Australian Moscato- A Truly Sweet Experience

     I am a sweet wine drinker. There is no hiding that. I am also a budget drinker, for the most part, so anytime I can get my hands on a good deal- I am there. The other night, some friends and I were at Seven 11. Yes, this blog is about a wine I purchased there. It was late at night, I needed a quick, easy drink, and I needed something cheap. Say hello to Lotto Moscato.

     Lotto is a $5.99 bottle of wine. It is very sweet and can be sipped alone. If you want to pair it with food, keeping it to something made with chicken is probably the best bet. In my opinion, this wine makes for a great sipping wine. I was snuggled up outside with a blanket, listening to great music with friends while I drank this. It is a social wine, in my opinion, and is a great drink for cool spring nights and warm sunny-day picnics. It has peach and pear undertones with a hint of honeysuckle and a very sweet nose.

     Just by smelling the wine you can guess how it will taste. Swirling this wine shows a few streaks (also called legs) down the side of the wine glass- all of which run very slowly. Therefore, this wine was a low alcohol content (10% to be exact) with a high sugar content. You can tell the alcoholic content and sugar content of the wine just by swirling. Here's how:

--multiple streaks= high alcohol content (the alcohol breaks up the liquid when it is swirled)
--hardly any steaks= low alcohol content
--slow running streaks= high sugar content (the sugar creates a syrupy-like texture so it runs slower)
--fast running streaks= low sugar content

   To me, Lotto wine tastes like a spiked white grape juice. Obviously, if you like sweet wine, this is an easy buy. I am also guessing that this is a girl's wine- from the bottle, to the taste, to the smell- this wonderfully sweet wine makes you want to listen to happy, uplifting, good beat songs. Here is it's pairing:

  Hue: White

  -2010

  -Lotto

 -Southeastern Australia

 -$5.99 

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  Tunes:

-My Same by Adele (because she is awesome)

-So Much to Say by Dave Matthews Band (Dave is one of the best artists to listen to. Period.) 

- Walking on a Dream- Empire of the Sun (Makes you want to jump around your house and sing) 

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   Fun wine and fun songs for fun weather. I love Spring (my favorite season next to Fall). I would say that Lotto is almost like opening up Spring time in a bottle. Just like Spring weather makes me happy, Lotto made my taste buds happy. 

Satisfy Your Inner Green

     Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE sustainability initiatives. In fact, my masters capstone was on the sustainability practices of a large scale luxury resort. Because I focus on sustainability issues and trends, I typically do not fall victim to "green washing" schemes. For those of you that are not familiar with this term, it refers to the labeling and marketing of products that are not actually sustainable- causing consumers to buy the product based on a label or an advertisement. Buying green creates a sense of environmental responsibility among consumers, who are often willing to pay a premium just for an "environmentally friendly" product.

     So, if you fall into the category of shopping for these types of products, I suggest reading "Green, Greener, Greenest" by Lori Bongiorno. This book was not only an easy read but very informative. The author breaks products up into categories, for example, hair care, beauty, cleaning supplies, food, etc. and goes into detail about some of the brands that are really practicing sustainability and those that are not.

     But I digress. The point of my soap box is to actually set up my next wine and tune pairing, here's how:

     Since I shop with the environment in mind, I was delighted to stumble across Fetzer, a sustainable winery. The company uses sustainable energy sources, reuses its waste, and runs an almost 100% green energy operation. I was sold. Immediately. I purchased Fetzer's Gewurztraminer (first ever). Wonderful. Light like a Riesling but  with a bite at the end. It was smooth, sweet, and easy to finish. I paired it with triscuits dashed with sea salt and black pepper. The wine had hints of apricot, honey suckle, and melon. Citrus flavors were also present but not overbearing. Very delightful. Yes, the wine was so refreshing that I described it as "delightful". It is the kind of wine that makes you want to curl up under a big oak tree, during a sunny day filled with light wind, while the scent of fresh cut grass hits your nose. Yes, it is that kind of wine. I happened to have it in the completely opposite scenario- in my apartment, on my big leather couch, as it rained (heavily) outside for hours upon end. I did however, come across four tunes to pair with this wine. Here's the breakdown:

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    Hue: White
      - Fetzer
      - 2010
      -Gewurztraminer
      - California
      -Kroger: $7.99
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     Tunes:
     -Mooneclipse by Bangguru (smooth & bold)
     -Natural Self by Feet Keep Moving (fun, raspy-vocal song)
     -Fade Into You by Mazzy Star (who doesn't love a popular 90's melancholy song)
     -High Speed by Coldplay (because it's Coldplay)
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      The first two songs are a little more uptempo than what I normally post, but I felt that they embodied the wine flavor the best: smooth yet bold. The third song by Mazzy Star, is a slow song. Maybe it was the rain outside, but this song seemed to go well with this chilled white wine. The last song, by Coldplay, is a favorite on the list. I am a fan of Coldplay...from the lead vocal to the instruments- they are a great band. I was a fan of this wine and I cannot wait to try other grape varieties.

