It’s spring and you may be tempted to do your primal howl at the moon. Be warned when doing that – your neighbors may not have the same sense of humor you do and you may need to make some public apologies. OR … you could just send over a bottle of this next wine instead of your apologies!

Primal Roots Wine

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I love the blend wines. It’s so interesting to me that you can take all the notes and tastes of each wine (Merlot, Zinfandel, etc.) and with each unique taste, winemakers blend more into it to take on a whole new experience. That’s what this wine does and rather well for the price!

Primal Roots wine is trying to promote itself as a sensual, smooth and luxurious experience. The site (Primal Wines) encourages us to treat ourselves by treating all the senses, especially the uninhibited ones! Then of course they recommend that we “tease our senses”. How could you not want to try this wine after that!

The blend is made up of Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel. These three pair and play very nicely with each other. The Merlot provides aromas of raspberry, red currants, and mocha along with fine-grained tannins that create a soft, luxurious texture. The Syrah has aromas of violets, black currants and a gentle earthiness are accentuated by flavors of dried cherry, dark chocolate, and vanilla spice. (mmmm…..) Zinfandel in this is rich yet soft on the palate and loaded with black cherry, clove, and wild blackberry. Known for its spicy characters, the Zinfandel rounds out the wine by adding a touch of warm spice. It gives it that “pepper” finishing taste to it.

For the price of Primal Roots wine, which comes in around $10/bottle, this is a wine that will be easy to pick up for that every day occasion. You could also bring this to the next dinner party and be right at home!

Have you tried this wine yet? You can probably pick this one up at your local store or you can purchase one off Amazon.com: 2010 Primal Roots Red Blend 750ml 750 ml

Do you like the wine? Prefer another? … let me know what you think in the comments below! Cheers!

In an earlier post, I said that consensus on “the best Old Fashioned recipe” is “not bloody likely.”  But after watching Mad Men, Season 3, Episode 3, “My Old Kentucky Home”, I officially retract that statement.

At a garden party thrown to flaunt the fabricated happiness of his boss, Don Draper seeks respite at the posh country club’s nearly vacant bar.  He finds a skinny-mustached old man in a white tux, and orders an Old Fashioned.  The old man, not a bartender, but a guest at an adjacent wedding party, corrects Don by informing him of their common goal: a decent whiskey cocktail.

Don hops the bar in search of an Old Fashioned. (Image credit: AMC)

Don wastes no time and spryly vaults the sturdy wooden bar.  The old man, Connie, who will become an “informal” client of Don’s in a later episode, informs Don there is no bourbon.  Don clinks an unbleached sugar cube into two rocks glasses, asks Connie if “Old Overholt” straight rye whiskey is okay, and soaks the cubes with bitters.  (Looks like he uses a bottle of Angostura with the distinctively oversized label removed.)

Because of the magic of television, we don’t see Don put a cherry into the glasses with the bitters-soaked sugar cube, we simply see a cherry magically appear in the glass in the next frame.  He fills a mixing glass ¾ full with ice and pours in a four-count of rye. Don uses the “smashing” end of the muddler to pop open a glass bottle of sparkling Canada Dry water and pours in about a half bottle.

Don shows Connie how to make an Old Fashioned: pour, muddle, mix, enjoy!

Then he uses the muddler to smash the cherry and sugar cube in each glass, briefly stirs the rye-ice-soda water mix, and pours half of the mix, without straining, into each glass.  He finishes by plopping an orange wedge into the top of both drinks.

Obviously a seasoned bartender in a former life, Don only takes about 90 seconds to make both drinks.

I know many people would argue with me, but I’ll take a stand on this: this is THE Definitive Old Fashioned recipe. With one caveat, of course: if there would have been bourbon behind the bar, I’m sure Don would have used it.  Rye makes the Old Fashioned a bit sweeter than bourbon, but rye might be the happy medium between the touch of bitter from the bourbon and the extra sweet brandy version that so many Wisconsinites drink out of habit.  In summary, here’s THE Definitive Old Fashioned recipe, according to the (arguably) most famous Old Fashioned drinker:

In a rocks glass, soak a sugar cube (unbleached) in Angostura bitters

Fill tall mixing glass ½ full of ice, add 2 oz of Rye (or bourbon, if you have it)

Pour in ¼ bottle of soda water (not tonic water) into the mixing glass

Use tall metal spoon to vertically mix the rye-ice-water

Add 1 cherry to the rocks glass, muddle  sugar cube and cherry flat

Pour contents of mixing glass, unstrained, into rocks glass

Drop in orange wedge

Think important thoughts… and ENJOY!

