Moose's blog

2008-08-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

Wine Number 30

2006 Skouras Saint George/Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine is notable because it's a case of a grape with multiple names. Many wine drinkers already know that Zinfandel and Primitivo are genetically the same exact grape. But there are many beginner drinkers who wouldn't know the difference [or lack thereof].

The Saint George grape is actually the Agiorgitiko grape, which I find it weird that a Greek winery would change the name of a Greek grape to an English one. I mean I understand it... but I like the local flair of local grapes.

At any rate, the wine was good, a bit light. Not much else to it. Oh, this "blend" is 95% Saint George/Agiorgitiko and %5 Cabernet Sauvignon so it's essentially a Saint George wine with some Cab for flavor and backbone.

Wine Count: 30; Grape Count: 30.

2008-07-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

Wine Number 29 or "The Portuguese Get Me Back in the Race"

What race? Why... the race to complete the quest, my boy!

2005 Xairel Ribatejano:

Portugal, famous for their Port, brings us things crazily inexpensive red wine from the Ribatejo region in central Portugal. And I mean crazily inexpensive. Anyone drinking Yellowtail... Sutter Home... Dancing Penguin or whateverthefrick for the sole reason that it's inexpensive and drinkable, should take a serious look at this wine and others from Portugal. On a tip from Vaynerchuk about Portugal's value I discovered the Portuguese section of my local Bottle King.

The cheapos, running anywhere from $3 to a staggering $6... quickly filled my arms. The concensus? These wines won't wow you, nor will they disgust you. They are serviceable and noticeably not up to the par of your more expensive and higher quality wines. But seriously... if you're drinking less expensive and lower quality wines already... what's to lose? Seriously... the price of a cup of Starbucks and you've got yourself an entire bottle of wine. Give it a go.

We could probably take care of this quest with just a couple bottles of Port... but we got going again with this bottle, featuring two grapes not on my Wine Century Club sheet and hopefully they are not clones of another grape, which I did cursory research and found not to be the case. The Castelao, Trincadeira, and Preto Martinho grapes were featured in this wine. Supposedly I haven't featured a Portuguese wine yet... so check off lucky number 13.

Coming very soon... my first venture into Pinotage.

Wine Count: 29; Grape Count 29; Country Count: 13.

2008-06-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

Wine 28, one of the biggest grapes:

2006 Oakton Lane Chardonnay

I like my whites, they're kind of a guilty pleasure that I don't partake of too often because my wife doesn't like white wines. So I'm stuck drinking a whole bottle on my own, and depending on schedules, it takes 2, 3, or even 4 or 5 nights to finish. That's a big commitment.

Anyway, this is a solid chardonnay, one I didn't mind drinking over two nights. Not overoaked, which is nice.

Wow... boring tasting note... which sort of goes for the wine, too.

Wine Count: 28; Grape Count: 26

2008-06-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

Wines 26 and 27:

Went on vacation recently and encountered some wines from states which you normally wouldn't associate with wine... North Carolina and Virginia. First, let me talk about the great thing that the Charlotte Airport does. They have a wine bar with nothing but North Carolina wines, all at vineyard prices. The best wine we had there, and a wine we bought a bottle of for our vacation, was from the Yadkin Valley in North Carolina, the 2005 Shelton Vinyards Merlot. Not being a huge merlot drinker, though by no means having an anti-merlot prejudice [I simply find many of them too light], I was legitimately surprised at the smoothless and drinkability.

Another wine we had was from Chateau Morrisette in Virginia. Unfortunately I don't have more information on the wine, my label got ripped.

But at any rate, I bang out two more states in my quest and have a LONG way to go.

Wine Count: 27; State Count: 6

2008-06-05T14:13:00.001-07:00

The Quarter Century Mark with a Big Name

2003 Chateau Musar Cuvee Rouge:

I've heard the name Chateau Musar muttered occasionally. Good luck finding it at shops that aren't serious about their business. A relative's wine cellar is packed with a Chateau Margaux, some Lafite-Rothschild... and Musar. He's Lebanese but still.

I purchased this wine at the Wine Library, I wasn't about to drop $40 on the GOOD Musar, so I settled for the $15 version. For me it had a vegetable component on the nose, and a definite tartness to the flavor. Lots of fruit coming through. But definitely a lighter version of whatever their main offering is.

Get a lot done with wine as far as my journey goes. Another country, and a non-traditional one at that, is knocked off [Lebanon]. Since this is a blend, I get to mark off two more grapes, Cinsault and Carignan, the first two grapes listed [no percentages] in a blend including Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

The main Musar offering will definitely be tried eventually.

Wine Count: 25; Country Count: 12; Grape Count: 25.

2008-05-29T05:29:00.000-07:00

Back on Track

Wine Number 24:

2004 Las Moras Tannat Reserve

After a couple of boring wines we're officially back to the good stuff. Knocked out another country in Argentina. I was surprised to see the wine was from Argentina, but after reading a bit on the history I shouldn't be. Originally [to the best of our knowledge] from the south of France, the wine migrated to Uruguay and eventually made it's way down to Argentina. Now I want to try some Uruguaian Tannat.

The wine itself was not over-tannic as you might expect from a wine called Tannat. Noticeable oak, but notice I didn't say "over"-oaked. Good and interesting fruit. I got it for $15, it is probably offered cheaper in store, which makes this a great buy.

Wine Count 24; Country Count: 11; Grape Count: 23

2008-05-28T05:09:00.001-07:00

A Couple Snoozers

Every now and then you get lucky when you try new wines and look for values. Every now and then... you don't. The latter happened last week when I looked for a couple inexpensive wines to have with some friends. I got two grapes out of the way, but also found two wines I won't buy again. The tasting notes are basically similar... forgettable and light. The La Francesa was a bit funky and the poorer of the two. Here's the information:

Wine Number 22:

2005 La Francesca Valpolicella: Like I said, a bit funky, light and forgettable. Would not buy again at any price. Corvina grape.

Wine Number 23:

2004 Moncaro "Ensino Rosso": Contains 40% Montepulciano grape, a wine I've had several times but is not on this list because it's usually at dinner or friends' houses. Wine was okay but nothing really going on.

Wine Count: 23; Grape Count: 22.

2008-05-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Signature Grapes:

In what has sort of been standard procedure in the last several years or so, Chile has risen in the wine world with their flagship grape being Carmenere. I say this because if you think about it... you can sort of play a word association game with countries that aren't in the Big Four of wine producers [France, Italy, Spain, US]. Australia... Shiraz... Argentina... Malbec... Germany... Riesling... Hungary... Tokaji... Chile... Carmenere. Is it fair? Hell no. And there are exceptions... Greece has hundreds of native varieties, and Portugal routinely uses dozens of grapes in Port blends.

