Finished the wine! Amazing!

Ok, for some this may not seem like any form of an accomplishment.

Believe me, for this household to actually finish a bottle of wine without any whining it's almost a miracle!

Though this is what this blog is all about!  

So Gieson is the first wine on the list!

Riedel, Oriental Lillies and Gieson wine?

Tonight I wanted to put the Riedel to the test.

I read my list of wines that James Halliday had recommended for 2010 and went to the bottle shop.

As I walked through the door I noticed it was almost closing time.  So I thought I'd just select a bottle from the list and skip out of there.

I opened my new bag - that I bought at the boxing day sales! (Even when you work in retail you cannot walk away from a bargain).  Anyway, I looked in my bag and realized that I forgot my list AND I forgot my glasses!

This is a tragedy!
I had to be quick, as I didn't want to keep these people at work any longer than they need to be, but I also wanted to get a good wine! 

Oh what to do!
We were having chicken for dinner, so we had already decided on a white wine.  I really don't like white wine.  

Beautiful glassware!

The easiest thing to do was get something I kind of already know.
So I bought a wine that I had bought my sister for xmas a few years ago - she loves it.  She swears by New Zealand wine.  So I figured I can't go wrong!

I've had this wine before with my sister, and I do remember saying that I didn't like it.  Though to be honest I wasn't very open to it. I can be quiet stubborn at times. I like Cointrue with lime, or Vodka with lemon, lime and bitters.  Wine no matter how good it is cannot compare.  So I was alittle worried.
As we sat down to our roast chicken dinner with citrus salad, I took a little sip of the wine.
Then I took a mouth full.  It was actually nice.
I finished my glass and poured another!
SHOCK, horror. 
My  boyfriend finished his glass too.  AMAZING!  This wine is the first wine that he actually finished a glass and the first wine i know I will drink again.
We did not finish the bottle, as I have work early tomorrow. 
But rest assured I will be finishing the bottle tomorrow night after work!

With wine like this I can understand why my Aunt thought that it would be easy for me to test 365 wines in one year!
I think my sister is right I might need to rethink the way I choose my wines!
 Or was it the Riedel glassware?

xmas day!

Merry Xmas!
For this Christmas I got to work Xmas eve and Boxing Day - so this really leaves me just over 24hours to celebrate Xmas with my loved ones.
So,  I had to drive just over 400 kilometers - this meant that I would not be drinking.  But as you all already know, all it takes is a sip or a small glass to get a taste of something.
Breakfast at my Dads.

When I arrived I was given a glass of Champagne with orange juice.
Champagne is no longer called Champagne unless is it actually from Champagne.  So I was actually given a tall glass of Chardonnay with orange juice.  Seppelt  Fleur De Lys 2007.
I don't know how much it cost.  Though I did enjoy my drink.

My sister is very excited that i have this blog, and has taken it upon herself to encourage me to find the right wine! So she gave me some Riedels!  The only Riedells I am aware of, are those from my RollerDerby days.





The Riedels that my sister gave me were actually Riedel Crystal glasses.
She told me that these glasses are the best in the world!  These glasses will actually make my wine taste better!!!

We will see if her prediction is right.
She also gave me a list of James Halliday's top 100 wines for 2010 in her opinion  the wine I have chosen to drink so far - are quiet crap!  She giggles at the fact that I choose wine by the name and by the look of the sticker on the bottle.
I work in a bookstore, so I know who James Hallliday is, and am touched by it!

I am sure, if I choose wine from the list, and drink it from this new crystal ware the wine will taste better!

So, I have promised myself that I will choose a few from the list!

After breakfast I drove for almost 2 hours, arriving in time for dessert!
I happily ate some chicken, ham and some of the best coleslaw I have ever eaten in my life - amazing.  I think there were apples in it.  Nothing beats homemade!

Upon hearing about this blog I was shown a bottle of this: 1939 - Orlando Tawny Port Wine.
Does anyone know if this can actually be drunk?  It is a beautiful bottle, and has never been open.


