1.) Wine: Hangtime Pinot Noir

Bottle Description/Vinters Notes: Pinot Noir is often considered the most finicky of wines—that’s why we give ours tender loving care. We source this wine from select California vineyards that allow grapes to ripen slowly, producing lovely delicate, intriguing fruit character. Hangtime California Pinot Noir has vivid red fruit with hints of spice, a lithe texture, and graceful length on the palate.

Region: California

Price: 10.99

Analysis: 13.5% ABV

Personal Notes: One of the best Pinot Noir’s I’ve tried. Lighter side of medium bodied, not sweet, but not dry. Very smooth and a lingering finish. The nose is full of fruit and very pleasant as is the palate.

Rating: 4.5

2.) Wine: Snap Dragon 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Bottle Description/Vinters Notes: Legend has it… long ago, a farmer befriended a dragon using the creature to guard his crops from rading poachers. Flying overhead, the dragon would snap its jaws causing thieves to flee empty handed. Upon the dragon’s demise, the farmer planted a vine over its majestic body, which in time grew into a vineyard. Each harvest, the spirite of the dragon lives on inspiring the creation of these delicious wines!

Snap Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon is fruit forward and easy to enjoy, showcasing deep flavors of cherry, blackberry, and spice with a hint of currant and smooth tannins. A perfect wine to drink yb itself or pair with grill or roasted meats.

Region: California

Price: 7.99

Analysis: 13.5% ABV

Personal Notes: Not very good. Dry, medium to heavy in body. The nose is heavy and earthy with a hint of smoke. The palate is jammy with hints of spice and asphalt (this isn’t as bad as it seems) . It has a long finish, unfortunately it’s not smooth and the finish isn’t good

Rating: 2

3.) Wine: A-Mano Chianti 2006
Bottle Description/Vinters Notes: Celebrate with us the pleasure of living everyday life in Bellisima Italia and share our spirit of friendship. A Mano Chianti has soft cherry flavors with a smooth, long finish. It will prime your taste buds for all sorts of culinary adventures.
Region: Hungary

Price: 11.99

Analysis: 13% ABV

Personal Notes: This was a good bottle. For a chianti it was a little drier than I usually choose, but it did not hinder the flavor. Medium bodied, the cherry/fruit flavor was quite smooth and easy to drink. It has a long finish and good mouth feel.

Rating: 4

** Rating System:

5 - Oh my Stars this is amazing.
4 - Very nice and would buy again
3 - Good but nothing special – would choose to buy something else next time
2 - Not my taste/style – OR – Not good would not buy again
1 - Ew, gross, very poor quality. Do not buy.
0 - Poison

I've been lazy with my wine updates. Some of my personal notes are pretty lame but its enough for me at least to remember what I liked and didn't. Don't worry! These aren't all from one night or anything, hahaha.


1.) Wine: Lion Hunt Red Muscadel

Bottle Description/Vinters Notes: The grapes were harvested between 23 and 26º Balling. After crushing and destemming

the mash was inoculated with a yeast strain, which fermented until the sugar was between

15 en 17ºBalling. The mash was pressed and the wine was fortified. After some monthof maturation in tank, the wine was bottled. Powerful aroma of Muscat and raisins. Fortified with Brandy. Serve on crushed ice with lemon juice. Simply delicious!

Region: South Africa

Price: 13.99

Analysis: Alcohol: 16.0 %

Residual Sugar: 202.8 g / L

Total acidity: 4.8 g / L

pH: 3.52

Personal Notes: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I could taste just a hint of raisin right away. Nice and sweet, honeyed, but not overpoweringly sweet and not syrupy. This was a wonderful dessert wine with a beautiful amber color. Not too sweet, not too light. Would absolutely get this again.

Rating: 5

2.) Wine: Beaulieu Vinyard (BV) Coastal Estates Chardonnay 2007

Bottle Description: Our Chardonnay shows delicious ripe apple, tropical fruit and citrus character, with hints of toasty vanilla oak. The crisp, fruity flavors turn cream on the lingering finish. Nicely balanced, this wine complements rich seafood dishes, roasted chicken, pasta with creamy sauces, or whatever excites your taste buds.

Region: California

Price: 9.99

Analysis: 13.5% ABV

Personal Notes: A pleasant fruity nose. Slightly dry with vanilla oak. Just a little more oaky than I prefer. Definitely fruity with notes of citrus and apple, not so much tropical. A little astringent, and you can feel the alcohol throughout. Has a long finish and crisp pleasant taste, but not anything very impressive.

