Region: California

Price: $8.99 at Total Wine

Sight: pale yellow

Smell: vibrant tangerine, Anjou pear

Taste: pineapple, tropical fruit, citrus, oily, full-bodied, dry

Overall:  This wine is deceptively big.  From the nose, I’m expecting an acidic, soprano, light-bodied little thing, but the actual taste of it is unexpectedly hefty and full.  There’s not a whole lot of crisping minerality going on—instead there’s this voluptuous amalgamation of citrus and tropical fruits that completely saturates the palate.  And miraculously, in spite of all that fruit, the wine still finishes dry.  Something about how this tastes makes me feel like I’m getting something for free—I’m experiencing a myriad of fruit flavor, but none of the sugar that usually comes with it.  It’s like eating dessert for days and not gaining any weight.  Pineapple, guava, hints of banana, tangerine, pear… and a nice, dry finish.  What more could you ask for?

“Excuse me, please, one more drink…”

Region: North Coast, California

Price: $12.99 at Target

Sight: dark purple

Smell: blackberry, plum, woodsy, alcohol

Taste: chocolate, smooth, oak, blueberry, spicy finish

Overall: Teresa (pictured above) is no stranger to this blog, and here she is again to help me review a new wine.  The Dreaming Tree wine series has just been too epic to not have a grand finale, so she has joined me to taste the third and final installment: Dreaming Tree Cabernet Sauvignon.  The first thing she said when she got the wine in her glass was, “That bouquet is awesome.”  It has a full, dark berry aroma complimented by a woodsy, foresty tone.  On the palate, the first thing that hits is dark chocolate, and a lot of it.  This wine begs to be adored.  The chocolate is wrapped up in sweet cedar and what reminds me of blueberry pie filling, with a genial spicy tingle on the finish.  The most notable attribute is its texture—the smoothness is outstanding.  It’s medium-bodied rather than full, so I’d describe it more like silk than velvet.  Out of the three Dreaming Tree wines I’ve reviewed, this one is the over-acheiver.  I did a QPR test and asked Teresa (who didn’t know how much this costs) how much she’d be willing to pay for a wine like this.  She said $40, and guessed that it was in the $35 range.  It’s only about $13, and clearly worth every penny.

More Dreaming Tree: Crush (red blend) | Chardonnay

“My love, you come to me like wine comes to this mouth, grown tired of water all the time, you quench my heart and you quench my mind…”

Region: North Coast, California

Price: $13.99 at Target

Blend: 67% Merlot, 33% Zinfandel

Sight: very dark purple

Smell: smoky, plum, grape, cherry, alcohol

Taste: raisin, plum, milk chocolate, smoky spice, tannic finish

Overall: This wine is a collaboration between winemaker Steve Reeder and musician Dave Matthews.  I just finally sort of launched myself into the Dave Matthews Band discography (because it’s beautiful, and, well… it’s summertime), so of course I had to taste Dave Matthews’ connection to the wine world.  ”Crush” is the first of the Dreaming Tree wines I’m tasting; it’s a red blend made of exactly two parts Merlot and one part Zinfandel.  The two varietals are showing very strong; if I had to guess in a blind tasting which two grapes were in this wine, I don’t think I’d guess too far off.  Merlot brings in that soft, smoky, dark fruit, and Zinfandel brings in the chewy, raisiny density with a shot of black pepper and chocolate on the finish.  Coincidentally, I also blame Zinfandel for the alcohol spike that occurs on the nose all the way through to the finish.  This blend rolls in at 13.5% ABV, and I would have guessed even higher than that, which says to me that the balance of this wine might be a little squirrelly.  Maybe this would be better served with a slight chill on it.  However, the richness of these big, extracted dark berry flavors juxtaposed with a smoky, mysterious, peppery spice note are quite delicious.  Languid tannins also emerge on the finish and add a gentle little squeeze before fading gracefully.  The vision of Dreaming Tree is to create wine that is ideal for everyday drinking, not to be taken too seriously.  I say it hits that mark appropriately, and while the big, dark fruit is somewhat obvious, the hard-to-peg, mellow, spicy quality adds a layer of complexity worth noting.

More Dreaming Tree: Chardonnay | Cabernet Sauvignon

First time reviewing port.  I hope you appreciate my efforts to keep it classy, with a slightly sepia-toned shot of some port next to some old books.  What can I say?

Price: $14.99 at Total Wine (375 mL)

Region: Amador County, California

ABV: 18.5%

Sight: very thick, dark garnet, opaque

Smell: plum, raisin, chocolate, crème de menthe

Taste: instantly sweet, cherry candy, plum, raisin, chocolate

Overall: This port is made from Zinfandel grapes that are harvested late, so that the sugars in the fruit get extra concentrated.  Grape spirits are then added to the wine, carrying the alcohol up to 18.5% ABV and launching the wine into “easy, tiger” territory.  What strikes me about the initial sniff is that it doesn’t immediately smell like it’s going to be all that sweet.  It does, however, have a very liqueur-like nose, and dark fruit notes purr through a wall of chocolate and warming alcohol.  Right away on the first sip you realize the massive sweetness that was so played-down in the bouquet, and in case you were wondering… THIS is the wine you want to pair with chocolate.  This Zinfandel port is much closer to the style of ruby port, where the emphasis is on concentrated fruit flavors rather than nutty, savory tones.  I’m tasting chewy raisin, plum, and candied cherry at hedonistic levels.  If you’ve never had port before, don’t worry—this one is exceptionally friendly and I’d love for you to meet it.  Pure sweet, creamy, raisiny deliciousness—who could object?

