Albero Organic Bobal Rose `08 DO $5.99 ***

Organic, vegan.  (umm yeah, I am neither of those, but it is good to know...)

Tonight tapas.

Alone, this rose is kind of astringent - better word, dry. Clean, fruity. Not my favorite Albero, I was expecting it to be sweeter.

BUT

Since I had it with shrimp & Chorizo sauteed with garlic and cherry tomatoes in olive oil, I have to say that is is a nice wine.  I wouldn't have it alone to drink, but it is like a nice light red wine.  Slightly chilled on a summer's day - I could easily see this wine working. With food.  Because it worked so well with the Chorizo and Shrimp, and it is only $5.99, I'll give it 3 stars.

Barbi Orvieto Classico `08 DOC (not TJ's) $11.99 **(*)

There is some sporting event this weekend that involves helmets....Ok, now that we have established my total girliness when it comes to sports, let's talk about wine.

This is a very crisp wine. I tasted citrus and grapefruit with a cutting minerality. A classic off dry .  Hmm, now I recently learned about "off dry", so I'll share... an off dry wine is one where in the fermentation, the most of the sugar is used up.  There is no sweetness (or very little sweetness). And that is what this wine is, a crisp, fruity, clean wine.  I just made a mistake in what I drank it with (and the temperature I poured it at - I over chilled it).  This wine is screaming for a seafood to match with it, I cooked chicken wings -OOPS (hence the two or three stars - it by rights should be three stars, but I docked it one because it just didn't work with my menu....)

Speaking of mistakes... This wine should be had slightly chilled.  I over chilled it, and made it more cutting.  After it warmed up for 30 mins or so, it was a fruitier, fuller wine - less like tart grapefruit and more like just under ripe pear.

I decided that I should honor that sexy male past-time of Sunday Football, so, my cooking event is Chicken Wings...  many many chicken wings (hey, I can bring something to the party other than my lack of knowledge or interest in football). Since I have no beer in the house, I decided to make a lunch of my cooking and open a bottle of wine. I bought this wine thinking that I'd like to have it on hand for take out Thai. I chose it for lunch because I thought it would go well with the spicy sweetness of the chicken wings and the freshness of the spinach salad. OOPS. Spinach Salad dressed with a red wine vinegar (that I made myself!)- not good with this wine... too many conflicting acids.  Lesson learned.

Menu:
Spinach & Mushroom Salad with a warm bacon dressing
Roasted Chicken Wings with Frank's Hot Sauce and Honey

And in a case of you gotta love the world wide web, here is more than anyone needs to know about this wine.

DOC Orvietto Classico: Umbria, Italy

Abboccato: [ah-boh-KAH-toh] Italian for "lightly sweet," indicating that a wine contains a small amount of residual sugar. Abboccato is used to describe a wide range of wines from semisweet to medium-dry.

Casa Vinicola Barbi: Claudio and Marina Barbi run the Barbi(founded in 1932) and Decugnano wineries with different but complementary roles, forming a lively, dynamic team. For them wine is ongoing research, experimentation, cooperation with nature and with technique, achieving truly surprising results. Qualified experts constantly assess the phases of vinification and refinement in French oak barrels, known as barriques, or in steel containers, depending on the type of wine being produced. The end result is a wide range of top quality Umbrian wines - Orvieto Classico DOC, Sangiovese Umbria IGT, and Lago di Corbara DOC. Accredited specialist press has awarded important recognition, including, among others, the Gambero Rosso Quality/Price Oscar, the Gambero Rosso Three Glasses, and the Seal of Approval from the London Int. Wine Challenge.

Forte Canto Primitivo `04 IGT (not TJ's) $12.99 ****

Wednesday night WOW.  I needed to scrape together some nibbles and some wine on short notice.  (30 mins) yeah, like I get it that you are worried about me, but really.... I'm kind of joking, I have the best friends in the whole wide world, and I am always happy when I get a call saying "I'm coming over" (for the record, he brought coffee Haagen-Daz - if you love me, bring ice cream).

Meanwhile, my larder is BARE.  And it is freezing outside...

I went with bacon (the last of the infamous 16# from Benton's), onion, & cheese broiled on wasa bread, mixed nuts and this Primitivo. (Really, the alternative was ramen... did I mention I am moving?)

When I opened this wine, I smiled at the black cork.  I've never seen one before.  The wine has a lovely rich woody, cherry smell, with a clearing menthol(ish) smell, it is an odd combination, but the only way I can explain it.  Fresh yet rich - cherry like. First sip, good.

After the Vinturi:  smooth and lovely.  For $13.00 this is a good one for a Sunday pot roast dinner, or grilled steak, or anything really meaty that needs a fruity highlight (maybe BBQ? Now that would be a treat).

I'll give it four stars, it came through for me tonight when I had nothing else to offer, and it was too cold to run down to the liquor store.

