Luxuriousness in a bottle

I was looking for a new red wine to try when I spotted a pretty label (anything with pink in it catches my eye) that had “Cashmere” written on it.  Of course, curiosity had set in and I just had to try this wine.  The full name of the red wine is Cline Cashmere and, like the name, it is absolutely divine.  The wine offers just enough sweetness with flavors of cherry, raspberry, and chocolate, yet also has a pleasant kick to it because of a hint (and I mean just a pinch) of black pepper.  I tried the wine slightly chilled (and not because I put it in the fridge, but because my house was so cold!) and the deliciousness was the perfect way to cap off my night.  Overall, the wine is extremely smooth and tastes as luxurious as its name.  One last side note, Cline Cellars donates to various breast cancer foundations, making this wine purchase an even better idea!

Alcohol Content: 14.0%

Price: $12/bottle

Tastes Like a Jelly Doughnut!

Baker’s Dozen Jammy Pinot Noir tastes more like a sweet red wine than a Pinot Noir; it is actually sweeter than some of the sweet red wines that I have tried.  The first sip surprised me because I wasn’t expecting for it to be as sweet as it is, but my taste buds loved it.  Even though I find it to be a little too sweet to have more than a couple of glasses at a time, it is delicious…it literally tastes like the jelly inside of a jelly doughnut; this wine lives up to its Baker’s Dozen Jammy name!  The flavors are of cherry and brown sugar, which leave a bold (yet pleasant) taste after every sip.  With some wines I find that it is hard to actually taste the flavors that are outlined, but there is no mistaking what flavors are in this Pinot Noir.  One thing that I found with this wine is that the longer it sits in the wine glass, the sweeter it gets; you can actually start to see the sugar left behind on the glass if it sits for too long.  If you don’t prefer red wine to be too sweet then make sure to drink up soon after the wine is poured!

Price: $12/bottle

Wine on the Go

Some wine brands offer convenient, and cute, packaging which makes it easier to bring wine along wherever you go.  I was recently told about a wine pouch that could easily be carried anywhere, but when I couldn’t find the pouch I got these adorable Barefoot Pinot Noir small bottles instead; they come in a case of 4 and each bottle contains about 2 glasses worth of wine.  These are great if you’re going to a party, on a picnic, to the beach, anywhere that you don’t feel like bringing a large bottle of wine to.  The small bottles are also great to just have around if you only want to have a couple of glasses of wine and don’t want to open a large bottle, especially when it comes to white wine (I feel as though a bottle of white wine needs to be used the day that it’s opened otherwise it just doesn’t taste right the next day).  Barefoot offers its other types of wine in these small bottles as well, such as the Pinot Grigio, Moscato, Merlot, etc.  I really enjoy Barefoot wine because it is extremely inexpensive and the wines have a great taste. 

The Barefoot Pinot Noir is a light red wine with the slight flavors of cherries and raspberries; I say that it’s a light red wine because it does not have that strong kick to it that some other red wines tend to have.  I have a friend that prefers white wine over red, but even she doesn’t mind drinking Pinot Noir. 

Next time you need some wine on the go, make sure to pick up a case of these small bottles!

Price: $7.50/case of 4 bottles 

Mix it Up!



Venetian Sunset

 I went to Olive Garden this past weekend; besides being beyond excited to have the breadsticks there (how amazing are the breadsticks?) I was also very excited to have the Venetian Sunset, my favorite Olive Garden mixed drink.  The Venetian Sunset is made with Martini & Rossi Asti, along with pineapple and cherry juices…and yes, it is as delicious as it sounds and looks.  Martini & Rossi Asti has a great flavor by itself (it’s my favorite type of champagne), but the pineapple and cherry juices make this drink that much more irresistible.  The Venetian Sunset has the perfect amount of sweetness to it and the bubbles from the champagne makes the drink taste more like a soda than an alcoholic beverage.  This is one drink that you just NEED to try.



Moscato Citrus Berry Splash

 After ordering my precious Venetian Sunset, another wine based mixed drink on the drink menu caught my eye, the Moscato Citrus Berry Splash; doesn’t this just sound like the perfect summer drink?  This drink is made with sparkling Moscato wine, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and whole fresh blueberries.  The drink looked very pretty (yes, drinks can look pretty!) and I just couldn’t wait to try it.  Similar to the Venetian Sunset, the Moscato Citrus Berry Splash tasted like a soda because of the fizz from the sparkling wine, however, this drink was not as sweet as the Venetian Sunset and I would’ve preferred a tiny dab of grenadine, but overall, it was a yummy drink. 

The best part about these drinks is that they seem to be so easy to make!  They would be the perfect summertime girls’ night beverages.      

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%

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%