Hi friends!  Remember when I told you about a darling little wine my girlfriend picked up at Sakonnet Winery?  Well, my other darling friend Nina (who you remember from our fantastic organic wine tasting), has recently gotten involved with FarmCoast New England and her adventures lead her right back to this Little Compton hot spot!  FarmCoast is a really cool group that promotes that best of coastal villages and farmlands in the southern New England area.  They are affiliated with a couple of wineries, Sakonnet and Westport.  We all love our imports, but buying wine locally is especially cool: it supports local agriculture in your area and no matter where you live, there are likely wineries nearby.  It is also a great way to support local economy and reduces carbon footprint since it doesn’t have to travel across the globe to get from the vine to your mouth.  :)  But enough of this talk, want to hear about their wonderful wines?  Thought you might…

Vidal Blanc 2009

The most famous of the Sakonnet wines, and with good reason.  First of all, you all know how I LOVE me a good lesser-known varietal.  This French hybrid grape stands up to the harsh Rhode Island winters (aw, I almost feel badly for describing anything Rhode Island as harsh.  It is not the cutest little state ever?  There, there, Rhode Island, never you fear, your big bad neighbors to the north will protect you from encroaching Yankee fans…) and produces a wine that is full of citrusy, tropical fruits, coconut, melon and banana.  YUM.

Cabernet Franc Rose 2008

Who does NOT enjoy a nice rose in the summer, I mean really?  This dry rose is light bodied with a pretty strawberry color.  The nose is marked by a delicious cinnamon that is noticeable but not so overpowering that you think you’re drinking eggnog.  Nice spice on the palate with raspberry and cranberry notes.  Trust me folks, you are going to like this one…

Wouldn’t a weekend tasting trip to Sakonnet be just the perfect New England summer mini break?  I think so, so get on down there and check it out!

(photos via Sakonnet Wine)

So, I told you all about the cheese tasting part, now let me tell you about the preceding dinner we enjoyed as part of Cheese Tuesday at L’Espalier…

Our first course was a salad of asparagus, pickled beets, AFS mizuna, and Shy Brothers’ Hannahbell cheese (you know, the little ones that look like thimble?  LOVE!).  It was paired with a delightful 2009 Simonnet-Febvre Brut Cremant de Bourgogne.  (Side note – Any time you see “Cremant” in a wine title you know that it is a French sparkling wine made in the methode champenoise but not of grapes grown in the region of Champagne.  Some sparkling wines just have air injected into them like a soda, can you believe it?  Guess it’s cheaper that way than letting the bubbles develop naturally in the bottle over the course of a year, but I digress…)  The wine is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and was buttery yet crisp with light acidity and a nice citrus finish.  I truly believe that one should enjoy sparkling wine every day.  It is just such a treat.  This particular bubbly was a great pairing with the salad.

The second course was housemade gnocci with radish puress and spring peas, topped with truffled pecorino.   Truffled Pecorino, um, yes please…  It was paired with a 2009 Maison Champy from Saint-Romain, Burgundy.  The wine is produced exclusively from Chardonnay grapes (white Burgundy = Chard, red Burgundy = Pinot Noir) and has a subtle oak nose that reflects its barrel aging before bottling.  The palate is a combination of  honeysuckle, the hallmark of the region, and toasted popcorn.  So delicious.  The perfect Chard for people who don’t think they like Chards.  No one could dislike this little beauty.

The main course was an absolutely outstanding Chartreuse of Painted Hills beef with Parmesan and root vegetable puree.  I can’t believe that I STILL cannot spell chartreuse without looking it up, even after writing it a million times as it was the accent color at my sister’s amazing wedding…  It was paired with a 2006 Domaine Les Aphillanthes, “Le Cros” Cotes-Du-Rhone Villages.  This bad boy was GOOD.  In general Cotes-Du-Rhone produces red grenache wines in this part of the valley but this Les Cros is actually 100% Syrah.  It was meaty, full, had some great vegetal flavors like beet and black olive, it was really amazing.