Rating: 3

3.) Wine: Santa Cristina 2007 Toscana

Bottle Description: Fresh, fragrant and fruity. The traditional Tuscan Sangiovese grape is completed in this wine with a small quantity of Merlot, giving it greater body and balance.
Colour: Ruby red with purplish hues.

Aroma: Intense, ripe fruit with floral hints

Palate: well-structured, soft and harmonioius. Sweet tannins and lingering fruit flavor in the finish.

Region: Italy

Price: 11.99

Analysis: 13% ABV; 90% Sangiovese 10% Merlot

Personal Notes: A great find. A nice fruity nose and palate to match. Lighter end of the Medium bodied spectrum, not too light, not too heavy. Has a good fruity flavor that is just a touch dry, with a bit of sweetness to it; semi-dry. A long finish with a lovely linger. This is a perfect wine for a night cap, with a meal, or without.

Rating: 4.5

4.) Wine: Villa Dante Toscana 2004

Bottle Description: Twelve months oak aged. This red wine si a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot. A careful selection of the best grapes was made by our oenologists. Aged in oak casks for 12 months and further perfected by ageing in the bottle, it is a splendid companion o fall Mediterraneon dishes. Serve at room temperature.

Region: Italy

Price: 10.99

Analysis: 12.5% ABV

Personal Notes: This was ok. Medium to fuller bodied. Little heavy and a touch too buttery. I’m not a fan of longer term oaking though.

Rating: 3

5.) Wine: Fu-ki Plum Wine

Bottle Description: Grape wine with plum an dother natural flavors. Fu-ki means “rich and nobel”. This wine is made by a unique method cultivated for hundreds of years in Japan. The plums are picked at dawn and processed the same day to keep t heir devy freshness and flavor which identifies fu-ki from all other wines. Its delicate light and subtle flavor is equally delicious served chilled or “on the rocks”..

Region: Japan

Price: 12.99

Analysis: 9% ABV

Personal Notes: This tastes like drinking slightly alcoholic fruit juice. It’s very sweet and very tasty.

Rating: 4

6.) Wine: Falling Star Cabernet Sauvignon

Bottle Description/Vinter’s Notes: Strong red color with violet hues. Typical Cabernet aromas and flavors: black fruit, spices, and hints of leather and tobacco. Dry on the palate, with medium tannins in the finish. This is a pleasantly ripe and open Cabernet that is soft enough to enjoy now.

Region: Argentina

Price: (bought by the glass)

Analysis: not sure

Personal Notes: Tried by the glass at Galapagos. Nice, medium to l ight body. Clean nose, slightly fruity on the palate and quite smooth. Long finish. Just a hint of dryness. Very good.

Rating: 4

7.) Wine: Estancia Pinot Noir 2007

Bottle Description/Vinters Notes: Deep garnet color with crimson hues. Notes of dark berries, black cherry and caramel accent the allspice, rose petals and soft hints of vanilla. Ripe blueberry, black cherry and plum balanced by rich creamy vanilla leading to a smooth lingering finish.

Region: California

Price: (bought by the glass)

Analysis: not sure

Personal Notes: Tried by the glass at Galapagos. Medium body. Heavier nose, rich. Very jammy with a creamy flavor. Not as smooth as the Falling Star. I wasn’t such a fan of this one. It was only ok.

Rating: 2 (not my taste)

Wine: Umbral de los Tiempos vinedos de 30 anos 2006 Malbec
 
Bottle Description: Umbral: Maximum opint of plentitude. Tiempo: patience and care. These were the values considered by  the Alonso Family when in 1973 they implanted the first varietally pure vineyard in Argentina. "Umbral de los Tiempos" is born from these vineyards, now over 30 years old. As with peopl e at this stage of their evolution, they perfectly express the characgteristics of their own nature.  This 100% Malbec has a deep red ruby color. It boasts intese aromas of ripe red berries, spices and hints of oak that evoke vanilla and caramel. On the palate, elegant tannins give the wine good structure and authentic typicity. Best when served at 60-64 F. 
 
Region: Argentina
 
Price: $14.99
 
Analysis: 13.5% ABV
 
Personal Notes: Deep garnet red. Fruity and jammy on the nose. Dry. Too dry to be very smooth, but not gritty. Clean. A little bitter, spicy, too much oak, with a long finish. Unfortunately the long finish is all spice and bitter. At first I was reminded a bit of a merlot, b/c it's a full bodied wine, but the complexity fails and it doesn't blend well.

