Relax with some Riesling

RELAX Riesling is one of my favorite white wines.  Walking through the liquor store one day I saw the deep blue colored, tall bottle with RELAX written on it in a large font.  Relax with some wine?  Don’t mind if I do!  It has a light, refreshing flavor of apples and peaches with a hint of citrus.  When I first read what flavors were in the wine, I was worried that the peach flavor would be too intense, but the flavors are all very subtle and mix well together.  There is a slight sweetness to this wine without a strong after bite, which easily leads to one glass after another.  This is a perfect wine for a social event; it is my choice for parties because of the delicate flavor and crispness of taste.  This is also a delicious wine to enjoy on a warm day, the chilled wine helps quench your thirst.  For an extra refreshing wine experience, chill your wine glass by putting it in the freezer for a bit before pouring the wine. Sit back with a glass of Riesling wine and RELAX, what’s better than that?

Alcohol content:   9.5%
Price: $10 a bottle

What’s the Irony?

This past weekend my husband and I went to York Beach, Maine (our little piece of Heaven) for a day to celebrate his 25th birthday.  For the birthday dinner, we went to a delicious restaurant overlooking a beautiful harbor, Cape Neddick Lobster Pound-Harborside Restaurant (say that name ten times fast!).  Looking through the restaurant’s many wine selections I had a hard decision to make; do I get white or red wine?  The name of one particular red wine caught my eye, Irony.  My decision was made, I got the Irony pinot noir; I had to see what the irony was behind this wine.  Looking at the rich color of the pinot noir I was expecting a heavy, bold flavor.  Ironically to my surprise, the wine was very light and smooth with a hint of cherry and vanilla flavors, followed by a cola aftertaste.  Yes, cola.  This wine was a perfect combination to the spicy buffalo wings we had for an appetizer and then to my yummy seafood entrée.  If you’re one that doesn’t enjoy a strong aftertaste when drinking red wine, then this wine is right for you.  It is so smooth and easy to drink that the Irony pinot noir goes down like water; that could be considered a dangerous thing…or a good thing depending on your mood! 

Alcohol content: 13.5%

Don’t Underestimate Boxed Wine

We’ve all had an encounter with boxed wine; slapping the bag of wine at college parties would have never existed without boxed wine.  I feel as though boxed wine isn’t given enough credit, maybe some wine drinkers can’t picture it outside of the “slap the bag” concept.  Whenever I shop for wine I never give boxed wine a thought, I always purchase bottled wine.  My thoughts on boxed wine have quickly changed this past weekend.  I was at a bridal shower that had Franzia boxed wine.  The first sip I had of the Franzia White Zinfandel got me thinking that I missed out on this wonderful wine all these years by only buying bottled wine.  The wine burst with the flavor of strawberry and had a delightful slight fizz to it; it reminds me of a wine cooler.  This is a refreshing wine that goes hand in hand with a hot summer day while you’re laying outside soaking up the sun. 

The box has a convenient spout for easy pouring and is a great deal at only about $15 for a 5 liter box (equivalent to approximately 6 bottles of wine).  Did I mention that a great feature of boxed wine is that it stays fresh longer after being opened than a bottle of wine?  I was so intrigued with this wine that I looked up all the different types and came across the information that stated it stays fresh for up to 6 weeks after being opened.  The thing that I hate about white wine is that I feel as though it doesn’t stay fresh for very long after it is opened.  If I don’t drink an entire bottle of white wine the day that I open it, I always end up having to pour out the rest of it the next day because it tastes so flat.  I even have the special wine stoppers (they have a pump that’s designed to suck out all the air from the bottle) that are supposed to help keep the wine fresh for longer, but they don’t really make a difference.  I’m excited I finally found a white wine that I can keep in my fridge for weeks without it going flat after the first day.     

Sweet Bliss is Pure Bliss

I figured I should do my first post on my favorite wine, Sweet Bliss, a sweet red wine.  This wine is delicious; it is because of this wine that I started getting into drinking red wine.  Although it is a sweet red wine, it does not have an overwhelming sweet taste to it.  Sweet Bliss is very smooth with the flavors of cherry and chocolate, such an amazing combination!  It was the label that got me while searching for a red wine to try; the cherry dipped in chocolate got me thinking that this wine is probably irresistible, and it is.  I like to drink this wine by itself, but it does pair well with spicy food and especially well with anything chocolate, that’s an obvious, right?  Aside from the amazing taste, this wine is only $10 a bottle!  Talk about a great price for a great wine.  Just one warning, this wine is addicting!

Alcohol content: 12.5%