Oh my goodness, I want/need/must have this decanter!  Have you ever seen anything like it?

(photo credit:  bloomingdales.com)

Happy Monday, everyone!  SO much to catch up on, so little time!  I promise to tell you all about the wine tasting with my sister and the food and fun at from wedding soon, but in the meantime, can you just LOOK at this picture of my cousin and his rock-star wife?  A beautiful day for a BEAUTIFUL couple, congrats again guys!!

Ugh.  Can.  Not.  Move.  Dinner at Abe & Louie’s is always an experience.  Add in your most favorite people in the world, a significant birthday, and some red wine and it’s even MORE of an affair.  Last night we took my mother, on the verge of a very important birthday whose’s number shall not be named, out for an early celebration at this fine steak house.  Here are some highlights:

The Aps: Tuna Tartare.  Come ON.  Also an incredible caprese salad special with the most massive beefsteak tomatoes and incredible balsamic reduction.

The Mains: Steak, steak, and more steak.  The ladies all enjoyed the Filet au Poivre while the gentlemen indulged in rib eyes, sirloins and surf & turf.

The Sides: Hashed browned potatoes, creamed fresh spinach, backed mac & cheese & broccoli with hollandaise

The Dessert: Insane chocolate layer cake

The Wine: Adessa Pinot Grigio (Veneto) & Erath Pinot Noir (Oregon) to start, then a stronger Torbreck “Woodcutters” Shiraz (Barossa) to pair with the peppery steaks during the main course.

My only fault with the evening – I forgot to take pictures of the FOOD!  Maybe it’s because I am not used to having this handy-dandy hi-res camera phone, maybe it’s because we devoured everything as soon as it hit the table, but I apologize and promise to make a more concerted effort moving forward.

Fun Merlot wine tasting tonight, then fabulous family wedding tomorrow, I hope you all have fantastic weekends lined up as well!  I’ll have lots to share on Monday, so until then, Salud!!

Are you secretly excited that fall is approaching yet not quite ready to let go of your favorite summertime frozen treats? Fear not!  I found the most amazing Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie recipe from Eating Well that you are just going to LOVE.  It seriously tastes like frozen pumpkin pie, it’s incredible!  Best part – I used fat-free ice cream instead of the low-fat ice cream the recipe calls for, bringing the total calorie count below 200 per serving and knocking the fat down to almost nothing!  Perfect way to finish the left-over Port wine from dinner earlier in the week.  Just make sure you let the pie sit in the fridge or on the counter before serving, it is best when a little bit soft in the middle!

Happy Hump Day!  Man, it’s a wet one today in Beantown.  It’s been coming down all week, but the promise of 80 degrees and sunny for my cousin’s wedding on Saturday is keeping me going!  So, right now is Restaurant Week in the lovely city of Boston.  Seeing as we have so much going on right now with weddings and birthdays and such, we have decided to save money and pass on the delectable 3-course for $33 deals and instead made our own little restaurant week menu at home!  For just over $90 (including tax), we put together an amazing 4 course meal with 3 (full bottle) wine pairings.  My fiancé had been wanting to really “cook” a meal for some time, just put something together without a recipe or worrying about all the crazy diet restrictions we’ve been adhering to lately.   Oh.  My.  Goodness.  All I can say is THIS is why I’ve gained a million pounds in the past four years that we’ve been together.  I took care of the wine selection and we were both very pleased with the final result.

First Course:  Capricho de Cabra with Herbs, Membrillo and Crostini Toasts

Wine Pairing:  Tohu Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2009

Second Course: Seared Asian Scallops with Watercrest Salad

Wine Pairing:  Same as above

Main:  Filet Mignon, Caramalized Onion, Mountain Gorgonzola with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe

Wine Pairing:  Mark West Pinot Noir, Sonoma 2008

Dessert:  A Duo of Chocolates featuring Caramel Sea Salt Brownies and Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse

Wine Pairing: Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vinetage Port, Oporto 2004

