Since the world cup is on I thought it would be appropriate to try a wine from South Africa! The last wine I had from that area was from Blouberg and it wasn't as good as I was hoping, much like the performance of England especially against Algeria. What the hell was that?! Gerrard was the only one who came out to play!

The bouquet was clean and fresh. It had aromas of dark berries, oak, vanilla with an easy spice that complimented nicely. The palate carried forward spice with notes of blackberry, cherry, dates and finished with an Oakes dryness. It was structured relatively well with round tannins that didn't linger too long. Overall a decent tasting from South Africa. However keep in mind you can get better reds at a cheaper price but if you want to stay with the World Cup spirit, this Ripe Red is decent.

J

       

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Firefinch_-_Ripe_Red_Tags_Wine.zip (447 KB)

Sent from my iPhone...

This was one of the better Argentinian reds I've had at this price point. The Circus Malbec appeared deep in ruby-purplish colour with a somewhat dense and thick clarity. The bouquet smelled of plums and molasses. With round tannins and a hint of spice it had a fairly dry but medium length finish.

Master's starts in a few days marking Tiger's return since the incident. I could give a shit what he does in his personal life. Anybody who's a fan of golf understands that that has nothing to do with the sport. Anything else is for the fair weather fan and the people who watch Extra. Who cares!

I ran into an odd website (in a series of other odd websites): www.hotchickssmilingatgroundzero.com

     

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Circus_Malbec_-_Mendoza_Argent.zip (283 KB)

I might've actually had something to write about here but somebody drank the whole bottle! I didn't even get a chance to taste it! In all honesty I probably would've done the same so I can't really fault her (I just have to muscle my way in next time :).

Anyway, I hear it's pretty tastey... *sigh*

J

Sent from my iPhone...

I believe this is the last of the "thanksgiving party" wine. The colour/clarity is that of a smokey red brick. The bouquet on this is quite interesting. It smells heavily of dark fruit like plums and blackcurrant but ends with a slight spice. There's also a sweetness mixed in with the spice that makes you return for another smell. The wine has plenty of bold spice that's well balanced and complex. It's not too heavy but has a good robust body and finishes with a nice and long.

I did some searching and discovered that the 2005 vintage of the Nipozzano Riserva scored 90 with Wine Spectator and ranked 76th in their top 100 Wines world classification.

(Not exactly an Irish wine but do you know how hard it is to find a wine from Ireland in the SW of Calgary? Whatever! Happy St. Patty's Day!!!)

Peace ooouuut!

J

     

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Marchesi_de_Frescobaldi_-_Nipo.zip (239 KB)

Perhaps the big brother of the Domaine de Valmoissine? But this pinot is classified under the AOC system of Bourgogne. It too has smokey clarity with a burgundy colour. The bouquet is also similar consisting of black cherries but seems a bit more robust with dark berries, slight oak and vanilla. The tasting was also similar but again slightly more robust. Dark cherries, light spice, vanilla and oak with a medium body and an easy dry finish. Really interesting to taste this one after the Domaine de Valmoissine. I mentioned earlier that the Domaine de Valmoissine could stand to be "turned up" a bit—this pinot from Bourgogne is it.

I just saw the movie Zombieland; an excellent addition to the zombie genre. But let's remember that guns are great but reloading is a bitch and you eventually run out of bullets. The best weapon is still—and this is my personal opinion—a light but strong aluminum baseball bat with a sweat resistant grip. No need for ammo and works well in close combat situations which you would almost always find yourself in. Keep that in mind the next time you're confronted with a zombie(s)...

J

PS: I know, I forgot to take a picture of the bottle before sending it for recycling... LAY OFF!! So here's the label from the ol' Google Images...

A nice gift from my cousin and a fairly decent value for the price. This was my first Vin de Pays wine or "Country Wine". And although it's not an AOC classification (I believe it's only one step up from Vin de Table) it's still a decent wine for the price.

It had a smokey clarity with a burgundy colour. The bouquet has notes of ripe black cherries, strawberries and easy mint. The tasting was decent with easy spice, light cherries and slight oak. It had a light to medium body with an easy and quick dry finish. The only thing I could say about this wine is that it's maybe a little too understated. The flavours could stand to be "turned up" a little. But a very easy drinking wine.

J

Robbed again Tarantino! Inglorious Bastards is an excellent movie...

     

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Maison_Louis_Latour_-_Domaine_.zip (213 KB)

This was my very first Chinese wine. I wasn't completely sure what to think but many good Chinese wines were grown from grapes imported from Europe and the US. The Cabernet Gernischt was is a rare varietal imported from Bordeaux in 1892 but is now extinct in much of Europe.

The bouquet smelled of oak and strong earth with underpinnings of strawberry and rhubarb. It was definitely a full-bodied wine draped in the darkest burgundy I've seen in a long time. The palate had flavours of oak, moss and rich soil with a long and dry finish. I would say though that it would've been nice to have some sweetness in there to balance the acidity a bit more.

It was really interesting to try this one. There weren't a lot of people clamouring to taste the wine but in all honesty it wasn't bad and how often can you say that you've had a wine from China (at least in Canada). It will be really interesting to see how Chinese wine will grow. In previous years almost all Chinese wine has been exported, but the local market is beginning to take notice, and quite frankly, it's the biggest market in the world.

Okay... peace out!
J

PS: Let's go Kevin Martin!!!

I'm pretty sure a family member brought this wine. Sure it doesn't have a specific appellation but I have to at least try it out. The bouquet smells of heavy black cherries, spice and a hint of vanilla. Straight forward, it tasted of rich black spice, dark cherries and blackberries with subtle notes of oak. A balanced and dry full bodied wine with a medium finish.

I wish I could remember who brought it. That's one of the great things about hosting a party—to the host go the spoils!

Okay peace out!

     

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Mezzo_Mondo_-_Negroamaro_Salen.zip (237 KB)