Price: $14.99/6-pk at Total Wine

Region: San Francisco, California

Style: American Barleywine

ABV: 9.4%

Sight: tawny body, tan head (little retention)

Smell: white raisin, coconut milk, banana, little whiff of alcohol

Taste: banana bread, sweet malt, piña colada candy, touch of mocha, medium body

Overall: In wine, there’s something called “dessert wine.”  They’re extra sweet ones that you sip slowly because they’re so saturated with flavor.  If there was a “dessert beer,” barleywine would be it!  True to form, this barleywine boasts a very candied element—in this case, the flavor is somewhat reminiscent of a piña colada flavored Dum Dum.  Also, there is a TON of banana.  Picture a literal TON of bananas.  There is a bit of mocha on the finish—which is the closest this ale ever gets to “bitter.”  The alcohol is not detectable on the palate, though there is a pleasant warming sensation with each sip.  I paired this with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (classic GRAPE jelly…I mean, come on) on toasted wheat bread because somebody said it would be a good idea.  Incidentally, the two go perfectly together, probably because of the in-your-face banana note that the beer is playing (volume = 11)—it’s almost like eating a peanut butter and banana sandwich.  The jelly somewhat de-emphasizes the sweetness of the barleywine, lending it a slightly more bitter finish.  Some acidity becomes more evident, as well.  I have to say, my palate is still growing, and while I find this beer completely enjoyable, I do prefer it with food.  I’m always the girl who will pick malts over hops, but this is SO malty and sweet that having something with a slight savory edge to pair with it definitely evens out the flavors for me.  In short, this pairing is quite delicious at the end of a long day, especially when you don’t feel like making anything elaborate.  If you’ve never had a barleywine… why not?!

I picked up “Mischief” about a month ago in anticipation for the release of Marvel’s The Avengers on May 4th.  Why?  The main villian of the film is Thor’s brother Loki, god of Mischief.  (See what I did there?)  Actor Tom Hiddleston made Loki my favorite part of the Thor movie that came out last year; somehow his calculating, sinister subtlety is just as compelling as the rawness of his passion and pain.  So clearly I’m inordinately excited to watch Loki take on all of the Avengers in this most epic of superhero films.

Incidentally, this is my very first beer review.  I’ve learned a LOT about beer in the past year since I started working at Total Wine.  I still don’t know as much about beer as I do wine, but I hope I can still do a good job describing the flavors. 

Price: $12.99 at Vintner Wine Market

Region: Orange County, CA

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

ABV:  8.5%

Sight:  cloudy yellow, moderate head retention

Smell: cantaloupe, tangerine, banana, yeast

Taste:  sweet melon, lemon peel, yeast, clove, gentle hops

Overall:  This bottle-conditioned ale pours a little cloudy, and the color is something between amber and Sunny-D, if you can picture that.  Big melon and tropical fruit aromas jump out of the glass, shaded by a gentle waft of yeastiness that somehow made me think of saltine crackers.  Flavor-wise, the candied melon flavor carries through quite roundly; a hint of citrus appears, and the yeastiness turns a little biscuity as the flavor progresses.  The phrase on the bottle that defines Mischief—“not quite evil, yet not to be trusted”—could be an accurate summary of the hop profile.  The hops aren’t full-blown or violent by any means, but they do sneak up on the finish with this spicy little citric tang that provides a great structure for an otherwise soft little ale.  As beautifully balanced and delicious as this is, I certainly look forward to seeking out more of The Bruery’s portfolio.

The Avengers:  There is not a wasted moment of film from start to finish.  Every single character is flexed, challenged, and empathized with.  Absolutely exceeded my expectations, and I hope you get to see it!

How did I do for my first beer review?  Did I leave anything out?

When my friend Teresa told me a few days ago that she preferred red wine, I countered with “what about purple?”  I had this Petite Sirah in mind—I recently bought it because I had never had a Petite Sirah before, and its description in the store pitched a very, very dark purple pigment, almost like ink.  Teresa and I were excited to taste it together last night—we grabbed the wine, picked up some pasta, and headed over to lovely Audrey’s place for dinner & conversation.

Region: California

Price: $12.99 at winestore.

Sight: Dark inky purple, medium legs

Smell: Dark fruit, black tea

Taste: Dark fruit, black licorice, extremely peppery finish

Overall:  One taste of this wine delivers instant winemouth—your teeth and lips don’t stand a chance against the color!  The wine is medium-bodied and well-balanced; the fruit is distinct but not overwhelming, and the black pepper on the finish is striking, but in check.  However, it feels a little flat on the mid-palate—Teresa used the word “mild”—it’s nice and easy, but lacking a little dynamic.  

After our initial tasting, we also had this wine with our spaghetti, and that wasn’t exactly a harmonious pairing.  Somehow the combination elevated the wine’s fruit flavors, which pulled my palate in a totally different direction from what was going on with the pasta.  Looking back, I think I would have much rather paired the wine with something sweeter, like chocolate.  (But then again, I would pair just about anything with chocolate!)  

It was a fun wine to taste, especially for the pepper, and I would drink it again, but I would like it even more if it could boast a little more fullness.