Archive for category Wine & Liquor
New Wines
Posted by Zeno in Wine & Liquor on May 6, 2010
Bogle – Merlot – California – 2007
I found this to be a very pleasant wine, definitely one of the better wines in the under $12 price range. While it certainly was beat by the Rosemount Merlot listed below, I would most certainly purchase this wine again. (8.5 score / $10.99 avg/US)
Rosemount – Australia- 2007
This was by far, one of the best Merlot wines I have had in a long time. Unlike most of my reviews, this wine isn’t in the under $10 category, but
isn’t much higher at an average price of just $12.99 US. Fruity taste, with an excellent tannis. Highly Recommended for a great wine that won’t bust your wallet. (9.5 score / $12.99 avg/US)
Check back soon for more reviews. I am trying to get the blogs back up to speed after a significant absence. For those still subscribing thanks!
Another Wine Review
Posted by Zeno in Wine & Liquor on August 30, 2009
Wine – Redwood Creek – Merlot (Vintage 2005)
My store got in a shipment of this wine, and as usual it’s of the cheaper variety, but it is actually a very good brand, and for the extra couple of dollars, this wine is far better than Crane Lake which was my previous top “cheapest of the cheap” wine picks. It is a California Valley wine, which as far as I have found almost always puts out quality wines. The label tells of the “Frei Brothers Vineyards” which were established in 1890 outside Modesto which gives this maker over 100 years of experience, which might explain the high quality of this very low priced wine.
As in the heading, the only type available at my location was the Merlot, which has an excellent flavor, just an ever so slightly sharp on the tongue taste, which quickly dissipates to it’s finish. Unlike most cheap wines, the sharpness of this Merlot is very pleasant and adds to it’s flavor. The finish of this wine is fairly short lived and pleasant, but leaves no lasting bitterness which is typical of most cheap wines. All in all, this wine is very good for the cost, and is my new top pick for the lowest priced wines, and is still good enough to serve at any dinner party. 8/10 rating. ($5.99 avg – 750ml)
More Liquor reviews!
Posted by Zeno in Wine & Liquor on July 23, 2009
Wine – Liberty Creek – Merlot (Unknown Year)
This was some Dirt cheap wine I found basically in the “bargain bin” corner of the shop the other day, and anyone that has been reading my reviews know I usually go for the cheaper side of the spirits 
This wine unfortunately isn’t as good as the Crane Lake which is actually cheaper on average for the same amount, but since this wine came in 1.5L sizes and I had a couple of people to drink on it, I figured to give it a shot. However, even for a cheap wine this one hits lower marks. Strong bite, almost like a fortified wine, and almost no lingering finish whatsoever, which isn’t great considering even though it isn’t listed on the bottle, this wines alcohol content is very low, which even after 750ml I could probably have finished the liter and a half and barely blown an illegal limit for driving! I couldn’t list the year of make either since that is also missing from the bottle, the only thing missing from this cheap wine is a box or a screw on lid! 2/10 ($7.99 avg – 1.5L)
Liqueur – Chambord
This was purchased for a friend of mine, who doesn’t drink much and “liked the look of the bottle”. I only purchased the mini-bar sized serving as this liquor is very expensive and she drinks Very little, (although she found she loved the “Exotic Fruit” White Zinfandel wine I purchased, but since I haven’t tried it, I haven’t reviewed it, maybe at another time.
This is a relatively expensive liqueur out of France, and the best way both of us could find to describe it was like Jägermeister mixed with a fruity red wine, almost cough syrupy, but sweeter. I personally don’t fancy this drink at all, couldn’t think of anything I would want to mix it with, and for it’s price it would be a waste to mix it with anything anyways. If you like Jägermeister and red wines, especially the almost cough syrup and thick run of Jägermeister, you will probably enjoy this, however neither me or my friend enjoyed it much, and far as I am aware, not even half of the mini-bar sized bottle was finished. 2-9/10 (matter of taste) – $4.69 avg – 50ml.
Gin – New Amsterdam
I don’t drink gin much, but had just enough vermouth to make a martini or two and just picked up a mini-bar sized bottle of gin, of which this was the last one of this brand, and was only .50 cents. Even for it’s price though, considering the gins I have tried, this was quite good, very sharp juniper taste, and a nice aroma, which any gin lover should enjoy immediately. Considering that I am far from a professional taster, and usually steer clear of gin anyways, this gin to me tasted almost as good as the Bombay Sapphire which is supposed to be one of the best gin brands on the market. If you are only making martini’s for yourself sitting around the house, I highly recommend giving this brand a try. 7.5/10 – $50 cents – 50ml.
