Kitchen

[HonnyBrown]

On 6/29/2014 jackthebear said:

On 6/29/2014 HonnyBrown said:

On 6/29/2014 jlkz said: Went from the Chardonnays to Pinot Grigio now ( it's dryer and pairs well with most foods ). The labels we love: Ecco Domani, Cupcake and Sasso. All are reasonably priced PA state store brands and go on sale fairly regularly. With Cupcake, even the reds are very good. H T H

Hi jikz! Have you tried Cupcake Angel Food Cake wine? That's a nice one.

I took a wine pairing class at a restaurant a few years ago. It was well worth it!

I've seen the Cupcake wines at the the store but the name seems so silly that I have avoided them, will check it out

Hey, I was drinking Little Penguin yesterday!

[HonnyBrown]

On 6/29/2014 ambermoon said: Hi HoneyBrown! Yes, Korbel's is champagne. I knew once in California that champagnes had to be called sparkling as only wines made in the Champagne Region of France could be called champagne. But I just checked a bottle and it's labeled California Champagne. I know two other wineries in the area however are still calling their's sparkling wine. It's still good, whatever it's called! Too bad about what sounds like shipping restrictions in your state.

I'm not a big champagne drinker, but I knew that about the naming. I didn't realize that California finally changed to "California Champagne!" Try pairing your champagne with Parmesan cheese. The bubbles make the cheese smooth and creamy.

The shipping restrictions are bad, especially because Maryland wineries are horrendous! I'm not saying that because they don't agree with my tastebuds. Every single winery that I've visited had something wrong with it. The last one had carbon dioxide (bubbles) in the bottles, which means the fermentation wasn't done correctly.

[HonnyBrown]

On 6/29/2014 sunshine45 said:

i am more of a white wine drinker.....love chardonnays, moscatos, rieslings in particular.

my two go-tos are kendall jackson vintners reserve AND sonoma cutrer russian river chardonnays.

Hi Sunshine! Russian River wines are great. I haven't had them in a while.

[Foggy morning]

HonnyBrown, I will try some Parmesan with the wine, sounds good! Good luck wine hunting, and tasting. Wanted to add that I think Viognier is a nice dry white wine, if you should get an opportunity to try it.

[ennui1]

On 6/30/2014 HonnyBrown said:

On 6/29/2014 ambermoon said: Hi HoneyBrown! Yes, Korbel's is champagne. I knew once in California that champagnes had to be called sparkling as only wines made in the Champagne Region of France could be called champagne. But I just checked a bottle and it's labeled California Champagne. I know two other wineries in the area however are still calling their's sparkling wine. It's still good, whatever it's called! Too bad about what sounds like shipping restrictions in your state.

I'm not a big champagne drinker, but I knew that about the naming. I didn't realize that California finally changed to "California Champagne!"

They didn't, actually. "If you wish to try and read the legalese surrounding the ability to use the term “champagne”, check out the U.S. Code found here: U.S. Code TITLE 26, subtitle E, CHAPTER 51, Subchapter F, PART III, § 5388."

"Basically this document states that a “Semi-generic” designation can be used to designate wines not from the original Champagne region as long as the name of the originating region (in this case California) is added to the label.

"This exception alone does not allow all wineries to use the champagne designation. The legal protection for the designation came from the Treaty of Versailles which was enacted in June of 1919 after the first World War and has been accepted by many countries worldwide. Many of those countries have signed agreements with the EU that limit the use of the term “champagne” to only those products produced in the Champagne region. The United States acknowledges the exclusive nature of the “champagne” term and bans the use from all new US produced wines. Only those wineries which had approval to use the term on labels before 2006 may continue to use it and only when it is accompanied by the wine’s actual origin, as in California."

[kahootz]

Even though it's summertime, I'm just not into white wine. Just a little too sweet for me. If you like Cabernet Sauvignon however and live near a Costco, they have an outstanding one that I think sells for around $14.99 a bottle. It's the Rutherford Ranch from Napa Valley. For the price I'm quite impressed! Very, very nice wine.

[HonnyBrown]

On 6/30/2014 ambermoon said: HonnyBrown, I will try some Parmesan with the wine, sounds good! Good luck wine hunting, and tasting. Wanted to add that I think Viognier is a nice dry white wine, if you should get an opportunity to try it.

Thanks for the recommendation! I tried several Viogners a few years ago, but I didn't find one that hit the spot. They were always too oaky or dry or crisp.

[HonnyBrown]

Thanks ennui! I stand corrected!

[goodstuff]

I enjoy a good glass of wine and also enjoy finding decent wines at a decent price. A lot of people don't know that you can get a pretty good everyday wine at your local grocery store for $5 or so. I usually buy corked wines, but I'm not too snobby to unscrew a cap if the wine inside is good. In whites, I like dry, crisp wines and most often choose a Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. In reds, I tend to gravitate to a Shiraz or a Pinot Noir. I also like a good Zinfandel, a Chianti, or a Cabernet on occasion.

I can almost find Barefoot Pinot Noir on sale, and it is very nice, as are some of their other varieties. There's also a label called Flip-Flop which isn't bad.....and makes me feel beachy.

[HonnyBrown]

On 6/30/2014 kahootz said:

Even though it's summertime, I'm just not into white wine. Just a little too sweet for me. If you like Cabernet Sauvignon however and live near a Costco, they have an outstanding one that I think sells for around $14.99 a bottle. It's the Rutherford Ranch from Napa Valley. For the price I'm quite impressed! Very, very nice wine.

Hi Kahootz!

Maryland's grocery stores, including Costco. That really bites, especially coming from Los Angeles where wine was sold in 7-11.

DH bought me a bottle of Rutherford chardonnay! I wonder if it's the same vineyard? If I remember correctly, it was close to $50 and it was nice.

Curious, what does the season have to do with the wine?