When the Godfather of Zin sends you wine and says “For the family …. taste, enjoy and let me know what you think” … you kiss his ring and taste the wines! Except that didn’t really happen …

Enter
RavensWood Wines
Old Vine Zinfandel Vintners Blend – 2009
Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel – 2009

The team at Ravenswood winery sent over the above mentioned two bottles of wine. I’m sortof a Zinfandel freak and must admit that if I have to choose between my other favorite, Pinot Noir – I tend to lean toward the zippy Old Vine Zin’s when I can. So receiving these was a nice surprise!

Joel Peterson, affectionately called “The Godfather of Zin” has a lot of chemistry in his background. His parents were chemists and he followed their scientific footsteps by becoming a laboratory scientist with a degree in microbiology. Working his full time job and creating wine on the side was just the beginning. Founding Ravenswood winery in 1976 with fellow wine lover Reed Foster – Joel is now recognized as a major authority in the Zinfandel arena … thus “The Godfather of Zin”. Joel is a current member and past president of the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance and he’s a founding board member and former 2 time president of the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers — just to name a few!

First, let’s start with the 2009 Vintner’s blend Old Vine Zinfandel: Bright and bold, I found this wine to be not as full as the Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel. With black cherry and a bit of blueberry with it – this is a unique wine. I taste boysenberry in this one … it has that boysenberry bitterness to it. This wine would pair well with some nice red sauces! They also suggest pairing this with BBQ pork. You’ll have to try that one for me and let me know how it goes.

Second bottle for the night was the Old Vine Zinfandel – Lodi. This one was easily my top choice of the two. It’s a smoother, fuller taste to it. With a blend to this of 77% Zinfandel and 23% Petite Sirah it could explain some of the smoothness to this wine. I taste a distinct a nice plum/current taste in this one along with a nice “spice” bite to it and if finishes rather nicely. I really liked this wine on it’s own – but the site suggests pairing it with lasagna. Now I’m going to have to make lasagna and pick up another bottle of this one. I have to add that I taste a hint of vanilla … but this may just be my personal taste on that one. I really like the warmth on this wine!

If you are looking for something nice to bring to the Chirstmas dinner or to give as a hostess / Christmas gift and you want the ease of going to local grocery store – you might want to try one of these.

If your intended audience for Christmas dinner or Christmas party prefers lighter wines – I would go with the vintner’s blend. If your crowd is into wine – I would pick up the Lodi … you’ll be pleasantly surprised on that one.

Pricing on these wines? The Old Vine Zinfandel Vintner’s Blend is the less expensive one of the two coming in around $8/bottle. (Your state/store may vary) and the Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel runs around $10-$12/bottle. (Again — state/store may vary)

Have you seen this wine in your local store? Picked it up and tried it yet? Would love to know what you think in the comments below!

Are you in charge of the wine selection for the Thanksgiving meal? Worrying about what you want to bring to the table for all to have? People who like sweet wine, people who like reds, people who are only used to drinking Arbor Mist and those that may have a more expensive Dom Perignon preference….. all sitting at the same table.

The Stares…

The Curiosity of the wine with the wine label ….

The always asked question … “what’s this wine?” as they pick up the bottle…

Don’t worry — I’m here to provide my last minute tips to help you with your suggestions. In fact, I’m posting this post a day earlier then Wednesday to help out! The other best part of my list … you can probably pick these up at your local store — no ordering needed.

Choice #1: Clos Du Bois Chardonnay — this is one of my favorite white wines, it’s not sweet and it’d not dry … it’s Juuuusssstt right. With tastes of pears, lemons and dash of honey … you’ll appreciate this one chilled with your turkey dinner! Priced around $9-$10/bottle.

Choice #2: Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling – budget priced for around $9/bottle – Chateau Ste. Michelle is good wine to get for those that “like a sweet wine”. It’s got a little bit of a mineral taste to it – but you’ll find a nice sweet citrus taste to this one. I actually will be picking up Riesling’s for my contribution to the Thanksgiving dinner. With so many people liking different types of wines – I’ve found that Rieslings bring the biggest smiles.

Choice #3: Bogle – Old Vine Zinfadel – Another budget priced wine that goes well with your Turkey dinner and it’s for those that prefer a red wine. There are a lot of different tastes rolling around on this wine. Black pepper, dark berries and a nice spicy oak taste. It can be found – usually in your local grocery store between $8 – $10/bottle depending on your state.

Choice #4: Michael David Winery’s Petite Petit – It’s a silly label, but it packs some great grapes my friends! One of my “go to” wines, this one will be between the $15-$20 price point. With a blend of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot – the balance is perfect. It’s a full-bodied wine with vanilla hints in it. It’s a silly label … but nothing about it’s contents is silly.

