chile Archives : Me, Annie Bee.

Animo Sauvignon Blanc – Weekly Winedown #45

Anna — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:53:41 +0000

Once again we find ourselves at Friday! How is time going so fast? I’m going to be an old lady before long! Both children are well and truly settled into school, Seth is super exhausted when he gets home which make him grumpy. It is probably no coincidence that the Winedown has been weekly since he started school…. This, is a week of controversy. I’m not talking about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (Meghan of Sussex?) closing her own door. Which IS controversial, I mean, imagine closing your own door!? How common. No, this weeks controversy lies in my choice of wine this week Ánimo Sauvignon Blanc You read the right, it’s a white wine! I’m not entirely sure what came over me, maybe it was the return of the sunshine. Possibly it was the ‘The Spirit of Chile’ tagline. Most likely it was the fact it was half price at £5.99. Although I mostly drink, and prefer, red wine I’m not averse to a good dry white. Here’s hoping this is a good dry white! The label is simple and clean. A minimal font on a cream background with, well, I’m not sure if it’s a green flame or some grass in the wind. I suspect the latter. It gives a nice ‘fresh’ vibe though. Ánimo Sauvignon Blanc blurb This exclusive Chilean Sauvignon Blanc has delightful aromas of citrus fruit, combined with gooseberry and a touch of minerality on the palate; these delicious flavours combine to create the perfect wine, with a crisp and refreshing finish. Firstly, I had no idea what minerality means so I Googled it. Apparently, in wine terms it means a group of non-fruit, non-herb, non-spice notes. So like the implied taste of something. Like how I don’t like honey because it tastes of bees. Kind of. Everyday is almost an education! The label also tells us to enjoy this wine as an aperitif or to accompany light seafood dishes like sushi, that Chilean classic! The nose is, well, foisty. Kind of like root vegetables. I’m going to be honest, it’s not the most appealing thing I’ve ever smelt. Luckily the taste is far more pleasant. An initial, tart blast of gooseberry with a zesty/tangy end. It’s crisp and dry. It need to be super cold though to take the tang back. I wouldn’t pay £11.99 for this outside of a hotel but for £5.99 it is a good Sauv Blanc. Name – Animo Sauvignon Blanc Price – £5.99 (usually £11.99) Colour – pale straw Smell – root vegetable Taste – gooseberry, tart but fresh. Goes well with – Sunny days and probably most food. Overall score – 3.5/5

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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 #25 Anakena Birdman Merlot

Anna — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 19:32:21 +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. Ennui with a splash of disinterest, a dollop of crisis in confidence and a huge helping of accidentally caring what other people thought has led to me being in a peculiar place this week. A week where I wondered why I was bothering with this blogging lark at all. It has felt long and arduous and has been accompanied by a huge, constant headache. Moan, moan. It’s all passed now though. I pulled my big girls pants on, remembered how bloody funny I am and gave my head a shake. Once again I can count the amount of fucks I give on no hands. Order is restored. To celebrate this epiphany let’s say buenas noches to our wine, Anakena Birdman Merlot from Chile. Down from £7.49 to £4.99 at Ocado. The 19 Crimes red blend last week was so close to perfect. In fact, I am unsure as to why I didn’t give it a 5/5. I may have to revisit it soon just to test. Unfortunately, it means this wine has to aim really high this week. The Label The label is black with gold font and a gold, Polynesian style bird (or birdman?). It is to the point with minimal faff. Despite being a bit like a box of Black Magic, it’s not entirely awful. I do love the image too. The Blurb “This range of wines comes from the award-winning Anakena winery, which is nestled in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Every Spring the Easter Island sea bird (Manutara) lays its precious egg in coastal cliffs. The Birdman legend tells the story of how the men from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) would show their worth by swimming the long distance to the islet of Motu Nui in search of an egg. The first islander to bring it back safely was given the title of ‘Tangata Manu’, the Birdman. We pay homage to the spirit of the Birdman in our latest range of wines. A fruit driven wine bursting with raspberry aromas and blueberry flavours. Anakena Merlot has a smooth texture and pleasing finish” That’s a whole lot of information right there. A very informative tale yet revealing very little about the wine. Raspberry and blueberry sound like a fresh mix. Chilean wines normally have a bit of depth to them, I am hoping that is the case with this one, it’s sounding a bit thin…. The Verdict The colour is a dark ruby red, perfect to look at. The ‘nose’ (yeah I did that) is soft red fruit and quite light. The two contradict one another, I’m not sure I like the confusion. The initial taste is tart raspberries and redcurrants and slightly acidic. It kind of gets better over time, but I don’t know if that’s my taste buds getting used to it or giving up. It’s not entirely awful or unpalatable, but I don’t think I’d choose this again. Ever. It’s not how I like a Merlot to be, it pitches itself as smooth but I’d be inclined to disagree. Get thee behind me Birdman! Name – Anakena Birdman Merlot. Price – £4.99 Colour – Dark ruby red. Smell – Light & fruity. Taste – Sharp and thin. Goes well with – Cheese, I imagine it suits cheese. Overall score – 2.5/5 painfully average.

