cab sav Archives : Me, Annie Bee.

Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon – Weekly Winedown #44

Anna — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 18:18:57 +0000

It seems like winter is well and truly here. Storm Ali has been swiftly followed by Storm Bronagh and, whilst we’re lucky enough to not be suffering any damage right here, it has played merry hell with my hair. Lifting it up, blowing it all about and such like. Anyway. Last weeks Blog On weekend was blooming brilliant, I met up with friends, drank gin and listened to lots of knowledgeable people talk. I returned home super inspired! Unfortunately I was also pretty tired, given my old age it seems it now takes me DAYS to get over fun and so, my to do list remains lengthy. You don’t need to know that though. You need to know that this week we are going to partake in a Chilean red, say HOLA… Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon I chose this because it was on offer at £5.99, there was actually little else that screamed out to me on this occasion. The label is, well, simple. It’s white, red and black – the most excellent of colour schemes. A very clean label, with easy to read font and just fact on the front. That’s what I want in a label, not all the noise like on the Starve Dog Lane last week, you can read about that here. The Blurb “A ripe full bodied wine with concentrated blackcurrant fruit flavour, dark chocolate notes on the long velvety finish. This wine is a great match with grilled steak, roasted lamb and tomato based pasta dishes.” I do get excited when chocolate is thrown into the description, it NEVER tastes of chocolate but is often a good winter wine. We’ll see! Well, the ‘nose’ is fruity and slightly smokey, not entirely unpleasant. In fact it’s a smell that makes me very excited to try the wine. The taste does not match the smell, I was expecting something really dry and full bodied. This was light and fruity – almost sweet and a touch oaky. Not quite Pinot Noir but a lot lighter than I expect or want a Cabernet Sauvignon to be! It’s also a bit thin. I don’t like thin wine. My bouche is most certainly not amused this evening. Even at the special offer price, I probably wouldn’t bother if I were you. There are plenty of better wines for the same price. Name – Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon Price – £5.99 (usually £8.99) Colour – A rich red. Smell – Light and fruity Taste – Fruity blackcurrant and a little woody (snort laugh) Goes well with – Despair and chocolate after being dumped. Overall score – 2.5/5

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Weekly Winedown #33 The Whale Caller

Anna — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 20:13:15 +0000

Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy Hello Friday you sexy thing you! We have been waiting, what took you so long? I always look forward to the weekend. Someone once asked me why when I don’t work and every day is like a weekend. OH HOW I LAUGHED. Take my children and come tell me how weekend like it is! I like the weekend because there are more grown ups around to talk to and I get to share the daytime parenting. However, I don’t recall the last time I had weekend plans though, unlike Rory who is off at some fancy ball as we speak. I know right?! He’s off larging it at some event in his tux leaving poor old me here, all alone to fend for myself. Meh, I’ll get over it. I’ve been a bit poorly this week which must be the ONLY explanation for my wine selection. Let us say Goeienaand to The Whale Caller, a shiraz cabernet sauvignon from South African. Interesting fact, the guy who delivered my shiraz today was called Shiraz! This particular wine comes in at £4.99 a bottle. Not on sale, just always £4.99… I’m no wine snob, OK just a bit, but I tend to rule out a bottle of wine if it doesn’t have a punt (indentation) in the bottom of the bottle. It doesn’t REALLY make a difference, it’s pretty much pomp but this bottle doesn’t have one and I found myself coming out in a cold sweat when I realised. I’m such a punt. The Label All the right colours – red, white and black. The font is unoffensive which is always a bonus. There is a picture of a whale and a man with a horn, who I assume is the Whale Caller. I don’t know why the Whale Caller is important enough to have wine named after him. Maybe he’s a pretty big deal in South Africa? The Blurb “As you savour this rich red wine, with dark berry fruits and hints of chocolate and spice, you may just catch the strains of the Whale Caller’s horn, blowing on the southern wind.” Well, if this wine makes me start hearing horns I’m going to question whether it is wine. I like a drink, I’m not adverse to getting a little tipsy on occassion. Heck I’m all for getting mortalled if the situation requires BUT I don’t want to start hearing things, nevermins whale horns on the breeze. That aside, I’m quite liking the ‘hints of chocolate and spice’. This wine could be amazing. It could also not. It’s not. The aroma is a bit plasticine like. It smells synthetic and not the most pleasant. The blurb offers promise but promises can be broken. There is a distinct lack of spice. It’s a very flat taste, almost watered down. As a wine lover, I’m not a fan. As a Yorkshire woman, I’ll drink it as not to waste the money. Name – The Whale Caller Price – £4.99 Colour – A nice dark red Smell – A little plastic/synthetic Taste – NOT spicey. Kind of flat and watered down. Goes well with – Nothing, absolutely nothing. Overall score – 1/5