Rating: 2

SIDE NOTES of a Different Variety:: While at the store there was a wine tasting for a Chamarre (French)  Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Pinot Noir. All three were worth drinking. The Sauv Blanc was crisp and fruity (pear and peach) steel barrel aged, but didn't taste sterile which is usually my biggest problem with steel barrel aged wines. The Viognier was french oak aged and had a little more complexity and rounder mouth feel. Smooth, suble apricot tastes with slight creamy undertones but very nice.  The Pinot was nice and medium, fruity and smooth. All worth a try.

** Rating System:
 
5 - Oh my Stars this is amazing. 
4 - Very nice and would buy again
3 - Good but nothing special – would choose to buy something else next time
2 - Not my taste/style – OR – Not good would not buy again
1 - Ew, gross, very poor quality. Do not buy.
0 - Poison

Wine: Las Rocas de San Alehandro Granacha 2007
 

Winemaker's Notes: Dark ruby in color, it delivers alluring aromas of spice box, mineral, cherry, and black raspberry. Layered on the palate, it has superb depth, succulent flavors, and a pure, lengthy finish. It will provide pleasure over the next three years. The Las Rocas label has become synonymous with value in recent years." The Wine Advocate
90 Points.

Bottle Description: None

Region: Spain

Price: $11.99

Analysis: 14.5% ABV

Personal Notes: This was a very nice, medium bodied wine. Not too heavy, but by no means watery, this wine has a very good consistency and smooth mouth feel.  Fruity and a little jammy on the nose, with spice and dark fruits on the palate. It was slightly tart, and had a long finish.  A lot of character and complexity it leaves a good impression. A really good drinking wine.

Rating: 4


** Rating System:

5 - Oh my Stars this is amazing.  

4 - Very nice and would buy again

3 - Good but nothing special – would choose to buy something else next time

2 - Not my taste/style – OR – Not good would not buy again

1 - Ew, gross, very poor quality. Do not buy.

0 - Poison
 

14) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
759 pages

Total for the year:

Book count = 14/50, 28% of goal
Page count = 5942/15,000, 39.6% of goal
Days passed = 182/365, 49.9% of total

 

15) Turn Coat - Jim Butcher
432 pages

Total for the year:

Book count = 15/50, 30% of goal
Page count = 6374/15,000, 42.5% of goal
Days passed = 191/365, 52.9% of total

5 - Oh my Stars this is amazing.  

4 - Very nice and would buy again

3 - Good but nothing special – would choose to buy something else next time

2 - Not my taste/style – OR – Not good would not buy again

1 - Ew, gross, very poor quality. Do not buy.

0 - Poison

Wine: Perrin Cotes du Rhone Villages Rouge (I forget the vintage year)

Winemaker's Notes: Dark ruby color, with purple reflections. Intense nose of macerated cherries and licorice. In the mouth the wine is full-bodied with a generous attack, a pleasant freshness and elegant tannins. This well-balanced wine shows a typical expression of southern Rhône wine with thyme and rosemary aftertaste.

Bottle Description: Just 20% of the Cotes du Rhone vineyard is entitled to add the word "Villages" after the words "Cotes du Rhone". THese are the best vineyard sites, which explains why we have a saying here: "if you like Cotes du Rhone, you will love Cotes du Rhone Villages. This wine is produced by the Perrn faminly, using hte same viticuluraland wine making techniques used at Chateau de Beaucastel. It blends 50% Syrah with 50% Grenache from two specific vineyard plots amongst teh best in the Rhone valley.
Aromas of small berry frit, such as blackcurrants and blackberries, with licorice and spices are part of a well-rounded and silky ensemble. This elecgant wine goes perfectly with meat dihes, barbecues, poultry and other dishes in sauce. Perfectly ready to drink, it will keep impriving until 2008.

Region: France

Price: $12.99

Analysis: Organic, 13% ABV Grenache 50%, Syrah 50%.

Personal Notes: Medium bodied, dry red. Beautiful deep garnet color. The bottle note said it should continue to age well until 2008, so this may have been a little past its prime, but it was still palatable. Notes of earth and spice on the nose, slightly fruity. The palate was slightly tart and spicy. Half an hour to breathe did a lot to mellow out the tang and brought out more of the dark fruit flavors. Not too heavy.

Side Note: Used the last of the bottle in my pasta sauce last night. Ok, as far as pasta sauce wines go. Not full bodied enough to make a strong impression, but definitely fine.