We did spend a tad more on the wines than normal for this event.  The Tohu Sauv Blanc was just under $15, and although we did enjoy it and it’s lemon notes paired perfectly with the herbs in the goat cheese and the soy sauce cooked into the scallops, I think that less expensive wines like Axis Sauv Blanc or Cupcake would do just as well.  The Mark West was more in our normal price range at $10.99 for the bottle.  Great wine, never fails, wonderful example of a Pinot Noir varietal wine.  Although we could have gone with something stronger to pair with the potent Mountain Gorgonzola and rich caramelized onions, we were just not in the mood for something super dry.  Mark West was a great compromise without actually compromising!  Cool website too, check out the link above the picture of the steak.  The Taylor Fladgate was just great.  After two bottles of wine and close to 3 hours of eating, you may think it difficult for a dessert wine paired with caramel sea salt brownies and hazelnut chocolate mousse to really stand out, right?  Wrong.  The bottle set us back $21.99 for the full 750 mL size, but considering that a glass of port is less than half the size of a standard glass of wine, the bottle and the price tag were very impressive.  And a HUGE shout-out to my girl Olivia-Rae from everydaymusings for the decadent brownie recipe.  I have been dying to make them for months after reading about them on her blog and they did not let me down.  Of course, only days after I finally try the recipe Olivia-Rae posted a new, revised version of the caramel sea salt brownies so I guess I will have to try those out as well.  Oh the struggle that is my life…  So all in all, I think we did pretty good  (I know, it should be well, leave me alone it’s my blog voice)!  We spent a total of $48 on wine ($24 per person for the equivalent of an entire bottle of wine each plus after dinner drinks, try getting THAT in a restaurant!) and $43 on food ($24 of which for the steaks alone, but they were so worth it), and the best part is that we got to express our creativity through our cooking and spend a few quality hours with just the two of us in our kitchen.  Well done, I say!  Tomorrow we’re off to one of the city’s most renound steak houses for an early birthday dinner for my mum, let’s see if they can hold a candle to our homecooked heaven…

“Ooohhh, we’re half way there…”  Sorry, currently working on wedding playlist, I’m thinking we’ll finish it off with a wicked 80′s montage.  Yes?  But seriously, we are half way through “Six Ways to Sideways – The Merlot Project” already!  I don’t know about you, but I feel I’ve been learning a LOT.  It’s fun having a little project, it gives me good focus.  Perhaps an in-depth look at wine and exotic food pairings next, that sounds exciting!  But for now, I give you Installment III, a little journey to the hills of northern California…

The Wine:  Bogle Merlot, 2008

The Region:  Vineyards throughout Clarksburg, Lodi, Monterey and El Dorado, California

The Results:  The tannins are what really stood out to me in this wine.  If I were tasting blind, I probably would have thought this was a Bordeaux-style blend with some Cab mixed in.  The softer cherry of a traditional Merlot was there, but not jumping out at me.  This wine was aged in new oak for 12 months which gave it a great spice profile, and while I enjoyed the wine I think I would enjoy it more in a year or so once it has the chance to mellow out a bit.  If you want to drink it now, maybe a nice hour or two in a decanter would be the solution.  While I bought this bottle at one store as a part of a 3-$30 deal, I found it days later in another store for just $7.99.  So picking up a case to age in my *ahem* “wine cellar” would be a good idea!  All in all, I think the wine lives/will live up to the good name of Bogle wine and would be a good bottle to pick up for the price.

So how could we POSSIBLY live up to the first three installments of “Six Ways to Sideways – The Merlot Project?”  (HA!  You thought I wouldn’t use the full title of the project in this post, boy were YOU fooled)  I am thinking a little rapid-fire wine tasting with the help of the family!  My sister and her husband are coming for dinner on Friday and my parents will be swinging by after my cousin’s rehearsal dinner later on in the evening.  So plus me and my fiancé we will be 6 people divided by 3 courses and 4 glasses of wine per bottle plus 1-2 after dinner drinks…  well, whatever the numbers I think we’ll be able to manage three bottles of wine throughout the evening so I can open all three at once to do BLIND TASTING FUN.  Oh my goodness, I know my brother-in-law in particular is going to be so excited, he hearts wine almost as much as he hearts the Red Sox (this is a joke, although a lovely person my BIL is from the “bad side of Connecticut“).  I hope they’re up for the challenge!  In the meantime, while we’re waiting for those reviews I will tell you a little bit about the food and wine we had this weekend when we had our own little “Restaurant Week” meal at home over the next couple of days.  Oh, and get ready, my new iPhone 4 is arriving today so I will be able to take high quality pictures way more easily and thus can incorporate more of my own photos on the blog!  I know you’re all JUST as excited as I am…

“…Take my hand and we’ll make it I swear…  Oooh-OH!”

(photo credit: boglewinery.com)

You know what?  After last week, I don’t even mind that it’s Monday.  What a long, miserable week.  Nothing could be that bad, and we have so much to look forward to this week!  My sister will be in town, we are having a birthday dinner for my mom, going to our cousin’s wedding, hanging out on the beach, so take THAT august 16th-20th!  And how better to start the week than to share with you the second part of my latest adventure: Six Ways to Sideways, The Merlot Project, Installment II!  Sorry, I like the title, I know you probably already think it’s getting old that I keep repeating it…  Moving on!

The Wine: Four Sisters Merlot, 2008

The Region: Central Victoria, Australia

The Results:  Another great bottle!  I must say, I was slightly more partial to the Ecco Domani from the other night, but I think this is only because I had the same dinner with both wines and the first wine just so happened to pair better with the meal.  Maybe my opinion is being affected by my strong disdain for leftovers, but I digress.  Four Sisters has fruity notes but what really stood out to me was the spice.  I read later that the wine is aged in French oak barrels, that will definitely spice things up a bit!  I think you will most enjoy this wine when pairing it with a stronger dish.  Think beef stew, caramelized onions, blue cheese, or as the Four Sisters site suggests – Chinese food!  I mentioned previously that I picked up the bottle as part of a 3 for $30 deal so the price is right, and with a screw top bottle we are saving the environment with each glass we pour!  Who could say no to that?