 

source:2.b.blogspot.com

 

URBANization of Wine

    I have not blogged for several weeks now, mainly in part to my extreme traveling schedule. For seven days, I was on a cruise and every weekend since has been full of short excursions out of town. None the less, I recently tried a new wine and have fallen in love.

   White wines hold the key to my heart; I enjoy a crisp, smooth, light wine taste. As I have blogged before, red wine is a new hobby; however, white wine is my true passion. My wonderful roommate recently brought home a magnificent white wine, called Urban. Not only is this word close to my heart (I am an Urban and Regional Planning masters student) but the wine was a white Torrontes. Urban is a very light and crisp wine with absolutely no corky taste and hints of pear, honey, and apple flavors. This is because it is produced in steel barrels- a new alternative to oak. The wine is produced in Argentina, an up and coming steel barrel production country. For those who do not like the earthy, woody taste coming from oak barrels, steel barrel production is for you. As with most white wines, this Torrontes goes great with chicken and seafood, in fact, I am about to pair it with chicken florentine for dinner tonight. Here is its musical pairing: 

Hue: White

  -Urban

  -Argentina

  -100% Torrontes Grapes 

  -2010

  -$12 or less (Kroger) 

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Tune I: Till It Happens to You

  -Corinne Bailey Rae

  -Beautiful, slightly raspy vocals with a simplistic beat.

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Tune II: As the Rush Comes

  -Motorcycle

  - A favorite of mine.

  - Great song to listen to while sipping a chilled white wine.

  - After a hard day at work or school, this is an awesome song to relax to. 

The Big Cheese

     Although this blog is primarily about wine & music, I wanted to write a post about wine and cheese pairing. Mainly for myself, since I often still get confused about what goes with what, but I also thought it would be of interest to some of my readers. For consistency, I will also include some new songs at the end of the blog to try with any of the listed wine and cheese pairings.

     It is important to note that wine & cheese taste different to everyone. Moreover, cheese that may appeal to me might not appeal to the next person. Ultimately, these pairings are just suggestions but some of the "rules" I hope to extract from a reputable wine guide. Hugh Johnson's 2012 Pocket Wine Book will be one of my references. It is a great read (I have mentioned it before) and super handy. It was only $9 on Amazon and shipped for free. I highly suggest it to anyone (over the age of 21, obviously) who is interested in learning more about wine.

     Source: drfrankwines.com

     According to the wine book, white wine pairs the best with cheese. Red wines, on the other hand, go best with hearty, meaty, spicy main course meals. Not to be confused with sparkling wine, white wine goes with chicken, seafood, and pasta dishes. Contrary to popular belief, white table wine is not the best to serve before a meal, according to Hugh Johnson, as it comes second to sparkling wine.

    To note about wine & cheese pairings: stick to cheese and wine that are from the same region; harder cheeses (cheddar) can handle more tannic (dry, bitter) wines; creamy cheeses (Brie) pair well with acidic (tart) wines (Chardonnay).  Here are a few examples:

    Cheese: Cheddar, Goat, Swiss
    Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon

    Cheese: Cheddar, Gouda, Parmesan, Jarlsberg
     Wine: Merlot

     Cheese: Reisling
     Wine: Blue, Colby, Gouda, Monetary Jack

     Cheese: Zinfandel
     Wine: Blue, Feta, Goat
   

    Interesting notes from Hugh Johnson (2012):
      -avoid peanuts, they ruin the taste of any wine.
      -olives are too piquant for most wines- use Sherry or a Martini when serving olives.
      -cashews, almods, pistachios, & walnuts are great nut varieties to serve with wine before a meal.

Wine terms to know (because we all want to know how to talk about wine:
tannin: tannins are found in grape skins & during the aging process, fuse with oak to create a woody taste. tannins are excellent antioxidants. tannins cause a dry, bitter, puckery sensation. Red wines typically have tannins while whites do not. tannins provide the color of red wines.
acidity: 3 types of acids in wine: artaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid and citric acid. acid gives wine a slightly tart & sour taste. bright red wines have more acidity, dark purple has less.
decanting: exposing the wine to air (letting it "breath"- an important first step to wine tasting).
swirl: stirring the wine to unleash the aromas of the wine (90% of our taste comes from smell).
balance: when no single flavor overpowers another.
body: when a wine tastes very bold & full.
finish: how long the taste of the wine lingers in your mouth.
legs: how slowly wine seeps down the side of a glass after swirled (the slower the more alcohol).

     As promised here are a couple of great wine-sipping tunes:

1. Breathe- Telepopmusik
2. Kiss the Sky- Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra

*source: http://antiwinesnob.com/wine-articles/whats-the-difference-between-tannins-and-acidity/

*source: http://www.winemcgee.com/blog/2010/01/22/5-wine-terms-everyone-should-know/

*source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/wine-definitions

*source: http://wine.about.com/od/servingwines/a/wineandcheese.htm