Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc `07 $14.99 (not TJ's) ***

This is why wine blogging is fun. I not only get to taste the wine, feel the effects of the ETOH, but can deconstruct it and figure out just what nuances I'm tasting; all while something yummie is either bubbling away on the cooktop or gnawing in the oven.  The kitchen is an inspirational place to be - all the senses are sated.

Tonight, we had the Green Bottle.  Over the Summer, I was introduced to Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, a pink wine that I really, really like as a versatile everyday bottle. JPH bought the Green bottle - the Sauvignon Blanc, he cooked with it (Zuppa di Pesci with fresh Smelts, Bluefish and rice) and well, I just watched him cook as I poured myself a glass. Ok, full disclosure, I operated the rice cooker - life is tough....

First sip - Wow, this is a grassy wine.  And then I realized that I have only tasted cheap grassy wines.  Wines where the grass is from behind the trailer where the lawnmower leaks petrol and the pit-bull does its business.

The Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc is a clean, crisp, slightly mineral grassy, like a perfectly manicured lawn of some Wall Street Titan - or George Clooney. (I imagine GC to be perfect in every way - why not his lawn too?) This wine was an exotic taste for me:  Bright, and slightly acidic, yet well balanced. JPH had a glass and he tasted notes of fresh pineapple.  After he said it, I got it, but I could never have identified that taste on my own.  I think it is a really is a great seafood wine. It is better than your average plonk.  It is interesting, low ETOH (12.5%) and very easy to drink.

About Mulderbosch: You have to love it when a South African ICU Doctor buys a property that the locals call a "dirty little farm", and turns it into something that gives us good wines such as this Sauvignon Blanc and the Cabernet Sauvignon Rose.  Well done Dr. Jacobs.

While I was researching this wine for the review, I came across this quote.  The cynic in me would scoff at it and say it is pretentious wine talk, but I just have to say that it struck a chord. Leave it to Robert Mondavi, that savvy American wine Pioneer to come up with a quote that I am growing to love more each time I read it.

Wine is art. It's culture. 
It's the essence of civilization and the art of living.

 - Robert Mondavi, "Harvests Of Joy," Autobiography
 

Warwick Pinotage `07 (not TJ's) $25.99 ***

This wine is from a tasting at Bacchus.  I brought it home it because I liked it, and I had made notes that it would go GREAT with bacon (but then again, what doesn't go well with bacon???). We had it with pasta in a pancetta mushroom cream sauce, fresh heirloom Brandywine tomatoes, fresh corn on the cob and grilled lamb chops.  Yes, it was a delicious Thursday night!

Yes, a little tipsy... but aren't we all?

This is Old Bush Pinotage from the Warwick Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa. South Africa can lay claim to a lot - some good, some bad. But in the case of this wine, it is all good. This is a well balanced wine. Pinotage is a versatile SA grape - both fruity AND savory. After our first pour, I was trying to to think of how to describe it, and S simply said, it tasted like lovage. She nailed it.  It is a fruity, red berry wine, but it has a depth that is unique in that it is also herbaceous.  That would be the spiciness, and maybe a slight hint of smokiness.  And yes, it tasted of lovage (which is a good thing).  Also, at 14.5% it is a fruity, spicy, well balanced wine that packs a punch.

I was enjoying dinner so much that at one point, I remembered that I had to run it through the Vinturi.  That was a first - was it the meal, the wine or the fact that I may have been on my third glass already???  hmmm.  Welll, I popped up from the table, grabbed the Vinturi and aerated it.  Yeah, a bit smoother, but really, why bother? I finished my glass and went back to my meal.

I'd still like to try a glass with a nice, juicy bacon cheeseburger - but as it stands, this wine was a good dinner wine.  Kind of pricey for everyday dinner, BUT well worth having for a special meal.

And, just because it is always amazing
to come home to stunning flowers on the counter, 

I am leaving you with a shot of the Sunflowers.  

Absolutely gorgeous!

Mulderbosch Rose `09 $10.99 (not TJ's) ****

How to take the edge off a terrible commute? (2 hours on the LIRR due to someone having a much worse day that I)

Arrive just past 10pm to a plate of delicious leftover salmon, pasta with capers, red peppers, garlic and anchovies. To complete the whole picture was a glass of this rose.  It made the long week and terrible commute melt into a distant memory.

