Tag Archives: Moscato

Roscato – Rosso Dolce

24 Wednesday Dec 2014

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It’s Christmas Eve and I’m at my mom’s house.  Within 10 minutes of my arrival, I am handing her two cans of Underwood Pinot Noir.  Yes, I said cans.  I haven’t tried it yet, but on novelty alone I decided it was worth the purchase.  A short while later, she reaches into the fridge and pulls out an open bottle and proclaims, “I don’t like this, it’s weird.  It’s a little too sweet and it’s a little bubbly.  Try it!”  That’s the wine equivalent of saying to someone, “This smells awful!  Here!  Smell it!”  Game on.

From the bottle: Northern Italy provides a spectacular backdrop for Roscato, a violet-hued red with aromatic notes of cherry, blackberry and red raspberry.  A touch of sweetness and bright acidity underlies the appeal of this charming wine.  The traditional winemaking style for this fruit-forward red complements regional “heart and soul” cuisine such as bruschetta, calamari, pasta in red and cream sauces, breaded cutlets and spicier fair.  Enjoy chilled.

My thoughts:  Definitely an aromatic violet-hued red.  My initial sip just brought on confusion.  There’s way too much going on here.  There are a multitude of fruit flavors battling each other and then being drowned out by the bit of fizz happening.  It finishes much sweeter than I anticipate.  Not sickeningly sweet, but like a berry Moscato.  So a little too sweet for my personal preference.  I try another sip to try to figure out the fruit flavors that are coming through.  I get as far as, “Cherry and….  Cherry….and….?  Cherry…………and?  Blackberry?  Black raspberry?  Black cherry?  No, not black cherry.  Cherry and…..something.”

While contemplating (aka – finishing the first glass) I decide to make myself dinner.  Flatbread pizza with minced garlic, basil, fresh mozzarella and fresh Roma tomatoes and then sprinkled with crushed red pepper.  I pour myself a second glass just before I pull this out of the oven.  These two paired together actually worked.  The wine was still too sweet, but I understood what they were going with here when they listed off suggested food pairings.  The garlic and spice helped bring out more of the fruit flavor of the wine.

On a scale of “this tastes like piss” to “oops, I just drank the whole bottle” I would give this a “I’m drinking it because it’s here and it’s already open and I don’t completely hate it.” Would I buy it again?  No, definitely no.

Final Grade: C+  It has potential, but fell short for me.  If you’re into sweeter reds, go for it.  I’m not sure if the fizz is supposed to be happening either.

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Malbec and Cider and Moscato! Oh My!

24 Sunday Nov 2013

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I know, I know.  It’s been way too long since I’ve posted a review.  Not to fear, I have been drinking wine steadily.  I have just been unable to post about them.  So this post will be a bit different.  I am going to briefly highlight a few wines that were good enough and/or memorable enough to remember over the last couple of weeks.  So here they are, in no particular order:

 

JC van Staden 2012 Malbec

This came from www.nakedwines.com.  This was a smooth, not overly complex Malbec that was exceptionally easy to drink.  I was expecting a more intense flavor profile from this wine, but was pleasantly surprised by the subtle tones that would come through with every sip.  I drank this over two evenings while catching up on tv shows that I had DVR’d.  At 13.5% I’d say a great buy!

 