But sometimes in order for a country to gain notice in the wine world... they need a signature grape. It's especially unfair for places like Germany, which has been producing quality wines for generations. But nonetheless that's how the average wine drinker sees it. What is even more interesting to me... is the fact that Carmenere is a grape that until recently was seldom heard from... due to weather patterns and climate it does extremely well in Chile and as a result it has taken the international stage.

2006 Augustino Carmenere:

At any rate... I found this particular Carmenere to have well integrated oak, with big fruit. A quality buy for those looking to try this grape.

Wine Count: 21; Grape Count: 20

2008-05-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

Wine Number 20:

2006 Planeta La Segreta Rosso Sicilia IGT

Another interesting wine that fell far short of expectations! In terms of composition, this wine is Nero d’Avola (50%), Merlot (25%), Syrah (20%) and Cabernet Franc (5%). However, for me it was way over-oaked and I simply couldn't get past that aspect of it.

And that's really the end of this tasting note. I tried to get something from this wine, to gain something about the area and the grape but... nothing.

Got another wine off my list... Nero d'Avola. And if I were doing a count of Italian provinces I would have hit another... Sicily... to add to Tuscany, Umbria, Veneto and Abruzzo.

Wine Count: 20; Grape Count: 19.

2008-04-29T05:54:00.000-07:00

Wine Number 19:

2004 Bodegas Sonsierra Crianza Vendimia Seleccionada Rioja

Lots of words to say this is a Tempranillo blend but that's what it is. I don't have the exact percentages, so we're only going with Tempranillo for my journey.

What really stinks is when you get a so-so wine from a huge region, like Rioja. It's like getting a Bordeaux having heard tons of things about it and having it fall far short of your expectations. Or what happened to me personally, I had an excellent dessert wine at dinner, tried to buy an inexpensive Sauternes at a local wine shop and found the result to be poor, thin and definitely undessertlike. Basically this wine was decent and okay. My wife thought it had some mediciney characteristics, I delved further and figured some Pledge but we couldn't place it. Other reviews had stuff like leather and paint thinner, suppose it could be either of those. [To be fair, this wine received various reviews on CellarTracker, including a couple 90s, I just wasn't feeling it.] Okay quaffer, nothing special, forgettable.

At any rate, sort of a disappointing Tempranillo, but I forge onward.

Got some interesting stuff coming up, including a Chilean Pinot Noir [already done PN and Chile but will review it anyway], Carmenere, and Nero d'Avola.

Wine Count: 19; Grape Count: 18.

2008-04-23T05:04:00.000-07:00

Wine Number 18 or "10 Countries and a Turning Point"

2005 Villanyi Zweigelt

Months ago I went to a nearby wine shop with an interesting concept, selling wine from wineries that don't produce over a certain amount of wine. I bought a couple wines, including a Zweigelt and it really opened my eyes to what's out there beyond cabernets, pinots and merlots. I loved the wine, it came in a liter, in came with a beer-bottlesque poptop, I bought more.

The Villanyi Zweigelt was a bit musty I thought, but balanced and good. I'm unsure whether I would buy this wine again, but I would absolutely include it in a lineup of a few zweigelts, perhaps getting a better sense of the grape. The wine was made in Hungary, which pushes me to 10 with regards to countries. To recap, Europe is naturally leading with 6 [Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Greece and Hungary], I've also had wines from the U.S., South Africa, Australia and Chile. I've got Argentina and Lebanon lines up to go, and after that I will need to go a little deeper. Zweigelt is also a new grape [to my list].

Wine Count: 18; Country Count: 10; Varietal Count: 17

2008-04-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

Day of Remembrance:

It was one year ago today that 33 people, including the shooter, lost their lives at the Virginia Tech campus on April 16th, 2007. Anyone who has perused this blog has read my other post about it from last year. The fact is, I'd completely forgotten it was today until I saw a video about it on espn.com. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

You see the bumper stickers and the slogans... we will never forget... always remember... you are not forgotten. But is that really true? A quick nod and thought about the event and life goes on. And I think that's a good thing. We can't constantly dwell on these things... parents die... friends pass on... tragedies happen. But if we forever dwell in our sadness then Evil wins.

Instead I think what we really mean by "Never Forget" is something along the lines of... "Let's do something to prevent this from happening again." Now in some cases this is taken into extremes, like [whether you agree with me or not is not the issue] refusing to let an American ally like Dubai take control of some of our ports... or denying civil liberties and the simple rights of humanity in the name of counter-terrorism.

But I digress. In the case of Virginia Tech, it's simple. What could have been done? Well, how about better recognition of emotionally and mentally ill students both at the college and grammar schools levels? More care from the parents? Better notification systems of disasters such as phone lists, texts and e-mails to all students? Shall we condemn ill students with expulsion at any sign of trouble?

No. But enough... Remember. I guess why we really say that is because anything else comes to an arguement. We can't get along and agree about what was done wrong or what needs to be done to prevent it... but we can simply hold hands and Remember.

2008-04-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

Wine Number 17 or "The First Real Adventure"

2003 Boutari "Evinos":

On March 29th I went to the Carnival of Wine Enthusiasm AKA WLTV Fan Appreciation Day at The Wine Library in Springfield, New Jersey. I don't live too far away [far enough to not take regular trips to buy wine] so I made it a point to stop in. My thanks to Gary Vaynerchuk and The Wine Library for hosting a fun party, and for opening that 1982 Bordeaux. It was funny, it was sipped first and I said to myself, "This is okay, pretty good, nice and smooth." Then I had the other two wines, both prices $30-40 and realized how good the Bordeaux was.

Anyway, this article is about Greece, not france. Greece has been making wine forever. Before the Romans planted vineyards in Gaul... the Greeks had brought their vines. Boutari's "Evinos" is a 50/50 blend of Merlot and Xinomavro, what I imagine to be an extremely tannic grape that they matched with merlot to smooth it out and give it some appeal. I really enjoyed this wine, like I said the tannins were huge and I can't imagine what a 100% Xinomavro would taste like, though I'd love to give it a shot. Well-integrated oak, if that's even what it was, nice background fruit, VERY dry. Definitely one to search out for the experience, for dry wine lovers and folks wanting to expand a bit. I think lovers of a dry chianti would really go for this wine.

I will definitely be returning to Greece wine-wise. If Evinos is any indication, their wines will be different and exciting.

Wine Count: 17; Country Count: 9; Grape Count: 16

2008-04-08T10:50:00.001-07:00

Wine Number 16 or "The Curse of the Southern Winery"

Clinch Mountain Winery Clinch River Red:

This is the second wine I've had from this winery... the first one can be found below and it was the first truly poor wine of my journey. This wine, although I can't classify it as poor, wasn't all that great either. At the winery I was seducted by its sweetness, by the journey through the mountains to the winery itself, and by the notion of buying and bringing home some goddamn wine!

