September 2024 Delectable Reviews
Goodness, this hot Houston early fall has gotten away from me. Here's the first of two catch-up posts.
This was an excellent sleeper hit Chard from WTSO.
Priorat this good is so delicious just by itself. However, I remember 14 years ago my wife and I were in LA at Wolfgang Puck's famous Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills. The well-educated server recommended a Priorat similar to this to pair with a Macadamia-encrusted mild fish (I think it was Barramundi) and it was absolutely spectacular. Quality red wine can indeed pair with the right seafood dish.
Recommended Pairing: Any pan-seared mild white fish or fried chicken
Wow, if you assume all California sparkling wine is a tier below quality French Champagne, here's a delicious way to challenge your assumptions. Vintage sparkling wine is compelling as French bubbles are only Non-Vintage (NV) at the price point of this Schramsberg wine.
Australian wine wine still struggles to shake off the reputation from a few decades ago: a flood of big, bold oaky wines. Penfolds is a classic producer but it seems this wine shouldn't be opened too young as it needs to be aged in the bottle so that new oak can mellow out.
At this Costco price you could buy several bottles and just forget about them in your wine fridge for 5 years or more.
Trader Joe's is one of the kings of the under $20 wine retail places. If you've never had Bandol rosé before, it's a major step up from the typical Provence rosé poolside pounder and this is a nice entry into this famous appellation.
Recommended Pairing: Wild Boar Bolognese
Delicious aged Tuscan wine tastes even better at a nice BYOB restaurant in Houston with a very reasonable corkage fee which is quite a rarity these days.
Recommended Pairing: Oysters
Chablis used to be a bargain for White Burgundy but even this relatively large region in Burgundy is getting pricey for the higher tier bottles. At least with climate change it appears this region which used to be marginally too cold has never produced better wine.
Recommended Pairing: Beef or Beyond Burger
I couldn't tell if this wine was a bit prematurely oxidized / stored too warm or if this was the intentional style. Still it was interesting and food-friendly.