What do you mean Box Wine?

Yup,in May, the WineTimers had an evening of box wine. As you know, wine snobs everywhere turn up their noses to box wines, but Anna and Blair provided a great evening of these poorly accepted wines, that turned out to be great selections.
From the standpoint of wine flavor and freshness, wine boxes have several advantages over traditional wine bottles. First, there is no possibility of a wine becoming corked", i.e. spoiled by a deteriorated cork. Wine boxes also keep air away from wine, even after partial consumption. (Granted, the WineTimers rarely have a problem with partially consumed bottles, but just in case...)
The first selection of box wine was the Fisheye Moscato. This is a light bodied and delightfully sweet, fruity wine with flavors of juicy peach, pineapple abd tropical fruits with hints of honey on the nose. Fisheye wines are born in South Eastern Australia, where the beaches are bigger and the sun shines brighter; where the land is larger than life, and the fish are measured in feet, not inches.
The next selections were from Bota Box, Old Vine Zinfandel and Malbec. The Malbec is a plush, medium bodied wine with aromas of ripe plum and blackberry with a touch of roasted coffee.
The Zinfandel especially pairs with picnic foods such as natural cased weiners, baked beans and homemade potato salad-- all of which we had at this gathering, many thaks to Anna and Blair for a fabulous picnic dinner, despite the cold, rainy weather.
FYI, Bota Box is green! The box is 100% recyclable.
Whew-- now the Winetimers have caught up! Pam and Scott will host the first gathering of the new season in September. Stay tuned!

Catching up

Many thanks to Dana for filling in for WineTimers!
Now time to catch up on what the WineTimers have been doing in Superior as the 2nd season came to a close. Debi and Rick hosted the April event and we were treated to a variety of fabulous wines as only the WineTimers can do. The first, was as Debi put it "the best wine we never had". This was the Mezza Corona Moscato. Sadly, Debi had tasted it, and then was unable to find it for the April gathering. She assured us that it was fabulous and then substituted Twisted Moscato from California. This variety orders up a swirl of apricot and prach pie flavors with a dollop of creamy vanila and crisp acidity for a reviving finish. Good to pair with chopped salad, chicken terriyaki, or even a fruity dessert.
As we moved from the sweet white to the reds, we started with Running with the Bulls Cabernet Sauvignon. This Salvatore Principe's series collection embodies the essence of Salvatore's work. It's rich intricacies and subtle nuances showcase dark berry fruits and casis flavors accentuated by layers of chocolate and vanilla.
Next, we tried Grand Noir Cabernet-Shiraz . This wne is billed as being unique. When they blended the blackcurranty Cabernet grapes with the spicy Shiraz, they weren't following anyone else's recipe. Whatever they did works. This is a wonderfully smooth red and quite inexpensive. A great wine for every day dijnner!
The last selection of the evening was the Greg Norman Shiraz. This Shiraz is from Australia's Limestone Coast and is made from vineyards grown on shallow red soils overlying hard limestone. Dark plum, blueberry and black cherry are enhanced with a touch of spicy oak and followed by subtle yet supportive tannins.
Thanks to Debi and Rick for hosting a wonderful evening for the WineTimers, complete with superbly grilled bratwurst on the grill!

Northern AZ Wine Tour: Caduceus Cellars

Pam and Scott's daughter Dana is living in Phoenix, AZ these days, and has been doing some winery touring of her own. The following series of guest posts are from Dana as she tours and tastes at some of Arizona's local wine destinations.

Something that draws the attention of a lot of people is when celebrities own wineries. It's become a somewhat acceptable and almost expected second (or thirs or fourth) career for celebs these days. And Jerome, AZ is home to one of them.

Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer of the band Tool, has his hands in 3 different wineries in Arizona. The most well respected winery of them all is Caduceus Cellars. With a tasting room located between Jerome Winery and Bitter Creek Winery in Jerome, AZ, Caduceus gets a lot of traffic because of its celebrity... and because it's delicious.

The wines offered at Caduceus are some of the more higher end wines you'd find in northern AZ, but they have decent flavor to help back up the large prices. And the tasting room is just beautiful. With granite countertops, dark wood and a lot of light, your tasting glasses sparkle as you try some strong, bold flavors that are native to Arizona wine grapes.

While all of the wines were fantastic, though a bit too intense for me, i was blown away by their Primer Paso. A blend of 88% AZ Syrah and 12% Malvasia Bianca, this wine was delicious, fruity and bold with an interesting crisp finish. Despite the larger price of a bottle, I took one home. I think it's insanely good, and I can't wait to pop open that bottle and enjoy the evening.

If you are a big Maynard fan, or just a fan of interesting, intense wines, stop into Caduceus Cellars for some fun and fabulousness.

Northern AZ Wine Tour: Bitter Creek Winery

Pam and Scott's daughter Dana is living in Phoenix, AZ these days, and has been doing some winery touring of her own. The following series of guest posts are from Dana as she tours and tastes at some of Arizona's local wine destinations.

Two blocks away from Jerome Winery sits their sister tasting room Bitter Creek Winery. Another great option for those looking for delicious, refreshing wines to help beat the Arizona heat, Bitter Creek offers wine blends. Blending up to 4 grape varietals per bottle, these wines have distinct flavors that are unique to the winery itself.