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Weekly Winedown #7 Luis Felipe Edwards Favoritos Malbec

Anna — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 18:50:23 +0000

Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you 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 has been half term and you know what? It wasn’t entirely unbearable! Unfortunately I can’t take credit for that. I haven’t suddenly upped my parenting game and become an amazing school holiday mum with crafting, baking and educafunal (you’re welcome) trips. Rather my cousin came to stay for the week (who, it turns out, is way cooler than even Rachel, Sorry Rachel – Aoife’s a fickle sort) and Aoife had two play dates in a week. The pressure was off me, I just had to make sure food was made and things were passed to them when demanded. You know, the only bit of parenting any of us were actually prepared for! We played in the paddling pool, we went out for coffee, we visited horses, went to the Meanwood Family Festival and drank beer brewed from a new, local microbrewpub, The Meanwood Brewery. I would strongly recommend anyone local to here check out their story and try their wares! We achieved and tonight I’m feeling pretty smug about my first ever successful school holiday. For this weeks wine choice I have ventured back to Chile. I was truly taken in by the Carmenere and so am hoping that a Malbec from Chile beats one from Argentina. (I’m probably never going to let that go – Sorry). So today I will be unbottling Luis Felipe Edwards Favoritos Malbec – £6.66 (hopefully this isn’t an ominous sign) The official blurb “Favoritos Malbec is richly-flavoured, smooth and juicy, packed with blueberry and blackcurrant fruit. A great wine with pizza, pasta bolognese and of course a juicy steak! Favoritos are Edwards family favourites for any occasion. Classic wines we like to drink at home with friends and loved ones.” Sounds a bit tart doesn’t it? Also, a wine to drink ‘at home with friends and loved ones’. Pfft. My favourite wines are the ones my loved ones DON’T want to share with me! Rory doesn’t like wine so luckily that’s not an obstacle I’ll have to hurdle tonight! It’s also ‘great with pizza, pasta and steak’. As today is National Fish & Chip day, I am going to pair this wine with a big filthy pizza, we’ll see how much of an all rounder it really is! The label is clean and neat. It contains nothing but fact. Straight and to the point. The precise requirement of any label. The smell was interesting, kind of wet and woody. This isn’t a bad smell, it’s a warm the cockles kind of smell. It does taste a little sharp but smooth too. It’s a rich ‘full’ taste. Remember when I declared a wine a bit ‘thin’ a few weeks ago? Well this is ‘thick’ but, in this instance, thick is good. It’s a very berry and a little peppery taste. It’s a bloody good glass of red! Name – Luis Felipe Edwards Favoritos Malbec Price – £6.66 Colour – Red, the dark kind I like Smell – Wet and woody, like nature but not quite camping. Taste – Rich, tart and fruity (oi, oi) Goes well with – Life and a successful half term. Overall score – 4.5/5

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Weekly Winedown #5 – Frontera Carmenere

Anna — Fri, 19 May 2017 19:43:52 +0000

Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you 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. Well, last week was exciting wasn’t it? My face and voice on your device! It may well happen again this week! You lucky things you! So after the success of last weeks wine I’m hoping to make it two in a row. This weeks wine of choice is Frontera Carmenere a Chilean red £5.99, rumour has it Morrisons sells it at times. When I was younger and started out in the world of alcohol I only liked Malibu and if I ever drank wine it was something super classy like a Hock or a Liebfraumilch. As you can imagine, neither of these were really suitable for the street corner drinking of the young (sorry mum) no one wanted to “go halves” on spirits and a mixer! So I spent years practising and perfecting my palette. I’m pleased to announce I can now drink virtually anything, except sweet wine and cider. I can’t get away with cider at all. Bad memories *shudder*. Chilean reds were the first ones I really enjoyed and so I’ve got high hopes for this one. At the end of a week where someone forgot to send me my invitation to the ‘Wine Oscars’ – what are you playing at Decanter – and Anna May Mangan decided it was OK to completely miss the point and value in ‘slummy mummy’ bloggers and tell the world (or the Daily Fail readers) how terrible we are in showcasing our ‘race to the bottom’.* I am going to crack open this bottle and celebrate being a slummy mummy! The official blurb “This smooth and fruity little number, with red plums and a touch of spice, goes great with pasta, cheese and grilled chicken. Simply serve at room temperature.” Straight and to the point, spicy plum juice anyone The label is really lovely, a hand drawing of a little man with a chest of grapes – straight an to the point. The bouquet (check me) was chocolate and cork, a little musty but MUST prove it was legit kept in barrels! I’ll admit, I wasn’t confident from the smell and the first taste was a bit sharp. Slightly dry and dark fruits, it was a definite grower and my love of Chilean wine has been rekindled again…..for now. Name – Frontera Carmenere Price – £5.99 Colour – Deep red Smell – Coffee and cork Taste – Dry and fruity. Goes well with – Cheese apparently. I can see this being a factual statement. Overall score – 4/5 *Thankfully she failed and instead made herself look like a mean spirited, slightly bitter individual. I’d hazard a guess that ‘The Unmumsy Mum’ is selling more that ‘The pushy parents guide..’

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