Another wine, another review
Posted by Zeno in Wine & Liquor on July 22, 2009
After spending twenty minutes browsing the red wine room at my favorite spirits store, the owner recommended a new brand I hadn’t yet tried. I’ve been trying to pick up at least one new wine per week to give it a try, especially for those like me, who aren’t wine connoisseurs, and know little to nothing about it
Wine – Trapiche (Oak Cask) – Cabernet Sauvignon (Year 2006)
Like all the wines I try to review, and with my limited budget, this is another wine under the $20 price mark. This wine came with a tag on the neck showing it to be a “Best Buy” from The Wine Advocate. I would agree with Robert on that mark, for it’s price range this is an excellent Cabernet. This wine comes out of Argentina with the rear label mentioning the grapes being grown the Andes, and with at least twelve 
months of aging in oak barrels before being bottled for sale. As all Cabernet Sauvignon wines are, you can expect a dry, crisp flavor from this one, which goes excellent with red meats and other spicy dishes. The finish of this wine is quite long and pleasant, making it a great pick as well for sipping on while you enjoy leisure activity around the house. Highly recommended as a first pick for those trying out a Cabernet for the first time, or for those looking for a good house wine to keep around the house. 9/10 ($12.99 avg – 750ml)
Scotch – Johnny Walker “Red Label”
I can’t review this much myself as it is the first time I’ve every tried a scotch whiskey. The owner apparently doesn’t like scotch himself as he said that like beer you needed to develop a taste for it, as it wasn’t a very pleasant spirit in his opionion. I wanted to start with the Black Label scotch next to this one, but it’s about three times the price of the red label, and since I was only getting enough to have a taste I didn’t want to throw down the money.
I personally think scotch is a fine liquor, in my view it has a better flavor and drinkability to it than that of a regular bourbon, but that of course is all a matter of opionion. Since I have never had scotch before, I can’t say one way or the other how good this would be compared to others, but anyone I’ve spoken with said the Red Label was of very high quality, with only the Black Label (from the same maker), being better. As most scotch is, it’s realitivly expensive, but I do recommend those that enjoy bourbon to give scotch a try if you haven’t already. (No score as no experience to judge on) – $3.49avg – 50ml
More alcohol reviews
Posted by Zeno in Wine & Liquor on July 13, 2009
Picked up a new wine today, yet another cheapie being I am always so broke At least those reading this will have an idea what cheap-as-hell wine is worth the money and what would be better avoided.
Wine – Merlot – Copperidge
This is another wine out of California, with the rear label listing Modesto as the city of origin. Even for cheap wines, the label on this brand is incredibly sparse, not even listing a year of origin, perhaps they are so new they don’t have previous years yet. I’m not familiar with it, and like everything I review, I look up nothing on the net regarding them as to have a completely unbiased review. This wine is more tart than most, but still preserves what anyone picking a Merlot would look for. The tones are less earthy than Fetzer or related, but this is still a decent buy. Recommended for casual drinking. 7/10 – $6.99 (750 ml) avg.
Vodka – Burnett’s
This vokda is priced around the “gut-rot” level, but is surpirsingly good for it’s price point. It’s a bit more harsh than the French imported Pinnicle, having a bit more bite to it, and no where near as sweet as Sobieski. There is a touch of the usual unpleasant after-taste associated with cheaper liquors, but for something to mix up cocktails and such for casual drinking, it certainly beats the honest to goodness “gut-rot”. For casual, cocktail related drinking Recommended, for straight shots, spend a bit more money. 6.5/10 – $7.99 avg / 750 ml.
4th festivities and a new wine!
Posted by Zeno in General, Wine & Liquor on July 7, 2009
I hope everyone had an enjoyable 4th of July. I have been so busy afterward, that I haven’t had much time for blogging, but am working on new stories and articles to post up for those reading them I did try a new wine this weekend that I thought I would post up here anyways.
The fireworks this year were good as we’ve come to expect from our small town. Because Knoxville does their large fireworks display on Memorial Day (called Boomsday), they do not have a show for the 4th. Because of this, and the general all day festivities that they have in town, including all day boat races from racing boats around the south-east, custom craft vendors and local artisans, and usually a car and motorcycle show (which was missing this year, though they did have a small motorcycle show with awards). My girlfriend and I were lucky this year in that when picking out our alcohol for the weekend, the proprietor of the spirits store had VIP passes as an event sponsor that she wasn’t going to be using. I’m not sure why she picked us out of the hundreds of customers that came into the store that day (there were at least 10-15 that came in just during our 15 minute visit) but I am very appreciative. While I am not sure, I believe that to get sponsorship you had to donate one thousand to fifteen hundred dollars to the event, and there were very few others in the VIP area. We also received VIP parking that was very close the the festivities (usually you end up walking almost a mile from where you park to the actual events).
Unfortunately, not only was our four year old in tow instantly terrified of the concussion of the fireworks (they were being fired less than 150 yards from our location), but I also wasn’t
White Burst Shell
familiar with working the fireworks / long shutter time of my camera and ended up with nothing but a few very blurred photos of the show. Only one which you see here turned out halfway decent, with the rest looking like some bad acid trip from a grateful dead show
I hope everyone else had a safe and eventful 4th of July as well as a great weekend!
Wine – Night Owl – Merlot (Vintage 2004)
This wine was a gift from my girlfriend for the 4th holidays that she picked up because she liked the bottle This wine is out of Monterey County in San Bernabe California. This is a bold wine, but is also very smooth tasting as well, with the usual blackberry and plum flavors that you would expect from a merlot. Right off I found this to be a very good wine, with a less earthy but smoother tone than what you get from the Fetzer, (which has been my recent favorite merlot), and for it’s price range, which is still under the $20 mark, this wine comes highly recommended. 9/10 – $12.49/avg for standard bottle.