And just for a bit of entertainment, the Bitter Creek wines are labeled with Tarot cards, each representing the style of the wine bottled. These Tarot card labels give great color to your wine rack at home, and you can learn a bit about what each card represents as well.

My mom and dad LOVED The Magician (35% Zin, 35% Cab, 25%Barbera & 5% Petite Syrah), and I was a big fan of the Joan of Arc (three equal parts of Sauv Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chennin Blanc)

Definitely stop by Bitter Creek and give these lively blends a try.

Northern AZ Wine Tour: Jerome Winery

Pam and Scott's daughter Dana is living in Phoenix, AZ these days, and has been doing some winery touring of her own. The following series of guest posts are from Dana as she tours and tastes at some of Arizona's local wine destinations.

Head north of Phoenix about 2 hours and you'll hit a surprising mix of mountains, friendly hippies, and part of Arizona's wine country. Wait, wine? Did you say wine? Why yes, yes I did. The climate in the northern and southern parts of the state is actually quite suitable for wine grapes, and some delicious wine comes out of these regions.

One of the best places to head for wine is the small ghost town of Jerome, AZ. Jerome, it seems, is haunted by spirits of old copper miners and this, somehow, equates to delicious wine tasting rooms in the downtown area.

The first of the 3 we'll talk about is Jerome Winery. From their website: "Our vintner's philosophy is very spartenistic; create wines that are enjoyable for the novice and the connoisseur alike." And they do just that.

The wines offered at Jerome Winery are straight varietals ranging from a fruity white Zinfandel to a deep, rich Syrah. They've got a couple Italian wines I hadn't tried before, such as the Charbono and the Dolcetto. Both are great, and my favorites from this winery.

To top it all off, Jerome Winery only adds to its charm by labeling all their bottles with old family photos. You can see the owner's grandparents on their wedding day, and take a look at a goofy uncle as he travels the United States.

If you're in Arizona, and would like to taste some of the most charming wines the state has to offer, you need to check out Jerome Winery.

WineTimers March On!

The WineTimers did not have an official meeting in March, instead, meeting for an evening of wine tasting at Bellisio's in Duluth, MN. Bellisio's has arguably the best wine list in the upper midwest and on Mondays, boasts half price bottle of wine night! Seven of us attended and purchased several of the recommended wines for half the price. We passed the bottles and enjoyed brands and varieties that we otherwise wouldn't have tried. Also of note are the fabulous appetizers and great staff that accommodated us for this impromptu gathering.
Also fun in March and April, have been several local wine tasting events. The wine tasting at Nemadji to benefit WITC scholarships has become a wonderful, well attended annual event with many fine wines beautifully presented by the folks at Belknap Liquor. The following week, the annual Evening of Wine and Jazz took place at UWS. As usual, it was a wonderful event with good wine (as presented by the Keyport), good music and fabulous food. Then, just this past week, the Minnesota Ballet hosted their annual wine tasting event at the Depot in Duluth. This too is a wonderful, well attended event each year with a great silent and live auction. This year we were also treated to a live arial performance that provided the audience the opportunity to ooh and ahh as the arial performer twisted and turned his way around the ceiling of the Depot Great Hall. A fabulous wine event as the wine tasting season winds down for the year. One more event coming up on May 13th at Clyde-Iron to benefit Choice Unlimited.

WineTimers in February

The WineTimers met on Friday February 25th for our monthly meeting of the wine minds at Bobbie and Frank's. The winter blahs have settled in and a fun wine and food filled night was definitely called for. All WineTimers were in attendance except for Rick who was in Orlando, soaking up sunshine-- What's up with that!
The first wine presented for the evening was a 2008 Principessa Gavia Gavi. This is the premier dry white wine of Italy, pale straw in color with an intense, fresh and fruity bouquet with hints of pineapple and green apple. Along with the wine notes came the "Legend of Principessa Gavia" whose story was about a beautiful princess who fell in love with a guard in her father's court. She married him and lost favor with the King, however was eventually forgiven for marrying out of her class and given the town they chose to live in, named Gavi. Alas, true love and romance in this wonderful light wine selection.
The next wine presented was a 2009 Folie a Deux Manage a Trois Rose. Manage a Trois examines what happens when you put 3 attractive, single young grapes into 1 exquisite bottle-- probably illegal in most states! This rose` is the epitome of a good rose` No pretense, just a fruit laden roller coaster ride of raspberries, strawberries, lychee nuts and flowers. A virtual carnival in your mouth!
Last and surely not least, we were treated to Francis Ford Coppola's 2008 Claret Black Label Diamond collection. Claret is a term originally coined by the British to describe Cabernet based wines. This Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec blend is alluring and sophisticated; it is memorably lush with a tapestry of smooth tannins, and succulent flavors of wild berries, plum and anise. WineTimers are no strangers to this selection as it has been available at several wine tastings this season. Karen and Jeff, being good sports were able to "get back on the horse" and actually try this excellent wine again, following a rather adverse experience last month-- good job!
Not to be left unsaid, Bobbie and Frank went over the top with appetizers followed by 4 large VIP pizzas to keep the hungry WineTimers satisfied (and soak up a little wine for the drive home). A fabulous evening enjoyed by all. We look forward to our next gathering and whatever wine adventure might be planned!