An Idle Tuesday

Tonight I made a sausage, vegetable and BBQ sauce dish. Perfect for a red. I have been looking for another Malbec to rival my earlier favorite.

Wine #15 - 2003 Febus Malbec - Mendoza, Argentina.

The aroma is typical - hints of fruit and spice. Nothing overpowering in either direction. The taste is similar, but more spicy if not paired with food. With food, this is a nice, smooth wine. Without food, this wine is a bit spicy. Not something you would just grab and drink with friends. However, as a meal wine, I highly recommend it.

Best part - $7.99

The Truck

On a hot, sticky night, it was time to grill a nice steak. Looking at the stash for a bottle to choose, there was one that had been there for a while. A long time ago, Mary and I had dinner with a friend right after the Washington Wine Festival. He gave us a bottle to try. It was a favorite of him and his wife. He affectionately called it "Ten Buck Truck."

Wine #14 - 2002 Red Truck - Cline Cellars, Sonoma, CA.

The price tag on the bottle is $10.49, but I have a feeling it is cheaper in a large, warehouse type store. The initial aroma is nice. It has hints of cherry and plum. The taste is very fruity, with a dry finish, but still leaves you with some fruit taste.

I was weary of anything just called a table wine. However, after going to Total Wine the other night, I noticed there were quite a few, and even some expensive ones. The Truck is a nice, easy drinking wine. There isn't anything complex going on, just some good tasting wine. Killing a bottle or two in one sitting should be no problem. Don't confuse this with boxed wine, or Boone's. This is just simple and tasty. But really, are you looking for anything else?

Tonight was a perfect night to crack open a bottle. I made Jambalaya with Andouille sausage, so I chose a red. I chilled it for 20 minutes and let it breathe a minute.

Wine #13 - 2003 Twinwells Shiraz Reserve - Southeastern Australia.

The aroma is a nice mix of sweet blackberry, with that hint of spice you usually get from a Shiraz. The taste is a nice follow because it lives up to the aroma. The initial taste is sweet. The finish is short, but you get the spice at the end. It is fairly dry for as sweet at it tastes at first.

Overall, I give it a thumbs up. It isn't too much, but it isn't super light either. It is a good medium body wine with nice flavor. This would work well without food, but I highly suggest chilling it for that initial 20 minutes to take a little of the bite out of it.

Total Wine Price - $9.99

Back to the Task at Hand

So it has almost been 2 months since my last review. Pre my last posting, you know things have been a little crazy. Well, we closed on the house. Memorial Day weekend we painted. The wife and I were in Vegas for a week for a trade show through work. Then we took a week to move our stuff from Maryland to Northern VA. Throw in going to Michigan for a wedding we were in and July 4th weekend, and this last 2 months has been crazy. Not to mention I was playing soccer 4 nights a week through most of that.

Well, July has arrived - soccer is over for a little while. Our new house is near a Total Wine & More. I don't remember if I have mentioned this place before, but it is Mecca. It is the size of a small grocery store, and has mostly wine, but some beer too. You can find almost anything there. They have staff recommendations, tastings, and great prices. My folks visited this past weekend and ended up buying a mixed case. Some wines they drink regularly were up to $5 cheaper at Total Wine than where they bought them in Ohio.

So, I too bought a mixed case and am ready to get back at the review game. I will have more for you this week.