Washington Wine and Cheese

Wines I dreamed of in Iraq!

Well, since we have Two Blondes and and Brunette and Big A$% Reds, I thought I should have my own series. Since I’m not part of the writers guild I think its acceptable to have my own series - nothing against the union and I will work out a settlement agreeable to all sides. Did I mention the Patriots are going to the Super Bowl? Sorry for the departure, back to what you understand. Truth in advertising. While I would have loved to do a Malbec class, I am most happy to be doing garanacha. I was not a fan until doing the research and what I found was a grape that is multi-faceted, berry-like with hints of spice such as Cinnamon! Much like a lap dance, it is a wine that can open your eyes to things you have no experiences before! Hope you can join us! IT WILL BE FUN!

1. 2006 - Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines - Spain - $8.99
2. 2005 - Las Rocas San Alejandro Grenache - Spain - 10.99
3. 2005 - rincipe de Viana El Burro “Kickass” Garnacha - Spain - $11.49
4. 2004 - Turkey Flat Vineyards Grenache - Barrossa Valley - $26.99
5. Surprise?

Cheeses

1. Triple Cream Brie - 7.99
2. Manchego - $9.99

Wines ordered from Cleveland Park Wine and cheeses and bread from Calvert-Woodley

It was my intention to put together a very nice Malbec tasting for this Tuesday evening. I, along with a few friends, went to Pearson’s and asked Michael for his recommendations. We started with a wonderful Malbec which was medium bodied, nice fruit, good balance, etc. All agreed it was a good start to completing a good Malbec tasting.

Then a funny thing happened. Perhaps it was something someone in the background said. Perhaps it was an unexpected astronomical alignment. Whatever the reason, the next wine that we tasted wasn’t a Malbec. Michael opened a blend that was wonderful. Everyone agreed that this had to be in the tasting. Before I could ask if Malbec was one of the grapes in the blend, Michael had opened another amazing wine. This one was clearly not a Malbec, but the reactions of others made it
clear that I couldn’t pass this wine up.

By the end of the evening, I had picked out 5 beautiful reds and only 1 was a Malbec. I thought to myself, “What happened? I wanted to do a Malbec tasting and I only have 1 in the lineup.” No sooner had I completed that thought, I hear Michael say “You really have to try this before you leave.” And thus, the Malbec was replaced.

Join us this Tuesday evening for “The Malbec Tasting That Almost Was…” We will be having 5 wonderful reds, among them a beautiful grenache, a big and bold Rhone, and a bordeaux-style blend that are sure to please. If the crowd as Pearson’s that evening was any indication, these wines will be sure to please.

1. 2005 Bogle Petite Sirah - California $15
2. 2004 Mestezaje - Spain $16
3. 2005 Las Rocas - Garancha Spain $17
4. 2002 Furque Syrah Roble 2002 - Argentina
5. 2003 Grandy Vacqueyras - France

Cheeses:

1. Horlick’s Farm Cheddar - $12.99
2. Belletoile - $11.98

I’m finishing up gathering the last two wines for my class this Tuesday (11/27/2007). The theme I have come up with is one that I have thought about for a long time. The theme is “wines from places you might not have ever been”.

No, it’s not going to be a berry wine from Hawaii or some obscure grape from a third world country. These wines are some of my favorites of all time. I’m even going to be pulling about three bottles of one wine out of my own cellar just so I can have enough to share it with everyone, since I could not find anymore around town.

We will be having a wonderful Rhone style wine that I found on a great deal with the help of another member of class. We were out and about on one of my days off and found this wine.

Another of the wines is something that I found by asking two people at the wine store (store owner and a friend that works there). I said, “If you could recommend one red wine around $20 what would it be?” They both said separately the same wine. I tried it and then bought a case for class.

More to come once I have finished picking up my last wine, which is going to be a white.