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Weekly Winedown #18 Tsantali Cabernet Sauvignon

Anna — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 19:30:39 +0000

Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. This week we are back in the old routine. Aoife has gone back to school and into Year 2 (after a brief fall out about wearing lipstick) What’s THAT about? In three months I’m going to have a seven year old. I’m not old enough to have a seven year old! I sometimes don’t feel old enough to have children at all. Then I see a mirror and am reminded that I am indeed old enough. Then I remember there are actually some people my age who are grandparents. I can’t even get my head round that. This whole ‘time’ malarkey is a bit too swift for my liking. It also seems pretty unfair that as we get old enough to appreciate it, it goes faster. Seth had his preschool home visit this week. He’s not ready for preschool – I’m not ready for preschool. Why are they growing up? I fully expect that I’ll wake up tomorrow and they’ll be 18. Oh, here we go, I’m coming over all drama llama! Let’s talk wine. Say Γειά σας και καλώς ήρθατε to Tsantali Cabernet Sauvignon, a Greek red currently on offer at £7.11. I’ve not drunk much Greek wine. In fact, as far as I know, Retsina is the only Greek wine I have tried. I love Retsina very, very much. That leads me to hope really hard that this Tsantali is a good wine – no pressure. The Label I like, I like it a lot. It’s a simple black, white and red. I say this all the time. These are the colours I’m drawn to. Heck these are the colours of my blog. They just work so wonderfully together. With a hand doodled bunch of grapes and an ink blot that is Greece it’s straight and to the point. Wine made in Greece from grapes. Exactly what it says on the tin bottle. The Blurb “The nose of this Cabernet Sauvignon offers subtle aromas of mint, with a powerful, smooth mix of blackcurrant, blueberry and herbaceous cherry on the palate. This wine is great served at 16-18°C with bacon and mushroom casserole, pork sausages or cheese.” I’ve missed out all the information on the blurb regarding where the vineyards are and the sun and stuff. It was all very interesting but was mostly an exercise in trumpet blowing. Chill out wine maker, I know you’re proud but you don’t need to write the whole story on the bottle! “subtle aromas of mint” Polo anyone? I wonder how subtle it will be? Is my wine going to smell like toothpaste? The palate look good though, blueberries and herbaceous cherries – what could be wrong with that? Other than the fact that I’ll be damned if I know what a herby cherry tastes like. If it’s sage I’m in for a bad sup! Like last weeks Merlot, this wine has been very specific with what it would go well with. Bacon and mushroom casserole. Sounds…..interesting. The smell was a little menthol like. I’d sway more toward a eucalyptus than a polo though, there was also a really tart, blackcurrant scent. The look was glorious. Thick, red and velvety like old cinema seats. The taste was interesting. Bitter but not bad bitter. Bitter cherries. Like it made the back of my tongue jiggle. There was a definite herby or maybe peppery finish. It was beautifully full bodied and once my tongue recovered from the initial bitterness, it became a really mellow drink. I wouldn’t choose this wine again, if I were to drink a Greek wine again I’d choose Retsina. Unless I was on holiday in Greece then I’d give this another go in case it doesn’t travel well. Name – Tsantali Cabernet Sauvignon Price – £7.11 Colour – Velvety red like a posh Santa suit Smell – Tart with a side of eucalyptus. Taste – Bitter, peppery and mellow. Goes well with – I’d try it with a bacon & mushroom butty. Overall score – 2.5/5.

