Ever since I was wee little person, wine was an everyday part of evening meals in my family.  I credit this to both my parents’ inherent “European-ness” ~ my mother emigrated to the USA in her mid-twenties from Britain.  My dad grew up in a tight-knit Italian community in the city of Pittsburgh.  His grandfather made his own wine, gardened his own vegetables ~ he even grafted a tree that had a branch for peaches, and a branch for apples. (Or pears … for some reason I’m drawing a blank!)

At the dinner table, wine was always present.  The Italians believe it aids in digestion.  Having studied and lived in Italy for over six months, I can attest to the fact that most native Italians don’t gratuitously drink alcohol.  It’s part of their meal, part of the tradition of it all.  Food is more than sustenance in Italy, and everything seems to have its place and its reason.  It’s a really beautiful and fascinating thing.

John and I are big fans of wine, and we get a total kick out of spending serious time in our liquor store, wandering up and down the aisles of “Chairman’s Select” bottles, reading labels, checking point scores and picking which ones we want to try, and which ones just don’t quite meet the needs of our palate that day.

Additionally, because I work in the restaurant industry, we are lucky enough to get some really great bottles of vino that would normally be unavailable to the general public.  Pennsylvania (for any non-local readers) is pretty persnickety about how it sells its wine.  Having lived here the majority of my life, I’m used to it, but I can imagine it would be a HUGE adjustment for anyone new to the area (unless they were from the only state with more archaic liquor laws … the beautiful state of Mass).

We toyed with the idea of keeping a wine journal for awhile before actually starting it ~ but the following are the bottles we were drinking in February & March 2010, when the wine journal began!

i. The Red One; First Drop Wines

2009 South Australia

13.5 %

Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon 56 %, Shiraz 31%, Barbera 5%

Notes/Comments: Drinkable red ‘food’ wine.  In Philadelphia, Vine Street Imports.

Grade: B

ii. Sauvignon Blanc, Walnut Block Wines

2008 Marlborough, New Zealand

13%

Notes/Comments: Herbaceous and citrus aromas with ripe gooseberry and hint of tropical fruit on the palate.  In Philadelphia, Vine Street Imports.

Grade: B

iii. Boxhead Shiraz

2008 South Australia

14%

Grade: B

2006 Wildhurst Vineyards

California

13.5 %

Notes/Comments: Intense fruit flavors reminiscent of of black cherries, currents and blackberries … toasty oak notes.

Grade: B+

ii.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserva de Familia

2007 Santa Carolina, Chile

14%

Notes/Comments: Complex aromas such as chocolate and pepper … eminently drinkable.

Grade: A

i. Zinfandel, Quackenbush Mt. Vineyards

2007 Lake County, California

14.6%

Grade: B

ii. Syrah Fusion; Borra Vineyards

2006 Lodi, California

15%

Blend: 60% Syrah, 30% Petit Sirah, 5% Zinfandel, 3% Mouvedre, 2% Grenache

Grade: B

iii. Old Vine Zinfandel, Bogle Vineyards

2007 California

14.5%

Notes/Comments: Intense blackberry, black cherry, and raspberry flavors … vanilla & oak.

Grade: B+

iv. The Wolftrap ~ Syrah, Mourevedre, Viognier

Boekenhoutskloof, Franschoek

Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

14.5%

Blend: Syrah 68%, Mourevedre 30%, Viognier 2%

Notes/Comments: Spicy, aromatic red blend … french oak matured.

Grade: B +

i. Chateau Haut Lavigne

2007 Cotes de Duras, France

12.5%

Grade: B –

i. Misterio, Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Mendoza, Argentina

13.5%

Notes/Comments: Friendly wine, easy but sophisticated … scented nose of cassis and black pepper… full bodied and long after-taste.

Grade: C

ii. Pinot Noir, Jargon

2008 Napa, California

13.5%

Notes/Comments:  Just good wine!

Grade: B+

i. Goats du Roam, Red Blend

2008 South Africa

14%

Blend ~

61% Syrah “for structure”

14% Cinsault “for softness”

13% Mourvedre ” for spice”

8% Grenache “for fruit”

4% Carginan “for freshness”

Notes/Comments: Bold, flavorful, big.

Grade: B+

ii. Petit Sirah, Ravenswood Vintners Blend

2007 California

13.5%

Notes/Comments:  Deep, concentrated black fruit flavors.  Smoky & delish.  Never lets us down.

Grade: B+

iii. Zinfandel, Dynamite

2007 Sonoma, California

14.8%

Notes/Comments: Spicy black raspberries, cherries & plums, hints of dark chocolate, licorice and crushed black pepper.   Very flavorful, bursts with fruity spiciness in first taste (I loved it).

Grade: B

iv. Chardonnay, Two Oceans

2008 South Africa

13.5%

Notes/Comments: Fruity, citrus-y, vanilla.  A favorite of John.

Grade: B