May Wine Tasting ~ Pinot Grigio & A Little Bit of Garden

It's Wine Tasting time again. The wine of the month is Pinot Grigio.

This whole wine tasting thing is mostly just educational for me. For some reason I was thinking that I'd like Pinot Grigio better than Chardonnay. I didn't like Chardonnay at all. I have to say, so far, I'm not a big fan of Pinot Grigio either.

The first wine we tried this month was HRM Rex~Goliath Giant 47 Pound Rooster. I selected it because, as much as I don't like Chardonnay, I was pleasant surprised when I tried the Giant 47 Pound Rooster Chardonnay last month. I still wouldn't say that I liked it. But it wasn't as gross as I expected.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the Giant 47 Pound Rooster Pinot Grigio.

Name: HRM Rex-Goilath Giant 47 Pound Rooster Pinot Grigio

Price: $8.99

Year: 2008

PHOTO of bottle:




Short intro from the wine maker about the wine:
From the bottle: Bright, juicy and floral - say howdy to our California version of this Italian classic: cultured but racy and very romantic.

From the website: This wine expresses lovely aromatics of pear and honeydew. Bright, juicy flavors of citrus and apples that lead to a sweet mineral core. The finish is soft and lingering; thanks to a balanced acidity that carries the fruit well into the back of the palate. Yum. I can think of a number of foods that would be great with this wine. Try it with a bowl full of Little-necked clams, steamed in a broth of Pinot Grigio, garlic, onions, and butter (my personal favorite!), Linguini with homemade pesto (OK, my other fave), or baked boneless-skinless chicken breasts that have first been rubbed in a lemon zest/Herbs de Provence mixture and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Fantastico! - Marty Spate, Enologico

Review:
Very pale yellow.

Me ~ smells like wine... I liked the Chardonnay better. It feels warm and burny... tongue puckery... definitely not diggin' it... can't pick out any specific flavors...

Jon ~ ooooo tart... tastes good... tastes like an energy drink... first sip was the best

Ericka ~ likes it

Drew ~ a little sweet... oh interesting, a little tart...

Would you buy again?: probably not

Wine Pairing Ideas/Recipes: I'd cook with it.

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Name: Fish Eye Pinot Grigio

Price: $7.99

Year: 2008

PHOTO of bottle:


Short intro from the wine maker about the wine:
From the bottle... It's floral, crisp, refreshing and bright. An Ideal match for sole, fowl or light pasta dishes.

From the website... The aromatics in this bottle are like a tropical adventure in paradise! There's a spirited and fresh infusion of ripe melon, apricot and white ginger with intense citrusy notes of juicy red grapefruit and mineral that lingers on the finish. Pair with sushi, shellfish, crisp salads or anything that calls for some zing!

Review:
Very pale yellow

Me ~ Not as puckery as the 47 Pound Rooster... but still not diggin' it... I tried mixing this with 7up to make a wine cooler... and that didn't help.

Jon ~ not as intense as 47 Pound Rooster

Whitney ~ mmmmmmm

Jeff ~ Dry & fruity

Would you buy again?: No

Wine Pairing Ideas/Recipes: I'd cook with it.

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Name: Black Tower

Price: $8.99

Year: 2006

PHOTO of bottle:


Short intro from the wine maker about the wine:
From the bottle: Full of fruit flavours with a touch of spice.

From the website: Black Tower Pinot Grigio has the typical spicy character of Pinot Grigio and expressive fruit. Full of flavour and with a warm finish.
This wine is a perfect match for dishes with mushrooms such as wild mushroom risotto or rocket salad with pears and walnuts.

Review:
Golden color

Me ~ better than the 47# Rooster & Fish Eye... but I think I'm just not feeling the Pinot Grigio... I'll be tasting some more with my mom and niece over Memorial Day weekend... so we'll see...

Jon ~ This one is sweeter and peppery

Whitney ~ Very mild... nice not puckery... consistent flavor... no aftertaste

Would you buy again?: probably not

Wine Pairing Ideas/Recipes: I would cook with it.

Have you joined the BakeSpace Wine Club yet?

What are you waiting for??

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A garden update....

My grape tomatoes... 10 days difference
April 29...............................May 9


The barrel of violas is bright and beautiful!


Flowers & herbs doing well...


Little Lil Pete came out to get some sun.


Everything survived Mother's Day Eve!

More Mojo Marinade & Some Chardonnay

Last Saturday was GORGEOUS! It was sunny and warm, in the high 70s. It was definitely the first perfect grill day of the year.

