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Posts Tagged ‘Food and Wine’

If Jalapeño Jelly can’t salvage this day-old Zinfandel, I don’t know what will.

April 17, 2013

Yesterday, Kara and I opened up this bottle of wine from Trader Joe’s…

Trader Joe’s Reserve 2011 Lot #71 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel

Now…

You know I’m a big fan of these Trader Joe’s wines. At $10, it’s tough to go wrong. This wine looked really intriguing, not only because it’s from the Dry Creek Valley (a great spot for Zin), but also because it was a lot-specific wine. I was really hoping for this wine to blow me away.

But…

I gotta be honest…

This wine came off as a one-dimensional fruit bomb.

We only drank a little bit of it last night.

Tonight, Kara made this awesome dish…

Jalapeño Jelly Slow-Cooked Chicken

The chicken has a little bit of sweetness with a nice, spicy kick. It reminds me a little bit of Jamaican Jerk Chicken.

So…

I’m sitting here, eating the chicken, and thinking to myself, “Self. You know what would be good with this chicken? A nice fruit bomb of a wine. I wonder if there’s any of that Trader Joe’s Zin left.”

Sure enough, there was.

The wine still had a ripe, brambly type of red fruit to it on the front palate. There was a good acid to the wine. What was nice about this day-old wine was that some of the over-the-top fruit had given way to some nice herbal qualities.

With the chicken, the wine started to show some pretty green notes.

This wine still may not blow many of you away, but if it’s not your cup of tea, just get you some Jalapeño Jelly.

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags:2011, Dry Creek Valley, Food and Wine, Lot #71, Trader Joe's Reserve, What To Do With Day-Old Wine, zinfandel
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Sunday Night Merlot

April 7, 2013

While shopping, Kara suggested that we pick up some wine for Sunday dinner.

I was all, “Sounds good to me.”

I found this one at Trader Joe’s for five bucks…

Trader Joe’s 2011 Grower’s Reserve Merlot

I’ve always been a fan of these Trader Joe’s wines. They almost always bring some good juice at a good value. What made the sale for me was that this wine is certified organic.

Now let’s see what it has to offer…

Color: Dark ruby red.

Nose: This nose is quite complex. Blackberry and plum fruits. Green pepper. There’s a nice minerality, and even a hint of some Sprite soda.

Taste: For five bucks, I was surprised by the density and richness of the palate. Cranberry and blackberry fruits give way to a long acidity, and… yes… black olive.

Score: Another quality wine at a good price from Trader Joe’s. Pick it up. 87+

While I was putting together my tasting notes, Kara made a nice, light, Sunday meal…

Mixed Green Salad w/ Lemon Vinaigrette

Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic, and Basil. Put ’em on a nice crostini, and you’re good to go.

The Merlot and Tomato Crostini paired together quite nicely. The tomatoes brought out a sense of fresh berries in the wine.

Not a bad wine.

Not a bad meal.

Not a bad way to spend a Sunday night.

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags:Food and Wine, Mixed Green Salad, Organic, Roasted Tomato Crostini, Trader Joe's 2011 Grower's Reserve Merlot
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Chowder

March 14, 2013

Sometimes, you just want some clam chowder…

Chowder

I’ve been eying these samples from Smith-Madrone, and decided to try one with the soup.

Smith-Madrone 2011 Riesling

Founded in 1971, Smith-Madrone only makes wine from their Spring Mountain District estate vineyards. The 2011 Riesling rolls in at 12.6% alcohol, and has just a touch of residual sugar (0.70%). The wine costs $27.

Color: Pale yellow with a golden tint to it.

Nose: There are massive amounts of green apples on this nose. There’s a good balance of lemon and minerals with a hint of peach skin.

Taste: In spite of the touch of residual sugar, this wine is quite dry. This wine has big acidity on the palate. Green apples are the core of this wine. Flavors of lychee, apple skin, lemon, lime, petrol, and rubber balls play very well together.

Score: This is a pretty tasty wine. I’m giving it an 89.

Let’s try it with the soup…

Clam Chowder with Crusty Bread and Sriracha

Originally, I was thinking about drinking a Chardonnay with the clam chowder. I figured the creaminess of the soup would work well with the creaminess of the Chardonnay. Now here’s the crazy thing… When I tried the soup with the wine, the acid of the Riesling played well with the fat in the chowder. What I’m left with is a really nice flavor of creamy lemon custard. Essentially, the chowder made the Riesling taste like a Chardonnay!

Riesling and clam chowder… What a great pair!

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags:Clam Chowder, Food and Wine, Napa Valley, Smith-Madrone 2011 Riesling, Spring Mountain District
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The Cornerstone of a Tasty Meal 1.4

December 8, 2012

Today, I had this hankering for Filet Mignon…

So I bought me some…

And wrapped it in bacon!

I had another sample from Cornerstone Cellars, so I decided to break it out…

Cornerstone Cellars 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Color: Dark ruby-red to black.

Nose: Blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry fruit with a hint of leather, spice, menthol, and tomato skin.

Taste: Up front, there is this beautiful dark fruit component with a pop of red fruit. Think of blackberry and plum with a blast of cranberry. There are these awesome, velvety tannins that round this wine out beautifully.

Score: Fantastic! It’s not often that I refer to a $65 bottle of wine as a steal, but this wine can go toe-to-toe with the best of them. 93 points.

Back to the meal…

Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon with Blue Cheese and a Big Ass Baked Potato

The juiciness of the filet mignon amps up the black and blue fruit in the wine.

Very nice!

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags:Bacon, Baked Potato, Blue Cheese, Cornerstone Cellars 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Filet Mignon, Food and Wine, The Cornerstone of a Tasty Meal
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Stay Rad Wine Blog TV Episode 53: GSM and JNYSRS

July 13, 2012

In the absence of Kara, and in preparation for their two-year wedding anniversary, Jeff pairs a Paso Robles GSM and Jumbo New York Strip Romaine Split…