All in all, this was an amazing meal!  I still cannot believe they gave us all that cheese after this three-course meal.  I feel like we got away with something, like we pulled the wool over their eyes, almost guilty!  It was just THAT good and really affordable for L’Espalier!  So check it out, try to find the wines, and have a fabulous Thursday  :)

(photos via here, here & here)

I don’t even know where to begin…  Last night was our long awaited Cheese Tuesday at L’Espalier.  The L’Espalier website describes the evening as follows:  ”Cheese Tuesday combines wine and cheese in a casual night featuring a three course dinner with paired wines, followed by a grand cheese tasting and musical entertainment.”  Casual night, some food to snack on, a few wine tastings, sounds great!  Friends, it was so much more than great.  After an amazing gourmet 3-course dinner with superb wine pairings (I’ll get into the dinner later), the Fromager, Louis Risoli, rolled out two big tables covered in wheels of delicious cheese.  Now, the room was packed, there must have been at least 40-50 people in there.  We though, “Cool!  We can circulate, nibble on a couple of the cheeses, try some dessert wine, call it a day!”  Oh no.  The tables of cheese were just for display during the grand cheese tasting and lecture.  Tasting of 11 different cheeses.  An entire plate of 11 cheeses to try – PER PERSON.

The lecture was amazing and went through the cheeses in order of intensity, starting with the curd (fresh curd made at home by Mr. Risoli himself!) and ending with the blue.   At the top of our list were the 5 year aged Gouda, the Burgundian Epoisses, and the Oregon Caveman Blue.   We were even provided with a chart on the cheesemaking process which I found very interesting.  Little Miss Muffet would have LOVED it, lots about curds and whey…  I have included a full list of the cheeses below.  They were paired with a delightful dessert wine from Sauternes (Bordeaux), a 2001 Chateau Lahonade-Peyraguey.  Great acidity, lovely notes of peach, apricot and burnt orange, a really perfect pairing that was not too sweet for the mild cheeses but not too delicate for the bolder ones.  This event may become dangerously addictive…

L’Espalier Cheese 101 – April 12, 2011

The How’s, Why’s and What’s and Yummy Yums of Cheese

1. Fresh curd, cow, homemade
2. Mount Vikos Feta, sheep and goat, Greece
3. Pave Sauvage, goat and herbs, Perigord, France
4. Hartwell, cow, Ploughgate Creamery, Albany, VT
5. Epoisses, cow, Burgundy, France
6. Pecorino Ginepro, sheep, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
7. Fiscalini Cloth Bandaged Cheddar, cow, Modesto, CA
8. Tarentaise, cow, Spring Brook Farm, Reading, VT
9. Gouda, aged 5 years, cow, Holland
10. Bayley Hazen Blue, cow, Jasper Hill Farm, Greensboro, VT
11. Caveman Blue, cow, Rouge River Creamery, Central Point, OR

Happy Monday, all!  We tried a lovely new wine over the weekend that I am excited to share with you.  It was suggested by Monique, our darling wine-lady at a local store near our house.  Monique has not reccommended a bad wine yet, in fact, she is the one who led us to both Liberty School Cab and Axis Zin, so you know this one is going to be good…  We felt like doing a little grilling and wanted something that would pair well with shrimp and veggie kabobs.

The wine Monique suggested was Joseph Cattin Pinto Gris from the Alsace region of France.  It was REALLY good.  I found the wine to be on the sweeter side of dry, loads of vanilla and apricot notes.  The winemaker points out strong spice and smoke notes but I didn’t really pick up on a lot of smoke until the finish.  The smoke was mild enough and complimented the sweeter palate so I didn’t mind it at all (normally not a huge fan of smoke).  Fantastic compliment to the grilled meal.  At 2 for $25 I would totally buy this wine again.  By the way, can you please take a look at this beautiful tray of veggies?  Doesn’t that look SO GOOD.  Now imagine it with a fresh blue cheese & herb dipping sauce.  Right?

So glad to be grilling again, next Monday is the first day of spring – as well as the Hub’s birthday!  Hurrah for fun times and fine wines!

I saw the most adorable picture of a friend’s baby on facebook the other day.  She is 7 months old and gnawing on a bottle of white wine – she clearly gets this from her father because her mother is lovely, not some crazed bottle-chewing fiend…  :)  Then I noticed that the bottle she was gnawing on was one of my favorite go-to wines, Ménage à Trois White from the Folie à Deux Winery in Napa.  Ménage à Trois is a blend and we ALL know how I feel about blends (read-LOVE).  This mix is a Chardonnay with Muscat and Chenin Blanc.  It has a mild sweetness that makes it super easy to drink by itself (honey, pear, yum) but enough acidity and citrus to hold its own against mild-moderate cheeses as well.  This would be great with a nice flaky fish or a margherita pizza too, softer dishes.

