RIB SHACK RED WINE REVIEW

We like wine.  

But we don't understand all the tasting and smelling notes.  When someone starts talking about tobacco, blackberries, lemon rinds and oaky barrels as a good thing, our minds think "ashtray and trashcan at an orchard"!  We just know what we like and what we don't like.  So occasionally we'll post a review, our own review, it might make you want it or not, you might have a totally different opinion, but hopefully it'll make you laugh.  

It's all good fun right...?

Rib Shack Red wine review

During our "STEAKSGIVING" celebration a couple of months back, we (of course), had grilled steaks.  When I went to the store and the guy asked about the wine I was looking for, I told him we were having grilled steaks.  He said "for Thanksgiving?"  Hey, don't judge!  I told him it was for "Steaksgiving" and after describing it, he laughed and said he understood. 

He directed me to this variety.  It is a blend, meaning it's a combination of wines, in this case Pinotage and Shiraz (not even sure what that first one is but it sure sounds foo foo doesn't it?).  Hey, they even sound fancy as a blend don't they?  

Pardon me but do you have any Grey Poupon? 

This bottle cost $9.89 on sale.

Ribshack Red 2014 Blend Review

It was a good wine.  The color was a rich purple, almost the color of a rare cut of meat. The first sip is surprising because it really is kind of smoky.  I'm sure there is a 'note' that goes along with that in official tasting circles but it really did seem like liquid smoke.  Not that I've guzzled liquid smoke but if you could condense down that aroma that comes from a rack of BBQ ribs after they've been grilled, this would be it.  We could even tell that it was spicy (some things are obvious even if you don't know all the right descriptions).  There is no doubt this was created to add a little something to your BBQ/grilled dinner and that it does.  It's also very smooth after you drink it, no harsh after affects...unless of course you consume too much, well then, we all know how that ends...ahh college...but I digress.

TASTING AND SMELLING NOTES:  

Um...grill smoke, robots, thunder and lightning!

PAIR NICELY WITH: 

A good steak, BBQ sauce (but not mixed together), Transformers the Movie (but only the first one), and of course, friends and family.

BOTTOM LINE:

We enjoyed it, and when we grill or have BBQ again, we'll definitely consider this one.  As an everyday wine though, we feel it would only go best with its namesake...BBQ/grilling.

MARTIN FIERRO CABERNET SAUVIGNON REVIEW

We like wine.  But we don't understand all the tasting and smelling notes.  When someone starts talking about tobacco, blackberries, lemon rinds and oaky barrels as a good thing, our minds think "ashtray and trashcan at an orchard"!  We just know what we like and what we don't like.  So occasionally we'll post a review, our own review, it might make you want it or not, you might have a totally different opinion, but hopefully it'll make you laugh.  

It's all good fun, right...?

We picked up this bottle the other day.  It's Martin Fierro, an Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon.  Don't Cry for me Argentina...yeah, maybe on this bottle you will.  It pours out as a deep beautiful color in the glass.  Sort of what you'd think a wine color should be.  Alas, the taste was a bit off putting.  The best description we can give is 'bitter'.  I'm sure there is some technical term that goes along with that, but hey, bitter is not something you want to taste in the first sip.  It has a kind of a flat taste too.  Not very memorable, except in a bad way of course, i.e. "Remember when we had that?  Don't buy it again"

Now please don't equate the screw top with quality.  Many bottles are going to a screw top, even some very expensive bottles.  This was $8.99, on sale.  I think the regular price is about $11.00.

TASTING AND SMELLING NOTES:  

I don't know, um, lions, tigers and bears...oh my?

PAIRS NICELY WITH: 

Bitter memories, Keeping up with the Kardashians, sticking your tongue on a 9volt battery

BOTTOM LINE:

We didn't like it, in case you couldn't tell.  

Will not be buying it again.

OUR FAVORITE WINE ST FRANCIS RED SPLASH

Another favorite of late, is this great, full bodied red.  This one is actually from Sonoma, California.
The cool thing about this wine is that it's a blend of FIVE different reds.

It's a tasty combination of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Zinfandel.  An interesting combination on face value, but it really creates a rich, full bodied taste that's unique but very smooth.  It's very versatile, as you might imagine, and can be used to complement just about any occasion or dish and a great value for the price.  In fact, Food & Wine Magazine actually named this of the best American wines under $15.  We have really liked it with brisket and roast, and recently had it with a great Bolognese sauce (with homemade pasta) that 2nd Man makes.

It comes from the St. Francis Winery in California, click on the link to read more about it.

As I always try to do, here are the official winemaker's notes:

"Red, ripe and robust fruit flavors with spicy aromas make this a wine that pairs well with a variety of foods. Great with grilled foods and pizza or pasta dishes with red sauce. The perfect wine to serve at a cocktail party or backyard barbecue."

We like this red so much, we recently bought 6 bottles when it was on sale (normally about $12/bottle, we found it for $7/bottle).  We just might use this as our "go to" Farmhouse red wine, if we can find some more on sale.

Try some, we think you just might like it!

OUR FAVORITE SPARKLING RED: BLACK CHOOK SHIRAZ

Here is another of our favorites, this time it's an unusual sparkling wine, a sparkling red!

A couple of years ago, we attended a wine tasting at our favorite local wine bar in Houston, Sonoma.  One of the wines we tasted was a sparkling Shiraz from Australia.