At any rate, what is it with the Southern palate that calls for their wines to be overly sweet and sugarfied. One of my favorite Southern winery wines, the Highland Mountain Muscadine, is definitely sugarfied, but it is made well and that makes up for it. They can't keep it on the shelves and have a waiting list to even be able to obtain any. Their dryer wines? No problem getting those.

Unfortunately the nationwide result is a snobbish upturn of the nose towards Southern wines altogether. They are not taken seriously, except by true wine adventurers who are willing to take the plunge, take the trips, and accept the fact that you will find many bad wines before you get to the truly great ones.

At any rate, the Clinch River Red I got was the "dryer" version of this particular wine, and holy cow there is some added sugar in here. I mean seriously, to me a "dry" wine means NO added sugar... lets the grape speak for itself... it puckers the lips and makes you want either water or an ice pop or something. It is made entirely [?] from the Concord grape, according to the website anyway, but there is no indication of even a grape on the bottle and the name implies a blend. On the nose you get sweetness... seriously. Honey notes and maybe something syrupy [like say if you made plum syrup or something]. Taste is much more awkward, more plum syrup and it basically falls apart. Drinkable and if you roll with white zin and other sugarfied wine cooleresque stuff you may even like this wine.

Wine Count: 16; Grape Count: 15.

2008-03-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

Wine Number 15 or "The first French wine?!"

2005 M. Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes du Rhone:

In an interesting trio of wines from the Garden State Wine Club that included a limited release Cabernet from Columbia Crest and a South African Bourdeaux-style blend, comes this Cotes du Rhone from Michel Chapoutier. The blend itself is 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah.

The wine I felt was very fruit forward and somewhat simple. Red fruits on the nose and palate with hints of pepper.

I could have done better with my first wine from France but I've got better ones on hand and will get to them eventually.

Wine Count: 15; Country Count: 8; Grape Count: 14

2008-03-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

Wines 13 & 14:

2003 Bodegas la Purisima Iglesia Vieja Reserva Yecla:

That's a lot of Spanish-sounding words in this interesting wine from Spain. I thought I had a new grape in Monastrelle... and still thought I had a new grape when I found out we call it Mataro [in Portugal and the "New World"], but was disappointed when I discovered it's AKA Mouvedre, which I've partaken of already in the form of Wolftrap.

This Denominación de Origen region [a Spanish classification meaning the wines are mainstream and well-known] in the east of Spain, is supposedly akin to the Rhone. I don't know about that, but the wine was okay, really not all that memorable. Somewhat of a closed and simple nose, simple berry flavors.

The wine itself is a blend which is 68% Monastrelle, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Tempranillo.

Wine Count: 13; Country Count: 7

2005 Bodegas Y Vinedos del Tupun Finca Dubois Bonarda

Many more Spanish-sounding names... this time hailing from the Mendoza region of Argentina.

I saw Gary Vaynerchuck taste some Bonarda on his WLTV show [link at right] and was interested because I'd never heard of the grape. Not only that, but he enjoyed it and suggested we try it. I was very happy to see that 4 Seasons Wine was including a Bonarda in my Spring allocation so I was excited to try it, and was not disappointed.

This was much better than the Yecla above, which I likened to more of a table wine, nothing really happening... good with family and food, though.

The Bonarda was much more interesting... obvious vanilla notes pleasantly mixing with the fruit. First I've gotten vanilla so I've been sniffing quite a bit. The flavor actually isn't as pleasing as the nose is, your basic cherries and wood overtones. Good though, and glad I have more bottles.

Wine Count: 14; Grape Count; 13

2008-03-21T06:27:00.000-07:00

Wine Number 12:

2006 Villa Masetti Pinot Grigio Venezie IGT

This will be a short entry. I don't get into whites too often and as far as the mass-marketed Pinot Grigio goes, you need to really impress to get a great review. The Villa Masetti from 4 Seasons wine was serviceable and definitely comparable to major market PGs. Apples and pears on the nose, a little awkward on the palate. Decent value, it is what it is.

Wine Count: 12; Grape Count: 12.

2008-03-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

Wine Number 11:

2005 Vital Vineyards Pinot Noir:

Ah yes, Pinot Noir. This grape's inclusion in the movie Sideways altered its fate and the fate of merlot for a long long time. Instantly merlot becomes a subpar grape not fit for consumption. The filmmaker's joke? The wine that Paul Giamatti's character has been saving and finally pops and enjoys in the diner is a wine that has merlot in it.

Mr. Giamatti had one part correct, though... Pinot Noir is a tough grape to grow. You only really notice this because everyone tries to grow it... and then they bottle subpar wines because they sell like hotcakes. The loser? Wine drinkers like myself, who are trying to expand their palates and try different things. The expensive rock-your-world stuff isn't available to me... especially when I'm not even sure whether or not I'll even like the thing. My expensive purchases are reserved to Italians or Ports I'm familiar with and know are worth the gamble

Anyway, the Vital Pinot is definitely interesting, and better than many other Pinots I've tried. At first I thought it had strong vegetal characteristics, and it reminded me of asparagus, different, but not at all unpleasant. The color was light, which according to Gary Vaynerchuck is a good thing in Pinot Noirs and I agree. [No blends for massive flavor and color.] This wine was different and not a flavorful explosion. Oregon Pinots are expensive and at $20 this was certainly no steal. On the second day there is much more fruit... so this will probably do well with some time in a cellar.

Overall, for people who routinely buy wines for dinner at $20 I think it's worth the shot. As far as my quest goes... I got another state and grape in one shot.

Wine Count: 11; State Count: 4; Grape Count: 11.

2008-03-12T06:42:00.001-07:00

Wine Number 10:

2006 San Pedro "35 Degrees South" Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve:

Banging out another country, I could have done it with a Chilean Carmenere but wanted to write about this wine. Received this from the Garden State Wine Club, a distributor's wine club whose mostly decent review you can read about below. The 35 Degrees refers to the latitude of the winery in South America.

When I poured this wine, I literally said, "Whoa!" The color is outrageous, it was a ruby sort of a color that looked almost fake, the wine matched up with that pretty much. Lots of oak and tons of fruit. Reminded me of an Australian Shiraz. It was decent, but only if you like oak and a ton of fruit. The back of the bottles says "Are you ready for this full-bodied wine, bursting with red berry and blackcurrant flavours? You'll love it!" This holds true if you're okay with the bursting part.

Wine Count: 10; Country Count: 6

2008-02-27T05:09:00.000-08:00

Wine Number 9 or "The Journey Hits 10%"

2006 Boekenhoutskloof "The Wolftrap":

The wine label on this wine jokes that the name comes from when the first settlers occupied the area. They setup a wolftrap to keep the wolves away and never has a wolf, real or imaginary, been seen. Of course, wolves are not indigenous to southern Africa.

