It’s time for another thrilling addition of SDMB Wine Club! We have now graduated out of the teens and into the 20’s. This week we traverse the yellow brick road to the Emerald City of the Great Northwest to see sommelier Amarinth. Will we need to show courage, have a brain or just some heart as we scan the racks for this week’s pick
As usual, everyone welcome; buy before next Thursday; taste and post before the following Thursday when the next thread will be posted (or thereabouts)
ETA: Jodi continues to send big wet smooches to whoever is updating and maintaining the spreadsheet. It is both handy and dandy, and it is here.
So without further ado, Amarinth, click your heels and take us away.
As I’ve been following it, I think one person brings a wine to the group, the group goes and gets it, and has themselves a time trying it, and reporting back.
Basically runs on a two week cycle and advances to next member on the list each time. That member makes a selection of a wine retailing for less than $20, we try to locate the wine (or close alternative) in our local market and report back on how we enjoyed (or didn’t).
Everyone is welcome to join in on the fun and if you wish to be added to the member list and be able to make a future selection, just reply accordingly and you’ll be added to the member list.
Sorry I took so long to get back to the thread - but my weekend went in odd directions. And I did want to make sure that the wines are more or less generally available and not just in grocery stores near me.
So - two Washington Rieslings or more to the point, two Washington sweet Rieslings, because I really like sweeter white wines: Hogue Late Harvest White Riesling (I see it for ~$6-7 a bottle)
and Kiona Late Harvest White Riesling (which I prefer, but tend to see for closer to $15/bottle).
Picked up the Hogue this afternoon ($7.25) but we’re having ham & beans with cornbread for dinner so I think it will wait till at least tomorrow. Meanwhile I’m thinking a nice Rose will go well with the beans and smokiness or the ham.
Tried the Hogue tonight. Even though I’m not a big fan of Riesling and it’s sweetness, this turned out better than I thought it would be. Was it sweet, yes, but not overly so. I found the initial glass to be better than the last - maybe be the time the Mrs & I got to the bottom it had warmed a little from sitting in the open air. We had gone out for Chinese and opened the bottle when we got home as an after dinner treat.
My first impression was that you tasted the initial sweetness then it mellowed out on the finish which I thought was OK. The later glass seemed like the sweetness remained dominate.
Anyway, it was a good change of pace. I won’t make a point of keeping it on hand but I’m glad I gave it a try.
Wasn’t able to locate the Kiona, but did find the Hogue ($8). This wine’s nose is reminiscent of a Kabinett. It starts green-apple crisp, gets oddly hoppy mid-palate and the finish, while still maintaining a relative sweetness, lingers longer than it should for a white.
Stone fruit (specifically dried apricot and peach) notes dominate.
While tasty, this is definately not a meal wine (think appetizers, white cheese and fruit) it is however a good value, and just fine for an afternoon on the deck watching the last of the indian summer days slip into fall.
I bought the wine (the Hogue Late Harvest, couldn’t find the Kiona) on Friday night, and opened it last night. I was a bit concerned when I found it in the “Dessert Wine” section of the store, so that (and folks posting here) gave me the clue that this shouldn’t be the dominant wine for the evening.
I made it an all white evening. I had roast chicken, rice, green beans and broccoli with a 2005 Terredora Falanghina Irpinia (very nice, crisp, pears and a bit of mineral) for dinner. I finished with a glass (okay, two) of our pick.
I liked this. I got the peach, some subdued citrus and (strangely enough) coconut :dubious: . Eh, my palate may have been overloaded by that point.
I think that this may be one I keep around for certain occasions. I wouldn’t know what dinner to pair this with, but it would definitely be good for get-togethers or after dinner sipping.
)