Tag: Sauvignon
Cheap Wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Red Wine ? Wine Growers Direct
Posted onThe Sauvignon Blanc Wine
The Sauvignon Blanc, also called the Sauv Blanc, has origins from France. History has it that the Sauvignon Blanc wine comes from the Bordeaux region in France. The grape used for this wine is a green skinned grape and gets its name from the French words Sauvage, which means wild, and Blanc, which means white. The name is courtesy the original wild grapes used for this crisp, dry and refreshing varietal wine. The same grape used to produce this wine, is also a component of some famous desert wines from Sauternes and Basarc. The Sauvignon Blanc grape is now widely grown in many countries of the world including Australia, France, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil and California. Infact Australian Sauvignon Blanc Wine is highly popular and is exported all over the world.
The taste of the Sauvignon Blanc can be influenced to a great deal by the climate. It can taste very grassy or sweetly tropical. Most of the winemakers have given it a general description of being Fresh, Dry, Elegant, Crisp and slightly citrusy at times. Sauvignon Blanc along with another wine called Riesling was also one of the first wines to be bottled with a screw cap bottle closure, unlike the usual cork. This maybe because this wine is generally consumed young as aging this particular wine provides no benefits, however it is said the screw cap also keeps the wine fresh and can not be adversely affected by the cork.
The Sauvignon Blanc grape is often blended with others. For example, particularly in Australia, the Sauvignon Blanc is often blended with Semillon. There are other varietal styles to it as well, including those from Adelaide Hills and Padthaway, which are way different from their New Zealand neighbors, especially in terms of flavor and acidity.
The Sauvignon Blanc is a highly popular wine and goes very well with many types of food and cuisines. Infact many Sauvignon Blanc Companies provide their own recommendations on food pairing with this wine on their websites where they also allow you to Buy sauvignon Blanc wine at discounts!Sauvignon Blanc is also an excellent pair with fish, seafood, sushi, meat and poultry, is an excellent accompaniment to salads and dips and so on and so forth. The list of pairings for this wine is simply endless!
A Wine Lover’s Weekly Guide To $10 Wines – A Cabernet Sauvignon From South Africa
Posted onIt may be hard to believe but this is our first bargain wine from South Africa, one very major wine country. The Nederburg winery was founded in 1791 near Paarl not far from the Cape of Good Hope. This wine is part of their series, the Winemaker’s Reserve. This wine is marketed by Stellenbosch Farmers Winery which is not your little farmer’s winery. Stellenbosch markets about one third of all South African wines with a value of over one third of a billion dollars. I don’t think that I have to tell you about the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, one popular red grape in Bordeaux France, California, and many other locales as well. Let’s see if we can get a bargain. It seems like a fairly long time.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 12.5 % alcohol about $ 9
Let’s start with the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Medium – deep red/purple; aromas of game, sweet cherry, cassis, earth, liquorice and cedar tones; dry, medium-full bodied, red currant and spice flavors with soft tannins to finish. Serving Suggestion: Grilled or roasted meats, white meats, pizza or pasta or old cheese. And now for my review.
I started by sipping this wine alone. It was oaky with tobacco, long, and presented round tannins. But seemed a bit too acidic. The first meal included a commercially barbecued chicken and potato salad. The Cab displayed plummy and earthy notes. It was more forceful with the chicken than it was with the potato salad.
The second meal centered around slow-cooked beef ribs with potatoes accompanied by a lime and garlic tomato salsa. The wine was powerful, mouth filling, and long. I got tobacco and dark fruit. This Cab was chewy. With the somewhat spicy salsa the wine became peppery and didn’t lose its force.
The final meal consisted of a packaged baked Ziti Siciliano with eggplant covered with grated Parmesan cheese. There was a fine balance of acidity, tannins, and fruit with a faint bit of tobacco.
I finished the tasting with two cheeses. The first cheese was a Yellow Cheddar. This wine was round, oaky, and it displayed good fruit. The second pairing was with a Swiss (Emmenthal). Things worked out about the same but the wine was more acidic.
Final verdict. I would definitely buy this wine again. This really struck me as somewhat of a bargain. If you’re a big fan of Cabernet Sauvignon, you might take it up a notch with Nederburg’s Manor House line. I prefer staying in their bargain price range but trying another grape.
I Love Organic Wine – A South African Cabernet Sauvignon
Posted onThe Sonop Wine Farm is located in Paarl, South Africa about sixty kilometers (less than forty miles) northeast of Capetown, wine country that produces some mighty fine red wines. This organic Cabernet Sauvignon wine also has the advantage of being Fair Trade which means that the producers and workers are paid a living wage. So you can drink this wine with a clear conscience knowing that both the environment and the people involved its production have been respected. As long as we’re on the subject, make sure to enjoy this wine in moderation so that nobody is harmed. What about the wine itself?
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed
Sonop Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 13.5% alcohol about $ 12.50
Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials.
Description: An excellent value, this certified-organic Cab is also one of a growing number of wines that are certified as Fair Trade. Such a certification guarantees that producers and workers are paid a living wage and that grapes are grown using environmentally conscientious practices. This medium-bodied Cab delivers cassis and typical cigar box aromas, ripe fruit flavours and fairly soft tannins. Pair it with pasta in a meat sauce. Our Quality Assurance Laboratory has determined that this wine contains 22 mg/L of free sulphur. And now for my review.
The first sips revealed a wine that was mildly sweet with soft tannins. It had good length and light acidity. The initial food pairing consisted of slow-cooked beef stew and potatoes with a side of okra in a sauce of garlic, onions, and crushed tomatoes. The wine’s intensity and fruit stepped up to the meat. The okra dish brought out the darkness of the fruit. I added green jalapeno pepper sauce to the meat and got some chocolate and tobacco.