This wine was tasty for the price. I received this wine [2 of them] from the Garden State Wine Club and have heard of the wine discussed on the WLTV forums so was excited to try it. For example, in a thread on the "perfect $100 case" this wine came up many times. I must say I was not overly impressed, though the wine is good. I couldn't get past the oak on the palate and had trouble picking up any other flavors. The nose was better, noticeable fruit and what reminded me of a woody basement, sort of a musty smell, NOT unpleasant, that may have been what is referred to as leathery. Like I said the wine is good and I recommend it to people not afraid of oak, it's just not my style.

For my wine journey I've already done Syrah [50% in Wolftrap] but have not done Mouvedre [48%], the grape most commonly associated with Chateauneuf du Pape. There is also 2% Viognier but that's not enough to include for me... I will taste a Viognier another time.

Wine Count: 9. Grape Count: 10.

2008-02-25T05:10:00.000-08:00

Wine number 8:

2003 Wellington Vineyards Zinfandel

Some information about Wellington is below. This is my first Zinfandel of my journey, but not my first Zin overall. Zinfandel is actually a grape that I'm a big fan of but have been turned off by some subpar offerings such as Starfire [HOLY OAK!!!] and Amazin [just sort of blah]. Anyway, here is what I have to say about this . It is an excellent wine, bringing back what I loved about some early zinfandels I've had and was worried were the exception. Definite cherry notes and what could possibly be light light currant though probably not. [It reminded me of currant but then I smelled my currant jam and it didn't match... but it still reminded me of it if that makes any sense at all.] Definitely fruit forward, a bit acoholic but not overly. Like I said, excellent. Some time will probably smooth it out. Wish I had more frankly... maybe I'll contact Peter Wellington and convince him to ship me a bunch.

Wine Count: 8. Grape Count: 9.

2008-02-20T04:45:00.000-08:00

Wine Number 7 or "The 1st Truly Bad Bottle":

Clinch Mountain Winery Vandergriff Reserve:

You see... I have this sickness, and it has several symptoms. I'll be in a winery tasting wine, and the wine will taste fine, in most cases even good. I'll want to walk out with a case, or at least a couple of bottles. Then I'll get home and the wine will definitely not be as good as I remembered, or worse even flat out poor. This has happened with Warwick Valley's Pinot Noir, and now with the Clinch Mountain selections I've purchased [I have two others].

Clinch Mountain winery is a winery nestled in the mountains of northeastern Tennessee. We visited while down there for my grandfather-in-law's funeral. In order to understand Tennessee wine, you need to know the following things about the state. 1st) The climate is actually decent, even excellent, for growing grapes. 2nd) The state's laws are debilitating to wineries. Wineries are restricted and must use a certain percentage of Tennessee grapes. They are also restricted to a certain amount of wine production per year. Of course if you make whiskey you can make whateverTF you want. Many wineries around the country grow their business by importing grapes from California and all over the world, thereby growing their customer base and perfecting their trade before they are able to use their own grapes. In Tennessee you can't do this unless there is widespread crop failure. 3rd) It is at the infancy of winery popularity, meaning you can probably count on 1, maybe 2 hands the amount of really GOOD wineries. 4th) Sweet, sugarfied wines sell like hotcakes. 5th) It is a FELONY to ship or receive wine as a private consumer. So you can understand what we're dealing with here. [Progress in this last avenue is being made, however, due to the increasing popularity of wine and the vino-biz.]

Tasting Notes: All that said, this wine is not good. Even the dry versions of the wines at Clinch Mountain are sugary. My tongue actually kind of hurt afterwards. I did get two grapes knocked out, though, because according to the website their Vandergriff reserve is made up of the Merechal Foch grape and the Campell Early (or Island Belle) grape. There better wines from Tennessee so I will wait to include that state.

Wine Count: 7, Grape Count: 8.

2008-02-19T04:42:00.000-08:00

The Wine Journey Continues, Bottles 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6:

2006 Ruffino Chianti:

Brought a magnum of this to some friends' place and there are many people [all 6 of you? hehe] who will read this and instantly think, "Ugh, chianti, and Ruffino at that!" Whatever, the wife and I love chianti and Ruffino is no exception. It's dryness and easy-drinking qualities fit our palates, and the overall inexpensiveness of it fits our budget. Besides, it's an easy way to bring us back to our honeymoon in Tuscany where Ruffino was one of the less-expensive options on completely overwhelming wine lists.

Tasting notes: It is better than your basic chianti. For chianti fans and Tuscany fans, this offering can give you a cheap way to figure out what sort of year 2006 was in Tuscany. This is not 100% Sangiovese according to the website, and according to Italian law it can contain as little as 75%. No word on the other grapes contained per either the bottle or the website. All in all, a decent value for fans of Chianti. Good wine to open at those big dinners where you're afraid to uncork your more impressive bottles.

Wine Count: 2. Grape Count: 3. Country Count: 2

2007 Stellenbosch Winery "Oracle of the Sun" Shiraz:

This is one of our repeat bottles... well, it's a repeat wine anyway. The vintage is different. We had the 2006 and did something we rarely do... we saved the bottle to make sure we knew what to look for. Took this to the party mentioned in the chianti paragraph above and it was a big hit. One person was acclaiming its pairing with chocolate. The wine is from South Africa, which explains the availability of a wine from the year 2007.

Tasting notes: I apologize for my notes in this entire edition of my blog. I did not write anything down and am going from memory. What I can say is that wine is a winner. It is not overly fruity and sweet like some Australian shirazes. It is a huge value, and fans of dryer shiraz should feel safe in trying it at $12-13 that it is offered.

Wine Count: 3. Grape Count: 4. Country Count. 3

2003 Wellington Vineyards Merlot:

This is a wine I purchased on wine.woot.com. It's an interesting site that sells one wine offering per week [in a bundle of usually 2-4 wines, sometimes as many as 6], at competitive prices that are almost always the lowest you can find. What's better is the offering are usually not available readily, and they are usually varied, containing 3 or 4 different wines. In the Wellington example, they offered a Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon and in your state you may be able to find the Merlot and the Syrah, but not the others, or vice versa. Hell, this week they're offering Chaucer's Mead [which I bought]. The downside is not all states are offered as shipping destinations all the time, which is due to the fact that the shipping licenses are worked according to the winery, not woot.com. Also, if you live in a state that has legistators and distributors that absolutely don't give a rat's ass about their customers [New Jersey, Indiana, and Massachusetts I believe, possible Arizona], it will take you forever to get your wine, anywhere from 1 to 3 months. I GOT A CAR FROM SWEDEN MANUFACTURED ESPECIALLY FOR ME IN LESS TIME.

The wines themselves are made by one Peter Wellington, a winemaker that has embraced the forum community on wine.woot and regularly posts his thoughts and wine experiences there. His posts are so informative that I couldn't pass up a chance to taste his wines, and I was not let down. This wine is labeled as Sonoma Valley and contains 100% Merlot. Peter believes in making wines that express the character of the grapes and the land.

