Argyle: Not just for sweaters!

The Wine: Argyle Brut Rose, 2010
Varietal, Region: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Petit Meunier, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Price: About $38
Where to buy: Total Wine & More (Sterling, VA) , or the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC*
My Tasting Notes: Small bubbles, very slight hint of grapefruit with notes of cherry and strawberry. The palate is a tad acidic but well balanced.
My Verdict: Perfect balance of dry and slightly sweet! Very refreshing. And I like it so much, it will be served at my wedding! This sparkling rose is also a little different than many of the other sparkling roses I've had because of the varietals used. Definitely a sure bet to warm you up in the cold winter months!

*My wedding venue!

A Vino Visit to Chapel Hill

First, I know it's been way too long since my last post, but please forgive me, I have a really good excuse. I'm getting married... in a little over a month! I am extremely excited but I've been a tiny bit overwhelmed trying to make sure everything gets done, on time and none of the important details are left out.

I mention the upcoming nuptuals because Anthony and I recently took a short trip to my hometown, Chapel Hill, North Carolina for a wedding tasting. While we were there, we made some great new wine discoveries! I felt like the Christopher Columbus of wine (but don't worry...I won't claim I was the first one to discover it, haha).

Chapel Hill was a very special place to grow up, but since I am only a recent wine-enthusiast (shocking, I know), I was pleasantly surprised to find some fantastic wines and wine spots in my own hometown.

On to the wine...

Wine Spot: 411 West, 411 W Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC

411 West is a Chapel Hill staple and for a good reason…the food, wine and espresso are fantastic. Since part of Anthony’s family ancestry is Italian and I’ve never tried their wines, I though this would be the perfect spot for a light dinner and some sipping.

Our wedding tasting was mid-afternoon and we were still a bit stuffed so we didn't pig out. I ordered Stella's Insalate with salmon...a wonderful salad with greens, walnuts, cucumbers, red onions, roma tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette and a tomato bisque soup (

As for the wine, I had an absolutely amazing red. It was my first time having the a wine from Amarone and I'm pretty sure this is true love.

The Wine: Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico, Recchia "Ca Bertoldi" 2006

Varietal, Region: 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 5% Molinara, Veneto

Price: $6.50/1 oz. pour*

My Tasting Notes: A dark ruby red color, hints of vanilla and tobacco yet fragrant and slightly fruity...full bodied and incredibly smooth finish.

My Verdict: Amazing.

Where to Buy: I'm still researching where to find this gem, and as usual, when I do a search online, most of the stores that come up are in New York or New Jersey. But I'm working on it!

*Notes: This wine was in a special section on the menu that piqued my interest immediately "Reserves by the glass," which are sealed in a "temperature controlled Napa Technologies Wine Unit." I know a 1 oz pour may seem tiny but this wine is so good you won't even notice (until you order your second and third, of course). It's also available by the bottle for about $60.

More about Amarone Della Valpolicella.

Another spot to visit is West End Wine Bar, at 450 W Franklin Street...just a stones throw away from 411. Wine not?!

Cheers!

Fall...into Wine Club!

September wine-club picks:

Hoopla, The Mutt
Varietal, Region: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Sirah, 10% Merlot, Napa Valley
Price: About $25/bottle
My Tasting Notes: Bright berry flavors with soft tannins. Jammy, fruit forward with notes of blackberry and currant.
My Verdict: Perfect for a picnic (where did the warm weather go?!), dinner with friends, or just to sip on after a long day. 

Yorkville Cellars, Sauvignon Blanc
Varietal, Region: Sauv Blanc, Mendocino County
Price: $18.99 /bottle
My Tasting Notes: Citrusy aroma and well balanced. Crisp notes of grapefruit, green apple and a tiny hint of lime. 
My Verdict: This wine is organic, which is something I like (but is often much more difficult to find). It should be a go-to for anyone who likes Sauv Blancs with a slightly sweet finish. 

Now the real treat...A video with adorable sheep that help Yorkville Cellars maintain it's organic grape growing!

Cheers!

An Arlington Happy Hour Albariño

Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc and all you other typical white-wine grapes, it's time to step aside. There's a new grape in town...

...Albariño!

Okay, well maybe it's not brand-new, but it is to me, and to happy hour in Arlington as far as I can tell! It's classic enough to not be trendy but with a slight twist. Great reputation and a significant following... unique, fresh, clean and just makes me happy.  Could this be the Zac Posen of grapes?!

