June 17, 2009

Wednesday's Wine - A White One and a Red One

So last week, starting on Wednesday, I had new floors put in my kitchen and bathroom. I still drank some wine prior to Wednesday, but somehow I didn't get around to sharing...heh.

The weekend before the floors were installed I had the white wine. Then over the weekend to celebrate the floor completion (along with the installation of a new low flow toilet and energy efficient dishwasher) I grilled a steak for dinner. Of course, that required opening a bottle of some kind of red wine.

The white was another Pinot Grigio. I think I might like Pinot Grigios a little bit...heh. This one is Lumina Pinot Grigio, 2007 from the Ruffino Winery which is in Italy. Hopefully The Gentleman will stop by and give us her opinion on it. I found it crisp and generally pretty good. I've had better ones, but for the price (around $8.00 from Applejack Liquors) it was a good buy. Depending on what you like in a white wine, it could be good by itself, but I would prefer something else for sipping. On the other hand it went well with chicken and veggie stirfry. Here's what the folks at Ruffino said about their Pinot Grigio:

Lumina means "Illumination of the moon"; the label's quartered-moon icon represents the ancient alchemist's symbol for this planet. Lumina is a Pinot Grigio with a well recognizable personality. Its medium-bodied structure and full aromas makes it stand out in the broad Pinot grigio category. This wine, which was first introduced in 2002, has in fact been so well reviewed by consumers world-wide that its production has grown well beyond 1.000.000 bottles per year in only 4 years.


I also picked up a Malbec at Applejack for around $8.00. Malbec is gaining some popularity among red wine enthusiasts, but it is a bit different from other reds. It's not a bold red like a Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. On the other hand it's not as wimpy as Merlot (sorry...heh). This 2008 Tilia Malbec is from Argentina and is definitely complex and yet smooth. I noticed the fruit flavors (kind of a berry/cherry taste) on the front of the palate, however it also seemed a tad spicy in a mellow kind of way. I liked that it didn't have the alcohol burn that some thinner reds have at this price point. Here's what one wine purchasing website said about Tilia Malbec, 2008:

The 2008 Tilia Malbec presents a dark purple color with violet highlights. The nose offers bright black cherry aromas with light floral notes and a touch of toast. The mouthfeel is full and rich, with ripe, concentrated cassis and black raspberry fruit flavors interwoven with a touch of chocolate and sweet spice from light oak aging. This finish shows ripe, silky tannins.

I loved it with my steak and another evening with my Taco Bell (as a result of multiple trips to the store after all day post construction cleanup, I was too tired to cook...heh). By the way, both bottles were screw top, but that didn't take away from the experience and it's much easier to keep the wine longer...but not as long as you can with box wine...heeeee.

ENJOY!

7 comments:

Jannie Funster said...

You know me - I'll try it.

And congrats on your new floors, I know how great that feels.

I like steak too!

jennifer from pittsburgh said...

MK and I have had that Pinot Grigio! The only, and I do mean only, white wines that we drink are all Italian varieties. Excellent wine :)

KathSW said...

Being primarily a fan of the reds, I think I am going to have to try a Malbec, now.

Beautiful color, little bit of chocolate in there.... and the versatility to pair well whether dining fine or fast. Sold.

PS -- *Applejack* Liquors -- cute name. ;)

Jdancer8 said...

Pinot Grigio used to be my fav. now im a reisling gal. but i always enjoy your suggestions, i've moved them into my pocket pad that i keep in the purse to check out...soon I'll be high tech and have a blackberry or something and can just store them in there...

TheWeyrd1 said...

Jannie...thanks!

Jennifer...The Gentleman will appreciate that you only drink white wines from Italy...heh.

Kath...let me know what you think of the Malbec vs. other reds...

J...you just like the sweet wines cause you're a kid a heart...heh.

secret agent woman said...

The red sounds good. Have you tried the Concha y Toro/Frontera carmenere. $5 and not bad.

TheWeyrd1 said...

Secret...thanks for stopping by and Concha sounds vaguely familiar. But I'm not sure I've had it...