D&D Wine Review

Last night we decided to do a blind taste test of two affordable cabs to go with a seared medium rare NY strip. Yum! Without knowing which was which, here were our tasting notes:

Wine 1 - Simple without much depth, the smell seemed to have a scent of green pepper; the wine hits you in the back of the throat and seemed to have a metallic after-taste. However it was preferred by one of the four tasters.

Wine 1 was the Twin Fin, found at most any grocery stores for $8 - $10.
The Twin Fin only gets a Rating: . We wouldn’t recommend buying it over other inexpensive cabs.

Last night we decided to do a blind taste test of two affordable cabs to go with a seared medium rare NY strip. Yum! Without knowing which was which, here were our tasting notes:

Wine 2 - Smoother and easy to drink without an aftertaste, hints of tobacco. A little tart but not in a bad way. Preferred by three of the four tasters.

The surprise was Wine 2 was the $2.50 Charles Shaw Cabernet found at Trader Joes’s.

Neither wine was great, but we deemed the Charles Shaw the more drinkable, especially for those occasions when you have non-wine drinkers drinking wine.

Due to its price and ease to drink the Charles Shaw gets a Rating: .

Delicious! This Spanish Red has a delicate aroma and a beautiful crimson coloring. The first sip brings a quick burst of flavor with just the right amount of sweet. This wine has nice fruits that remain smooth, making it an easy drinking wine. We also enjoyed the depth and the wonderful full body of the Termes. We savored each sip. Enjoy!

Wine: Spanish Red
Winery: Bodega Numanthia
Year: 2005
Grape(s): 100% Tinta de Toro from 30 year old vines
Cost: $24.99
Rating:

Since we still wanted to drink wine following our earlier disappointment - we opened up a bottle of a consistently good affordable wine. The Stump Jump only cost us $8 and is a very deep, yet smooth wine. Definite flavors of fruit and maybe some pepper. I recommend this as a great affordable wine to keep around the house. It wouldn’t be my choice for a special evening - but its a great just hanging out in the basement, playing the Wii and watching football wine - if you don’t want beer.

Rating:

“No Wimpy Wines!” We love this great valued wine. It has been adopted as the Dutton House wine in both 2004 and 2005 vintages. It pairs well with chicken, steak, or any hearty foods. It works as well on a Wednesday as it does on a Saturday night. We enjoy the simple sophistication of this wine. The aroma is fruity, yet woody, with a deep red color. Each sip brings flavors of raspberry mixed with a wonderful spice that is full of flavor! This is our favorite in the “cheap wine” category.

Wine: California Zinfandel
Winery: Ravenswood
Year: 2005
Grape(s): Zinfandel from Sonoma
Cost: $6.49-$10.99

Rating:

On a side note, for a wonderful special occasion wine by Ravenswood try the Old Hill Zinfandel. This wine is from some of the oldest Zinfandel vines in California, planted in 1880. It retails between $49.99-$54.99. Cheers!

The Montes Alpha Syrah is a delicious red wine from Chile. We opened this wine to pair with a casual steak dinner. It has a dark ruby color and a wonderful sweet, almost floral aroma. We thought it had a great full-bodied flavor with nice tannins and a fruity finish. This wine was aged just one year in fench oak barrels. After researching, we found that the grapes are 90%Syrah, 7% Cabernet Sauvigon, and 3% Viognier. We picked up this bottle from our local Costco. It is well worth the price! Wine Spectator Magazine rated the 2005 as a 92 out of 100. We highly recommend it.

Wine: Chilean Syrah
Winery: Montes Alpha
Year: 2005
Grape(s): Syrah from Apalta Vineyard
Cost: $15.99

Rating: .

Use this Rub on any cut of beef, from Filet Mignon to flank steak.  It is wonderful!

1 Tablespoon crushed black or mixed peppercorns

1 Teasoon Kosher Salt

1 Teaspoon dry mustard powder

1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 Teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions: Rub peppercorn mixture evenly over steak. Grill or pan sauté to desired doneness, garnish with chopped parsley.

Maple Glazed Salmon

This easy and delicious Salmon recipe has a just the right amount of sweet and spice. Look for wild Salmon at your grocery store and remember to check for bones before cooking.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Preparation:
Prepare grill, heating to medium. Combine first 5 ingredients. Sprinkle fish with salt; rub with paprika mixture. Place fish on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 7 minutes. Drizzle fish with syrup; grill 1 minute or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Yield 4 servings (serving size: 1 salmon fillet)

Source: Cooking Light, MAY 2003