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 #42 Head Honcho Merlot

Anna — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 18:22:15 +0000

Well, it’s been a while but the winedown is back! For now at least. Can you believe it has been 62 whole days since my last weekly winedown? SIXTY TWO DAYS. God didn’t even flood Noah for that long. That’s one epic break. The worst thing about it is, not only have you missed out on my wine-y goodness, but in that whole time I have nothing to tell you. Or rather I have a lot but not enough time! We’ve been to a wedding in the Czech Republic – Czech beer is amazing. We drove from Czech to the South of France via Austria, Italy and Germany. It took days but was beautiful. I have turned 40 which is actually exactly the same as 39 except I fell over and thought I’d broken my ankle. We had our amazing wedding reception a whole five months after the big day. It’s been a fun packed 62 days yet nothing really to tell you about. ANYWAY. Let’s crack on. This week wine is a Chilean Merlot, usually a firm favourite. Head Honcho Merlot was chosen for me by my mum and in familial fashion, she chose it for it’s label which is the exact same reason I’d have chosen it! Head Honcho Merlot Label Look at it. Just look at it. It’s bloody beautiful – very Alice in Wonderland. There’s a cat in a top hat and smoking jacket, he has human hands and is writing with a quill. There’s a flamingo with a vulture on his back. An ostrich just taking a look at what’s going on and a heron looking at a kingfisher while a snake sits watching. What is not to love? Head Honcho Merlot blurb “Screaming with plums and black cherries. Drink it with a pulled pork roll” Ahhhh pulled pork roll, that Chilean classic. It’s quite a bossy label but you know what? I like it. It’s a jammy nose with a slight hint of clove. I don’t mean jammy like the bad ‘wine term’ jammy. I mean it smells like jam. The taste is round and full, rather pleasant. Certainly a hit of cherries and tart plums with a softly spice finished. This may not be the most highbrow wine but it is an easy drinker. Name – Head Honcho Merlot Price – £6.50 Colour – Deep red Smell – Jam and cloves Taste – Cherries and plums with a hint of spice Goes well with – A catch up with friends and idle chit chat. Overall score – 3.5/5 – an easy drinker.

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Chilean wine Archives : Me, Annie Bee.

Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon – Weekly Winedown #44

Weekly Winedown #42 Head Honcho Merlot