This particular dessert wine is an Antique Tawny from their Museum Reserve selection. It is extremely smooth for a dessert wine with hints of butterscotch. Best of all, it's only about $17 at BevMo. I think we better stock up now!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Yalumba Dessert Wine
One of our recent favorites is a dessert wine from Yalumba, a vineyeard in Australia.
This particular dessert wine is an Antique Tawny from their Museum Reserve selection. It is extremely smooth for a dessert wine with hints of butterscotch. Best of all, it's only about $17 at BevMo. I think we better stock up now!
This particular dessert wine is an Antique Tawny from their Museum Reserve selection. It is extremely smooth for a dessert wine with hints of butterscotch. Best of all, it's only about $17 at BevMo. I think we better stock up now!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Cask Room, San Diego
One of our favorite wine bars in San Diego is the Cask Room. Don't let the location scare you, it is well worth the trip! Located at 550 Park Blvd across from a sketchy trolley station, the inside is warm and cozy, with a wine bar, small tables, and comfy couches and chairs.
We asked the server what he would recommend, and he let us try a couple things before choosing. According to their website, all of their servers are certified specialists of wine or certified sommeliers, and this definitely shows in the way they help you to choose a selection that you will really enjoy.
They have a selection of appetizers and panini sandwiches, but one of the tastiest things is the stuffed dates, which are medjool dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto.
Their wine menu changes frequently, and we look forward to visiting often to try their new selections.
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| Sketchy trolley stop |
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| Wine bar |
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| Comfy couch seating area (from the Cask Room website) |
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| Fun cork-filled barrel table |
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| Delicious! |
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Jeep Tour of Wine Country
Touring Temecula wine country in a bright yellow Jeep from Sunrider Wine Tours was a great adventure.
We boarded at a Starbucks in Old Town Temecula and rode out to visit Stuart Cellars, Danza Del Sol and Leonesse Cellars, all of which we have visited before.
They filled the Jeep with six people which is a bit cramped and not quite romantic. The Jeep certainly makes the trip interesting as we went out on back roads and even off road for a few exciting moments. Being away from the beaten path let us see very old vines and take in some beautiful vistas.
The tour guide was a very knowledgeable wine enthusiast. He was also quite patient with people on the tour that had little exposure to wine.
Stuart Cellars was a disappointment. On our previous visit we were pleased with affordable good wine but it seems that prices have gone up while the quality of the wines have gone down.
Danza Del Sol was extremely busy and it was tough to get service but there were some enjoyable wines.
Leonesse Cellars was wonderful. So many tasty, bold red wines.
Overall the tour was worth the time and money if you're looking for a little adventure.
Note from Dawn: With three tastings and lunch included, as well as the ride, it's not too bad of a value, but having a Groupon definitely paid off. I would have preferred to choose the wineries, but their choices were pretty good. Not sure if the regular price is quite worth it, unless you have guests from out of town and are looking for something fun to do.
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| Our chariot |
We boarded at a Starbucks in Old Town Temecula and rode out to visit Stuart Cellars, Danza Del Sol and Leonesse Cellars, all of which we have visited before.
They filled the Jeep with six people which is a bit cramped and not quite romantic. The Jeep certainly makes the trip interesting as we went out on back roads and even off road for a few exciting moments. Being away from the beaten path let us see very old vines and take in some beautiful vistas.
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| 40 year old vines |
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| View of the backcountry |
The tour guide was a very knowledgeable wine enthusiast. He was also quite patient with people on the tour that had little exposure to wine.
Stuart Cellars was a disappointment. On our previous visit we were pleased with affordable good wine but it seems that prices have gone up while the quality of the wines have gone down.
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| Library wines look neat, but the taste doesn't hold up. |
Danza Del Sol was extremely busy and it was tough to get service but there were some enjoyable wines.
Leonesse Cellars was wonderful. So many tasty, bold red wines.
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| Giant bottle of wonderful cinsault port. |
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| Enjoying some of those bold reds. |
Overall the tour was worth the time and money if you're looking for a little adventure.
