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 I went AWOL, but I’m back!  I went to a great Italian wine tasting event yesterday. Over 40 renowned wineries from Montalcino were represented. In addition to its five star (highest rating) vintage 2010 Brunello Di Montalcino, we tasted their Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva 2009, Rosso Di Montalcino and so much more!  I started my day with a very informative seminar of the Montalcino region and it’s history. I tasted amazing 2010 wines from nine vineyards. After the seminar, I did a walk around tasting. I must admit that I didn’t get to all 44 booths, but I certainly got to the majority of them! I will give you my reviews over the next few weeks. I’ll start with SassodiSole Vineyard, Roberto Terzuoli. I tasted three of his wines, Brunello di Montalcino 2010, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2007 and Rosso di Montalcino 2012. They were all very good. The Riserva 2007 was a stand out. It had spices and fruit on the nose. Dark cherries, spice, a hint of pepper and pronounced tannins were on the palate. Visit their website for an interesting history! http://www.sassodisole.it/en/azienda Happy Wednesday!
Cheers! Penina  Well, I was all psyched to go to “ski country” yesterday morning. I wasn’t going to do downhill skiing…just snowshoeing and cross-country. However, my friend (and ride) had to end up working. So I unpacked and switched gears.  I attacked my ever-growing punch list and knocked off a few items, including renewing my passport.  I am optimistic that I will be traveling to some wonderful vineyards soon!  In the meantime, I brought the vineyards of South Africa to me last night. The wine was a 2005 Rustenberg Peter Barlow Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch. It was a deep ruby color with lively aromas of black cherry, licorice, cassis, spices and a hint of mocha. On the palate, the wine was layered with black fruit, tobacco, cassis and spice. The finish was long with a hint of pepper and vanilla. It was amazing! http://www.rustenberg.co.za Have a great Saturday!
Cheers! Penina  In addition to work and projects, the last few days have been filled with cooking, serving and cleaning up. As much as I love to entertain, it is also nice to be on the receiving end! And with that in mind…  After my afternoon lunch date departed yesterday, I cleared the dishes and happily got ready for an accepted invitation to a friend’s home for dinner. I was promised a special bottle of wine and no work, other than his cooking for me. Although he is not known for his culinary talents, the food was good. (I know that you’re reading this…I’m giving you a thumbs up! LOL) The wine was fantastic!  We opened a bottle of 2010 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay from Napa Valley. I have been drinking so many reds of late, that I had almost forgotten how delicious a “good” Chardonnay can be. Chateau Montelena is most famous for winning the white wine section of the Judgment of Paris wine competition in 1976! They beat out all the French Burgundies with its 1973 vintage Chardonnay in a blind tasting.  The 2010 vintage was pale yellow with rich aromas of citrus, pineapple, pepper and a hint of honeysuckle. It was full of texture, with a creamy quality to it. Flavors of peach, green apple, pear and lemon popped up. It was a wonderful finish filled with vanilla and green apple, giving it a dessert quality. I loved it! http://www.montelena.com Have a great Thursday!
Cheers! Penina  Although I didn’t knit anything yesterday, I was on a roll with cooking. I think the cold weather motivated me to fill my home with the aromas of soup simmering on the stove and baking bread. I made two large vats of tomato vegetable soup and a hearty loaf of peasant bread. I think that I have enough food to feed many friends over the course of this week!  The delicious smells emanating from my kitchen brought a friend to the door. Soup, bread, sautéed scallops and wine were served. I previously reviewed the wine back in August. It was as good as I remembered! If you want to know what it is, then check out my post "Day 67".  So, who will be next to knock at my door for soup and bread? Don’t forget to bring the wine! Happy Tuesday!
Cheers! Penina  It was a long day yesterday. When I got home, I kicked off my shoes and was ready to settle down and watch the Golden Globes. However, a phone call from a friend changed the scenario a little bit.  Thirty minutes later, he arrived at my door with a pizza and wine. How could I refuse? So, we munched and sipped and watched the Golden Globes together.  We drank a 2011 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico. The Sangiovese grapes are grown in the Castelnuovo Beradenga area, located in the southern part of the Chianti Classico appellation. The wine was dark red with aromas of cherry, coffee and spice. Dark currant, cherry, herbs and a hint of vanilla were prominent on the palate. It was a gentle finish with moderate tannins. http://www.bacciwines.it  I might crank out another arm knitting project today…after I make a big vat of soup! Have a Happy Monday!