To grill, we have to drag our grill in and out of the house every time. Where we live, if we left it outside, it's quite likely it would be stolen. (it's happened before)

As a result of the effort involved, I usually grill WAY too much food. And it was my plan to grill too much food this time. I figured there'd be plenty of leftovers to use during the week.

Since I knew I'd be cooking too much, I did invite another couple over. They live just up the street and when they come over, I don't feel like I'm 'entertaining', so it's really relaxed and casual. We're all just hanging out, ya know? Even though I canceled wine tasting, since Erika and Drew are in our wine tasting crew, I figured we can taste a little wine during the night. But there WOULD BE fruity rum drinks too!!

So anyway!!

I grilled too much. Which was my plan.

I LOVE Tyler Florence's Mojo Marinade. I put beef tenderloin steaks and chicken breast fillets in it. I meant to put some big gorgeous portabellos in the mojo marinade too and totally forgot. It was truly a meat fest.
You can check out the Mojo Marinade w/Flank Steak for Carne Asada Tacos here.

Ok... outside at night... on the grill w/no flash, the chicken looks decidedly green!


But it really wasn't!


I like to butterfly the breasts. I'm not sure if it's called butterflying, since I do cut them all the way through. But I love how the nice thin fillets cook up so quickly and stay moist and delicious. Maybe it's filleting? I dunno!

But on to the wine.

For those of you just joining our program, I don't like wine. I joined the BakeSpace Wine Club to learn more about it. I am learning too! I've learned that I prefer a semi-dry wine. Nothing too sweet or too dry. So far, I actually 'like' semi-dry Riesling. I would never order it in a restaurant; but would happily drink it at a friend's house. I'd probably never buy it to serve at my house, because we're not wine drinkers. I don't think any of our friends every expect to drink wine at my house, unless of course it's wine tasting night. They usually expect tequila or beer or rum! But I always pick out an Australian Chardonnay for my mom when she visits. I know she likes that. I usually try to pick something either marked 'award winning' or that has a cool animal on the label. So far she said she's liked them. For her next visit I'll ask more about what flavors she likes in her Chardonnays and try to choose appropriately. I need to put my new found knowledge to use!

Jon & I picked this one. Why? Cuz it's called Giant 47 Pound Rooster! Duh!!

Name: HRM Rex-Goliath Giant 47 pound Rooster

Price: $7.99

Year: 2007

PHOTO of bottle:




Short intro from the wine maker about the wine:
From the Bottle: Our Chardonnay is like enjoying a day at a tropical beach - bright and sunny, with aromas of pineapple and citrus.

Review:
Pale yellow color

Marguerite (me) ~ Kind of pineapple citrus flavor... not making me puckery... fruity... not like other Chardonnays I've tried that I cook with.

Jon - not bad, almost sour after taste... a little juicy

Ericka - tart but it's not making me hate it

Drew - nice, good wine

Would you buy again?: Yes =)

Wine Pairing Ideas/Recipes: This is fruitier than other Chardonnays I've tried and I'd really like to try cooking with it.

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Ericka & Drew brought this one over.

Name: Louis Jadot

Price: $16.00

Year: 2006

PHOTO of bottle:


Short intro from the wine maker about the wine:
From the website: This wine is very fruity (peach, pear and grapefruit), developing white flower aromas as well a slight vanilla touch. With a lot of elegance, it is structured, pleasant and harmonious.

Bourgogne Chardonnay "Les Petites Pierres" will be perfect with "hors d'oeuvres", white meats, poultry, sea fruits, grilled fish and goat cheese. It is best served chilled (10/12°C). After several years, more sophisticated aromas will develop and it will go well with more elaborated dishes.

Review:

Marguerite (me) ~ Smells like wine... I like the other one better...

Jon ~ Not as flavorful as Giant 47 Pound Rooster

Ericka ~ looks like osmium (she uses that to fix lipids in brain tissue).... agrees not as flavorful

Drew ~ likes it better... not floral


Would you buy again?: Probably not

Wine Pairing Ideas/Recipes: I'd cook with it... but not for $16.99 a bottle.

So that's it! Well... so far... We'll probably try another one on Saturday night, playing Euchre with Jeff & Whitney... but I also want to introduce Whitney to the Hard Arnold Palmer!



So, have I mentioned that there are prizes involved in the BakeSpace Wine Club? That's right! I said PRIZES! If you get voted best reviewer of the month, not only do you get to choose the wine for next month, you get a cool prize!! How cool is that???!!!!

Still haven't joined?? Why not?? What are you waiting for???

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