Blog Post #100!

I reached a milestone in my blogging journey with blog post #100. Before I started the adventure with my website FineWineGlassesAndMore about a year ago, I would have never believed that I would actually sit here today, and write my 100th blog post. I used to struggle with a text message… but I enjoy it, and I’m learning a lot. I remember when I was a kid I loved to write stories, and in school when we got and essay assignment, I would always find a way to make my story about horses (my biggest passion in life).

My stories are not about horses anymore, but I still like to sneak in a little “horse talk” now and then about these majestic and gorgeous animals that I love so much. And since I’m on the subject, it is the biggest day of the year in Harness Racing on Saturday (Aug. 3rd). I would like to promote our great sport, because the place to be is The Meadowlands, in East Rutherford New Jersey, where the biggest trotting race in the World, “The Hambletonian” is on the program.

Witch wines will mark my mini anniversary? How about a Bordeaux and my first ever Rose. The Bordeaux, a 2009 Mayne Sansac was a little strange at first, but this wine grew on me. A full-bodied, quite bold wine, that was excellent paired with a marinara sauce. I only paid $10 for this bottle, so I thought it was great value.

I was told that I’m missing out by shying away from the Rose wines, so I figured I would get one while the weather is still worm. Ended up with a Spanish wine, 2010 Protocolo, from Eguren. Not a bad summer sip, light and crisp, easy to drink. Perfect on a hot day, when you look for something cold and refreshing. This bottle was only $8, so how could you go wrong?

I would like to thank my followers, and everyone else that has helped getting me over 1000 views on my blog. It is a totally new and exciting adventure for me that I’m hoping to continue for years to come. The world of wine is so complex and full of history, it just makes you want to learn more, and of course, the most important thing, taste more. Cheers!

Bordeaux in New York City!

Went to a Bordeaux wine tasting in New York a couple of days ago. We had to fill out a questioner when we signed up, so they could “match” us with the right Bordeaux. The event was called Bordeaux Matchmaking. Must say I got a tiny bit confused at times, when some of the questions seemed to have nothing to do with wine…. do you like to travel? Starting to think that they were trying to match me with people, not wine.

When we got there, it was a really nice setup. You received an envelope with the number of the table that you would be tasting from. They had 10 tables, and we got 4 tickets to use at our table. Then we were told that we could swap tickets with other people, and taste from other tables, and that way we would be interacting with other tasters to get to know them….. another clue that we were not just being matched with wine….

Then, when I exchanged my first ticket, I was extremely surprised to get a full glass of wine. I was expecting a little in the bottom of the glass, like most wine tastings. needless to say, after using my 4 tickets, I was a very happy wine taster. Glad I took pictures of the bottles I tasted, otherwise there is no way I would be able to remember the fancy French names of the Bordeaux wines.

Well, they were better at matching me with wine than people… Absolutely loved the wines on my table. They were all nice and smooth, medium to full-bodied. And after some research, the prices are between $9 and $17. Didn’t really get to pair these wines with food (the hors d’oeuvres were tiny, and far between, left the party hungry) But I would imagine these wines would pair well with a lot of different food, especially red meat.

I’m very glad I went to this tasting, it was quite an experience, with great wine and atmosphere. But I’m just wondering what the idea of the event was. There was very little promotion of the wines, and they didn’t sell anything there. The event was free, and when the complimentary tasting was over, hardly anyone went to the bar, because they already drank 4 glasses of wine…. With a 150 people attending, that would be close to 150 bottles of wine….. hmmm….doesn’t seem like good business.

I was looking forward to trying Bordeaux, my experience with the French wines so far has been very good. And in my mind French wines seem very exclusive, and should be enjoyed in the right setting. What I mean is, don’t have a nice French wine with a take out burger…. So, that they served the wine in plastic stemless wine glasses was wrong. It takes away some of the glamour of the wine experience. I would have prefered to drink my wine out of Ravenscroft Crystal handblown Bordeaux glasses. Check out these glasses http://www.finewineglassesandmore.com/catalog/item/8603122/9498188.htm

and for other gift ideas visit us at www.finewineglassesandmore.com.