Tasting Notes: Not being huge Merlot drinkers we brought this to my mother's house, who is a big merlot drinker. I remember it being hot at first, but it did open up. I remember what I took to be a sour cherry smell and taste. The wine is good but I would not repurchase, but that should not be an indication of the other wines, which are excellent and you will read about later.

Wine Count: 4. Grape Count: 5. Country Count: 4. State Count. 1.

2006 RedHeads Studio "The Red Sedan":

This is a Shiraz/Malbec blend from Australia that was sent to me by the 4 Seasons Wine Club, of which you can read a review below. The short version, the customer service is excellent, and the wines are great for the price. The story behind RedHeads is that the owner purchased an old bar and hired vintners right out of school, you know, the ones usually "learning" by carrying grape bins and cleaning up the workspace. One thing you need to know before you read my tasting note is this: YOU MUST DECANT/STRAIN THIS WINE.

Tasting Notes: Holy sediment, Batman!! The first time I tried this wine I did not decant and no lie there was about a tablespoon of GUNK in the bottle, not to mention the cloudiness of the wine itself. This is fixed by straining the wine into a decanter, and rinsing out the bottle itself to relieve the caking that has occured. That said, the wine is decent and actually very very good. A bit alcoholic on the nose and palate but that goes away fairly quickly and pretty expressive fruit is revealed in its place. This wine is 77% Shiraz and 23% Malbec. Shiraz has already been tasted and I feel adding Malbec to my list as a blend grape is an injustice, so I will knock out the grape and Argentina at a later date.

Wine Count: 5. Country Count: 5.

2002 Kiona Proprietary Blend:

This is another wine from 4 Seasons Wine Club with a mix of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc [which I will not include in the count and will taste later]. This wine is produced in Washington State.

Tasting Notes: Honestly I don't know what it tasted like because all I could taste was alcohol. There was some fruit in there but not much. The next time I have this wine I will decant the thing for a good 30 minutes before even attempting to sniff it.

That's it for this installment, it was a busy weekend unfortunately don't have more detailed notes but I hope you enjoy it. The journey is moving along nicely and hasn't stalled yet, but I'm sure it will at some point. Here's to moving forward... CHEERS!

Today's Tally:
Wine Count: 6. Grape Count: 6. Country Count: 4. State Count: 2.

2008-02-13T05:25:00.000-08:00

The beginning of a Wine Journey: Bottle Number 1:

On the WLTV Forums http://tv.winelibrary.com/forum someone posted an interesting link about the Wine Century Club. Basically put, it is an exclusive wine drinking club in which it's members have tasted wines made from 100 different grapes. I thought this was a great idea and really epitomized what Gary Vaynerchuk of WLTV is trying to do, which is get people to try different wines, different grapes, from different countries. As many as you can, for as long as God puts breath into your body.

I figured, why not take it a step further? How about sampling wines from every state in the Union? Or from 50 different countries around the world? Every single Italian, Spanish and French province? Or 50 different white grapes?

It was an intriguing idea, and last night I decided to start on this quest, from square one, which means all wines previously tasted have no bearing on this quest or the list that ensues. It's not THAT much of a loss, really. Because most of the odd grapes I've had I intend to have again [Zweigelt comes to mind].

So without further ado, I bring you wine number 1:

2006 Weinhaus Lang Kreuznacher Kronenberg Spatlese.

The thing about German wines, is that the labels are difficult, if not impossible, for the newbie wine drinker to decipher. [In fact, the producer, Weinhaus Lang, was added after research, see below.] Is there a grape in there somewhere? What's the producer's name? Hell, I thought it was a riesling until I looked at the back of the label!! In fact, I decided to do some research here and include information on the producer and such, and I found out I wrote down the area and classification of the wine but not the producer!! Through my google searching and extensive research I've found out that the wine I was drinking was produced by Weinhaus Lang. *changes his remaining bottles in CellarTracker*

At any rate, Kreuznach is an area in the southwest of Germany, located in the Rheinland-Pfalz state, and Kronenberg is the subregion in which the grapes were grown [Nahe Valley, to be even more specific]. Spatlese describes when the grapes were harvested, in this case about a week after full ripening, producing a more intense flavor [as opposed to Kabinett, which is right when they are ripe].

The grapes included are 60% muller-thurgau and 40% silvaner, two grapes I had never heard of. Silvaner is the older grape of the two, muller-thurgau having been created through a crossing of Riesling and Madeleine Royal. Some trivia for you, Silvaner was the dominant grape in Germany until the 1970s when muller-thurgau overtook it. And later on THAT changed when people thought it was a lower quality grape [not unlike what happened to merlot in this country], when it was obviously overtaken by riesling.

Here are my tasting notes: Sort of a gasoline smell which I could be imagining. Sweet, like dried apricots which I have subsequently discovered are in the official notes of the distributor, producing a self-satisfying pat on the back that my palate is better than I thought. Drinkers of sweeter rieslings will like this wine I think. It is different, though, and in my opinion worth the $12 or so I ended up paying for it, and worth having 4 bottles of it from 4 Seasons Wine.

At any rate, there you have it. Wine Count: 1. Grape Count: 2. Country Count: 1. Here is a pic of the Nahe Valley, I think. My journey has begun. I wonder if I'll finish it.

2008-01-24T08:15:00.000-08:00

1 Year, 2 Months, 3 Weeks, 4 Days:

That's the amount of time that has passed since I arrived in Italy for my honeymoon and started drinking wine. And what a year 2 months 3 weeks and 4 days it's been!!! Over 200 bottles and $1,300 later I've got plans to build a wine cellar/room/closet in my next house... I plan on making my own wine... maybe growing some grapes and buying expensive and long-lasting bottles of wine/port/whatever to celebrate the [far-in-the-future] births of my children!

What I'm really getting at is... it's been far far FAR too long since I've posted to this blog. So what have I learned about wine, wine clubs and wineries? Read on below to get a list!

1. Wine tastes better with family and friends and in mass quantities. It just does. I had a wine, Starfire Zinfandel, after about 4 glasses and the same amount of bottles opened after some fun and whooping it up. We LOVED it!! Bought two bottles... and they sucked. Tasted like plywood or partical board had been ground up and sprinkled into it. Which in itself shows how far my tasting has come... I couldn't even pick that up, would have just said "BLECH" when I first started.

2. The 4 Seasons Wine Club isn't half bad. I was a bit skeptical. Basically the idea is you are sent a case of wine every 3 months. Your choice of mixed reds, mixed whites, [4 each of 3 different wines], or mixed red and whites [at 2 bottles each]. While the customer service is a bit clunky, I am happy with it. Basically I asked for 3 each of the reds and 1 of the white offerings in a shipment, the zip code and town was messed up [partially my fault] so I had a replacement case sent out, but they sent out only the reds!!! D'oh! They were nice about it and sent out 4 of the white offering [I'd only asked for 3] free of charge!! Not only that, but the offerings [at least the reds] are varied and interesting. [The whites are chardonnay and pinot grigio heavy.] Offerings so far have been Carmenere, a Washington Meritage-style blend, an Australian blend, a chianti, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Syrah. Quite a mix!!! No to mention that coming in the spring is a merlot, a bonarda [a grape I'd never heard of until Gary Vaynerchuck tasted it on an episode this week], and a monsatrell [a grade I've never heard of]. So if you roll in my price range, which is in the $10-15 bottle range, it's worth giving a shot.