The importance of reading labels - I have learned that labels don't always guarantee a good wine BUT, if you go with some of the labeling, you can up your chances if buying a decent bottle - so far reading the label has worked for me! This is an IGT wine:

(From http://www.italianmade.com/wines/laws-and-labels-IGT.cfm)

In 1992, the Italian government adopted Law No. 164, which modified and expanded the DOC system. Among the law's most sweeping innovations was the introduction of the Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) category. By the end of 2002, the National DOC Wine Committee had recognized about 200 IGT classifications (see list). The IGT opened up new paths for winemakers who wanted to venture outside the relatively strict confines of the DOC and DOCG categories without, however, making concessions on the level of quality.

The IGT regulations require use of authorized varieties and most of the production codes adopted to date provide for the use of one type alone or in a ratio of at least 85% to other approved grapes.

Salneval Albarino `08 DO (not TJ's) $11.99 ****

I am moving, so that means that I have to eat my way through my pantry/freezer.  (my wine rack will move with me...)

Today it will be Spanish Albarino Saneval, it is a lovely, crisp, white wine.   Pretty much a perfect fruity, fresh, crisp wine.  Straw colored, slightly dry (like slate) which just makes it clean tasting.  The good thing about it is the versatility.  As a stand alone, this could be a great summer wine.  With spicy food... well,... yuummm.  Which is why I grabbed it today.

So, to share what I have learned, this DO is a 100% Albarino grape from Rias Baixas Spain. The DO seal is a seal that promises that it really is from the Northwestern Corner of Spain (close to Portugal).Why do I care about location - I don't if the wine is good, but I am ever so curious, and a sincere travel nut, so why not figure out where good stuff comes from? Come on, admit it, maps are cool!

Menu:
Butter poached shrimp with blackened Old Bay Seasoning (mmm spicy and buttery...)
Sweet Potato, Sage and Bacon Risotto
Sugar Snap Peas (gotta have something green on the plate!)

The wine is amazing with the spicy/butteryness of the shrimp. (frozen TJ's shrimp -great to have on hand in the freezer).

Four Stars... Now on to packing....

Clos del Pinell Negre `08 DO (not TJ's) $7.99 ***

It is a cooking and studying Saturday.  (I went back to school... YIKES)

This Clos del Pinell Negre is a wine that I tasted at the New World vs. Old World Event at Bacchus.  I liked it then, so I bought it. Good news, I like it now too!

This is a good, fresh inexpensive wine.  I love the smell when I first opened the bottle and poured it (and the cork is really pretty!). For me, the scent is like fresh blackberries.  Really, I just smelled and smelled and smelled before I drank it (maybe because it is 17 degrees here in a brutal NYC January).  It is fruity when you first sip it.  With a dry finish - and a little burn.  Nice.  It was slightly rough on my tongue, so I'll maybe say that it adds a bit of texture (subtle tannins).

So I found out in my wine class that Spain has a DO/DOA certification.  This wine is certified Terra Alta (South West of Barcelona) in the region of Tarragona (which makes me want to cook something with Tarragon!!) but I digress....

After the Vinturi, I don't like it so much.  The beautiful berry smell is diffused, the taste is muted.  My advice, don't decant it, pour it straight from the bottle and enjoy.

Today, I am making pine nut pesto, so lunch will be Whole Wheat Lavash Pizza with Ligurian Salami, Grape Tomatoes, Shallots, Pesto and Buffalo Mozzarella.  I haven't even tried the pizza yet, but I did taste the Salami with the wine, and WOW!  Fatty, peppery Salami with this wine was GREAT.

I'll use this wine on Sunday (or later tonight) when I make Chickpea, Chorizo Chili.

Sanguineti Chianti `08 (DOCG )$13.99 (not TJ's) ****

It is good wine.  Actually great wine. Of course, I am biased - Antonio poured my first glass for me and his face is on the label. Antonio Sanguineti is a Tuscan showman, but behind that charisma is a great product.  This Chianti was made to bring home on a Thursday night, sit with people you love and share a bottle or two.

If I had a country house, I'd buy a case, keep it in the cellar and haul out a bottle every time I wanted to have a nice casual evening with friends. I'd look at the label and smile, and think about the man who was able to decant his passion and market it all over the world.  Cin Cin Antonio!

Now for the wine.  It is a light Chianti, slightly acid, but fruity with highlights of strawberry.  It has a kick for a finish, you know that you are drinking something that will give you a kick.  I like it as an everyday wine.

After the Vintuiri:  Not much of a change, it does get a bit smoother - but that just makes the acidity aftertaste just a bit more prominent - with food, not an issue.

Great with a salad - or in the case of tonight, a broiled open face roast beef & provolone sandwich with grilled onions & cherry tomatoes.