Uppercut Wine

When you cook with wine, you should always cook with something that you would drink. I needed a dry white wine for a recipe I was making, so I decided to try it beforehand to make sure that it was tasty enough to use in the recipe. Uppercut Sauvginon Blanc comes from the northern part of California's coast. Because of the location of the vineyard, the grapes develop both fruit and mineral flavors. The initial notes of the wine are peach and melon and it finishes with some acidity and mineral notes. Usually Sauvginon Blancs don't have lots of fruit so it was interesting to have those present in the wine. The lighter notes but more complex flavors make it a perfect pairing with seafood. This is a great wine to drink on it's on as it isn't too sweet. Stay tuned for the recipe that I used this wine in.

Spring Sips from Central Market

If you just look, there are tons of things to do around you. I found a really fun wine tasting class at Central Market. This class highlighted some "Spring Sips", which are really just easy to drink, summery wines. In this class, we tried five different wines - two whites, a rose, and two red wines. One of the white wines that we sampled in the class (and I ended up buying) was a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. It was a crisp wines that had floral notes, in addition to citrus and minerals aromas. There were aromas of melon, honey, and lime. It had a nice finish to it that wasn't too acidic. It was a very nice wine on its own, but would pair well with chicken or a citrus shrimp dish. Since it had the background of minerals, it is great for those who don't like the fruity sweetness that white wines are known for. Coming in at about $8, this wine is definitely a must try as the weather begins to warm up.

Monkey Bay

There is something exciting about trying a new wine. You never know what to expect because every wine is slightly different even if it is made from the same grape. The climate and region affects the wine, so you may like the varietal from France for example, but not from Napa. I like it because it's like opening a present and usually I am pleasantly surprised. I found this Sauvginon Blanc from New Zealand called Monkey Bay. This wine was crisp and bright with a hint of pineapple. It is a great wine now that the weather is unfortunately starting to get a bit warmer. (That's Texas for you...) The suggested food pairing was chicken and seafood, but I had it with some ground turkey and it was delicious. This is definitely one I will buy again. It was refreshing on the palate and under $10, so what's not to love about a great wine at an affordable price.

"Bogle"ing My Mind

Sauvignon blancs tend to be more acidic and spicy. They have more of a zippy herbal taste, instead of the fruit flavors. I found this one from Bogle vineyards in Sacramento at Whole Foods. It's pretty acidic and has lots of herbal, earthy flavors, making it a perfect pair with fish and cheese. As a wine to drink by itself, I prefer something with a bit more fruit to it. However, I am sure that with the right foods, it would be much better. That's the great thing about wine...some are meant to enjoy with food and some are better by themselves, but either way there is something for everyone and everything. If you prefer less fruity wines, then this is a great option. No matter what it is, give it a try and take a walk on the wild side.

Tucci

It's kind of hard to find small, somewhat casual, romantic spots these days with all the chain restaurants out there. You either get fast casual or super high end places... not very good when you are looking for something in the middle. However, we happened to stumble upon Tucci while driving down Cherry Street. This main street-esque block has tons of little shops, restaurants, and bars. During my last visit, we stopped at a really great pizza place (see my post on Andolini's Pizza), so we figured we could just try anything and it would probably be pretty good. We stopped at this little place with a patio strung with little red lights and then found it to be an Italian place. (Apparently we like to find Italian places) It smelled amazing when we walked in, so that was a good sign. It was a small place with black and white checkerboard floors and red walls. Each table had a little lamp with a red beaded shade and the walls were decorated with fun food art...definitely a fun little date night place.

I started off with a glass of Starborough Sauvignon Blanc that had aromas of melon and apple, making it easy to drink. The pizzas seemed to be the most popular item coming out of the kitchen, so we decided to try a pizza pie. It was served with a salad that had garlic crostini, kalamata olives, and parmesan cheese on it with a lemon vinaigrette. The dressing gave it some brightness and the subtle sweetness that went well with the salty olives. The pizza we opted for was a white pizza with chicken, artichokes, roasted garlic, and cheese. (The picture was more of an artsy shot.) The crust was surprisingly flavorful and actually made me want to eat it. I am not usually a crust person because it's usually just bland bread, but it was really yummy. Though the server seemed a little off during the meal, the food was pretty yummy. If you are in the area and looking for some where to go, be sure to stop by and try out Tucci.

It's Tuesday, So Raise Your Glass!

It's Tuesday, so why not celebrate? Time to pop the cork and enjoy a great glass of vino. I am a fan of white wine, but I am trying to be more open to red wines. I decided to try a red and a white wine this time. I have not had a Chateau Ste Michelle wine, so I picked up a bottle of sauvignon blanc to try.  It was a bit acidic and earthy, with a slightly fruity note. It was very clean and bright...perfect for a summer's nights. This was a great buy for under $10. I also got to try a merlot from Bay Bridge. This merlot was surprisingly mellow, had light tannins, and a great cherry flavor. It was a bit easier for me to drink than some other red wines, so that was a nice surprise. These were two great wines, so be sure to try them out. You don't need to have a specific reason to celebrate, so cheers to Tuesday!