3. Saks Fifth Avenue sucks. We purchased a Wine Enthusiast wine refrigerator from them. It came with two broken pieces [one that actually affected the performance of the unit]. We called and asked to return. First they were going to charge another wine fridge on our bank card, THEN they wanted to send us a gift certificate for the refund, essentially forcing us to buy something else!!! We nipped that in the butt. Second, we get the refund and the original shipping we paid isn't refunded!! That's pretty stupid, who does business like that? They "didn't recommend purchasing something again when you've returned it defective." What the hell? Stand by your product!! If it's broken again we were told we'd be OUT the shipping cost AGAIN! So yeah, Saks sucks.

4. Wines I crave to buy try drink and enjoy but are past my price limit except for special occasions: Brunello di Montalcino, GOOD Burgundy and Bourdeaux, Barolo, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Amarone, Amon Ra, Sauternes, Sagrantino di Montefalco, Canadian Ice Wine, German Eiswein, Trockenbeerenauslese.

5. Wine vacations I want to take. Sonoma, Walla Walla, Piedmont, Tuscany again, Australia, Chile, Austria.

That's about it for now. I'll try not to wait anoth 9 months to update the blog!!! And went I start wine-making I will absolutely post regularly so stay-tuned for that!!

2007-04-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

Review: Garden State Wine Club

A couple months ago there was talk of the Garden State Wine Club. I did some research and decided to try it. I'm in my second month, having just received my wines for April, so here's a review of the service itself, and some very short TNs on some of the wines [obviously haven't tried the April wines yet, but I will add them here when I do]. Here are some of the good things about the club.

1. You can reorder wines, it's not just a wine club. Better yet, it's at a discount, and the discount is usually about 1/3rd off. For example, if you reorder a $20 bottle of wine, you will pay about $14.50. 2.

There are three different levels of the club. The "cheap" one [wines approx. $10 per], the middle level [approx. $20], and the high-end level where the wines run from $40 to $60.

3. You can mix and match, and are able to choose a minimum of 2 bottles [or one of the high-ends], up to a maximum of 4 bottles per month. So if you hate whites but still want 2 different reds, you can have one $10 and one $20 bottle sent to you. I get 4 bottles per month, 2 of the cheap reds, 1 cheap white, and 1 of the middle-level reds. [Your reorders can be as many as may as you want.]

4. The club isn't a fixed rate per month. Why is this a good thing? Some wineries and clubs are like $30/month... no matter what. What undoubtedly happens frequently is they send you wines that don't add up to $30/month. In the GSWC you pay for the value of the wines you get each month.

5. They deliver, it's not sent through post. Meaning you don't have to be there to sign for it.

Some bad things:

1. The online ordering doesn't work, you have to call to reorder. And apparently they are still figuring out this wacky concept called... "e-mail."

2. Their initial service is sketchy, I did not receive 2 cheap reds the first month, only one [I was not charged for it]. However, I called with the change, and ordered 2 more bottles in addition to my monthly alottment and received everything.

3. They deliver it, it's not sent through post. Meaning that I can't order something and expect it within a couple days. They'll bring it monthly when I get my wine club wines. [Not that big a deal for me, but worth mentioning.]

The main reason I wanted to get into this wine club, was the ability to drink various wines, and so far I haven't been disappointed. Doing research on previous selections you'll find more syrah/shiraz, chardonnay, pinot grigio and cabernets than other wines, but they sell the best so you can't really fault them. That said, here's some of the wines I've received and some notes on them.

March:
Smoking Loon Zinfandel 2005 $11: Some of you may have already sighed at this selection, but it's not as bad as you think. Go to your wine shop and look for it, it probably won't be there. Their Zin is new to the market [at least in Jersey] and I was happy with it and ordered 2 more [$7.39]. I found it well worth it for the price and far better than say, Yellowtail.

Turner Road Pinot Grigio 2005 $10: I just had this and was very pleased with it. I've been loving white wines and this didn't disappoint. If you buy inexpensive PG it's worth picking up and giving a shot. I didn't reorder because I don't drink whites that much [one bottle per month is probably enough since my wife doesn't drink it].

Toasted Head Merlot 2004 $16: Wasn't overly happy with this, but it was more because of the price point. Granted $16 isn't an arm and a leg, but you can find more serviceable merlots for less. I did find it interesting, though and quite flavorful, just wasn't my thing. Someone with a more distinguished pallette might think I'm nuts.

My April selection hasn't been tasted yet but I've received a couple interesting ones.

Sebastiani Sonoma County Chardonnay 2005 $11.49: I've never really had Chard so I'm looking forward to trying it and see what all the fuss is about. Like I said I've been loving whites, including riesling, PGs and muscadets.

Sebastiani Barbera 2004 $21.39: Recently had a Kunde Barbera and thought it was excellent albeit young, curious to see how this matches up.

Long Flat Cabernet-Merlot 2004 $13.32: The prize of my April selections. Why, you say? Because it's a BOXED wine! I am sort of leary, but not. Why would a winery selling cheap boxed wine just now be getting out their 2004s? Doesn't make sense, they'd already be pushing out the 2006s. Just tells me that thought and care has been put into it, albeit in a curious containter. I can't wait to try this. Also the container is a litre, not the normal 0.750L.

Do I recommend it? So far I'd say yes.

In case you're curious as to the quality and price points of their high-end wines, here are the last 4.
Domaine Du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf Du pape $40 [$30 reorder]
Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino $63 [$46 reorder]
Juslyn $76 [$59 reorder]
Domus Aurea Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $46 [$34 reorder]

Check back in a week or so for reviews on the wines I haven't tried.

2007-04-18T06:57:00.000-07:00

Shooting at Virginia Tech - April 16, 2007:

For those of you that don't know, I spent close to 4 years of my life at Virginia Tech. I unfortunately did not graduate as a Hokie, something I deeply and profoundly regret, now more than ever. But my experiences there, the ups and the downs, far overshadow my other college experiences at Bergen Community College and William Paterson University, both of which I did achieve degrees at.

When I say ups... I mean UPS. Great friends, fun parties, wonderful teachers, amazing football games, an NIT championship celebration for the basketball team, rock-climbing, swimming in the New River, the musical performances and outdoor festivals, and above all modeling our own tri-Lamba fraternity after the one in Revenge of Nerds, and discovering what real frats go through when random people wanted to be a part of it.