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Weekly Winedown #2 Brancott Estate Classic Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2012

Anna — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 19:48:24 +0000

Welcome to my new feature, The Weekly Winedown where each week I selflessly drink wine for you and give you a little review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. When I was younger, like up to my 20s, I always thought people drinking wine would usually have ‘guests’ round and be indulging in intellectual conversation and maybe even a tasty meal yet here I am in a pair of leggings (that may or may not be old maternity leggings) an oversized t-shirt and misshapen cardigan. Wine isn’t glamourous and intellectual, it’s inclusive! So here we are, week two and this week I will be swigging tasting another red, Brancott Estate Classic Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2012. £10.49* from Ocado. I don’t know how the 2012 one differs from any of the subsequent years, you’d think if they thought they were on to a good thing they’d just follow the same recipe? Unless they haven’t got it quite right just yet and they’re still practicing? WHO KNOWS? The Blurb “This wine is the perfect accompaniment to succulent lamb or beef based dishes or as a pairing with mature cheese. Rich berry and dark fruit characters combine with subtle cedar and spicy oak complexity. Premium red wine from Marlbourgh, New Zealand – Perfect for dinner parties or everyday Intense flavours of plum and cassis fruit with underlying coffee, chocolate and leather. Fresh fruit flavours combine with savoury tannin and oak characters to provide a long warm finish and persistent fruit notes.“ I normally wouldn’t choose this wine for two reasons 1) I don’t normally like New Zealand reds 2) I don’t like the label. I like a nice label, this looks a bit £3.99. But for you, dear reader, I’m removing all wine boundaries. FOR YOU. I’m never entirely sure what to expect when a wine claims to have a spicy bouquet or palate. In my head spicy either means curry or Christmas spices. As much as I love a good curry I don’t want my wine to smell of it. As for Christmas? I’d be over the moon if my wine smelt of Christmas! The wine is really dark red, you know the colour they drink on a film or TV show and you just HAVE to have some red wine now. That colour red. The whiff is a bit like swimming pools, I tried again, it smells like bitter fruit and swimming pools, strangely not as unpleasant as that sounds. The taste is very thick, like almost chewy. I can’t get the coffee or the chocolate (or the good tastes as I like to call them) but I can get the cassis, totally tangy and I would suggest the leather is more on top than underlying. I am over the moon that this is the first time I’ve ever drank a wine and tasted a fruit that I’m meant to taste. C’mon cassis! The suggestion that it goes well with lamb, beef or mature cheese is probably a good one. It would go really well with a nice meal. However, I will be enjoying it with a Berlin Doner from I am Doner which will contain lamb and halloumi so I’m part way there. Besides, it says in the rules up there Perfect for dinner parties or everyday, today is everyday! Incidentally, any one reading this in Leeds should REALLY try a kebab from I am Doner, they’re immense. Not a dirty kebab but one you can eat with pride when sober. Slow cooked meats, cheese and pickled veg. One could almost argue they’re healthy. This evening the wine is complimenting feelings of happiness because Seth’s behaviour has improved a lot this week, thankfulness because life is just pretty good right now and joy because it’s a long weekend. It would definitely go nicely with an episode of Pretty Little Liars but I don’t think Rory is up for that. Name – Brancott Estate Classic Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2012 Price – £10.49 (or £7 at Sainsbury’s) Colour – Burgandy. Smell – Like fruity swimming pools Taste – Super sexy, tangy fruits and deep flavours. Gives that warm chest thing like Aftershock. Goes well with – A happy day and a posh kebab. Overall score – 4/5 – I’d definitely get this again but only at 50% off. I’m a SAHM, not rich! So that’s this weeks wine, I took a risk with the unpleasant label and the less favoured country of origin and was pleasantly surprised. Just shows you can’t judge a wine by it’s label. I still will though. *I know I put a sub £8 rule in place but it was 50% off so strictly speaking it comes in at well under £8. I am still undecided as to whether I’ve broken my own rules here, what do you think? Saying that, Sainsbury’s are selling it for £7 so technically you could go and buy it for under £8.