Note from Dawn: With three tastings and lunch included, as well as the ride, it's not too bad of a value, but having a Groupon definitely paid off. I would have preferred to choose the wineries, but their choices were pretty good. Not sure if the regular price is quite worth it, unless you have guests from out of town and are looking for something fun to do.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Voyou wine bar
Voyou is located in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego (3696 5th Ave). It's a little off the beaten path, but Scott found it online so we thought we'd try it out.
Inside is a cozy room with modern furniture, enough seating for maybe about 20 people, the sound of house music pumping out of the owner's computer. Menu included a smallish selection of wine and some interesting food dishes. We started with an Ercavio 2007 Tempranillo from Spain and a Perrin and Fils 2007 Rhone from France. Both were nice and robust, good flavor. If we would have taken more notes while drinking, I could describe them better for you, but maybe next time.
We chose a few dining selections: a goat cheese and almond tart, blue cheese tuna medallions, and mac and cheese. Everyone seems to have a gourmet mac and cheese option these days, and I think we're bound to try them all.
The goat cheese and almond tart was amazing, made even better with the accompanying balsamic vinegar reduction. The mac and cheese was delicious as well. The tuna medallions with a blue cheese crust had some intriguing green rice shaped like a caterpillar as well as a tasty green salad. All the flavors mixed together were amazing.
Overall, it was a pleasant experience and I think we would go back, as long as they had some new wines to try. If you want to check out their website, click here.
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| Outside (taken from Voyou's website) |
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| Inside lounge area (taken from Voyou's website) |
We chose a few dining selections: a goat cheese and almond tart, blue cheese tuna medallions, and mac and cheese. Everyone seems to have a gourmet mac and cheese option these days, and I think we're bound to try them all.
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| Goat cheese and almond tart |
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| Blue cheese tuna medallions |
Overall, it was a pleasant experience and I think we would go back, as long as they had some new wines to try. If you want to check out their website, click here.
Jewelry by Dawn: Wine charms galore
Jewelry by Dawn: Wine charms galore: A link to my jewelry blog, where I have a posting of a bunch of wine glass charms I made.
Wine craftiness
Ever wonder what to do with all those free wine glasses you get from wine tasting, or am I the only one with this problem? I decided to make a candle holder.
All you need is a wine glass, glass beads or polished rocks, and a tealight. Place the stones or polished glass in the wine glass and nestle a tealight in the stones or polished glass. Simple as that!
All you need is a wine glass, glass beads or polished rocks, and a tealight. Place the stones or polished glass in the wine glass and nestle a tealight in the stones or polished glass. Simple as that!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Falkner Winery in Temecula
You may not need to read very far into this review. Falkner was extremely busy and the staff very disorganized and inattentive. If our visit there was any indication, it would be difficult to have a good experience tasting at Falkner, at least on a weekend.
A few of the blends at Falkner are appetizing. The 2005 Amante and the 2005 Meritage both had a pleasing depth of flavors. From tasting their 2006 siblings, you get an idea that these blends improve a good deal with age. The 2005 Mertiage was my favorite.
The 2007 Luscious Lips is a slightly sweet red table wine as the tasting menu promised. This wine on its own was bland. Falkner sells this wine along with a packet of spices allowing you to create a hot and tasty treat. We tried the wine served this way and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It reminded me of the wonderful Gluhwein I enjoyed on a trip to Germany. If you have never experienced a hot wine with mulled spices I suggest you try it.
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| The view is the only thing good here. |
A few of the blends at Falkner are appetizing. The 2005 Amante and the 2005 Meritage both had a pleasing depth of flavors. From tasting their 2006 siblings, you get an idea that these blends improve a good deal with age. The 2005 Mertiage was my favorite.
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| One of the stained glass windows by the front door. |
The 2007 Luscious Lips is a slightly sweet red table wine as the tasting menu promised. This wine on its own was bland. Falkner sells this wine along with a packet of spices allowing you to create a hot and tasty treat. We tried the wine served this way and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It reminded me of the wonderful Gluhwein I enjoyed on a trip to Germany. If you have never experienced a hot wine with mulled spices I suggest you try it.
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| The wine was awful but we were still smiling. |
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