Next stop – The good ‘ole US of A.  I hope it kicks some a**, just like our country.  (Sorry, I’m America, I’m contractually obligated to make statements like that twice a year plus once on Flag Day)

(photo credit: aussiewines.com)

To celebrate the end of this fine week, I share with you my latest find, the musical Santa bottle hugger!  I mean, come ON!

(photo credit: terrysvillage.com)

“I’m not drinking Merlot!  If anyone’s drinking Merlot, I’m leaving!”

Ah, the famous line from “Sideways.”  Great movie.  I do get a little peeved by this line, however.  I mean, Merlot is a Noble Grape.  It is one of the most well-known grapes for a reason – it produces excellent wine.  Now, the mission of MoreThanMerlot.com is to help people understand that there are many different types of wine out there – trying lesser known varietals will open you palate to a variety of flavors and open your wallet to big savings.  However, you cannot rule out the big boys completely!  I recently realized that in my quest to share with you the Torrontés and Carménères of the world I had never actually reviewed a Merlot wine.  I gasped, I cried, I nibbled nervously at my nails and then immediately made my way to the local wine shop.  Thus began my newest undertaking- “Six Ways to Sideways – The Merlot Project.”  6 Merlot reviews in a row, so take THAT!  And I must say, my first bit of research left me more than satisfifed…

The Wine – Ecco Domani Merlot, 2007

The Region – Trentino, Italy

The Results – Wow, I forgot how much I really like Merlot!  This Italian Merlot (ok, it’s technically only 97% Merlot, but that’s good enough for government work!) is soft with a black cherry flavor and mild spice.   The tasting notes claim a strong blackberry on the nose, I guess they’re close but I didn’t pick up on it until I read the notes and smelled it again.  The cherry is what definitely stands out to me, and the balanced acidity made it very easy and pleasant to drink.  The wine was $10.99 but I picked it up with two other Merlots as part of a 3-$30 deal.  I would definitely buy this wine again, great with Italian food, grilled meats, strong cheeses, or just your typical Tuesday afternoon!  Eer, I mean evening…

Our next stop will be to Australia.  Will Australian Merlot hold up?  Will it fall flat to its old world counterparts?  Will I remember to take tasting notes while watching Jersey Shore?  Ha, Jersey Shore starts at 10:00pm, it will be long gone by then…

Until the next round, Salute!

(photo credits eccodomani.com & foxsearchlight.com)

Today is a happy day indeed!  My sister and her husband (eek! still so funny saying husband!) are coming home a week from tomorrow for our cousin’s wedding!!  So excited, it will be the first time the entire clan will be together since my sister’s beautiful wedding in May and I just can’t wait.  A few days ago I received an email from an old work colleague who recently discovered my blog.  She too has had a lot a fun family goings-on in the past years and now is the proud mama of a little boy!  Ever since her little bundle of joy came into the world, however, enjoying an occasional cocktail or glass of wine has taken a toll on her tummy.   I have definitely heard of this happening before (I fear for those around me if I go through something similar), but there is hope!  A lot of times a wine will make you feel sick or give you heartburn because of what you may have eaten (or not eaten) earlier in the day, or sometimes your mommy chemical make-up just doesn’t agree with a particular bottle!  While a lot of it is trial and error, I do have some suggestions to finding a wine that will do right by your body and your wallet:

• Acid is a BIG player in why certain wines will make your tummy tumble.  A trick to toning down the affect of acid in a wine (and this is just my opinion, not necessarily science) is chilling your wine before drinking.  This is why a lot of people can drink white wine more easily than red, because it is generally served at a lower temp!
• Sweeter wines are often a good fix for more sensitive stomachs.  Now, this does not mean that the wine itself has to be  a “sweet wine.”  I recently tried a great dry red from Layer Cake made with the Primitivo grape.  This grape is a lesser-known grape that tends to produce a wine with a great fruity flavor that hides some of the acid in other dry wines.  Then there are actual sweet wines like Jam Jar that would be great for a person who likes red wine but wants something more on the sugary side.  Balanced enough for a cheese plate or a rich dessert, or just sipping on its own!
• Wine that is aged longer will tend to loose some acidity and become more mellow, so you could try some older wines to see if that helps.   Because aged wines can often be more expensive (as they take longer to produce), you should stick with the classics like Merlot and Pinot Noir when you’re starting out as you can find good quality aged wines like these more readily.

Hope this helps, and if any mommy’s out there have further suggestions on overcoming this common affliction, please share!

Oh!  Also – Last night I purchased the first three bottles for my Merlot project, I’ll share review #1 with you tomorrow!  Now all I need to do is come up with a clever name for the adventure…