And on another note, we FINALLY cracked open my favorite gift from our housewarming – A bottle of Ed Hardy Cab.  OH. MY. GOODNESS.  Naturally, being Ed Hardy, I had – um – high expectations (?).  But seriously, the wine was excellent!  Throw enough money and tattooed tigers at something and you’re bound to turn out something decent.  Although it was not cheap (it was a gift so I’m not 100% sure on the actual cost, but I understand it broke my everyday $10 limit), it was a great wine and a perfect gift for Ed Hardy enthusiasts or anyone who watches The Soup.

Honestly, look at these bottles.  How could you NOT buy this wine for anyone who has heard of and/or mocked John Gosselin, Chris Angel, or Brett Farve?  (Ok, that may not have been the best Farve shout-out, but I just had to throw in the reference.  I DID receive the Ed Hardy wine from the co-author of Weak Stream after all!)

(photo credit:  edhardy.com)

How great is Whole Foods, seriously? I stopped in to pick up a bottle of wine (and naturally ended up walking out with 7…), and was enthralled when they packed my wine in one of these! Adorable wine bags made of recycled material with sewn-in pockets to accommodate up to 6 regular bottles! Best part – unlike the grocery bags they offer made from the same materials, the wine bags are FREE! So exciting, you must check it out if you have a Whole Foods nearby.

You may ask, what did I buy 7 bottles of? Well, the first was an impluse buy, an interesting red Portuguese wine on sale for $6.99. I’ll try that over the weekend and fill you in.  The others were all from Harthill Farms, 3 bottles of chardonnay and three of merlot. I have tried the wine before and it is good, basic drinking wine from California. I like the chardonnay the best, it is really mellow and since it was not aged long it doesn’t have that oaky flavor that many people dislike. We are having an engagement party at our new home this weekend, and although my fiancee’s family is generously providing the other spirits for the evening, I always like to have a few “emergency bottles” in case the evening goes later than planned. These emergency bottles needn’t be anything fancy (since once one has a few glasses of wine one no longer can claim to have the most discerning palate), and I knew these wines would be perfect for the occasion. Another Whole Foods surprise, the wine was on sale for $4 per bottle! Normally it’s only $4.99, but who minds saving a buck?  Check it out and let me know what you think.

Little shout out to “One Semester of Spanish Spanish Love Song,” please check it out if you’ve not seen it…

Long ago in land far, far away I shared a fabulous apartment with two of my amazing, grown-up girlfriends.  Ok, more like a tiny, mouse-infested plot in the middle of frat boy row where we perfected the art of partying on the cheap.  The part about my roommates being amazing is accurate though…  Our favorite “house wine” was a magnum of cheap red wine called “Gato Negro.”  I don’t remember different varietals, I only remember was that it was good, strong,and cheap – under $12 for the double bottle.  12 lifetimes away from the Burbank Street pad, from the comfort of my new suburban home and zippy little Mazda 3 (American dream indeed!), I ventured out to my local packy and was shocked to see a large display at the front of the wine section featuring none other than our favorite little cartoon cat.  I instantly picked up a bottle of Malbec and a bottle of Merlot and headed home.  I mean come on, it’s pretty hard to mess up a Malbec…  Let me tell you – the wine was not half bad.

Despite the fact that I thought that the two wines tasted an awful lot alike despite being made of different grapes, both wines were smooth, fruity and pleasant.  At just $5 a pop, I would buy this easy-drinking wine again for sure.  They also offer a Cabernet Sauvignon and a couple of whites.  I’d be interested to see if the other varieties stand up to those I tried.  In the meantime, I tip my sombrero to the wine makers of Chile.  “Gato Negro,” sa

lud!

(photo credit: I’d like to thank my model, my own Gato Negro, my kitty Taz the Spaz.  Don’t tell him the Pats are out of the playoffs, he loves that blanket way too much…)

I am fortunate to have visited Germany several times in my life.  I had my share of Hofbraus, rieslings, and even Becks – but I do not recall sampling a German-made dry red wine during my travels.  So when I happened upon “Bloom,” a German Pinot Noir from Precept Wine Brands, I had to try it.  I guess I just assumed that any sort of red wine from Germany would be something of an afterthought – Average, straightforward spicy stuff intended for little more than warming the spirit after a long day outside on a cold winter day.   Let me tell you – Bloom was nothing of the sort!  Precept has a great little website with all sorts of information, including tasting notes.  The site describes Bloom Pinot Noir as, “Fairly light bodied with soft tannins it has very pleasant blackberry aromas, a velvety texture and a fruity, rather soft finish.”  My reaction is this – the comments “fairly light bodied” and “rather soft finish,” are a bit of an understatement.  This wine was very light bodied and has a very soft finish, but what is the matter with that?  I found the wine very easy to drink and it paired well with the homemade crab and tuna enchiladas my amazing fiancee made for diner (the bottle even said that it pairs well with crab cakes and ahi tuna – what a coincidence!).  My only heads-up on this wine would be to pair it carefully.  Spicy dishes or heavy sauces would overwhelm this light, delicate wine.  Better to select mild, subtle flavors to allow the fruits to really stand out.  While it will never replace my 2 liter stein of golden frothy goodness, I would definitely pick up Bloom again!  Prost!

