Venturing Into Rare Wines...

Uncommon wines are wines that are... okay, they are uncommon.  They usually aren't found at restaurants (even within their region), nor are they found in stores.  They come from the winery alone, because there are relatively few bottles produced.
Normally I prefer to review a wine that may be found in nearly anyone's local stores, but because I was recently married (and therefore am THE BRIDE), I have chose a rare wine from New Zealand:  Brick Bay Winery Pinot Gris 2010.

Why Brick Bay?
I'll be honest.  I don't like Pinot Gris.  They are usually too sweet for me, fermented from grapes too young.  At first glance, I expected this one to be the same.  The wine was nearly colorless, and the year was 2010.  Surely something so new couldn't be decently interesting.

Was I wrong.  The initial flavor was effervescent and crisp.  There are tastes of fruit, but nothing overwhelms the palette so much that delicate cheeses couldn't be complimented well. The view wasn't bad either.  We were in a modern-designed greenhouse over a lush pond, surrounded by a sculpture garden.  The rain fell softly, but did nothing to diminish the view.

One of the hanging light surrounds.

We were told by our kiwi tasting guide that this is one white wine that cellars well.  She told us, "Please keep one bottle to share on your 5th wedding anniversary.  It will mellow and taste like honey."

Good advice to heed.

If ever one is in the vicinity of Auckland, (and with the exchange rate as it is, I'm surprised not all of you are there), I highly recommend this winery.  The people are friendly, and tasting is very inexpensive:  $5 for 4 glasses.

Cost?
The wines are on par with other rare wines in the area:  I believe we paid around $32/bottle.  Not cheap, but far from expensive.

Sweets for the Sweet:

Periodically, one enjoys a wine after dinner.  Dessert wines are typically sweet, like most delicacies that follow the multi-course meal.  Unfortunately, the market is flooded by wines that are artificially sweetened with sugars; to a connoisseur's palate, these merely taste like the unholy union between old rum and a packet of Sweet n' Low.

Fortunately, God invented Ice Wines to fix this problem.

Ice wines are somewhat uncommon, and are produced when the grapes freeze while on the vine.  An early frost on ripe grapes will create ice wine.  Most people are familiar with those from Germany and Canada.  But because of the specific weather conditions, good ice wine crops aren't produced every year. 

I am currently trying the 2005 Selaks Ice Wine from New Zealand.

Why Selaks?

Well, I'm trying more New Zealand wines before I visit in a few weeks.  This is a small bottle, so if I didn't like it, I wouldn't be terribly wasteful.  

It is 11% alcohol by volume, and is a clear, golden color, akin to mead.  In fact, the flavor is similar to mead in that the sweetness is less syrupy than artificially sweetened wines, but is definitley noticable.  In fact, this may be too sweet of a wine for a person who isn't offsetting the flavor with sharp cheese.  Keep that in mind.

Cost:  

Because ice wines are uncommon, they tend to be a little pricier than other sweet wines.  A bottle of decent ice wine can easily run over $40, though most are sold in smaller bottles.  This particular half bottle cost around $20.

Off To England: Strongbow Dry Cider

Strongbow - England's Dry Cider

Some people have yet to venture into the realm of ciders, and I must say they are missing out.  Nothing is more refreshing on a sultry day than kicking back with a dry cider in a chilled glass.

Why Strongbow?

Some people in the U.S. might be more familiar with Vermont's Woodchuck Cider.  I like most brews out of Middlebury, and some of the Woodchuck flavors are pretty good, but others are far too sweet.  If you are more of a beer/red wine drinker, you will prefer a dry cider.  I've yet to find one with a crisper finish than what comes out of this English can.  The carbonation is noticeable, but minimal.  The taste is similar to biting into a fresh Granny Smith apple.

Strongbow just became available in some states, and still isn't available in all.  Some places carry it in bottles, others in cans.  I'm currently drinking one out of a can.  The alcohol content (outside of UK pubs) is officially 5.3%, though it appears to vary. My can reads 5.0%.

