Estola Reserva La Mancha 2004 $5.99 **

First pour, not bad. Fruity - yet kind of dry, no tannins. With this wine, it tastes a bit rough, not bad, just the opposite of smooth. It is still easy to drink.

It is a Tuesday night, and after a long day at work, it is a quick simple supper. One late night, when we all ended up at my apartment after celebrating a bit too much, I got the idea to make Lavash Pizza. (Truth was, all I had was Lavash bread, bacon and cheddar cheese in the fridge - so I called it pizza) Either way, after a stint in a 400 degree oven, it was amazing.

So, armed with that working out so well, here is tonight's dinner menu:

• Mixed Greens with Boccatini, Olive oil and grape tomatoes
• Lavash Pizza: half salami, onion and mushroom; half fresh basil, garlic and Boccatini, all sprinkled with Parmesan.

This wine was perfect for a quick dinner.

After a run through the Vinturi:
Again, another wine that is better without the vinturi. When it ahas been aerated, the imperfections stand out. The vinturi makes it almost bitter.

We'll be drinking this bottle without using the vinturi. I think that this wine needs to be finished in one meal. For $5.99 why not?

FLASHBACK: 1983 Boone's Farm Tickle Pink $1.79 ****

It is always a good thing to be reminded of your roots. In my case, it was via e-mail: "You don’t mention Boone's Farm Tickle Pink in your wine blog…it is after all where you got your start."

Travel with me to 1983. I was a mature looking 16 and did the weekly grocery shopping in Belfast, Maine. Holly had her license and a `76 Chevy Nova and I had the weekly grocery money - we made a GREAT team. I was never carded, and would always slip a couple of bottles of Tickle Pink in with the groceries. We tried other Boone's Farm offerings, but we loved our Tickle Pink.

It always made for a good Saturday night when there was nothing else to do. We were so young then, Holly, Timmy, Stephen and I. I'd cook (usually fried rice) and we would drink and play darts in the dining room. We had amazing times and destroyed the wood paneling in that room. (Apologies to Martha who inherited the house)

That is where my cheap wine habit started. I had forgotten or repressed the memories. In an act of divine justice, Holly & Tim are married with teenage girls. They are lucky that Trader Joe's hasn't come to Maine yet!

How would the 16 year old me review the wine? Like this:

Boone's Farm Tickle Pink is wicked awesome. It is sweet and when we put on some tunes and I start cooking, we just keep pouring and pouring. I got some really cool McDonald's wine glasses, they are a smoked brown color, and they look really good. Holly asked me to make some fried rice, so I grabbed Grampy's skillet, cooked some minute rice and started chopping. Fried Rice with duck sauce is awesome....

Yes folks, that is where this reviewer got her start. And even though Tickle Pink is long retired (Boone's Farm has a fan club FYI) and I haven't used Minute Rice since then - that is where the seeds were sown. Cooking for people I love, sharing a bottle of wine and loving life - it doesn't get any better than that. And those McDonald's wine glasses? I wish I had kept them.

Panilonco Carmenere 2007 Reserve $4.99 ***

Red wine at 9:30 on a Saturday morning is not a red flag, it is just a sign that I have some cooking to do. I can't believe that I am starting a review before I've finished my coffee. But there it is. I am making some Turkey Chili for an off-shore boat trip and today is the only time that I'll be able to get it cooked and into the freezer. I grabbed a sip after I poured some into the chili.

First thoughts - good plonk for $4.99. This is a perfectly acceptable "Wednesday Night" wine. I just read an article about one of the major producers of TJ's Wines, and he spoke about Wednesday night wines v. Sunday wines. I am definitely a Wednesday night wine person.

The Carmenere is a light, slightly acid wine. It cleans the palate, and isn't overpowering. I am pairing it with lamb sausage for lunch today.

It took a lot of sips between us to make adequate comparisons pre and post vinturi. There is something a bit off about this wine. It is not a stand alone drink. The vinturi smooths it out, but then the off taste is more prevalent. I'd just drink it straight, and serve it with a spicy/fatty food. It went well with the Gorgonzola, and then with the Sausage. Even though the wine is kind of fruity - sour cherry notes, it is just a basic table red that no one should hate, but no one should go running out to buy. A "Wednesday Night Wine" served on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Lunch Menu:
Candied Walnut Gorgonzola Salad
Merguez Couscous
Angel Food Cake with Strawberries and Limoncello

Dogajolo Super Tuscan (not a TJ Wine) ****

After waking up at 6:30 to the sun streaming in and birds singing - I had to remind myself that I was smack dab in the city - NYC to be exact. Last night, after seeing a friend star in an off Broadway play, we went to a celebratory Italian dinner where we shared a bottle of `07 Dogajolo Super Tuscan Red. It was a really good wine, after it had a moment to breath. (which allowed me to wax on about the wonders of the vinturi) I do think that this was my first experience with a "Super Tuscan". I liked it, the glasses went down easily with my Caesar Salad and Eggplant Parmesan with Linguine. Even though we were stuffed, as a "dolce" the four of us shared a light and tasty chocolate mousse cake. I'll have to wait for them to remind me of the name of the restaurant. (it was a good night out)

Adventures in Fermentation

Meanwhile, I tasted the Ginger Beer today. (I stand corrected - I am brewing Ginger Beer, not Ginger Ale) It is really good, and I'll be making this all summer. I modified it though, I added some iced tea to the mix; it cut a bit of the ginger bite and added some caramel color. I'll re-bottle it this afternoon in plastic for the picnic.

Menu:
Home fermented Ginger Beer/Iced Tea
Shrimp & Chicken summer rolls with plum dipping sauce
Cold buttermilk fried chicken
Strawberry shortcake with homemade biscuits, fresh strawberries and aerosol whipped cream (my one concession)

Stages of Fermentation
(note the added color from the Iced Tea)
click on thumbnails to make larger

Day One - Freshly Bottled.......... Day Two - Bubbling Away.......... Day Three - Drink!

I am going to be tinkering with home fermenting all summer - it is cheap, fun, and tastes really good. Maybe one day, I'll graduate to making homemade wines... but until then, you'll get plenty of Trader Joe's reviews.