DLC Ciderworks Scrumpy – Hard Cider Estate Bottled

This is a fabulously smooth, non-carbonated hard cider from a local cidery in Jefferson, MD.  For horror film fans, the orchard and cidery are footsteps away from Burkittsville, MD of Blair Witch Project fame.  And yes, the little town of Burkittsville is creepy as fuck.  Go ahead, drive through and tell me you don’t get a weird feeling.  Anyway…this light, refreshing hard cider is reminiscent of an exceptionally well-made unfiltered apple juice, but with a healthy kick to it.  I polished this off in one night while doing research for my final project for my documentary photography class on photography of abandoned mental hospitals.  And yes, by “doing research” I mean “accidentally getting drunk while watching DVR’d episodes of Ghost Hunters.”  It was the Peoria, IL episode!  Great episode chronicling an abandoned hospital paired with a great, smooth hard cider.  The whole evening was very fall themed.  So take your pumpkin spice latte and stick it.  This is what fall is all about.  Only 9%, but I love this orchard/cidery, and the cloudy, crisp, clean tasting Scrumpy absolutely made my evening.  It comes in an adorable little glass jug, which just gives it a few more bonus points to make up for the low alcohol content.  I’m pretty sure the jug was meant to be a single serving.  I’ll be visiting and picking up more.

 

Semilla Moscato – Sierra Foothills 2012 by Jessica Tomei

It’s pink?  What?! Are you sure this is a Moscato?  Ok, typically I find Moscatos to be far too sweet for me.  This one was a bit dryer than the average Moscato making it very refreshing and easy to drink.  This rapidly disappeared one evening while I was putting slides together for a presentation.  This would be a great addition to a warm summer evening sitting out on the back porch and watching the sunset.  12.6% ABV, this offering also came from www.nakedwines.com.  I would definitely add this to my to order again from Naked Wines.

NV La Fiera Puglia, Italy Moscato

12 Tuesday Mar 2013

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Wine Club notes:

La Fiera translates to “the fair.”

So, what better image to include on the label of La Fiera wines than a carousel?  During Medieval times, riding fairs were all the rage in northern Italy.  Described as “equestrian ballets,” they took place in royal courts and featured lavishly decorated horses and highly skilled riders performing synchronized formations.

In more modern times, craftsmen replicated those decorated horses in wood sculptures, which were then attached to rotating platforms so children could “ride” them.  When the Botter family began producing wine in the early 20th century, they adopted the carousel as the focal point of their wine labels.

The fun of riding a carousel also is reflected in the wines themselves.  “Fun” is the perfect work to describe La Fiera’s Moscato, a sweet, nose-tickling wine that’s brimming with fruit flavors.  Try it with a summer salad or a peach tart, and toast your memories of childhood carousel rides.

Tasting Notes:

Grape Composition: 100% Moscato Bianco

Grape Source: Puglia Growing Area of Southeastern Italy

Aromas and Flavors:  Apricot and Peach, with a hint of Spritz

Aging Vessels: Stainless Steel Tanks

When to Drink: Now through 2014

Food Pairing Suggestions: a Summer Salad or a Peach Tart

My Thoughts:

Definitely a very light, crisp, fruity aroma.  I could detect hints of peach and possibly pear.  And the flavor explosion that came with the first sip was a pleasant surprise.  I was immediately greeted with the flavors of a ripe summer peach and perfectly ripened grapes straight off the vine.  I was instantly blasted back to summertime when I was about 5 or 6 years old. The grape flavor reminded me of how wonderful it would smell outside when my dad would run over the grape vines in the back yard with the lawn mower.  It might sound a little odd…but there are very few things I remember from my early childhood.  That is one of them.  It was the most amazing smell of fresh grapes.  I want Moscato grape jelly like right now…(I don’t even think that exists…but it needs to. *hint hint La Fiera!)  Then the wine finishes with the perfect amount of, to use their wording, “spritz.”  Just enough to give you that slight tingle reminiscent of a sparkling wine, but not overpowered with bubbles.

Now typically Moscatos are a little too sweet for my palate.  Let me rephrase that.  Usually I can drink a glass, maybe two at the most, before the sweetness gets to be too much.  This however, I could sip on all day.  It’s like drinking an early summer morning right out of a bottle.

On a scale of “this tastes like piss” to “oops, I just drank the whole bottle” I would give this a “It’s still winter?  It’s early June in my mouth right now.”  Would I buy it again?  I could definitely be ok with having a bottle or six of this on hand.  It’s like a quick escape from winter without even leaving the house.  Ok…now to find some CSI: Miami episodes to complete the experience.

Final Grade: A