(photo credit:  preceptwinebrands.com)

Um, is this not the coolest thing you’ve ever seen?  Cheese trays made out of recycled wine bottles!  I want to order 12 of them to have on hand for hostess gifts and birthdays…

Another gem from Etsy, check out the collection from d’Pholk Designs!

…and “Lady of Spain” cava is a must-try!  It is hard to go wrong with Spanish sparklers, and “Lady of Spain” is a great example of the flavorful, high quality sparkling wine produced throughout the country.  Crisp, not too dry, not too fruity, “Lady of Spain” could please a wide variety of palates.  And again – only $9.99!  With its adorable packaging this cava is sure to delight your host at the next dinner party you attend, and with it’s price tag it’s something you can enjoy at home any day of the week!  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Oh my goodness, am I excited! I swung by Legacy Place to pick up some paper for our “Save the Dates,” (which, by the way, I am making by hand – even embossing! Very exciting.) and stopped at the brand new Whole Foods for lunch during the visit. After living on the Hill for years I truly missed having this organic opulence so close by and make an effort to visit various suburban locations whenever possible. I don’t think I could ever stray from this location again. A grab-and-go food section the size of my house, a bakery that turns out a greater variety of grains than I ever thought imaginable, a cheese section that is it’s own room (my personal heaven), and an entire wing dedicated to wine and craft beers. Now yes, I stopped by for lunch, but that doesn’t mean I can’t take a look around to see what kind of specials and cheese samples are being offered throughout the store! It was then that I saw it – it was practically calling my name. Lady of Spain.  So adorable, I can hardly bring myself to open it!  But I will, oh I will, I am just deciding what I will pair it with first…  Suggestions?  Let me know your feedback, I’ll make sure to give the rundown when we finally pop it open!

Not all impulse buys are the same, I fear…  However, this would never stop me from buying a bottle of wine with a pink label cleverly called, “Bitch.”  I have always enjoyed grenache wines so I considered this a win-win.  Now, the bottle of wine itself was fine (this is to say it was not rotten), but the harsh nose and metallic aftertaste left me struggling to take a second sip.  Even after allowing the wine to decant for about an hour, the wine was just not palatable.  I guess this was one wine that really lived up to its name – Unpleasant and a little offensive…  Hopefully I’ll get back on the ball with my next impulse buy, but for now, readers be warned!

On another note – If you’re looking for a good, 100% grenache wine I would much rather a Spainsh wine by the name of Las Rocas.  They produce a variety of wines but the grenache (or garnacha as it will be written in Spanish) is my favorite.  Just don’t pour till the last drop as it does tend to collect some sediment, but overall in my top 20 wines of all time under $15…

(photo credit: volunteer.blogs.com)

I wish I could say that I am just now awakening from a Champagne-induced coma as a result of some swinging New Year’s rager, but unfortunately the snow up here in Beantown made going beyond the Chinese take-out place at the end of the street rather impossible.  However, it did give us a good reason to stay in and try out some new wines, as I have resolved to really, ACTUALLY get better about my posts even though I made a similar resolution some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas that did not go very well… So I’d like to start off the New Year by raving about one of my old favorites – Moet Nectar Imperial Rose.  Rose champagne is quite tricky to make – or make well I should say.  And I have never found one quite as good.  Now, I must admit, this IS a bottle that runs over my $10-$15 self-imposed spending limit, but it’s a new decade, right?  Slightly sweet without being sugary, this champagne is a great alternative to higher-end vintage champagne if you want something different from your average White Star but don’t want to spend a ton of money  (Read:  White Star normally runs you around $40, Nectar Imperial Rose closer to $60, and Dom P at least $150).  What gives this champagne its rosy hue?  Well, as you know, the Champagne region only allows wine production from approved grapes, so rose champagne is made from the same basic recipe.  The difference is that unlike most champagne, rose champagne is allowed to sit with the red grape skins for a period of time during its creation.  A bit of the red color from the grape skin remains and gives the wine a pink color.  Other champagne is pressed and then removed from contact with the grape skins, leaving it “white.”  Looking for a good bottle for Valentine’s Day and a little story to make you sound wicked smart at the same time?  This pink-colored favorite will do the trick!  What, just because New Years is over we give up the good stuff for a year?  I don’t think so…

(photo credit:  hopsandgrapesonline.com)