There you are … your last minute nice wines to pick up to bring to the Thanksgiving day table!

I wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Cheers!

So I have this friend of a friend who emailed and said “Do you like coffee?” and I didn’t say anything back for a few seconds because I really like the anticipation of a pause before you blurt out “Uh, YES!”. That’s how I ended up with a brand new Coffeemaker from Faberware to test, try out and provide my thoughts on this blog. It’s all the power of the pause people ….

My free Faberware coffee maker arrived in the mail from the company a few weeks ago. Just to set this up a bit more – if you’ve followed me on Facebook you may remember that this year is indeed my year of the coffee makers as I’ve gone thru 2 coffeemakers previously before buying my current Mr. Coffee Coffeemaker. So this Faberware coffeemaker makes number 4 this year for me. The previous 2; Cuisinart DCC-2000 Coffee-on-Demand 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Brushed Metal and a DeLonghi DCF212T Drip Coffeemaker with Convenient Front Access ended up with both of them breaking on me in some way. I gave up and bought a no frills Mr.Coffee coffeemaker. It works.

When I opened the box of this coffee maker, I could see this was a bit heavier and nicely designed for a reasonably priced coffee maker. Walmart has this Faberware Coffee Maker priced for under $60. $60 may seem like a lot, but that’s the other thing – it’s also a tea brewer. You get 2 for 1 on this small Faberware appliance.

I set this up and Sunday morning, brewed my first cup of coffee. I also like that this comes with a water filter that isn’t something you have to put into the coffee maker each time (like I have to with my Mr. Coffee water filter). The water filter goes into the water reservoir and stays there for 2 months. They include a filter for you in the box. I brewed my first cup of coffee and loved it. I can’t tell you if the coffee was different, brewed better or ??? but I will say I did notice more flavors in the coffee. Perhaps I paid more attention to my coffee that day.

I really like the look of this, it’s stainless steel which goes well in stainless steel kitchens and I love the blue lights used on the light indicators on the maker. The options are great – you can brew 1-4 cups or a full 12 cups. The same is true if you want to brew tea. The carafe on this has a wider pour spout for less drips, that works for me too!

Brewing tea in this? Found it very easy – however the instructions indicate loose leaf tea. Note that loose leaf tea isn’t usually in your local grocery store, so it may make finding tea to use in this a bit more difficult. Unless you’re me …. I just opened up tea bags and I poured the contents into the tea brewing filter. I felt it was portioned out for me — 1 teabag = 1 cup. Which turns out that formula is a bit strong. But, it still worked for me and I loved the tea. Think that brewing a full pot might be too much? I did initially too – but putting the contents in a pitcher and storing it in the refridgerator gave me a great glass of iced tea the next day! LOVE THAT!

The other feature this has that none of my other coffeemakers has is the clean option. Use a mixture of vinegar / water that they provide you with in the instruction manual to clean the coffeemaker of mineral deposits and you’re good to go. The cleaning process takes about an hour / hour and a half. That’s a bit more cleaning then I do with my other coffee makers which is just to put vinegar thru a brew cycle. Although I haven’t had this long enough to comment on the cleanliness of that feature … I think that the time it takes to go thru the process has to be a good thing.

So there you have it … my coffeemaker review of Faberware’s coffeemaker. Yes, I also typed this up while enjoying a cup!

Have you seen this coffeemaker? What kind of coffee maker do you use?

Photo Credit: Walmart.com

In a world where everyone’s hair is perfect, all shirts are starched, and everyone speaks in poetry, you would think that the lines between right and wrong would be a little more well-defined than in reality. But in Mad Men Season 2, Episode 13, “Meditations in an Emergency,” these lines are blurred beyond all recognition.  We find ourselves feeling sorry for the pathologically lying womanizer, Don Draper.  His wife, Betty, seeks revenge by doing what Don has done countless times before: cheating.

But instead of the flawless confidence, anguished persuasion, and big-picture observations that are a trademark of her husband’s forays into fornication, Betty timidly walks into a dimly-lit, cherry-wood bar, nerve-wracked and fidgeting with her recent purchases.

Betty Draper and the gimlet of infidelity. (AMC)

It’s clear she knows why she’s there, but she paints a picture of unconvincing innocence for the sharply-uniformed bartender. She orders a glass of water and, as he brings it, he asks her what else she wants. He’s obviously onto her ploy, and seems to plead to her with his inflection not to go through with it. Betty ineffectively feigns naiveté: “I don’t know…a gimlet.”

