Tasting - Bartenura

Name: Bartenura

Variety: Moscato

Region: Provincia Di Pavia

Country: Italy

Year: 2010

Price: $4.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: The inviting apricot preserves, honey, butter, and roasted almond aromas of this semi-sparkler pull you right in. It’s on the sweet side, with stone-fruit flavors kept alive by decent acidity. The palate bubbles and tingles and maintains its balance. Fine as an aperitif or with dessert.

My Review: This was the last wine I tasted of 5, so I wasn’t able to pick out a lot of flavors.  The first thing I tasted was the sweetness.  Now it wasn’t as sweet as a German Riesling but actually a nice touch of sweetness.  It would be great as a dessert wine or for someone who is just starting to drink wine.  I am usually not a fan of dessert wines, but with lower sugar content than expected I enjoyed it.

If food present, did it change the flavor: N/A

Drink Up!

-R.V.

Tasting - Finca del Castillo

Name: Finca del Castillo

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: La Mancha

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $4.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Rooty, spicy and baked on the nose, with aromas that lean towards raisin. The palate is more gritty and acidic, with raisin, cola, and spic flavors. Darkens up on the finish, which is long and peppery, with adequate juiciness and a final note of tomato.

My Review: The first thing I got out of this was the spice, both on the nose and on the tongue.  The finish was not very strong and left you with a hint of raisins.  For a Tempranillo it was nice and light without too much spice.  I liked the wine but I have had better Tempranillo’s in the past

If food present, did it change the flavor: N/A

Drink Up!

-R.V.

Tasting - Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Name: Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Variety: Gamay

Region: Beaujolais of Burgundy

Country: France

Year: 2012

Price: $3.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Bright and tangy, offering a classic banana note on the nose, with flavors of raspberry, wild strawberry and light spice. Modest finish

My Review:  the initial smell was very fruity and sweet.  When I tasted it, the strongest flavor I tasted was grapefruit with a hint of raspberry behind it.  It has a very light finish and sat well on the tongue after a minute.  I could definitely tell that it was young and needed some more aeration to release some of the heavy tannins in it.  It portrays the 2012 region in Beaujolais very well but I would not drink a lot of it because it was sweeter than I like my reds.

If food present, did it change the flavor: N/A

Drink Up!

-R.V.

Tasting - Mars and Venus

Name: Mars and Venus

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Central Valley

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $5.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: A very nice value Chardonnay that comfortably over-delivers vs. its modest price tag. No oak here, just bushels of clean, crisp, Chardonnay apple and stone fruit with a hint of caramelized pineapple. Juicy and clean, this is a mid-weight white that’s just perfect for parties or weeknight sipping.

My Review: the first thing I notice was that it was much more acidic than the previous wine.  It had a slightly bitter finish because of the acidity but was not overpowering at all.  Hints of apple came through with the wine.  In the end, it was a fuller taste so this would definitely go well some light aperitif’s but it was not my favorite of the day.

If food present, did it change the flavor: N/A


Drink Up!

-R.V.

Tasting - La Cappuccina Soave

Name: La Cappuccina Soave

Variety: Garganega

Region: Northeastern Italy

Country: Italy

Year: 2011

Price: $7.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Bright straw yellow in color. Delicate on the nose, with notes of flowers and almonds. Dry, well-structured and delicately fruity, with hints of bitter almonds on the finish that is typical of Garganega-based wines.

My Review: This wine was a very light wine with a fresh feel.  It was not overly acidic and it was definitely not a heavy white.  I think best word is delicate, because it’s really nice as a sipping wine but having it with food would very easily over power it.  Overall, very nice starter wine and I very much enjoyed this one.

If food present, did it change the flavor: N/A

Drink Up!

-R.V.

Running - Hills

So yesterday was my second day back at running and it was a little bit better than the first.  I slowed down my pace which kept off the cramps but had a fun time with the weather.  It was again 60 degrees out, but cloudy, overcast and threatening to rain.  After checking weather.com, I decided to go anyways.  Of course the way out wasn't too bad, I had the wind at my back!  I got about a mile in and decided to do some hill sprints.  My time was by no way impressive but I did hill sprints for about .75 of a mile and go my heart rate way up.  And then I turned the corner to come back, well try to come back.  With 30 mph gusts, it felt as though I wasn't making any progress!  But alas, I made it home and avoided the rain so I would call that a success.  Here are the stats:
Distance: 2.80
Time: 32:20
Pace: 11:32
Avg HR: 163 / Cal: 270
Route: Foxridge to Smith's Landing and back

Now get out there and run!

-R.V.

PS.  Today I got up and we had snow on the ground with a high of 35 degrees F... Mother nature here seems to be a little bi-polar!

Running - Day 1

Well, today was day 1 of getting back on the horse of running.  And might I say it wasn't quite the most enjoyable run I have ever had.  Within mile one I got really bad side cramps which plague me through the rest of my run.  But I was able to keep my head high and finish my loop.  The upside to it was the fact that it was 60 degrees when I was running with shorts and a t-shirt next to piles of snow!  Majorly confusing but a nice change of pace from the cold.  It was a rough start but a start none the less so here are the stats:
Distance: 4.46
Time: 53:01
Overall Pace: 11:53
Avg Heart Rate: 167 (this is how I know it wasn't right, high HR with Low pace)
Route: Foxridge to oak lane and back to Foxridge

Now get out there and run!

-R.V.