The second pairing involved chicken and potatoes baked in a commercial honey and garlic barbecue sauce. The Cab tasted of dark fruit. It was mouth-filling and yet light. There was a tiny bit of sweetness. The lingering acidity did a good job of cutting the grease.
The final food pairing was with whole-wheat lasagna noodles baked with ground beef, peas, and tomato salsa. This lasagna had no cheese. The wine was round. It tasted of dark cherries with soft tannins and a tobacco finish. I added extra salsa (mild, not spicy) and the tobacco finish intensified. The length was good.
Two cheese pairings marked the end of the bottle. In the presence of sheep’s milk feta cheese the Cab was long and chewy. But brick cheese managed to weaken the wine somewhat.
Final verdict. This wine was quite good and the price is right. I would buy this wine again. If you want an organic wine, this is a good deal. And it’s even better when you consider that it is Fair Trade as well. Even if you aren’t interested in these factors, this Cabernet Sauvignon offers a fine wine for the price.
I Love Kosher Wine – An Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon
Posted onDon’t make the mistake of thinking that all Israeli wines are kosher, many are but many are not. Once upon a time Israeli wine relied on lesser quality grape varieties such as Carignan and Colombard. Happily those days are over. Actually, I’m told that some of the old Carignan fields have been nurtured to produce high-quality wines. In any case, the wine reviewed below is based on the Cabernet Sauvignon grape that stars in Bordeaux France, California, and increasingly elsewhere including Israel. This bottle comes from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, said to be the country’s region best region for winemaking.
This wine is not only Kosher, it is Mevushal (flash-pasteurized) which essentially means it retains its Kosher quality no matter who serves it. Once upon a time Mevushal was synonymous with tasteless, the process essentially boiled the guts out of the wine. This is clearly no longer the case. Let’s give it a try.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed
Dalton Safsufa Cabernet Sauvignon K/P 2007 13.5% Alcohol About $ 19.00
Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials.
Tasting Note: Medium garnet with ruby color; big nose of black current, plum and spice with earthy notes; dry, medium to full bodied, with ripe black fruit and vanilla flavores and a lingering finish. Serving Suggestion: Roast beef, grilled lamb or chicken. And now for my review.
The first sips were mouth filling. The wine was long and rich. The initial food pairing involved a commercially barbecued chicken accompanied by potatoes roasted in chicken fat. The plum taste was dominant but not unpleasant and I also tasted tobacco. This Cab showed a fine balance of fruit, acidity, and light tannins. It was palate cleansing, especially for the greasy roasted potatoes. If I had to look for something negative I suppose that it could have been more subtle.
Then I went with a slow-cooked beef stew with potatoes. Once again the wine was mouth filling. I was tasting dark fruit and dreaming of Bordeaux. Actually I was tasting dark fruit and chocolate with a lot of extract. I added some green jalapeno sauce that didn’t seem to make a difference except to intensify the chocolate.
The final meal centered around packaged meatless baked Ziti Siciliano with eggplant that I generously doused with grated Parmesan cheese. The Cabernet was chewy and refreshing but a bit flat at first. It became better later.
I finished with the cheese pairings. With a Provolone the wine was quite present, powerful, and long but it didn’t really mesh with the cheese. Translation, this wine was too good for this cheese. Then I went to a skim milk Mozzarella cheese. The wine showed good balance and length with a nice touch of oak. To inject a personal note, I wouldn’t waste a $ 20 bottle of wine on a low-market cheese.
Final verdict I would buy this wine again but definitely pay attention to the food pairings. This wine seems to go better with higher quality food. I won’t say that’s a bad sign.
Chocolate With Cabernet Sauvignon Cupcakes
Posted onThis is the most amazing “adult” cupcakes recipe ever. It combines the two greatest ingredients ever, chocolate and wine! It does contain alcohol but it cooks out completely and is kid friendly. This is the perfect cupcake to serve at a wine tasting party, cocktail party or any party at all.
These cupcakes are made with cinnamon, cocoa powder, dried cherries and of course Cabernet Sauvignon. When making these delicious little creations; make sure that you use a good quality Cabernet Sauvignon. It makes all the difference in the world. You can also serve the same wine with the cupcakes and it makes a beautiful pair. When the cupcakes are done baking you top them with sweet whipped cream, a few more dried cherries and a dusting of either cinnamon or cocoa powder.
Cupcake pans come in 3 sizes, small, medium and large. The cooking time varies between the sizes. Small cupcakes take approximately 6 minutes less than medium and large cupcakes take about 8 minutes longer than medium. It doesn’t matter what type of mixer you use whether is a Kitchen Aide mixer, a hand mixer or just a wooden spoon. Just make sure you mix it as the directions say.
So for the best cupcake you will ever make; try this recipe and wow your friends.
Chocolate with Cabernet Sauvignon Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs
3/4 Cup Cabernet Sauvignon
1/2 Cup Dried Cherries, chopped
2 Cups Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream
1/4 Cup Dried Cherries, chopped
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon or Cocoa Powder, as garnish
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare the muffin pans with paper baking cups.
3. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder in an electric mixer.
4. Add the oil, vanilla, eggs and Cabernet Sauvignon.
5. Beat with the electric mixer at low speed for 30 seconds. Turn the mixer speed to high and continue beating for three minutes, scraping the sides occasionally.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the dried cherries.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pans.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Spoon a dollop of whipped cream on the center of the completely cooled cupcakes.
10. Add five to six bits of dried cherries and a dusting of cinnamon or cocoa powder.
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