Tried a new belly dance class last night with sterlingspiderI will reserve complete judgment once I’ve tried a few more classes but thus far I like it. Nothing too advanced, but not so simple as to be pointless. The first half of class we went through a few drills and incorporated them into choreography in the second half of class. We just kind of jumped into the middle of this class session it seems, so it didn’t have a real “starting” feel to it, but I was never lost. Mystique seems very friendly and easy to learn from. Her style is, of course, a little different from what I’m used to, but that’s not necessarily bad. I’m just stoked to be out and dancing again. Get my muscle memory back and start shaking all the bits.

Wine Review (from Friday) – I had written this review then my comp shut down and I lost it, but this turned out to be good b/c I revisited the wine with Toni on Monday and I recall liking it even more the second time….

Wine Review: Samos Vin Doux Sweet Muscat 2007

Winemaker’s Notes: An AOC wine made from extra ripe Moschato grapes. At harvest, the grape juice has a minimum sugar level of 221gr/lt. To balance the sweetness, the must is enriched before the onset of fermentation. The wine is matured in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks. A small quantity of wine receives oak barrel aging as well. The wine is golden in color with a harmonious bouquet of honey, apricot and honeysuckle. On the palate, it is soft, sweet and supple with medium body and moderate acidity. The finish is medium to long.

Price: 14.99

Region: Greece

Personal thoughts: This was a wonderful bottle. Chill before drinking, but not too long. Upon opening the nose is filled with a strong aroma of honey and apricot (I don’t pick up florals very well yet). It has a beautiful golden color. It’s rather big for a white, slightly heavier than most. This was a high alcohol content at 15%. The first time I tried it I thought the content was a little too apparent, but after revisiting the bottle it was perfect. The flavor is rich with sweet honey and fruits. At first I thought it was a little too sweet, but the second time it was just right. This leads me to conclude that the bottle should be left to breathe for a little while before drinking. Very smooth with a long finish. The flavor of honey lingers for a fair few seconds after sipping and the effect is very nice.

5 - Oh my Stars this is amazing.  

4 - Very nice and would buy again

3 - Good but nothing special – would choose to buy something else next time

2 - Not my taste/style – OR – Not good would not buy again

1 - Ew, gross, very poor quality. Do not buy.

0 - Poison

Wine Review: Trapiche Malbec Broquel 2007
 

Tasting Notes (bottle description): Pruple-colord, it exhibits aromas of smoke, cedar, blueberry and black cherry. Medium-bodied, ripe and sweet on the palate. It has good depth and excellent concetration. It will evolve for 2-3 years and drink well through 2015. (incomplete)
 

Price: $14.99

Region: Argentina

Personal thoughts: This was medium to full bodied, fairly dry (but not overly-so). It requires a bit of time to decant, otherwise the flavors are too spicy and oaky (read: will kind of burn your palate). After about 15-30 minutes of 'breathing' time the flavor calmed down and was actually quite lovely; the fruity components came through but retained a mild spice, just a hint of oak. Very smooth with a long finish. Next bottle I buy I'll probably let it age for a year or two before opening.

Rating: 3


 

5 - Oh my Stars this is amazing.  

4 - Very nice and would buy again

3 - Good but nothing special – would choose to buy something else next time

2 - Not my taste/style – OR – Not good would not buy again

1 - Ew, gross, very poor quality. Do not buy.

0 - Poison

This post is one part gathering opinions, one part organizing my information.

There are two things I’ve been missing terribly since I moved here. Fighting and Dancing.

I have had very little luck finding places that are reputable, within my budget and fit my time frames. I really do not enjoy subpar quality teaching of any kind (I mean, who does?) and this has been the major factor in my lack of participation in Middle Eastern dance since I moved here.

Anyways, I found three Middle Eastern Dance studios that have potential. There are pros and cons.

1.) Aviva’s Harem Belly dance studio

2.) Sasha's Studio-Belly Dancing

3.) Belly dancing with Mystique

Agree? Disagree? Other ideas entirely?

I can always try one place then go to another if it doesn’t work out.

Floral, honeyed aroma with hints of apricot, pear and allspice. Rich and full-flavored fruit on the palate is balanced by clean, crisp acidity.

As soon as you open the bottle the aroma of honey is quite lovely. This is a rich, sweet wine, but it's balanced with the crisp fruit flavors so it's not overpoweringly sweet. If you like mead where you can appreciate the honey scent and flavors, this wine will appeal. The alcohol content isn't incredibly high though, only 10% I believe.

If you want to try something new. I'd recommend it.