Overall this was a fun event, and I would go again. I love the City, and look for any excuse to go, there is just something fascinating about this place.

Cheers!

Little Treats From Norway, Paired with Little Treats From USA!

Had a little tasting party from my care package from Norway. I you havent been following this blog, I’m from Norway, and for every Christmas my Mom and Dad sends me this big package that consist of Christmas presents, and lots of chocolate and some different food items that I miss from home.

This morning I went to the store to get the wines that I wanted. I picked out a couple of different ones that I wanted to try, and I had to get one to mix with the Glogg. For the glogg I didn’t want to spend much, but I have also heard that you want to use one that you like. Hah… I got a 2 liter of Barefoot Zinfandel for 14 dollars. I love that wine. And guess what……? The glogg came out awesome. Thats what I’m talking about…. All that different spiced wine they have out there…..they have no idea! Just go to IKEA and get a bottle, mix it with a good red wine, add almonds and raisins at the end, and whala…..

My guests had brought wine also, so we ended up uncorking a 2010 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Very tasty bold wine, a little dry, plum and spice. A great wine experience.

  

The food was all over the tasting charts. Starting out we had, what I remember was always on the table around Christmas, nuts, dates and figs, along with clementines. Then I brought out the cheeses, a brown goat cheese, a similar white goat cheese and Jarlsberg cheese. They were all winners. The fish items were hit and miss, the caviar (my favorite, Mills kaviar mix) was a hit, the Mackerel fillets in tomato sauce was a hit with some people, and the Herring was only so so.

We had three different kinds of deserts to try. First (my favorite) Multe Berries (Cloudberries) with cream and sugar. OMG that’s good….. I am so lucky to get these berries shipped to me. These berries are a delicacy even in Norway. They grow in swampy areas, often up in the mountains and north of Norway. They are very picky about they’re enviroment. And my Dad walked through the woods and swamps (fighting the mosquitoes) picking these berries. I have been there, so I know what it is all about.  My guests liked it,,,, maybe not as ecstatic about it as I was, but they liked it.

Next, Kransekake, quite funny to hear my guests try to pronounce that. It’s a cake made out of mainly almonds and sugar. And it is made out of wreaths stacked on top of each other, decorated with flags. They all loved it.

Last was the Jule marzipan. Little candy bars of marzipan covered in milk chocolate. They make these special for Christmas. Mostly a hit, but that’s ok, I’ll take the leftovers. Remember these are all my favorites. Thanks Mom and Dad, Marry Christmas!

Cheers!

Friends and Chocolate, Paired with White Wine!

You really should never be too busy to spend time with your friends, but sometimes life pulls you in all the different directions, and you feel like you don’t have time to do the things you really want to do. I used to spend time with my friends several times a week, and all of a sudden I hadn’t seen them for two weeks…. Finally got over there to see them tonight, and of course they cooked me dinner. Real, home-made cheese burgers and home fries. Paired with a Thanksgiving leftover, Guenoc 2009 Lake County Chardonnay. A light, oaked wine that was not too sweet.

My host got her present out of my care package from Norway,  a big milk chocolate bar. My parents send me a big package for Christmas every year, with christmas presents and all kinds of goodies. Usually there is a lot of chocolate. I love Norwegian chocolate, it’s more creamy than the american. And pairs very well with Chardonnay….

Cheers!

 

Going Sparkly for the Holidays!

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy bubbles. I prefer seltzer water over plain water, and soda over juice. I do enjoy a cold beer now and then. There is just something refreshing about the bubbles. I don’t drink a lot of Champagne, but when there is something that needs to be celebrated, nothing makes a statement like a real sparkly Champagne.

Even when I was a little kid, my Mom and Dad used to give me a glass of Champagne on New Years Eve. Just a small glass, so me and my sister could toast the new year. And back in Norway, everyone has fireworks. The sky was lit up for at least an hour around midnight.

What really bothers me is the glasses that some people use for Champagne. They use those really wide, shallow glasses with short stem. Now you are pretty much forced to hold the glass itself, wich warms up the Champagne. And with the wide shape, the bubbles escape, what’s the point then?