Folie à Deux Winery also produces a great red, aptly called, Ménage à Trois Red (PS – Ménage à Trois coming from the French “mix of three,” because they all have 3 grapes in the blend!).  The red is a blend of Zin (my current favorite varietal), Merlot and Cab.  This one has a little more bite to it, a little more spicy and in-your-face.  Holds up great against more powerful dishes, pretty much any foods you would normally pair with a single varietal wine of any of the three grapes.  These wines are relatively easy to find and will normally run you around $9-$11 a bottle.  So check it out and let me know what you think!  And happy 7 month-a-versary to the little lady who inspired this post, you’re truly a girl after my own heart!

(photo credit: Folie à Deux)

Have I really never blogged about this wine? I mean, I know I haven’t actually purchased this wine in years but I can’t believe that I’ve never even mentioned it. Not even in a holiday gift guide, crazy!  And why, you ask, is this so crazy?  Well, because “Conundrum” is a consistently good wine that is relatively easy to find and at a slightly higher price point than what you would probably spend on yourself ($20-$25 range) it makes a great hostess gift or pairing for a special evening – like Valentine’s dinner!  Plus, I absolutely ADORE their website.  Instead of entering your age before getting access to the home page as many wine and spirit site require, Conundrum asks for your zip code and then displays interactive maps with the closest vendors who sell their wine.  They also have a forum where you can enter your latest “conundrum” and get feedback, great way to drive traffic to your site and get frequent users.  Anyway, back to the wine.  The hubs asked me to pick out wine for the dinner he prepared last night, the main attraction being tilapia in a creamy tomato sauce.  Well, I didn’t want anything too overbearing so Chard was out of the question.  I was unsure of a Sauv Blanc with the acidic tomato, I started thinking maybe a Viognier would work when it occurred to me that the perfect solution would be a blend!  Well, Conundrum is one of the best white blends around, a top secret mix of 12 different grapes from California.  I love it when I’m right.  The wine paired perfectly with the dish, a bit of citrus to balance the tomato but with a hint of sweetness to really make the sauce stand out.  Altogether light enough to not overpower the delicate fish at the center of the meal.  YEAH!!  Highly recommended, if you’re interested in finding it you can just check out their site!  As always, please make sure to let me know what you think.

It’s that time of year, folks!  Plonkapalooza 2010 took place this week and I have dozens of new wines to try, hurrah!  For those of you who may not be familiar with the event, the Plonkapalooza is an annual wine tasting event in which local wine shops nominate bottles sold for $12 or less to be a part of a blind tasting hosted by some of the area’s top wine experts.  I wrote a few articles about Plonkapalooza 2009 if you’d like to check out last year’s nominees…  So, boston.com recapped this year’s event in a recent article and low and behold, it sang the praises of a wine I just recently reviewed myself! A month ago we went to my parent’s house for dinner and I brought a bottle of Saint-Peyre to pair with the lemony baked artichoke and shrimp dish my mother prepared.  It was fantastic, and a French twist-off at that!  Low and behold, we get this quote from Stephen Meuse at boston.com:

Ah ha!  How about that?  Oh man, I must have ESPN or something because I TOTALLY called this wine out as a winner weeks before Plonkapalooza.  See mom & dad?  My $100K+ education with a BA in Spanish is REALLY starting to pay off  :)  Who am I kidding, my mother and father have always been my biggest supporters, both of MoreThanMerlot.com and of just me in general.  What exciting news to start off the weekend!  Hope you all have a spooktacular Halloween, and seeing as today is pay day I will run out and pick up a few bottles of Plonkapalooza 2010 nominees for your reviewing pleasure!  Hasta pronto!

