Wine | Home Is Where The Haggis Is

Category: Wine
- Wine On Wednesday: Inkblot
  
  Posted at 4:00 pm by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Mar 30th
  For Easter, we popped open a bottle of Inkblot Cabernet Franc. I finally understand and appreciate this wine. We paired it with a ham roasted in the oven with cloves, brown sugar, dry mustard and a little Ginger Ale. Perhaps the most surprising and tasty pairing was when I tried a scoop of guacamole on a tortilla chip and took a sip of the Inkblot afterwards. Taste explosion! I would strongly recommend drinking this wine with tacos, enchiladas or any Mexican food. FYI: The only reason I made guac on Easter was because I gave up tortilla chips for Lent and couldn’t wait to have some again. Tortilla chips with salsa is favorite go-to snack. I could eat it every single day.
  
  So back to the wine. Inkblot is a deep rich color and of course has those bright notes of cherries, a hint of vanilla with smooth velvety tannins, but the finish has a slight graphite flavor which I never thought I would care for, but it makes this wine superb.
  
  The winemaker, Michael David Winery puts out other wines you may have heard of such as 7 Deadly Zins, Freakshow Cabernet, Earthquake (which I love and have reviewed before) and Petite Petite among many other familar favs. The Inkblot is unfortunately, not available everywhere. Don’t let that deter you. Make friends with your local wine retailer and see if they can order some bottles special for you. My mom has done this before and it works every time. You can find this for about $35 so it’s definitely more of a special wine than an everyday one.
  
  Inkblot Rating: 4 out of 4 wine glasses.
  
  Cheers!
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  Posted in Wine | Tagged Inkblot Cabernet Franc, Michael David Wine
- Wine On Wednesday: Miner Petite Sirah
  
  Posted at 10:13 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Mar 23rd
  Hello! Last weekend a few friends and I were lucky enough to try a new wine that tops my favorites list, Miner Family’s Petite Sirah from Napa. This wine is an intense purple when poured into the glass with a taste to match that intensity with blueberries and well-rounded, smooth flavors. There is also a slight bit of pepper on the finish which gives it an more interesting edge over other wines.
  
  Their Wild Yeast Chardonnay sounds like another I would like to try. It has been served at White House dinners and when the tasting notes on their website mention butterscotch and hazelnut I am all in.
  
  Miner Petite Sirah Rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷 out of 4 wine glasses
  
  Thank you K and D for sharing this gorgeous wine.
  
  In other wine news, mark your calendars because next week is National Wine Week at Smith & Wollensky. (As if we need an excuse to drink more wine.) For $25 during lunch or dinner you can try the “Whites in Flight” which includes 4 white wines or “Soaring Reds” 4 reds for $35. Your mission is to sample some great wines and report back to me. Now, if only all assignments could be that fun. 🙂 You can find more information here, including the wines being offered.
  
  Please note: I have no affiliation with Smith & Wollensky. This bit of information was shared with me by a friend. Thanks AK and keep those suggestions coming!
  
  Cheers!
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  Posted in Wine | Tagged Miner Family, Miner Petite Sirah, Smith & Wollensky Wine Week
- Wine On Wednesday: Rocket Science and Cuttings
  
  Posted at 12:00 pm by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Mar 9th
  Home Is W.T.H.I. has been trying many new wines lately and I could not pass up an opportunity to share two more with you.
  
  The first is called Rocket Science by Caldwell Vineyard. It’s a little difficult to see, but the bottle is actually sort of rocket-shaped with a wider bottom that tapers in toward the top. I have personally never visited this vineyard, but the stories I’ve heard are intriguing. Apparently, the owner used to smuggle French vines in from Canada. The owner also tends to prefer the f-word whenever possible; it’s even on his business card. 🙂 As you can see the wine is dark, rich and beautiful. This red blend is made up of 8 different varietals including Syrah, Tannat and Cabernet. You can taste plum, cranberry, coffee and mocha with an earthy finish.
  
  This wine can be purchased from the Caldwell website for $65.
  
  Rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷 out of 4 wine glasses
  
  The second one is Cuttings from Prisoner Wine Company. (Sorry for the blurry picture above. I was not drunk, but pretty excited to try this one so hence the shaking. Teehee.) The name is inspired by cuttings used in vineyards to propagate new vines. The wine is Cabernet-based, with a bit of Petite Syrah, Syrah and Zinfandel blended in to make for a robust and deep colored wine. You will definitely taste cherry and cocoa as well as a hint of cigar box and a spicy, smooth finish.
  
  How does Cuttings compare to Prisoner you may wonder? I think Prisoner still wins out, however Cuttings is a very close second. You can find it at your local wine dealer for about $50.
  
  Rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷 out of 4 wine glasses
  
  A very special thanks goes out to two awesome gals who each had us over for a spectacular meal paired with fantastic wine and most importantly, excellent company. You both went to great lengths breaking out the fancy china and silver which always takes the occasion up a few notches from wonderful to extraordinary. Cheers!!
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  Posted in Wine
- Wine On Wednesday: Black Cat Vineyard
  
  Posted at 7:16 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Feb 24th
  Dear Readers, sorry for the radio silence. My old Mac needed an OS upgrade and Safari update. After many online chats with Apple Support, I am up and running again. Fingers crossed. Technology, you can either love it or hate it, but sometimes I need to bite the bullet and just get with the times. I predict a new computer in the future. (Which translates to: not soon enough!)
  
  So much to catch up on with you all. I have lots of wonderful wines to share with you starting with Black Cat Vineyard. You might remember I posted about this wine over the summer and I am happy to report I was true to my word and visited this winery recently with my husband.
  
  The proprietor, vintner and basically, the girl who does it all herself was so fun to talk to and to finally meet in person. Tracey has an interesting story of where she came from and how she found herself in Napa. I will let her tell you in person because, seriously, you NEED to visit this winery. You can taste her perfectionism in the wine; it’s smooooooth, so perfectly balanced and you can actually smell Napa when you take your first sip. Our personal favorite was the Zinfandel with the Cabernet and Syrah in hot pursuit for second place.
  
  The Black Cat name came from her very first cat when she moved to the Napa region. He was always close by and keeping an eye on things as the work around the farm was performed. Sadly, Black Cat has passed on, but we saw a sweet little cat named Peanut who made her presence known while we sat outside and sampled the various wines that Tracey selected. It truly felt like heaven on earth at this vineyard. The patio overlooked the valley and the house is nestled close to a slope of land that gently rises up behind it. I could have sat there all day. Tracey is truly living the life. She takes only referrals from those who are in her wine club so if you need one just let me know. 😉
  
  Rating for Black Cat was hands down 🍷🍷🍷🍷 out of 4 wine glasses. A must for anyone visiting Napa.
  
  Cheers! Oh, and notice the rings around the neck of the bottles below. They are lined with velvet or some kind of absorbent material on the inside so the wine doesn’t dribble down the bottle and create a mess. Genius! I need to get me some of those.
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  Posted in Wine | Tagged Black Cat Vineyard, Tracey Reichow
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