He returns with the cloudy white drink with a sunken green garnish in a proper cocktail glass, and tells her the gentleman at the end of the bar is taking care of it. And the rest is…well, let’s just say she didn’t waste much time finding out what it feels to act like her husband for a night.

Did I ruin the gimlet for you?

I hope not, because I made one for myself and found it to be another refreshing change of pace from my mostly brown-liquor lineup.

In his artfully compiled drink recipe book “The Art of the Cocktail: 100 Classic Cocktail Recipes”, Philip Collins – no, not the guy from Genesis – offers this gimlet recipe:

2 oz gin
2 oz bottled lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar

Stir extremely well with ice, strain into pre-chilled cocktail glass, sugar frost rim of glass.

Now, Betty’s glass wasn’t sugar frosted, and I’m pretty sure there’s a lime wedge in hers, so I opted to forgo the fancy rim and drop a wedge into mine. Tart and clean, a gimlet seems like it would go well with a bright summer day…but not a faithless late night affair. I would recommend going a little lighter on the lime juice and, consequently, a little heavier on the gin, especially if you’ve got a lime wedge in there.

Try one – let me know what you think in the comments below.

If you are concerned about your mojo … this might not be the post for you. This post is about Rojo Mojo … the wine. Although, in a strange twist of fate – you MIGHT get this wine to help your mojo, but I don’t guarantee that one.

Enter
Rojo Mojo
Distributed by Well Oiled Wine Company
Shiraz
Spanish Red Wine 2010

I picked up this wine for around $12/bottle and I picked it up on a whim. This spanish wine comes from the La Mancha area. Fun fact — La Mancha is Spain’s largest denomination of origin and the world’s largest wine producing area. Being a typical American – I thought we were … or at lease Australia might be in the running … but nope .. apparently it’s Spain that has the largest wine producing area according to Well Oiled Wine’s site.

I tasted a nice cherry taste to this, but not that tart cherry taste, it was a smooth cherry taste with a bit of blackberry aftertaste to it. There is a bit of a black pepper bit as well. The wine indicates that this wine pairs well with Mediterranean style food. So I had curry chicken with it — throw in some hummus and pita bread and you have a great dinner with some Rojo Mojo wine!

I would say you will not go wrong with this wine for yourself or bringing this to the next dinner party. For those that complain they don’t like dry wine, you should be safe with this one. Plus, branch out a bit — try a new region for your wine night. Go to Spain!

Cheers!

Bobbie Barrett, Don Draper's evil temptress.

Cushioned by satin-cased pillows, Bobbie Barrett reclines up against a rich, brown, beautifully ornamented headboard with an off-white receiver casually pressed against her ear.  She’s on the phone with that most intriguing creative leader of the Sterling Cooper advertising agency, Don Draper.  On the nightstand is a green bottle with a yellow label, three-quarters full.

I have neither the time, money, nor interest to invest in the hi-tech image-enhancement software that is featured in seemingly every crime-scene-investigation television series these days.  So, even now, I can’t zoom in enough on the picture at right to tell you what kind of liquor (or liqueur?) is depicted in the screen capture from Mad Men Season 2, Episode 3: The Benefactor. (Can you tell??  If so, please comment below!) But after watching this episode, the “green bottle with yellow label” image was burned into the inner recesses of my brain.  Armed with this subconscious pre-disposition for something “as seen on TV”, I walked into our favorite Friday local steak place with my family.  Instead of going with my old standby, Jameson-on-the-rocks, I quickly scanned the back of the bar for a green bottle with a yellow label, and I found J&B – Justerini & Brooks.

It looked like a whiskey, so I ordered a J&B on the rocks, thinking it would be similar in taste and drinkability to Jameson, because it was sitting right next to it.

Now, if you’re a whisky / scotch connoisseur, reading this post right now is probably very painful for you, for any number of reasons:

1. I had never tasted or even heard of J&B
2. I ordered a whisky without researching it whatsoever
3. I ordered a scotch on the rocks
4. the label in the picture of Bobbie Barrett really looks nothing like a J&B label
5. I am admitting to all of the above…publicly.

J&B: The World's Party Whisky

The fact is, J&B on the rocks is extraordinarily smooth.  I certainly didn’t need the rocks to water it down, but they made it a thoroughly enjoyable drink.  I didn’t detect any peaty notes, oaky hues, or earthy finish.  A sip of J&B on the rocks tasted like…another sip.  In fact, J&B’s website is very forthright with regards to its drinkability: About J&B–>What’s the best way to drink J&B RARE? Through the mouth and down the throat.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

That leaves me with the picture of Don Draper’s slithering seductress in the elegant, black fur-lined house coat.  What does she have to do with my choice of J&B?  As it turns out, very little.  Yet, without recalling the flash of the bottle on the screen, I may not have ever conjured a reason to try J&B.