When I say downs... I mean DOWNS. Alcoholism, sleeping disorders, drug use, overnight jail visits, DUIs, accidents, involvement in two racially-charged violent situations, a friend's death due to a drug overdose, depression and the occasional suicidal thought, and finally suffering the embarrassment of not being able to finish my time there, knowing I hadn't tried hard enough, and wasting a boatload of my parents' and my own money. I even had the opportunity to study abroad in Switzerland, but screwed that up, too. One fall semester, I made the Dean's List. The following spring I received 4 F's and a D.

What got me through it? What makes my experience different from the shooter's? Well, the downs are probably hauntingly similar. Now admittedly I never at any time had any inklings to even OBTAIN a weapon to injure people other than myself, but I can see that I had a similar frame of mind.

The difference? Friends, a positive outlook, a strong family base that refused to give up on me, the knowledge that it WOULD get better, if only I waited it out. Unfortunately I confused "waiting" with "sitting and doing nothing", something I'm just now understanding was silly and still needs to be changed in my life. I look at the campus and it's hitting me HARD, largely because I can see myself in those classrooms and jumping out those windows. I can see myself walking down the hall looking at a gloomy kid in a hoodie and wondering if he's going to flip out. I can see myself standing with those students holding candles and singing Amazing Grace, in fact I WANT to be with them, to offer my support and gain that sense of community back. Hell I've even considered going back for graduate school, wondering how I could swing and realizing I probably couldn't. Hell, they probably wouldn't even want me back, that would be hard to take.

My experience in Blacksburg, however, is largely a positive one. I kick myself every day for not keeping in touch with old friends, but I reach out from time to time, as recently as Monday, the day of the shooting. The campus is beautiful, it is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains amongst greenery and its buildings are built with gorgeous limestone. Springs and summers in Blacksburg are outrageous, everyone is playing volleyball and going to the river, outdoor parties and pick up football and ultimate frisbee games or simply sunbathing. How could someone want to disturb that? And academically it is far superior to anything else I've taken part in. I failed out because you can't just skate through like you can elsewhere.

And it could have been any campus in the country. Ohio State, USC, Penn State, Tennessee, Colgate, Harvard, Florida, Clemson. Go to any of them and do your research and you will find disturbed students. Some will be fine, some are stronger and will be positively affected, learning from their experiences. Like myself. Others won't be so lucky.

It's upsetting to know that something like this tragedy can occur, and it's hard to imagine something good can come out of it. But I know that I am better for it, because there are things and people I need to appreciate now. Like my wife, my family, my health, my friends, my present and my future... because you never know when it may be taken away from you.

2007-04-06T05:12:00.000-07:00

Day 4 [through 6] – November 3rd

First full day in Rome… interesting to say the least. I’ve been on alert as I’ve heard stories of robberies and pickpockets. Seen a couple candidates but we’ve been left alone so far.

Went up to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Square/Basilica. Afreakingmazing. A lot of money ran through that place. We made the mistake of doing St. Peter’s first, because we went to the Vatican museum afterwards and after waiting in line for over an hour we found they’d stopped admitting people for the day. So so so disappointing.

Took the Metro back to the hotel, ate at La Brushetta and had a good cheeseless maranara pizza.

Saw Pope John Paul II’s tomb as well, that was neat and unexpected. The best part of St. Peter’s was the pure magnitude of everything. Not one thing in there isn’t priceless, the statues, the alters, everything. Didn’t find the spot where all the columns line up, maybe tomorrow.

Saw the Spanish Steps as well, so-so. Too tired to really look around so maybe they’re better from the top or something [Post honeymoon note: They’re not.] Tried to find a restaurant recommended by a friend of mine, Adam, didn’t. Rome is so confusing.

Slightly less disappointing afternoon. Went down to the Coloseum/Forums , which were closed at sunset, but you can still walk around them. Very cool and very old. Also saw the Piazza del Popolo, by far my favorite piazza so far. Huge space and…. Benches!!! Only Drawback was the Egyptian pillar was covered to protect it from the elements. It’s a wonder they haven’t closed Rome.

Done a ton of walking, feets are tired. Sticking close to the hotel tonight for dinner, planning on eating on Via Veneto in an outdoor caffé. They have glass-enclosed ones which are pricey but we’re going to splurge.

Ate at Il Peperone, I had a Caesar sales [con anchovie] and a steak, very tasty. Jill had patate fritte [fries] but wasn’t feeling well.

Day 5 – November 4th

Got up early and did the Vatican museums. Waited in line for 2 hours but actually got in this time. Most impressive for the both of us was the map room. It’s a long hallway with medieval maps on the walls, a various works of art on the ceilings. The Sistine Chapel is impressive in the sense that one guy did the whole thing. We made the mistake of hitting that and then trying to go back to a room we missed. It was worth it to see the Raphael Rooms, but it was crowded and bottlenecked the entire way as they file everyone in the same direction. We saw the Sistine Chapel twice, hehe.

Walked over to the Castel Sant’Angelo, which is featured prominently in the Dan Brown book “Angels & Demons.” It serves as a fortress for the Pope and it afforded our best view of the city of Rome thus far. We are TIRED, but it was a good day. Will try to see the Trevi Fountain tonight. Saw the Spanish Steps again, still only semi-impressive, but they’ve got a ton of shopping down there. Got to the Trevi Fountain as well which is very nice at night, if you can avoid the rose sellers and whatnot. After that we walked back to “our” neighborhood and ate at a place our hotel manager recommended, Il Pomodorino. Inexpensive and quite good. We both had veal, Jill said it was melt in your mouth, and I think I’m becoming a wine drinker, Jill says I was already a wino.

Day 6 – November 5th

Out last Day in Rome. Kind of sad but we’re ready to come home. We’ve had a wonderful and memorable time with ups and downs, beautiful landscapes and unfortunate closings, long lines and pleasant surprises.

We spent today SHOPPING!!! Woo! I bought a sweet leather jacket for E165, and we got a bunch of souveniry-type things for gifts. Ate at the Hard Rock for lunch and I had a much needed burger and a beer, hehe. Ate at San Marco for dinner, the first meal I couldn’t finish. Fettuccini with porcini, Jill had steak and her first real taste of eggplant [she loved it].

Like I said we’re ready to come home. We didn’t get robbed and we didn’t get accosted by gypsies. If you come to Rome, don’t drive in it, hit the Vatican museum first thing in the morning and make sure you have a map and see everything the first time around, be cautious and alert about your valuables but not paranoid (it’s tiring), if you see a small church in your wanderings please stop in, they’re all beautiful. Tuscany is worth every penny and should be a vacation all its own. There are so many beautiful towns and they’re all worth seeing. If we come back, I think a good itinery is Florence and some small Tuscan towns, much like we did this trip.

Ciao ciao from Roma.

PS: What I wouldn’t give for a Sports Bar with a football game.