1. 1995 and 1997 Vignobles Biresbarre Vouvray Dem-Sec (UnWined) - $19.99
2. 1999 Marco Maci’s - Corte Barocca Salento IGT Primitivio (A. Litteri’s) $3.99
3. 2002 Plan Pegau (Mills Wine) - $9.00
4. 2005 Paoletti Vineyards - Piccolo Cru (Bell’s) - $19.99
5. 2002 Rusden Grenache Christines (Wide World of Wines) - $44.99

Cheeses (Rick’s Wine and Gourmet)

1. Varcherin (Swiss Washed Rhine) - $12.99
2. Grafton Cheddar (Aged 2 yr) - $10.99

Wines from Pearson’s:

1. N/V Cristalino Rose,Cava (Pendes, Spain) - $8.00
2. 2006 Tres Picos, Granacha (Campo de Borja,Spain) - $13.00
3. 2003 Vigne Vecche Primativa (Salento, Apulia, Itlay) - $20.00
4. 2003 Amarone, Zardini (Verone, Italy) - $39.00
5. N/V Madeira, Brodbent, Fine/Rich (Madeira) - $18.00

Cheese and bread from Calvert-Woodley:

1. Blue Castello, Triple Cream Bule from - $??.00
2. Asiago, (the real Asiago),Sheep’s Milk from Italy - $??.00

bo·da·cious (adj.) : remarkable; outstanding.

October 2nd, bring the the return of Two Blondes, A Brunette and Five Reds presented by Lori Draheim, Carol Rentz and Jill LaPanna. Our theme for this tasting is Big
Bodacious Blends Part II. This is a continuation of Part I which was a big hit…and these wines promise to be even more bodacious! I know; I tasted them all.

The wines to be featured are red blends made up of three or more grape varietals. Needless to say extensive “research” has gone into the selection of these wines. We will start with a serious Rhone Ranger blend from Santa Cruz, then enjoy a Chateauneuf du Pape with outstanding character, next we will taste a haunting, fruit forward
blend from California followed by a bright, focused GSM from Australia, our final wine is a complex blend that will evolve beautifully once set free from the confines of the bottle!

1. 2001 Le Cigare Volant (California) - $39.99
2. 2003 Pierre Usseglio & Fils Chateaneuf do Pape (France) - $29.99
3. 2004 Phantom Bogle (California) - $14.99
4. 2003 Rosemount GSM (Australia) - $33.99
5. 2005 Orin Swift - The Prisoner (Napa, California) - $32.99

Cheeses

1. Ariana Goat Gouda - $14.99
2. Monteboissie Morbiere - $9.99

Tuesday, September 18! The return of Two Blondes, A Brunette and Five Reds presented by Lori Draheim, Carol Rentz and Jill LaPanna. Our theme for this tasting is Big Bodacious Blends! These are some tasty juice!

The wines we will feature are red blends made up of three or more grape varietals. We will start the tasting with a gold medal winning Bordeaux style red from Dry Creek Valley, next will be a gorgeous Australian MSG with a 90 point rating, then on to an easy-sipping Cal-Italian blend from Sonoma, from there we will have a Bordeaux blend with classic Napa flavors and texture at a great price, and finally, a big nicely proportioned red said to be spicy with a long finish from THE hot brand from Australia right now. You won’t want to miss this variety of red blends that are additionally great values!

1. 2004 Forchini - Beauseirra (Sonoma) - $12.99 - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carigane
2. 2005 Rutherglen Estate - The Reunion (Australia) - $14.99 - Mourvedre, Shiraz, Grenache
3. 2004 Ferrari-Carao-Siena (Sonoma) - $21.99 - Sangiovese, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon
4. 2003 Paoleti - Piccolo Cru (Napa) - $17.99 - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc
5. 2006 Molly Dooker - The Two Left Feet (Australia) - $19.99 - Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

The two cheese that we had were:

1. Provolone Picante - $11.99 - Provolone originally comes from the south of Italy but is nowadays produced in several regions of North Italy.
2. Fromage d’ Affinois- $12.99 - a creamy French cheese that is silky and smooth.

The wines came from multiple locations listed below:

1. Bell’s Wine and Spirit (DC)
2. Total wine and More (multiple locaions)
3. Total wine and More (multiple locaions)
4. Out of Site (VA)
5. Pearsons (DC)

The cheese and bread both came from Calvert Woodley’s.