I am really loving South African wines and this rose is just adding to my small list of tasty& economical bottles (the Indaba are stand outs as well).  It is a dry Cabernet Sauvignon rose, with a hint of citrus (grapefruit) and a fresh strawberry/fruity finish, not sweet, but bright.  Two glasses went down really well and were a taste treat accompanying the subtle wild sockeye salmon and the savory pasta.

I am going to give this wine four stars. It is a GREAT price point, a great change from typical white summer wine and it has a fun history from a South African Vineyard Mulderbosch, that has been in existence for centuries.

Note on the photography:  The pictures on this blog should be getting better.  I have just inherited a Nikon Digital SLR.  Although the photo above was taken by the chef on his new Olympus, the next post should have a photo from the Nikon, his hand me down to me.  I won't be hastily snapping with my Blackberry anymore. It was at their dinner table that I started traveling the world via wineglass, and Friday night's trip to South Africa proved that there is some great and exotic drinking out there that won't break the bank.

Warwick Professor Black Sauvignon Blanc `09 $18.99 (not TJ's) ****

I just slapped myself in the forehead.  It is Saturday afternoon.  I have been working on rewrites for six hours and I decided to have a glass of wine.  I didn't check my database (yes, I have a database of my wines), I grabbed the Professor Black, unscrewed the top, poured a glass and popped the balance of the bottle in the fridge to have tomorrow.  This is not a wine to just unscrew and drink for the sake of drinking. (well, if you have disposable income, go for it - I don't)  OOPS.

2009 was a GREAT year for wine in South Africa.  This is a really good Sauvignon Blanc.  It has a strong taste of citrus, grapefruit to be exact.  Since I am a transplant recipient, I can't have grapefruit, so the taste is very exotic to me.  Tart, a bit sour with a long, lovely finish.  This wine deserves a good meal.  I did it a grave disservice by just opening it to have a drink on a Saturday afternoon. That being said, if a wine needs chilling, use frozen TJ's  strawberries instead of ice - it works.

A man from South Africa loved me once (1997 was a REALLY good Summer romance wise!).  He was an architect - I didn't reciprocate.  I have great pictures from afternoons in the park with him though, and great memories of museums and dinners on the patio. Is it wrong that I don't remember his name?

This is a really good wine.  Well done Stellenbosch, South Africa!

Indaba Merlot (not TJ's) $8.99 ***

First rule, aerate this wine.  After running it through the vinturi, the wine opened up and smoothed out.

Second rule, pair it with the right food.  I found out the hard way that if you pair it with a spicy food.  I couldn't figure out why this wine, which I have tasted and liked before, was all of a sudden awful. So off to the internets I went.  Come to find out, the capsaicin in peppers and other spicy foods can interact with the wine to create a bitter, more alcoholic taste. Go for milder spices, like black pepper, and prevent a bitter taste in your mouth. When I read that here, I realized that a spicy Rotel Chickpea chili was the WRONG food to have with this wine.  So, on the next day, I made a sweet chorizo and shrimp tapas, and then mixed it with the chickpea leftovers to make sandwiches, and we tried the Merlot again. SCORE.

This Merlot is a full bodied deep cherry wine with oakiness and a kick.  When I swirl and sniff, it does not have a pure fruity smell.  It has an astringent undertone. I wonder if it needs some more time to mellow out.  I think it would age well.  I wonder what the `09 would taste like in `11? Maybe I'll buy another bottle and find out.

Menu:
Leftover sandwiches with Chorizo, pork, bell peppers, greens, chickpeas onion and tomatoes.

Indaba Sauvignon Blanc `09 $5.99 ***

I like Indaba wines. They are good, economical wines from South Africa. So what if they are screw top?  I was at a tasting earlier this week, and the rep said that 2009 was a GREAT year for South African wine.  (I don't know exactly what he means, I'm not sophisticated enough to really compare years - but it was good wine)

For six bucks, this fruity white wine is a good buy.  Having a chilled bottle on hand this summer to drink with a salad or something light would be a good thing.  This wine adds a crisp freshness, and gives you a little buzz as well.  Win/win in my book. There is a citrusy taste with a slight herbal aftertaste.  This is not a sweet wine. It is refreshing.

Tonight's menu:

TJ's Mixed greens with garlic
French Bread rusks
TJ's butterflied freshwater shrimp sauteed with chorizo, TJ's pepperstrips, tomato and onion

Indaba Shiraz ` 08 $6.99 ***

It is a red wine Friday night.