Typically, I'm the type of person that after consuming two glasses of white wine will be bed-ridden for a week, swearing off all alcohol for the rest of my life, but  I may have found the one white grape I can tolerate (and it's refreshing and tastes great)!

My ritual when trying a new wine is take a little whiff of the scent and then close my eyes and take a sip and see what comes to mind.

With this wine, I could imagine I was in Spain, touring a vineyard on a warm day, sipping a glass under the shade of an olive tree...Yes, I have a vivid imagination. But that's what makes life fun when you don't have a private plane that can whisk you off to Spain at any moment. Entiendes?

Arlington Happy Hour, Neighborhood: La Tasca, Clarendon
Specs: Mon through Fri 5-8pm

The Wine: Adegas Gran Venum, Nessa Albariño

Varietal, Region: Albariño, Rias Biaxas, Spain
Price: $7/glass
My Tasting Notes: The perfect white. Balanced and crisp, notes of citrus and a mineral taste, but well balanced and not too mineraly (is that a word? If not, it is now)!
My Verdict: One large glass of this is the perfect amount (look mom, no headache) ! If you're usually a red or rose drinker but need a change, this is the one for you. Enjoy with or without food, but if you have a glass at La Tasca, I'd suggest trying it with the pork empanadas ($5 at happy hour)!

About the grape: Albariño is a grape from the Rias Baixas region of Spain, and is thought to have been brought over by French monks! Read more here. 

Salud!

*Any potentially incorrect tenses/uses of Spanish can be blamed on my high school Spanish teacher who was too busy reprimanding me for wearing spaghetti-strap tanktops to help me master the language (but no hard feelings). :-)

Water & Wall, Happy Hour Reds Part Five

Arlington happy hour, Neighborhood: Water & Wall, Virginia Square

Specs: Monday-Fri until 8pm
Happy hour red: A Pinot Noir from California that goes for $5/glass. I didn't like it (too dry and a slightly leathery taste) so I decided to try another one they had on the menu  (which was fantastic...see  below).

Yes, believe it or not, this happy hour review is for Virginia Square, the tiny, often forgotten about sub-neighborhood wedged between Ballston and Clarendon.

Side note: They do have great happy hour beers. You can choose from a selection of several-- all on the "crafty" side. So if you like lighter beers this isn't the right place for you (they don't even exist on the regular-price drink menu).

So here's the wine I did review:

La Cuadrilla, Stolpman Vineyards, 2012

Varietal, Region: 60% Syrah, 20% Sangiovese, 15% Grenache, 5% Petite Sirah

Price: $14/glass, $56/bottle
My Tasting Notes: Medium to full-bodied, dark fruits, spicy and dry with a nice finish.
My Verdict: Great wine. While it's a little pricey by the glass, just one of these gave me a nice warm wine buzz!

They also have fantastic appetizers. These are the fried green tomatoes.

Overall, Water & Wall is a must-visit. Cheers!

Delectable Desserts: The Ballston Edition

This post is long overdue, mainly because Arlington has some fantastic desserts. 

When I first started this blog, I intended to post about a few different desserts a month at the very least, but most of the time, they're so incredibly tasty that I forget to take a picture until it's half gone! That, or my fiance and I are abiding by our "phones put away at dinner" rule, which is actually a good thing (most of the time), but it can be a little complicated because my phone and camera are one and the same!

Now, on to the desserts! Here are two of my favorites, from Ballston:

Dessert: Mudslide cookies
Price: 4 cookies for $6
Available at: Willow, Fairfax Drive, Ballston
My Tasting Notes: These cookies taste just like a mudslide of chocolatey goodness and will certainly satisfy dark chocolate lovers (ME!!) and milk chocolate lovers, alike.
My Verdict: They taste great with vanilla ice cream. You can get the cookies with ice cream at Willow, or you can take them home and make your own cookie sandwiches, or cookies a la mode.

Dessert: Fruit Tart
Available at: Rus Uz, North Randolph Street, Ballston
My Tasting Notes: Tangy, light, fruity, slightly creamy, delicious
My Verdict: This dessert is much lighter than it looks, it is perfect for an after-dinner alternative to chocolate (which is an option, although I hate to admit it). I love the food here and I was pleasently surprised about this dessert...the surprised part comes in part because all it says under the dessert section of the menu on their website is "Call for details." Another thing to keep in mind, they have the desserts on some kind of rotation, so they don't always have the same selection.

Check out one of my other Ballston dessert posts here.

I promise my next dessert post will feature a different Arlington neighborhood.

Until then...

Cheers!