Wine Wednesday – Skinnygirl™ Chardonnay

Hi there!

NOW, guess what day it is? 🙂

Whoop, whoop!

Seriously, though, did you or did you not love Will and Grace? Karen was my idol. 🙂

If you said you did not love that show, you just probably didn’t watch enough of it. Or drink enough wine. I suggest Netflix so you can start over.

Anyway, I finally did it.

I broke down and bought a Skinnygirl™ wine.

I’m not sure what came over me. Maybe it was the allure of the 10.99 price tag. Maybe it was the allure of the “SILVER MEDAL” sign hanging below it. Maybe I meant to grab the Columbia Winery Chardonnay but missed? I don’t know.

Not that I have anything against Skinnygirl™ – as a wine lover, that brand just seems more, I don’t know, commercial to me rather than actually wine oriented.

I can see the draw though – the thought of “low-calorie wine” could be very attractive to someone who’s on a diet and still wants to enjoy a bottle glass bottle-sized glass of wine.

See, the thing is, this wine boasts 100 calories for a 5 ounce serving. So you THINK you’re getting a great deal on calories but the same portion of a traditional white wine (not “skinnyfied”) is only about 110 calories and 120 calories for red wine.

Hm. You do the math.

Plus, it still has 12% alcohol by volume (that means sugar). Most wines are 13% (unless they’re really, really big Syrahs or Cabs and they clock in at 14+%) anyway so, really, where are these “calorie savings?”

And, I have to be totally honest. This wine was WAAAAAYYYY too easy to drink. So, whatever “calorie bonus” there actually goes out the window with each glass you pour. Because, it does get easier to pour. And drink. And then it’s gone. Just like that.

So, if you’re looking to buy a bunch of wine for book club – okay, wait. I cannot seriously recommend that you buy this wine. If you are having people over that you DON’T like and you have to provide the wine, then maybe this is a good choice but if you are having friends over and you want to have a nice wine with your meal/book club finger foods/cocktail party/etc, buy something real. From a vineyard. That cares about wine, not calories.

Besides, you don’t want to wear your 4 year old daughter’s pajamas anyway. 😉

Okay, side note: if you regularly buy/drink/love this wine, please don’t get mad at me for my review. I’m kind of a wine snob and I’m very particular. AND, I spent 3 years in Monterey, California with some AMAZING wine available to me. That being said, it WAS tasty. And I did drink it. ALL. I’m not proud. Or sad about it. Although, I did have a slight headache the next day so, that part wasn’t fun. I am SO not in my 20s anymore.

source

– jennifer

Wine Wednesday – 2010 JV Fleury Crozes Hermitage

Hello, hello!

I recently learned that there was a Total Wine not too far from my house so I decided to check it out this past weekend.

I love the little wine market by my house but I know what they DON’T carry and I wanted to see what I could find at Total Wine.

It was okay. I wasn’t overly impressed with a lot of the selection but I’m a wine snob particular.

I did find a couple of bottles that interested me and I snapped them right up.

One of the cool things about stores like Total Wine and Corridor Wine Market (when we lived in Maryland) is that sometimes, they list the Wine Spectator score and give brief tasting notes.

One of the bottles I found was this Rhone that was rated at 90 points (out of 100).

I thought it was a pretty great deal at $25!

And I love wines from the Rhone region. ❤

The interesting thing about this wine is it is not a blend. It is 100% Syrah.

Now, French Syrah is much, much different than a California Syrah or an Australian Shiraz.

It’s less “punch you in the face fruit” and more subtle, earthy, chewy spiciness.

This syrah had a lovely deep garnet hue and smelled of fruit and plums and earth. Mmmm…… 🙂

The tasting notes indicate ganache and espresso notes but my nose didn’t pick any of that. I guess the espresso was probably in the “earth” smell that I got. Think of how freshly ground coffee smells or maybe how the earth smells after a good rain. It’s clean and damp and … for lack of a better descriptor … earthy.

Wow. I should really brush up on my adjectives. 😉

The tasting notes state “leaves a smoldering feel through the finish” and I would totally agree with that. It was full (of flavor), round (I could taste it in my whole mouth and not just on my tongue, a little chewy (like I really wanted to chew it!), and spicy when I swallowed.

It was pretty heavenly.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I ❤ a good California Syrah and I never turn down a glass of wine from a Barossa Valley Shiraz (Australia) but this wine was something else.

It was complex and elegant and yet simple and very easy to drink.

We paired it with some sirloin steak tips (holy. delicious.) and roasted butternut squash.

I think you definitely want to pair this with red meats and hearty stews. You could do chicken but it should be hearty like Coq au Vin or even this stew (made this quite a few times. WORTH. IT.).

Talk to me: Have you ever tried a wine that surprised you? What’s your favorite recipe you’ve ever made from a Food Network chef?

– jennifer

Holiday gift ideas under $50 for people who love wine :)

Hello, hello!

Are you aware that Christmas is right around the corner?

Like, as in 21 days.

3 weeks.

Yeah.

So, you better get shopping!

1. Wine Cork Picture Frame

2. Individual Mini Decanters

3. Wine Aroma Tasting Set

4. The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert

5. Wineopoly (I have this game and it’s fun!)

6. The Wine Bible

7. Wine Cork Coasters

8. Wine Journal

9. Wine Charms

10. Wine of the Month Club

**Please note that I am not in any way affiliated with any of these stores or products. I just think these are pretty neat. If you buy any of them, I will not be compensated at all. I will only receive the joy of knowing you bought someone what I thought was a cool gift.  I might be a little sad if you didn’t buy it for me. 😉

Talk to me: Are you a last minute shopper or do you pick things up throughout the year? (my mother does that, hides the gifts, and then forgets where she hid them. lol)

– jennifer