Barbera B. Lovely

How did you spend your St. Patty's day? I actually had a pretty quiet one. In years past I would spend my day drinking with friends.

A good friend after too many Irish Car Bombs-St. Patty's Day Past

But this year I decided to spend the day in with my drinking buddy. ;-) We put the top down (it was a gorgeous day) and headed off to a local wine shop. I wanted to purchase some wine off my list and look into Barbera. As you may or may not know I have a twitter account and recently I noticed a conversation or tweets about Barbera. Are you asking the same thing I was? What is a Barbera?
A Barbera is a versatile Italian red grape. It generally produces lighter style wines with cherry and raspberry fruit flavors and aromas, mixed with rustic spice. This wine has a fantastic crispness and is ideal with food. Barbera is capable of producing medium to full bodied wines.

While at the store I found myself having a fantastic conversation with an employee. He reiterated that Barbera is very fruity, yet dry and while it can go with just about any food it would pair best with a bold, spicy red sauce. The prices ranged from $9.99 up to $30+. The salesman suggested I try an inexpensive one first ($9.99) just to see if I liked it. We decided upon Cren della Lepre Barbera Piemonte 2010.

Green label for St. Patty's Day


I have to admit, I was slightly concerned. The salesman stressed this was a fruity, yet dry wine. With my first sip I knew I had nothing to fear. I found this wine to be light, fruity and dry. Not too dry or too fruity, it reminded me a grape jelly, just not as sweet.

While I was learning about this wine, my drinking buddy discovered a tasting going on a few aisles over. In the spirit of the holiday he tried Irish whiskey (a few times) and a few wines. He found two that he liked. Now keep in mind he is super new to wine and so far only has enjoyed the sweeter ones. The first wine he liked and actually purchased was B. Lovely 2010 Late Harvest Riesling and the other, which we plan to go back and purchase Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz. Since we had the B. Lovely in the house, I might as well give you my thoughts on it.

I thought this Riesling was very sweet, crisp and tart. Probably a perfect wine for someone who favors sweet wines. For me, it was a little too sweet. I'm sure I'll purchase this again, not for me, but for him and his non-wine drinking friends. ;-)

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!!