My initial thought on my first sip, was shudder....  But I was wrong.  First impressions are sometimes wrong.  Yeah, if you unscrew the top and pour a glass to drink, you will be disappointed.... But, if you open the bottle and cook a rich meal:

Mixed Green Salad w/Italian dressing
Grilled Hangar Steak
Butternut Squash Risotto w/crispy butter fried sage

This wine is a good lush peppery dinner wine, it is much better when served w/ food - and after a run through the vinturi AND some time breathing - it is a fruity, peppery wine.  Think sour cherries and blackberries with a bite.

Now my cold & I are snuggling up on the sofa of sloth and perusing what is on my TIVO for the evening.  Next week is Thanksgiving - a culinary dream.  I'll be cooking kosher - which is kinda cool for a goy (translation - non-jew) from Maine!

Zarafa Pinotage `09 (2nd review) $3.99 **(*)

This is the second time around for the Zarafa...  People commented that this is a wine they really liked, so I decided to re review... for me, again, this is NOT a sipping wine.  Also not a wine to be decanted (shudder).  I stand by my first review.  BUT...  When I reviewed it in `08, it was May.  Now, it is November `09, and rather than continue drinking the wine after the first few tastes, I decided to mull it.  My first mulled wine of the season.  IT IS A VERY GOOD MULLING WINE. 

I poured the bottle into a pan, set it over low heat, threw in a sliced orange and it's juice, some cloves, cinnamon, sugar and Madeira, and poof - a good mug of mulled wine.

Supper is light tonight, just some spinach, caramelized onions with cheddar cheese toasted on knäckebröd (Swedish crisp bread).  My grandfather was Swedish, and I grew up with a package of knäckebröd on top of the fridge - it is a great staple to have in the pantry for nights like tonight.  In the summer, it is really good with fresh tomatoes and Farmer's Cheese.

The Zarafa is really getting me in the Holiday spirit.  A month from now, the Christmas Tree will be up, and, well, I am excited about the holidays.  For $3.99, the Zarafa can't be beat for a good cheap mulling wine.  I wouldn't serve it as a wine with dinner though...

Zafara Pinotage $3.99 **

Some people have BithDAYs, I have a BirthWEEK, and what an amazing week it has been. (Kerry, it started with your surprise during dessert on Tuesday (most memorable birthday moment in recent memory - details TBA)) So, yesterday may have been the official "day" but today we are celebrating with a nice, quiet lunch.

It is beautiful weather and the roses are in bloom. The steaks are marinading and the grill stands at the ready. Today we'll start with the Zafara Pinotage and then finish with Laurent-Perrier my favorite champagne.

Menu
Crab and Avocado Salad
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Grilled Skirt Steak
John & Aurora Ferreria's Portuguese Verde Sauce

And a Dessert Course
Fresh Fruit
Brie and Raspberries
and I have requested that my Birthday Cake be Croquembouche

I'll let you know the results later today. Now I am off to primp and set up my mise en place.

Ok the wine - first sip - not bad, but it is a threatening wine, it seems fragile like it is just has moments to drink and then it may turn. This wine took a long trip from South Africa to it's consumption in my garden in NYC. I bet that if you drank it at the vineyard after being in a stable environment, it would be a great wine. More after lunch.

Wow, the wine was good with the fattiness of the avocado & crab, not so good with the verde sauce. Two star wine, five star afternoon.

Goats do Roam Rose 2007 *** $5.99

I liked the GDR Red so much that decided to try the Rose. Here's the menu - Curried Chicken served with broccoli al la romana and pine nut cous cous. I know, I know a rose served with curry, garlic & cous cous - well - we'll see.

The way I see it, life is an experiment. Could be a colossal failure (ahem corn pancakes, hangs head in shame) or it could be interesting - either way, I have a kick ass dessert so all will end up good. Individual pound cake rounds layered with ice cream & strawberries topped with a chocolate sauce (if you were wondering)

Verdict - wonderful. The idea is to unscrew the cap and pour a glass before the food is served. 39 mins later and you have a nice buzz from a wine that isn't a red and isn't a white but encompasses aspects of both - crispness of a white and spices of a red. hmm rose... hmmm well if it were a boy I might go out on another date with it - but since it is a wine, I'll file it away and move on... it is not relationship material.

Goats do Roam Red **** $5.49

Red Table Wine - South Africa

Screw top - get over it. This was a good, easy to drink bottle. I'll buy more. It was smooth, tasted even better on the second pour.

I had it with braised beef, carrots and egg noodles.