A Taste of Italy

A couple of weeks ago, I challenged our wine tasting group to go out and find an Italian wine to bring back and share with the group tonight. The selection should range from white to red to sparkling. Should be a fun tasting.

My contribution will be a 2010 Savian Lison Pramaggiore Pinot Grigio from the Lison Pramaggiore DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) in the Veneto wine region in north-eastern Italy.

I am not normally a big fan of Pinot Grigio but my wife and I came across this one at a wine bar in Coolidge, Arizona – truly a wine bar in the middle of no where. It had nice aromas and flavor so we bought a bottle just for this tasting. A month or so ago our group did a blind tasting of Pinot Grigio and the overall opinion of the group was that the grape was not all it was hyped up to be. I hope this bottle changes some minds.

Returning friends…

Started off the day with a great bike ride and ran into friends at Starbucks. After coffee and a bite to eat, rode home to find out that some other friends are back from Colorado for their winter stay in Casa Grande. Had a good visit with them on the patio as the sun set, sharing a bottle of Wild Child from Pillsbury Wine (Cottonwood, AZ). Patio season has officially begun!

Upcoming Events…

A Visit to Italy – Italian wine tasting with our local wine tasting group on October 10.
Riedel Wine Glass Tasting on October 12, in Scottsdale, AZ.
Willcox Wine Festival, the weekend of October 20.
Festival at the Farm (Arizona Wine Growers Association) on November 17

A Cab Surprise…Now onto Chardonnay

Jamie and I have joined a new wine tasting group. We had our first tasting this past Wednesday, doing a blind tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon.

There were 4 different Cabs to taste, 2 from California, 1 from Argentina and our donation to the event, a 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from West Wind Farm in Virginia. All the wines were good but I am happy to say, the Cab from West Wind Farm was the big hit. Nice to see that a small winery in Virginia could more than hold it’s own with some known names out of California.

At my suggestion, our next tasting will feature Chardonnay. Not being a real fan of Chardonnay, I don’t have any bottles put away to pick from so we made a trip to the store to find one to try before the tasting. We settled on Matchbook Dunnigan Hills Old Head Chardonnay (2009, JL Giguiere, Zamora, CA). We tasted it last night with some friends and it was a good Chardonnay (I am still not a big fan though) and will be the wine we take to the tasting.

Pinot Gris from Pillsbury Wine

After flying in from Atlanta, sat on the patio, soaking in the sun, enjoying a 2010 Pinot Gris (Casa Blanca) from Pillsbury Wine (Cochise County, Arizona). It feels good to be home.

Wine on the Patio

Just shared a simple dinner of raw vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, peppers and carrots with ranch dip with my wife on our patio, Perfect for the Belleruche Cotes-Du-Rhone (2009, M. Chapoutier).

Light nose of apple and pear,apple and mineral on the tongue. Perfect with the light dinner and the stars.

I’m Back…Hope You Missed Me

Well, it’s been almost a year since I added anything new to this blog. Lots has happened during that time. Made the move to Arizona, took on several new work projects, even today, I bought a new bicycle. I have also had a chance to make some new friends and learn about some more of the Arizona wineries.

Vineyard at Lawrence Dunham Vineyards

The wine scene here in Arizona is exciting. My collection of wines from Lawrence Dunham Vineyards seems to keep growing and I have a trip to Arizona Stronghold planned for next weekend.

I think it’s time I got back to sharing my adventures (and misadventures) in the wonderful world of wine and food…look for more soon.