 

Cost:  

The cost is a little high, though not unreasonable - a four pack of cans runs anywhere from $9 to $12.  That may not sound like a lot, but most good imported beer six packs cost about the same.

For a particularly interesting beverage, mix a cider with Harp (or any non-crappy lager) and make a Snake bite.  The lager simply lessens the sweetness of the cider.

Next Up: Ravenswood Cabernet Savignon

Ravenswood Cabernet Savignon

Why Ravenswood?

I'm pretty sure I saw it on one of the NYTimes best under $20 list, but I can't recall. Also, a former boss in Florida (whom I hold in high esteem), wouldn't stop bothering me until I tried it. And he was right - this is good.

A person doesn't have to be a fan of cabs to love this wine. Even a Pinot Noir or Merlot lover will enjoy this tasty wine. The secret, I think, is that it isn't too tanniny (I just made that up... or I heard it somewhere... it means it isn't too bitter). This wine is strong in flavor though, but I wouldn't consider it overwhelming even if paired with a heavily marinated chicken dish. I think it's best with a dark vegetable of some sort. Also goes well with Vermont cheese. If you don't like VT cheese, you might be a communist.

Ravenswood is famous for their strong Zins. In fact, they brag about this on their site so much I found it annoying. I think real wine drinkers don't waste money on Zins, but whatever. Their cab is freaking awesome.

Cost: Less than $15
And cheap. Awesome and cheap. In Florida and New Jersey I believe I paid around $12, and in Oklahoma the cost is $13.99.

Verdict?
If you have a 20 dollar bill to blow on a bottle of red, this is where you blow it.

First Tasting:

Passions, like oceans and ugly shoe fads, ebb and flow. My great passion is history and nearly anything even remotely related to it. However, one of my lesser passions has recently come to the forefront: booze.

My fiance Chris opened a pub. I enjoyed libations before this, but now friends/customers will ask me specifics about beers or wine, and I find myself needing to describe them in a way that is both accessible and appealing (or not appealing... depends on the beverage).

I have many wonderful online friends who share this alcoholic passion with me, and this is for them as well. I hope they will continue to let me know about new beers and interesting wines. After all, such advice from trustworthy sources is invaluable for a pub serving the second largest selection of beer in the state.

My hope is to discuss the price and taste of a wine or beer a couple times each week, and I'd like people to offer suggestions or their own opinions. I'd like to stay away from a typical wine connoisseur's jargon, and lean toward how a person could best describe an excellent $25 wine to his friend. Pretension is fun, but is not my goal here.

So let's get this proverbial show on the road, and remember my fellow imbibers: A true wine lover will swallow and never spit!

First up -

Dom Perignon

I know, someone is thinking, "Well if all the wines will cost over $100, this is a stupid blog." That someone is correct - nearly everything I drink is under $40.

Why Dom Perignon?
Someone asked me what is on my "Bucket List." I didn't know what that was, but learned that it is a list of things one wants to accomplish before kicking the proverbial bucket.

Droll.

Anyway, I had always wanted to try a bottle of Dom. Not the $400 Dom Rose - just a regular bottle.

Chris, darling that he is, bought me one for my first annual 29th birthday, which happened to fall on New Year's eve. I had 80% of the bottle to myself (my deaf friend supplied the glasses, then took his cut... bastard).
After I tried Dom, I had a ton of people asking me what I thought about it.

In the darkened pub, the color was typical of French champagne. It smelled pleasant, in a woodsy sort of way. I sipped it, and was a little surprised. The initial flavor was very wood-like, which I enjoy. The rest was crisp.

Verdict?
I'll be honest - I don't know that I could have told the different between a $50 bottle of champagne, and Dom. Perhaps that's my ignorance of French Champagne talking, but I can't say that I would buy it again (though I'd certainly drink it again!)