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Weekly Winedown #1 – Les Deux Pins Cabernet Sauvignon

Anna — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 20:24:02 +0000

So, those of you who follow my ramblings know that there are two things in life I know have a really good go at. 1) Parenting 2) Wine I’ve written lots about parenting so I decided to branch out and add a new weekly feature to my blog. The Weekly Winedown. Catchy right? Each week I will drink wine for you and give you a little review. I am so selfless. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. Without further ado here it’s my first ever Weekly Winedown! Tonight’s wine of choice is a regular in my world, I introduce you to Les Deux Pins Cabernet Sauvignon a mere £5.29 from Ocado. What a bargain! Les Deux Pins Cabernet Sauvignon Blurb The official ‘blurb’ on the wine reads as follows… This vintage – Le Deux Pins Cabernet Sauvignon – is produced from the vineyards of Languedoc Roussillon in the south of France. Giving a deep garnet red to purple colour, Les Deux Pins Cabernet Sauvignon produces a bouquet of spice and red fruit. Nicely structured on the palate, it unveils notes of liquorice and give a lengthy finish. Les Deux Pins Cabernet Sauvignon will deliciously enhance your breast of duck on skewers, refined cheese and tasty chocolate-based desserts. This is a French wine, I usually choose French, ridiculously because I love all things French and I probably, deep down believe it will bring me one step closer to being native. Don’t judge me. It’s a screw top bottle which I prefer, well screw cap or rubber ‘cork’ for some reason cork corks always break on me and I can’t get them out properly. Saying that, last summer I learnt how to remove a cork without a corkscrew so, y’know, I got skills. As if a house in France in a vineyard didn’t have a cork! WTF? I digress. Les Deux Pins Cabernet Sauvignon Verdict The wine certainly is dark red, that much is true. I don’t know that garnet is a true representation, I always thought garnet was a redder red, but Rory says I don’t know the difference between navy and black so I’m happy to be wrong. Not a good trait for an artist though. I don’t get ‘spice’ in the bouquet (or smell to you and I) it’s like generic fruity. Not sweet fruit like strawberries, maybe those little red or black berries that taste a bit sour. Two glasses in and I’m still waiting for the liquorice notes to be unveiled, it does say a ‘lengthy finish’ so maybe that means I’ll do a liquorice wine burp in an hour or two. I’ll report back on the burps. This particular wine will, allegedly, enhance my breast of duck on skewers, (I don’t know why only skewered ducks, you’d think roast duck would be effected in much the same way), refined cheese and tasty chocolate based desserts. Tell me a non tasty chocolate based dessert and I’ll show you a dessert that’s not actually made of chocolate! For me, today, this wine is a perfect compliment to feelings of slight hurt caused by Aoife suggesting I don’t exercise enough, shock to the sound and mess of children being home and annoyance that that car is broken. I have no skewered breast to enhance so instead it is enhancing the wait for Indian food whilst the children shout and don’t go to sleep upstairs despite having gone to bed perfectly at Grandma’s all week! Name – Les Deux Pins 2015 Price – £5.29 Colour – Dark Red Smell – Fruity, like fruit. Taste – Full bodied, dark and handsome. Goes well with – Shouty children and hunger. Overall score – 3/5. It’s an average wine for an average Friday night. So there it is, my first wine tasting! I am always going to veer toward red wine as that’s my drink of choice so if any of you have any suggestions as to what I should try next, leave them in the comments and I’ll seek them out. I don’t like pink though. Cheers folks!

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