I did have some of this: Rosemount Grenache Shiraz 2006


It was quiet nice.
We drank from gold plated crystal - I am sure this makes that wine taste better than drinking from glass.......
Christmas was a fast and fabulous day.
I actually had a chance to nap - for 10 minutes - in the afternoon.  Xmas is not xmas without a nap - so they say anyway.

One of my favourite things about today, apart from the time I spent with my Dad, sisters, their families, my grandmother, aunt, uncle, cousin and my loved ones loved ones, was the strawberries!  I normally steer clear of large strawberries as they normally have a flavorless hard white inside, but this year they have been so sweet and full of flavour!  Fabulous!

And we have a winner!

For dinner tonight - roast beef with honey mustard roasted potato and Carrot.
Whilst at the "Stuper-market" I decided we should have some wine.
I cruised the isles of the bottle shop until I came apon Arrogant Frog.  The picture on the bottle is so cool, and the wine is actually made in France.
I also liked the fact that every bottle is numbered!

The most suprising thing is that the bottle of wine was only $10.49.  

The fact that it was a  blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot, I did leave the shop alittle worried that the Merlot would make me hate this wine and I would most likely never update this blog again!

I opened the wine early - as I have heard in movies that you need to let red wine breath before you drink.  

Once dinner was served i poured the wine.
We sat, ate and drank.
We liked the wine!
Amazing! 
The day is saved!

Update - 2 tried and tested

It's half way through December, just under 13 days til Santa arrives with presents galore!
Working in retail - really makes this time of year quiet terriable.  I barely have time to drink let alone update! - I am considering getting an iPhone so I can blog on the run!

So this is what I've been upto over the last few weeks.
I've actually had the chance to try 2 wines. 

After wondering around the Bottle-O for what felt like 10 years I decided i should ask the woman that worked there what was good.   According to Mary if you don't drink wine you should be drinking Merlot!
Firstly she directed me to the wines that were 2 for $6 and another one that was $7.50.  I informed her of my phobia of drinking wines under $10.  She chuckled and said "oh, there are some people like that."
So she introduced me to to "Yellow Tail", a wine that is almost in every restaurant in Australia and overseas,  she just had an American couple come in and buy 10 bottles of it.
Well! It must be good, how could Americans be wrong, and according to Mary it's everywhere overseas!
When I pulled this bottle out of the brown paper bag, showing it to my Love.  He said "Oh Merlot - I think that's the wine that they put all the stalks and everything in!"
He knows just as much about wine as I do.  So we both cringed!  
We sat down to dinner - it was a wicked bolognese.  The sauce was great, the wine not so!
I will NOT be trying the Yellow Tail Merlot again!
I am now wondering - where has Mary been, and this wine is an embarrassment if it is everywhere!

A number of nights later we had a friend over for dinner.  
 My love was going to leave very early the next morning with dinner guest for a trip overseas.  To surprise me  my love gave me another bottle of red wine and roses!!

Jacobs Creek - Shiraz!
I had a Shiraz in the first entry and i quiet enjoyed it.  So I expected to enjoy this one just as much. 


  We thought it would be fun to eat the left over pasta sauce and drink the Jacobs Creek!

I had 2 glasses, and had to go to bed - as I started to develop a headache.

Not a good sign.


So I will not be drinking Jacobs Creek - Shiraz in the near future!


I have had a couple of other opportunities to try some wines - but have passed.
Yesterday I happily ate a delicious mushroom pizza at Bimbos.

 The guy with the a beard that works behind the bar, makes an amazing Lemon Lime and Bitters! 

We finished the meal with one of the world famous "chocolate pizzas!" to die for!

If wine tasted as good as any of these 3 things I would be addicted!


The seach goes on.

I am thinking of researching Tannins and the some of the preservatives that are in wines.  The next wine I try will hopefully be a winner!

Family & some wine

Earlier this year my Grandmother turned 80 we (the grandkidds) gave her "time".  We all go visit her one day a month.  It's fun and a great time to catch up by all.
Today my Grandmother had some wine - she must of heard about my blog, it was white wine at that.