We loved it.  It is sweet, juicy, fizzy, and has a strong flavor of berries.

This is from Australian, a winery called Penny's Hill.  It's very bubbly, just like Champagne.

During Hurricane Ike a few months later, we found a bottle at a local store that was still open.  We bought a bottle and used it to celebrate when the power came back on (2 weeks later!).

Later we bought 3 bottles online and have slowly used them for special occasions.  One bottle we had at Thanksgiving and it was delicious with turkey and dressing, and another bottle we used for a birthday celebration.  We still have one bottle left, which we're saving for our first dinner at the farm.

Syrah Grape

It is made from the Syrah grape shown above.

Here are the official winemaker notes:

This non-vintage wine sparkles to the tune of a well blended, predominately 3 year old Shiraz, aged in old French oak barrels showing wonderful smooth integrated fruit and a rich weighty texture across the palate.  This is blended with a touch of younger Shiraz bringing ripe juicy fruit character to the finished product.  A rich, luscious sparkling wine that is well balance and food friendly.

So pick up a bottle of this and enjoy it on your special occasion.

OUR FAVORITE ROSE WINE BASTIANICH ROSATO

Since I posted about our new favorite white wine, the Gazela Vinho Verde,

I've had people asking me about other our

other favorites.

So this time, I will share our favorite Rose.

It's the Bastianich Rosato.  In case the name sounds familiar, it is the same as Lidia Bastianich, the beloved TV host of popular Italian cooking shows (if you've never seen her shows, look for them, usually on PBS, she's awesome!)

Now normally, I will say that I'm not big on the whole celebrity endorsement thing, usually because most of the "Food Network" type stuff is just "Made in China" with a celebrity chef's name stamped on the box.

But this is different.  Lidia's family has vineyards in Italy and they produce this from there.
It's called "Rosato" which is Italian for Rose.

Again, I'm not the kind of wine person that can describe the flavors and smells of wines (tasting notes I believe they are called), I can only say that we like it and why we like it.
In this case, it is a sweet, vibrant, refreshing wine, almost like a light red wine.  It has a beautiful pink color in the glass that is beautiful just on it's own.  And while there are no bubbles, it's almost like the Vinho Verde we like in that it's a crisp wine that is great served cold on a hot summer day.  Because it's aged in stainless steel barrels, instead of oak, it doesn't have that tartness of the oak that some people don't like.

Refosco Grapes

The wine is made from the grapes above, they are called Refosco.
Here are the "official" tasting notes, for those who are interested:

" An intensely colored rosato filled with plums, rose petals, violets and orange peel aromas. Medium weight with soft fruit, especially white plums which leads to clean mouthwatering acidity. The acidity is fresh, making it a delight to drink with just about anything. A clean finish esures a refreshing experience.  Enjoy it on its own or with smoky, sweet, spicy dishes or cuisines."

All I know is we like it!  We'd buy a case if we could.
It will definitely become our go-to Farmhouse Rose.

Enjoy!

OUR NEW FAVORITE WINE VINHO VERDE

Since this blog is all things "farm", one of those things we enjoy is a nice glass of wine.  Now let me emphasize, we are not the 'wine types' that can identify the different notes (scents and tastes) in a particular wine.  My usual response is "oh it tastes like a field a bluebonnets with kittens and puppies and rainbows" which usually elicits a laugh or two. 

In the most recent issue of Country Living (thanks Kelly) they recommended a great deal for a bottle of wine.  It's a Portuguese wine called Vinho Verde.

For their recommendation, they suggested the Famega (on the left).  We were at the store and I saw this Gazela (on the right) and since it was also the same Portuguese variety, we decided to pick it up.  WOW, it's our new favorite hot summer wine (and trust me, it's hot down here now, 104 a few days ago).  Anyway, we put it in the freezer for a couple of hours to get it ice cold (don't leave too long in the freezer, the low alcohol content will cause it to freeze).  We opened it, poured it into a wine glass and it actually had bubbles!  Not like Champagne or anything else "sparkling", it's just a very light kind of bubble, just enough to stick to the sides of the glass but not enough that it's going to fizz up and overflow if you shook it.  I can't describe the taste with all the official terms, I'm just going to describe it as REALLY GOOD.  It's the perfect wine for hot days, and one interesting feature is its low alcohol content, only about 9%, which means you can have an extra glass!  It's slightly sweet, light on the palate, and best served when really cold, hence the reason it's so good on a hot summer day.  Another advantage?  It's only about $6.00 a bottle!


We kept ours in the refrigerator for a couple of days after it was opened, and it might have lost just a slight bit of it's natural fizz, but it didn't lose any taste.  Of course, it's so good, it rarely lasts longer enough for us to keep it long enough to worry about that, ha.
The other day we finally found the Famega brand and so we tried it.  It was a bit stronger, but not really to our liking.  It seemed a bit "heavier".  It's funny how the same wine from the same grapes but different wineries can be so different in taste.

Both are made with the Loureiro grape shown below.

Loureiro Grapes

For our personal preference, we will stick with the Gazela as our "house summer wine"
(or is that "farmhouse summer wine"?).

SIDE NOTE:  We've been firm believers that it's fun to try new wines, that way you can find what you like, and then once you find one you like, you can use it as your house red, or white or whatever it is you like.
In our mud room, we want to get one of those small refrigerated wine coolers that holds both reds and whites, keeping them at the appropriate temperatures.  More on that when it happens!