The wine of this past weekend

Kanonkop Kadette 2008 (South Africa)

50% Pinotage ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinotage ), 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc

First impression of the wine:

Well, the reason why I’m starting to believe that I’m more of an amateur than a professional oenophile (thank you Jeff ;)) is that I really like mixes. The Pinotage grape is one of my favorites, and has been since early wine experiences ;) What I read is that this grape is a signature grape from South Africa.

Its not a collectable item, good, solid taste, perfect for a stay-at-home weekend night.

Price and where I got it from:

Received it as a present (I think it costs around 40 zł = 12-13$)

Winery:

http://www.kanonkop.co.za/

How to satisfy your preagnant wife and enjoy a good bottle of wine in the meantime ;)

Ok so its Tuesday night and you got home late from work, your wife is preagnant, and all you want to do is drink a glass of wine and enjoy a peaceful evening...;)

(what you need – one bottle of wine, two camembert cheeses, one egg, bread crumbs, one pear, cranberry sauce and thirty minutes)

Crack open a Teanum – Favugne – Rosso 2008 (Italy) bottle and do the following:

- take the two camembert cheeses you bought earlier

- put it in egg yolk so that it covers the cheese

- when its all covered in yolk sprinkle bread crumbs on it so that they stick to the cheese

- throw it on a hot pan and fry it (I used olive oil) should look something like this:

- once it starts getting brown, flip it on the other side until it starts melting ever so slightly

- put it on a plate and add some pieces of pear along with cranberry sauce

- enjoy the wine, eat the cheese, look at the happy wife and empty plates

First impression of the wine:

The word „fruity“ comes to mind but its hard to be exact, it really has a rich palet. it should be good with read meat however I ate the camembert served with pear and cranberry sauce and it worked great.

Price and where I got it from:

Again the great http://wine-express.pl/en/italy

(however I can’t seem to find it on their website right now) it costs around 30 – 35 zł (10-12 $)

Winery:

http://www.teanum.com/index_en.htm

A great crisp white wine (perfect for dates)

My second post:

A special thank you to John Borrell who provided inspiration for me to start writing this blog, if your ever in Poland I truly recommend visiting his very special Kania Lodge http://kanialodge.com.pl/en/

Le Coq D'Oc 2009 Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc (France)

Recommendation:

A great crisp wine for dates

First impression:

This wine was truly enjoyable. A crisp, fresh taste, not harsh at all. My wife, who is pregnant so couldn’t partake in the festivities, took just a sip and loved it.  

Intresting note: goes really well with a fresh cold apple.

Price and where I got it from:

30 zł (10$) – Which is a bargain for a French wine

http://wine-express.pl/en/france

Winery:

http://www.domaine-sainte-rose.com/

Grapes:

Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc mix (less on the sauvignon side.) 

First Post - Madiba - Cinaut/Ruby Cabernet 2008 (South Africa)

The goal is to keep this blog pretty informal and simple.  The plan is to publish a photo of the bottle I just tried, write a bit about my first impression of the wine, the price I was able to buy it for, and the winery where it comes from, the grapes it was made of, and so on…

Here we go with the first post: 

Madiba - Cinaut/Ruby Cabernet 2008 (South Africa)

Recommendation:

For people who like a strong tasting wine.

First impression:

Pretty awful to be honest, it was really harsh. It might have been something I ate just before that had an impact, however to be honest I’m usually pretty easy to please when it comes to a good price, this wine however was slightly to much on the “aggressive” side

I left the bottle open for two days on the kitchen table, my brother was over for dinner and I have to say we both enjoyed it, ok I’m not saying it is a great wine, but after two days of letting it air and drinking it to chicken served with fired spinach it went down really well J

Price and where I got it from:

http://wine-express.pl/en/south-africa

Price 23 zł (around 8,50 dollars)

A little about the winery:

http://www.wine.co.za/directory/about.aspx?PAGEID=688

A little about the grapes:

Both grapes are resistant to heat and drought (ruby cabernet is popular in California)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinsaut

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Cabernet