Cheers! Penina  I was looking forward to relaxing on Saturday.  However, it turned into a very busy day with unexpected business to attend to. As a result, I never got to post anything.  I got home just in time to bake a delicious peasant bread to bring to a friend’s home for dinner. To my surprise, he had baked two breads, along with a fabulous dinner that included homemade pasta. I was impressed! He served a very nice wine as well.  We had a 2011 St. Francis Cabernet from Sonoma. It had the usual aromas of dark currant, cassis and black cherry. On the palate it was the same, with flavors of currant, cranberry, a hint of tobacco, and vanilla. Hearty tannins and spice gave way to a long finish. http://www.stfranciswinery.com Happy Sunday!
Cheers! Penina Yesterday got away from me and I never had a chance to post anything.  Since I have another busy day ahead, let me get right to the good stuff and tell you about a noteworthy wine I had last evening. It was a 1996, Château Calon-Ségur, St- Estèphe, Bordeaux Blend. This Grand Cru Classe wine was the color of dark rubies. The aromas of dark berry, leather, fennel and spice were prominent. It was full-bodied with dark fruits, spice and a hint of tobacco on the palate. Delivering a nice finish, this wine was a very special treat! It went well with the Baked Salmon Fillets Dijon that I prepared.  An interesting note: Château Calon-Ségur is a third growth under the 1855 Classification in the Saint-Estèphe AOC. Marquis de Ségur also owned Château Latour and Château Lafite. Even though he had ownership of First Growths, the Marquis claimed that his “heart” was with Calon, hence, the drawing of a heart around the chateau’s name on the label. http://www.calon-segur.fr  Some of my readers have inquired as to when I plan to post a story about my knitting project. I know that you’ve heard this before…. but…. barring any unforeseen business emergencies, I will be knitting tomorrow. Cheers!
Penina  The last 24 hours has brought some crazy weather. From a gentle snowfall yesterday, we segued into mild temps, rain and pea soup fog today. And speaking of “24”…  When you think of Charles Woodson, who now plays safety for the Oakland Raiders, you might not think of wine at the same time. Think again! He is the proprietor for TwentyFour Wines in Napa Valley. Woodson teamed up with Gustavo Gonzalez, winemaker and Rick Ruiz to produce some outstanding wines. I had one of these fabulous wines over the holiday. It was a 2010 TwentyFour Cabernet Sauvignon. OMG!  The aromas were heady with lush dark berries, licorice and spice. The wine was so rich that it would have been a perfect dessert. The flavors of black cherry, spice and licorice continued on the palate. Hard tannins and lingering spices gave this full-bodied wine a long and delicious finish! http://www.twentyfourwines.com Have a great Sunday!
Cheers! Penina  The New Year has begun and I’m already behind in posting on my blog and knitting up a new creation. I’m finally winding down from the holiday though and “life” should get back to some kind of normal.  I enjoyed good food, wine, family, friends and a little travel over the past two weeks. I hope you did as well! I’ll share some of my “holiday” with you over the next few days…and in no particular order.  One of the wines that I enjoyed over the holiday was a 2011 Villa Antinori Toscana. It was dark red with cherry, spice and chocolate on the nose. Soft tannins, dark fruit, anise and a hint of tobacco on the palate segued into a long finish. One can never go wrong with an Antinori! http://www.antinori.it/en Enjoy your day!
Cheers! Penina  Before I become immersed in the evening festivities, I wanted to share a little of what Santa Claus gave me this year…traditional and unusual. A few of the gifts were a bottle of 2010 Amarone Tommasi, decadent chocolates, a lovely pair of earrings and a lamp made out of a wine bottle.  The Amarone is in my wine rack waiting for a special occasion. I’m wearing the earrings and the lamp is in my living room. My friend made the lamp using his own bottle and a lamp kit purchased at a hardware store. However, for all you wine lovers looking for something ready made, wine bottle lamps can be purchased at many online stores, including two shops on Etsy.com called KristinzKustomz and BranchingOut TLC  Speaking of wine…. I had a spectacular wine last evening. It was a 2012 Two Hands Shiraz Bella’s Garden Barossa Valley. This Australian wine was perfect in every way. Dark garnet in color, it had dark berry preserves, spice and cassis on the nose. It was full-bodied with the flavor of cherry, plum, dark chocolate, licorice and spice. Soft tannins and a lengthy finish gave this wine a hearty cheer from all! http://www.twohandswines.com Cheers!
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