I like a stem that you can hold on to, and a slim tall glass that will preserve the bubbles. We have some amazing Champagne glasses at www.finewineglassesandmore.com. Don’t let your bubbles escape. Ravenscroft Crystal has hand blown glasses that will compliment any Sparkling Wine.

Check out our selection http://www.finewineglassesandmore.com/sparkling_wine_glasses.html

Cheers!

Australian Wine Opened My World to Red Wines!

I got to know this Australian girl 20 years ago, but we didn’t become close friends until about 8 years ago. Whenever we had a get-together she would always bring a bottle of red wine, and it was always Australian. One night we were at my house, and everybody brought wine, we had leftovers! I remember it was a bottle of Black Swan Cabernet, and it wasn’t opened. When I finally did open it I realized, this is good! And that’s where it started.

Before this I always drank beer, or maybe white wine. I would sometime taste whatever wine that was being poured, and most of the time I would like it, but I never knew what to get myself. I started experimenting, and of course the next one was Yellowtail, which I also liked a lot. The amazing thing about these Australian wines, is the price, 6.99!…

My friend’s favorite is Lindeman’s, and that’s what I’m sipping tonight. Guess what I paid for it ………..6.99! That’s right! My pick tonight is the Lindeman’s 2010 Bin 50 Shiraz. It is awesome, plum and spice, very tasty. I don’t know how they do it? The wine has to ship all the way from Australia? You would think it would be more expensive, because the quality is certainly there. So, for all you budget wine drinkers out there, try Australian!

This makes me question my taste of wine. I do like a lot of US wine, but it seems like I lean toward the Europeans and the wines from Down Under more. Is this because I started drinking Aussie wine? Or, is it a proses that my palate goes through, where I learn to like the more heavy, complex wines as I go along? And this takes me over to another part of the World of Wines, Bordeaux….. wich I haven’t explored at all yet. But stay tuned… I just signed up for a Bordeaux wine tasting, so I will let you know what I learn there.

I had no idea where this journey was going to take me, but I’m so glad I took the first step. It is such an enjoyable, complex subject, with so much history from all over the World. And so many people are passionate about it, with their own opinions and tastes, and who’s to say that anyone is wrong?

All I’m saying right now is, Cheers!

Cheers!

 

Some Old Favorits, and Some New Uncorkings for Thanksgiving!

Just finished the last piece of leftover pie…. it was, as good now, as it was on Thanksgiving day. I guess Thanksgiving is one of the Holidays that lasts for a week, that’s about as long as it would take you to finish all the leftovers. To bad there was no leftover wine…. I might be the one to blame there thou. I admit I probably over tasted a little. And the meal was outstanding. Absolutely one of the best turkey dinners ever.

The wines we enjoyed was a combination of some old favorites, and some new ones that we hadn’t tasted yet. I brought the Cupcake Red Velvet, wich is a delicious wine, because it was the host’s favorite wine. And I thought she deserved that after all that cooking and baking.

I also brought my favorite Pinot Noir, Beaujolais-Village Red Burgundy. I thought it would pair very well with this meal, and it certainly did.

Picked up a bottle of Barefoot Chardonnay, for the ones who wanted white. It was a nice fresh wine. And another guest had picked up Hot To Trot, White Blend, wich I thought was very nice. All and all a very successful wine pairing.

Some people might be eating turkey for another couple of days. I’m done for now. Now I need to find the next wine and food pairing.

Cheers!

 

                

Wine Tasting at Cream Ridge Winery!

Timing was perfect for this tasting, last Sunday before Thanksgiving, the place was packed when I got there. It took probably 20 minutes or more before I got up to the tasting bar. And they were offering all kinds of goodies, like dips and cheeses, along with all the wines. I had no idea that they had as many as 23 different wines.

Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to taste all of them, I concentrated on the reds first. As it turned out my favorite was the first wine I tried, the Raley’s Red. It had very nice mix of spices and the blueberry was quite dominant. Other reds that I thought was ok was the Autumn Red, fresh and bright with citrus flavor, and the Zinfandel that also had prominent spices and berries. Fredonia was a very sweet wine and the Chambourcin, wich is NJ grown and aged in Hungarian Oak, was way to dry for me. The Cabernet Franc was also a bit dry, but much smoother, and in my opinion, much better.

From the white wines I was able to taste the Chardonnay, a little dry, but quite smooth with taste of oak. From my tasting buddies I learned that the Vidal Blanc was dry, and the Muscato Amabile was very sweet and fruity. I think the winner out of the whites was the Riesling, wich was lightly sweet and fruity.

We did try some of the fruit wines also, they have ten different ones. This is not my favorite type of wine, but I must say that the Black Currant was pretty good. The Cranberry, Mango and ChocolateBerry all got thumbs down.

Surprisingly the winner in my mind on this wine tasting, was the Holiday Spice Wine that they had heated up in the back room, mixed with fruits. It was awesome!

Looks like my initial thoughts of New Jersey wines carry on. They seem to be very fruity, citrusy and sweet. Don’t get me wrong, there are good wines among them, but I can see that a California wine lover might not be a big fan. I will keep serching, sipping and telling you all about it, so stay tuned.

Cheers!

Excellent Italian Pinot Noir!

I went label shopping again. Was invited to dinner, and knew we were having steak, didn’t really have an idea of what I wanted to pick up, so I started looking for a good label. There was a few fun labels on the Zinfandel’s, but they were all over 20 dollars, and as you know, I don’t like to spend more than 10. So I ended up with a Pinot Noir from Italy with a really nice label. It’s almost like it’s painted on the bottle, not a regular label. I also thought it was about time that I tried an Italian wine.

Must say I was a bit curious, since I really like the French wines so far, and especially the Burgundy. And the Italian was quite a bit like the French, nice and smooth, and not too heavy. With some earthy tones and a citrus finish, a delightful wine that went excellent with our meal.

This is getting quite interesting, I seem to like the European wines and the wines from down under better than US wines. I’m from a country that don’t make wine at all (Norway), and I didn’t grow up drinking wine. Now I live in a country that is known for it’s wine (especially California). And I like the wines that are from the opposite side of the world better. I’m going to have to investigate this subject more. Is it maybe just that my palate has to adjust? And that the European wines are lighter and therefore easier to like for someone new to wine? Many questions, that I will try to get the answers to.

Cheers!

250 Dollar Bottle of Wine on a Tuesday Night…. Yea, I can get used to that!

Sometimes you just have to be lucky. My friend received a 250 dollar bottle of wine as a gift, and she asked me to be there for the uncorking. Now, this is very unusual in our world, I usually try to stay under 10 dollars when I buy wine. Her gift was a Caymus Vineyards 2001 Special Selection, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon. We were all a little excited about this tasting( I was very excited)we really didn’t know what to expect.

I was asked to pick up dinner for this special occasion, and I couldn’t think of getting anything other than the best stake that I could find. So filet mignon it is, with some broccoli and baked potatoes. Probably the best Tuesday night dinner I’ve had in a while. And the wine…..I’m sorry to say…..it was the best wine I’ve had, maybe ever. (Sorry because I can’t afford to by a bottle like this on a weekly basis)

My friend gave me the honor of uncorking the bottle…..all I’m thinking is “don’t break the cork”, the only thing The Universe heard was “break the cork”, all of you  that know the law of attraction knows exactly what happend……I broke the cork! Thankfully I was able to save it, but can you imagine pushing leftover broken cork down into a 250 dollar bottle of wine! That would have been a disaster.

Some wine tasters may criticise my review of this wine, but I never claimed to be an expert on this, I just like wine, and I blog about it. A very flavorful wine with pronounced cherry flavor that finished off with a hint of black licorice, and a very smooth, nice finish. I want to say a “Do Over”, but I don’t know when I would ever be able to “do this over”.

Anyway, this was a thrill to get to experience, especially since I now do all these tastings, and I know a lot more than I used to. Hoping for more fun exciting moments like this in the future, and I have a feeling there will be plenty.

Cheers!