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!