(photo via)

Hurray for Thursday!  So last night, as I mentioned previously, we went to my parents’ house for a lovely dinner.  Of course I called dibs on picking out the wine.  On the menu was a baked shrimp, artichoke, garlic and lemon bake served over angel hair pasta.  A white for sure, but I also wanted to pick up a red to tide us over until dinner was ready.  We started the evening with Tutto Bene Toscana Rosso, 1996, primarily a Sangiovese varietal wine from the Tuscany region of Italy.  My father is partial to Italian reds and I thought this looked like something he would enjoy.  Delicious blackberry, hints of chocolate and spice, this was a phenomenal sipping wine and went great with the fromage forte I picked up to nibble on before dinner.  Moving on, for dinner I discovered the delightful Saint-Peyre, a white wine made from the obscure Picpoul grape in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in France.

Since Languedoc-Roussillon is less well known than its neighbors Bordeaux and Burgundy, you can get really incredible wine for a lot less money.  Get this – the wine was even a TWIST-OFF!  Yes, a French twist-off!  A good sign indeed…  Fabulous lemon & grapefruit and well-balanced acidity – the perfect wine for a seafood dish!  I bought both wines at Whole Foods, the Tutto Bene for $11.99 and the Saint-Peyre for $8.99.  Excellent deals on two excellent wines!  Keep an eye out and let me know what you think!  Cheers!

(photo credits: wine.com & secondglass.com)

Know what’s annoying? When you have a great bottle of Riesling and then want to blog about it only to Google image search and find no relevant pictures of the bottle because the name of the wine is “Stone Fruit Riesling.” Plenty of pictures of Rieslings in general, and lots of images of plums, nectarines and the like, but no dice on a bottle shot. So today you’ll have to use your imaginations! Now on to the wine itself… I picked up this German Riesling the other day and found it to be a nice, simple wine. The type of Riesling that I would recommend to someone who thinks they don’t care for Reisling because Stone Fruit is not overly sweet and can be paired with a variety of dishes. We enjoyed it with a lemony fish dish, it balanced the acidity well. After a full glass however I did switch to a more dry Sauv Blanc, I was kind of getting that fuzzy-teeth feeling and was not really feeling seconds. But the wine was $7.99, so if you find it I would say it’s worth picking it up and giving it a try! The Sauv Blanc I had was also a new wine, and THAT was pretty amazing. But I’ll save that for another day. Gotta leave you wanting more! Until the next glass, cheers!

Earlier today I got a request from an old friend for some suggestions on sweet dessert wines to try.  And although the request came in the form of something of criticism of previous posts, I decided to indulge him (perhaps this is penance for moving back to Boston over 4 years ago without letting him know?  Whoops…).  So, here we go!

First off, I have to give a shout out to one of my new favorite dessert wines, Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz.  This wine happens to be the number one keyword source of traffic for my entire site!  Why?  It’s awesome!  Sweet yet subtle, this smooth Shiraz is perfect with rich chocolates, poured over vanilla ice cream, or served straight up and slightly chilled.  If Ports are too sticky for you, you’ll LOVE Jam Jar.

Now I mention Ports because they are kind of the master of all dessert wines, in this wine enthusiast’s humble opinion.  There is just nothing better than a glass of good port, a leather armchair and some classical music.  But Ports are not for everyone.  Port is a fortified wine, meaning that it starts off as a normal wine but during “wine cycle” it gets a shot of alcohol which stops the fermentation process (fermentation converts the sugar, so by stopping fermentation there is more sugar in the wine and this is why Ports are sweet).  This is also why it tastes more like alcohol than many wines, because it literally has alcohol poured in!  There are a BUNCH of different Ports depending on how they’re aged (in a barrel or in a bottle) and how long they are aged for (more aging = richer flavor and thicker texture).  The most available/popular Ports are Ruby & Tawny.  I suggest you get a less expensive bottle of each, then once you know which one you prefer you can look for finer, more expensive options.  To start your research, I suggest you look for Dow’s.  Dow’s makes both Ruby & Tawny and you can usually find it for around $13 a bottle.  When you’re ready to move up in the world, check out Taylor Fladgate Tawny 20.   It’s pretty incredible.

Leaning towards the whiter side of things?  Grab a Riesling!  I just reviewed a great, light German Riesling called Oh…Schist! which is lovely with a lighter dessert pairing.  I also really like Relax Riesling, it’s similar in style but has a bit more honey.

There are so many more dessert wines that I have tried and loved, I will do my best to get the details and share them with you in the next few weeks.  But I hope you enjoy these lovely suggestions for now, cheers!