2010 St. Innocent Pinot Gris

I have a confession, this was my first taste of Pinot Gris. Doesn't sound too odd to you? Maybe it's not that big of a deal, but anyone that watches Housewives of New York and considers herself a Ramona Singer fan, I feel should have taken at least a sip or 3 of a Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris before this night. But alas, my Pinot Gris v-card has been stamped or taken or whatever happens to it.

Before I go to far into this, let's first talk answer a very important question: What is Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris? Pinot Grigio is currently the most popular white wine produced in Italy. Most is dry with fruit flavors. They range from light to medium body. Pinot Grigio is the same grape as Pinot Gris, yet they are capable of producing a variety of white wines in a number of different winegrowing areas. The best Pinot Grigio is produced in the northern area of Italy, benefiting from the cooler climate. The Pinot Gris of Alsace and Oregon are wonderfully crisp as well, but are fuller bodied and more aromatic.

For this week I decided to try the Pinot Gris that was recently received from my wine club, 2010 St. Innocent Vitae Springs Vineyard Pinot Gris. I found this to be very soft, smooth, slightly dry. My drinking buddy wasn't a fan, but again he only goes for the super sweet ones. If you are not into sweet, but enjoy a white, light, easy drinking wine, I would definitely recommend this.
Pinot Gris done, now I need to try a Pinot Grigio!

Cava #Winechat

Wine Wednesdays, those two words get me excited. A chance to try a new wine, tweet about it and learn a little something. Last week's wine selection was Cava and just my luck I had one sitting on my trusty wine shelf. Jaume Serra Cristalino was shipped to me by way of my Vineese Wine Club. This club also sends some info and tasting notes with each shipment. This is what is says about Cristalino:

For what you'd pay for a single bottle of fine French Champagne, you could buy a case of Cristalino Cava, which is made by Spain's Jaume Serra winery. Founded in 1943 by Jaume Serra Guell, the estate is situated in the Garraf area of Spain's Penedes growing region. It was purchased in 1997 by the J. Garcia Carrion family, which invested heavily in renovation and modernization.
Spanish law requires that sparkling wine be made in the Methode Champenois--the way it's crafted in the Champagne growing region of France. However, the grape varieties used, other than Chardonnay, are different. For the Cristalino Brut Cava, the varietal makeup is Parellada, Chardonnay and Xarel-lo.
And what a sparkling beauty it is, made in a crisp and clean style with plenty of fruit and a long, lingering finish. Here's to a great wine, and a great value!

My thoughts on this cava. I enjoyed drinking it. I thought it was fresh, light and very dry. I mean so much so it seemed as if it evaporated on my tongue. Because of that, I wouldn't call this a refreshing wine. Yet I couldn't keep myself from drinking another, and yet another glass. I just about finished the entire bottle all by myself!! Here is the big test, would I buy this again? I'd have to say not for something to keep around and open for friends. Most of my drinking friends prefer something a bit sweeter. But if I had to go to a party and was asked to bring a sparkling wine or champagne, I would definitely pick up a few bottles of this.

Cheers!!

Two Vines Riesling 2010

This week I went to the wine store not sure what I wanted. I had quite a few wines at home already and wasn't sure if I needed wanted to purchase something new. But then my eyes fell on Columbia Crest's Two Vines Riesling. I quickly recalled how much I loved their Cabernet Sauvignon and the Riesling was selling for $5.99, who could say no to that??

First, what is Riesling?
Riesling is most known for the sweeter-style German wine it produces. These wines typically taste of peach, honey and apricot fruit flavors. While Alsace Riesling are very well known and come highly recommended, Washington State also produces high quality Riesling.
Don't be mistaken, many assume (and you know what happens when you do that) that Riesling produces only sweet wine. Although sweet does dominate, there are some amazing dry and complex Riesling produced in Alsace, Germany and in the United States.

For this night I picked a Washington State Riesling, Columbia Crest, Two Vines.

I was excited to try this. As soon as I was able I opened it up and took a sip. It reminded me of biting into a Granny Smith Apple. It was sweet, crisp, juicy and a bit tart. Even with the tartness, I eagerly gulped down a second glass. I shared a bit with my drinking buddy and he actually liked it (so far he tends to only enjoy sweet wines. I'm working on it, give me time). I decided to leave enough left for another night, just to see if the taste changed. The next night it drastically improved. The tartness was all gone. It was semisweet, smooth, crisp and slightly dry. I really enjoyed it and for under $10.00, you can bet I'll be buying this again.