain wine is good, take pity on me. And if you're a wine expert whose idea of a good beer is Heineken or Stella Artois, consider us even.
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