I'm not a fan of any wine really and white wine is the most difficult for me.
My earliest memory of white wine, is going to a family friends party with my parents.  The people that owned the house had a pet Cockatoo.  As we walked out onto the back patio, to the left the Cockatoo was in a very large cage, and hanging near the Cockatoo from the roof of the patio was a bag of "goon" - white wine - with a sign that said "Cockatoo Piss".

Cockatoo Piss!!

Ah great Childhood memories.

Anyway, at  my grandmothers, there were two bottles of white wine, and I said of course I'll try some.  My younger sister the wine enthusiast, to my surprise, declined!   And so did my older sister, so it was just left to my Grandmother and myself - and we both know next to nothing about wine.  We chose to open the smaller bottle of wine - it was a Semillon by Clovely.  I didn't really enjoy it.

Miss Grimm - my younger sister tried a sip, and didn't really want to give a verdict.

So I've decided after this tasting I will not try a Semillon again!

So home we drove.  Once I got home it was almost time for dinner.  My partner and I decided to make a cream based pasta.  I drove to the grocery store, whilst there I thought that this was a good oportunity to try another wine. 

I chose this one because of the packaging.  It's such a cute label, there was also a story on the back, about the end of season and how everyone would share sandwichs at lunch after picking the grapes.
Brand - Makers table.  Sauvignon Blanc.
We put it in the sauce of the pasta and drank it whilst eating - though between the two of us - we didn't finish the bottle, and decided that we can finish it off when we make our next white sauce meal.

Next day....

So after a crazy day at work - which mind you will only get crazier due to xmas fast approaching.
I went to the supermarket to shop for my dinner. There were people everywhere, I had chosen the busiest time! I wondered around, I ordered 300 gms of ham from the deli girl.  She grabbed a huge handful of ham put it on the scales, and went back for more, I said to her as she went for a second helping that if it's under 300 gms it'll be ok.
She ignores me, weighs it and passes me the package - it weighed 340gms.  That's almost half a kilo too much.  I looked at it, then at her.  And walked away - screaming in my head - how hard is it! Then thought - she's probably having just as bad day as I've had and will be having in the coming weeks.


And with that I decided to get a bottle of whine - so I can whine into my wine!


After paying for my goods i walked over to the bottle section. I am eating salad with ham for dinner, so i wanted something fresh and maybe fruity.  I've heard people say that some wines have a fruity flavour, so i thought i'd look at the white wine.


As i squinted at the bottles - i left my glasses at home as I decided it would be great to walk to the supermarket with my sunnies on as it was a glorious afternoon - I found a bottle of brown brothers that had orange and something in it, another bottle of wine called "sticky" and a third one with Blood orange and some other thing in it.  I read the backs of them thinking "oh these will be delightful".  Dessert wines. I picked all three up and put them down trying to decide. 
Turned around and saw on the counter some limes for only $1.20. and at that moment I knew what i was craving and no wine with blood orange infused would do.
So I bought the lime and have come home to a lovely dinner coupled with a shot of cointreau on ice with real lime.  Beautiful to sip on a night like this.


Actually before I forget - I woke this morning with no sign of a hang over - one point to Yalumba Y Series!

#1

I generally don't like wine.

I usually drink cointreau, on ice with real lime.

As you can imagine I know next to nothing about wine.

So I've decided it's about time I find a wine that I like.

That is one that doesn't give me a head ache, doesn't make me want to vomit and one that doesn't make me want to curl up and die the day after drinking it. (Is it possible that there is a wine out there like this?)

And I've decided to also write a Blog about it.

Tonight I drank Yalumba Shiraz 2009 (Y series). I choose it because the price was pretty good ($13) and the picture on the bottle was pretty cool!

I've always thought the name Shiraz sounded too much like Shazza making the wine taste like Parrot Wizz!

But this tasted quiet nice. I drank it with some friends then ate some Indian, over all it was quiet a good combination!