I’m glad I did.

It’s true. There is so much stuff everywhere. And we could probably go the rest of our lives without having to manufacture anything from scratch save for underwear and toothbrushes (and maybe a couple other items). With tons of materials available for repurposing, recycling and reusing, there are endless possibilities for creativity.

These 5 UpCycled Wine Must-Haves are made from wine-related castoffs or are recycled materials fashioned into wine-time enhancers.

1. Serving Slabs – repurposed granite slabs for serving cheeses
Everything they make is from reclaimed stone and is proudly hand crafted in Salida Colorado. All that’s reclaimed is repurpose into beautiful utility pieces for your home, business or gift for that person that has everything. “organic ~ reclaimed ~ repurposed”
Owner: Derrick Neikam

2. Green Glass Designs – drinking glasses made from repurposed wine bottles
Eco-conscious artisans rediscovering & redefining uses for bottles that might otherwise end up in a landfill.
Owners: Ginny McCormick-Levack & Doug Levack Etsy Store

3. All Strung Out Jewelry – wine glass charms made from antique typewriter keys
These charms are keys from Underwood, Smith Corona, Royal, and Remington typewriters from the early 1900’s. The keys are set in vintage style scalloped bezels.
Owner: Laureen Trent Etsy Shop

4. Life on the Balcony – Wine Box Turned Balcony-Sized Raised Bed Garden
First drill a few holes in the bottom of the box for proper drainage and seal the box with eco-friendly sealer. Once the box is completely dry, start planting!
Owner: Fern Richardson

5. Malia Designs – wine bags made from recycled rice bags
Malia Designs was formed to increase economic opportunity for women in developing countries, and to support local and international non-profit organizations that fight human trafficking in Southeast Asia.
Owner: Lia Valerio

What do you think about these wine related upcycled pieces? Great ideas? Are they on your gift list?

Welcome to one of my sponsored posts. Yes, payment was received for this, but I was kindof hoping for a cruise on a Yacht for payment on this one, but it turns out that option wasn’t on the table. You know I would have had a REALLY good blog post about that don’t you? So instead — here is a guest blog post from the awesome people over at Vintage Cellars. I also added their video of one of their projects were they put a wine cellar in a yacht. This is the yacht that I felt I should have had cruise on .. but that’s fine. So … everything you wanted to know about custom wine cellars is below! Enjoy:

Just like any sort of investment, your wine collection needs protection! A wine cellar made of rickety racks and exposed to variable temperatures is a recipe for disaster. If a cellar is too moist, mold can form, which compromises the strength of your wine racks. (Who wants to come home to several thousand dollars worth of broken wine bottles?) Contrariwise, if your cellar air is too dry, corks will crack, and there go your prized wines!

The good news is that Vintage Cellars, a big name in wine cellar construction and wine preservation, specializes in custom wine cellar design. Even if your basement space looks less-than ideal, the masters at Vintage Cellars delight in making effective cellars in spaces of any shape and size. They’ve even built a custom wine cellar on a Yacht! (You could say they love a good challenge.) Over a planning period of about two months, the experts at Vintage Cellars work with you to design a wine cellar specially crafted for your space. And so you don’t have to worry about temperature and humidity control, they’ll even recommend appropriate temperature control devices and cooling units ideal for your cellar’s dimensions, such as Breezaire Split Systems, Wine Guardian Ducted Cooling Systems, etc. Once your cellar’s plans are finished, a professional contractor will install the racks, ensuring everything is ready to safely house your personal wine collection.

When Vintage Cellars transforms your basement into your dream wine cellar, you will have peace of mind knowing your precious vino will be stored properly. If you provide your luxury car, or other prized possessions, with best care possible, why not give your invaluable wine collection the proper security it deserves? Not only will your collection be kept safe, custom wine cellars by Vintage Cellars look fantastic! There are literally dozens of designs and styles of wine racks to choose from, too. No matter your visual preferences, Vintage Cellars works with you to create the wine cellar you’ve always dreamed of. If you’re intrigued and want to learn more about building a custom cellar, or if you’re simply curious about how to improve your current wine storage area, visit Vintage Cellars atwww.vintagecellars.com. You’re bound to learn something new, and possibly be inspired to create your own custom cellar!

Here’s the custom wine cellar in a yacht!

Cheers to wine cellars!