Post Honeymoon Tip: If you have a shop ship something back to the States, make sure you know how much the shipping charges are before you decide to purchase something. We ended up paying $244 for the shipping of two ceramic plates.

2007-04-05T05:24:00.000-07:00

Day Two and Three – November 1st

Last night we ate at La Grotta, pretty expensive but the food was decent. Jill had a steak (she said medium, came out rare) and I had some ravioli and piccioni (that’s pigeon). Pigeon was a bit gamy and not a lot of meat, but it was stuffed with goose which was excellent. Total bill ran E76, expensive.

Today we found many of the wineries we wanted to visit closed. Wednesday is probably a mass day. So instead we drove up to Castiglione del Lago on Lago Trasimeno. Basically it’s a palace adjoined to a castle on the edge of a large lake, probably the coolest part of our trip so far. The castle isn’t “too ancient” by European standards, “only” 16th century. But it was very cool and pretty spooky and the palace was quite impressive, with frescoes on the ceiling throughout. We were able to walk along the ramparts around the whole thing.

Relaxing right now, tomorrow we’ll make another attempt at the winery on our way to Roma. On the way, we’re planning a stop in Orvieto, where on the agenda is the mega-impressive duoma (cathedral) , a medieval well you can walk down into, and a ceramic shop with space underneath the city with a catacombs-like feel.

Well we forgot to remind ourselves of the little restaurant we ate at tonight. I tried the gnocchi and the biggest veal steak I’ve ever had. Was good, though undercooked. Jill had a four cheese pizza which contained a cheese she didn’t care for. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all.

We’re packing to leave Montorio now, and it’s bittersweet. I can’t wait to get to Rome, there’ll be so much to do and so much to see. But that’s just it, Montepulciano , though I’m sure it’s busy and crowded during the summer, is perfect now. Nice cool weather, empty streets, and peace and quiet, the perfect antidote to a busy week leading up to the wedding. Next stop, Orvieto, and then on to Roma.

Day Three – November 2nd

Oofa, what a day. We made it to the Poliziano winery, weren’t able to tour but we were able to taste. We bought 12 bottles, 5 Rosso, 5 Nobile, and 1 Nobile Asinone and 1 Madrone for a gift.

Almost got into 2 accidents on the way to Orvieto, only one would have been my fault. Orvieto was very interesting. The well was like 300 feet deep and walking down (and especially up) tired us out. We walked up to the duoma which was pretty magnificent, unfortunately it was closed for repairs! Ugh. Oh well, an excuse to come back.

We then drove to Rome and got our 1st real experience in Italian driving. How we didn’t get into an accident or witness one or see someone killed is beyond me and I will never understand. We had a guardian angel or something, cuz it definitely wasn’t my skillful driving. Getting around in Rome is confusing and we never did find our rental car dropoff near the hotel, instead we ended up driving all the way back to the airport and getting a cab. Travel Tip: if you rent a car to get around Italy, don’t try to drive in Rome. That’ll be E10 for the advice.

We ate at a nice restaurant nearby on Via Veneto. Forgot to get the name… OH! It was Caffé Stregga. Tasty and not too expensive. I had lasagna and scaloppini, whatever that is, and Jill finally got the roasted chicken she’s been craving (Jill: “And potatoes!!!”) Also had our first taste of gelato (pistachio) which was tasty but not amazing, but I’d never had pistachio ice cream before so I’ve nothing to compare it with.

Afterward we walked down Via Veneto to the Piazza Barberini, which was okay. The fountain was neat but reminded me of something you’d find in Disney World, Neptune supported by 3 large fish. It was this bug square and nary a bench to be seen.

Oh, forgot to mention the prostitutes we saw on the way to Rome. It seems they’re not in the city, but on the outskirts they were pretty much everywhere and pretty obvious.

Tomorrow is the Vatican, can’t wait.

2007-04-04T05:34:00.000-07:00

Honeymoon - Day One October 31st, 2006

Our first full day in Italy. Everything is great so far, including the flights, which were for the most part on time. Quick note on the airports. Munich was nice and they actually have “romance” shops in there (no, we didn’t buy anything). Leonardo da Vinci in Rome was much more crowded.

We rented a car we’re calling the “Little Egg”. We need to translate that to Italian so we can name it properly. [Post honeymoon note: It is “poco uovo”.] Drove up to Montepulciano, took us about 3 hours and we had no problem with directions except we missed the sign for the Montorio.

Some of the people drive crazily, but for the most part it isn’t too bad. The motorcycles are the worst. They were weaving in and out of traffic at 80 kph (~60 mph).

Last night we ate near our villa at Il Covo di Obelix. Everything tasted wonderful. Jill had pizza and I had the wild boar. SO yummy, albeit salty. Vino della casa (house wine) was good, too. Also had spinach on a bruschetta-type bread as an antipasta. [PHN: “Antipasta” in Italy doesn’t mean what it does here, where it’s a specific dish, instead it literally means “before pasta” and could be any type of appetizer.]

The Montorio is beautiful. So well kept, the view is amazing and we’ve got a nice overlook of the San Biaggio church. We’re unwinding nicely and have taken naps two days in a row.

Today we ventured up into Montepulciano and I had my first taste of espresso, which I love, Jill hasn’t ventured yet. Planning on eating at La Grotta tonight near San Biaggio.

Little things are probably the most interesting. Dogs barking nearby, the olive trees right near the villa, the alleys leading up the hills of Montepulciano, the quiet echoes in the churches. The hills are many and it gets tiring quickly, but there are many places just to sit and rest.

Sat at the Caffé Poliziano, which if it isn’t crowded (it wasn’t) offers amazing views of the countryside. Jill had a Coke (heh) and I had an espresso.

The 1-4 PM siesta is no joke. 80% of the places close. Not that big of a deal, we were napping.

More later, ciao. Oh, we did see some kids in Halloween costumes, though only one group. That was neat.

The weather has also been perfect. Sunny and 60s during the day, chilly and cool in the evenings. Not too hard to understand people, some words are very similar.

Forgot to mention the American couple we met that locked themselves out of the Montorio. The doors don’t have knobs (that are functional anyway) and they were standing outside when we came back from dinner last night. We called Stephania, the hotel manager, from our room and she came and let them in. They’re lucky we were there or they’d’ve been sunk.

Also did a wine tasting at the Cantina del Redi. Spooky wine cellar and we bought 2 bottles of wine. A 2002 Vino Nobile (better than the 2003) and a Rosso that Jill actually liked.

Italian TV is funny. The game shows all have scantily clad women hanging around. CNN is the only channel in English, which kind of blows cuz the last thing I want to do while relaxing on vacation is watch the news, but it’s a little piece of normality I guess. It’s international news, so it’s more interesting that US news.

Here is the view from our door at the Montorio for your viewing pleasure.

2007-04-03T05:17:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Edith

And a picture of me.