Some more spirits tried…
Posted by Zeno in Wine & Liquor on June 26, 2009
With all these posts on liquor and wine, I guess I’m becoming quite the alcoholic… Since the girl I’m kinda/sorta talking to is out of town this week, I haven’t had much to do but play WoW, and Crysis Warhead. Just “acquired” Warhead last night, and have to say, it’s as awesome as the first one. If you liked Crysis then it’s for sure a recommended purchase. I’ll do a full post on it once I’ve had a chance to play it all the way through. Anyways, back to my alcoholism, this week I tried a couple of new items, and thought why not list them with my on-going list of alcohol dependent related products….
Vodka – Boru
This is a vodka promising “distilled five times” and “product of Ireland”, and we all know the Irish know how to drink. Going from this vodka’s taste they have yet again not let us down.
Boru Vodka
Boru comes in at the mid-range of the lower price points, but is very very smooth, and for those that don’t care for Sobeski’s sweetish taste, Boru is right up your alley. This vodka has all the offering of the higher priced varieties like Absolut, etc, with a much lower price tag. Very highly recommended. 9.5/10 (750ml – Avg $13)
Bourbon - Red Stag (by Jim Beam) – Black Cherry
This is a surprise for a bourbon. Very good, and I don’t usually care for them. The taste starts with a great infusion of black cherry, then comes in behind with the usual Jim Beam bourbon flavor to finish it off. For a great sipping bourbon this stuff is great. Not sure I would want to get smashed on it however, but I’ve found getting smashed on any of the “flavored” liquors usually leads to very nasty hangovers, nasty after-tastes and while I’ve not done so, I’m sure they are no fun coming back up Highly Recommended 9/10. (50ml – Avg $1)
I will post back later on the Crysis expansion, going to finish playing through it now. So far I have found at least one new vehicle from the first one, and 2 new mounted weapons that are pretty bad ass to blow shit up with. Storyline is dragging at the start (but who plays these games for the plot anyway right).
More Wine and Spirits this week
Posted by Zeno in Wine & Liquor on June 19, 2009
Martini’s I have attempted…
While browsing the liquor store this week, I realized I had never in fact tried a martini, in fact I had never even tried gin! Yes, yes, I know, sad right? So, I grabbed some of my usual vodka (Pinnacle), some Bombay Sapphire gin (supposed to be the top end of the gin areas), and some Martini & Rossi vermouth. Right off, I tried some or other recipe using the “shaken not stirred” vodka martini using a 2 oz vodka to a bit under 1 oz of vermouth mix. I either had too little ice in the shaker or something, because it was rather nasty and watered down, and in fact I ended up dumping half this one in the sink. I think it was a combination of to little ice, and too much shaking (the site I found this recipe on said to “Shake it like mad for 2 mins” which I’m sure is great if you like watered down nasty shit, but around 30 seconds is actually what you should be doing I’ve found.
The next go was a bit better, going with 2 oz vodka and 1/2 oz of vermouth, shaken for 30 seconds and strained of course, with an olive for garnish. While much better than my first attempt, I really just wasn’t going for the vodka/vermouth blend. I’m sure there are thousands that love this mix but it just isn’t me.
Next up was the gin/vermouth (traditional) martini. I’d already found I liked less vermouth than almost every recipe of traditionalism suggested, but you will find recipes going from “dump it in” to “just wave the vermouth over the top of the gin” to “swirl it around the inside of the glass and dump the rest out”. I found a 2 oz gin to 1/4 to 1/3 oz vermouth to be a good compromise (while still keeping it a martini). Sorry guys, waving your bottle of vermouth over the glass isn’t a cocktail, it’s gin in a glass.
The last was definitely my favorite blend, and while I can’t yet say that the martini is my favorite mixed drink, it’s not bad, as long as it’s made with gin. If you like me, have never had a martini, gin, or vermouth at all. Buy some of the mini-bar or similar sized bottles and give it a try. After trying the Bombay Sapphire gin listed above, I have since switched to a much cheaper Pinnacle gin. It’s by far not as good as the Bombay, but if your like me and stuck on a budget, it will do the trick! On gin Bombay is the recommended (but expensive) variety. Bombay Sapphire gin 50ml 9.5/10 – $4.99/avg, Pinnacle gin 275ml 7/10 – $3.59/avg, Martini & Rossi vermouth 375ml 8/10 – $5.69/avg
Wine – Fetzer – Merlot (Vintage 2006)
This is easily the best low end price range merlot I have tried to date. In fact it is my new favorite, having the taste of much more expensive brands, while still running the under $10 price-range. I ran across this one by accident, because it wasn’t stacked with the other merlot, and I’ve already purchased three or four bottles in just the past five days. Try this wine if your on a budget or not. For those with money to spare, this might just be the great wine to break out when the in-laws come over! 9/10 (Avg $9 – Standard Bottle)
Spirits this weekend
Posted by Zeno in Wine & Liquor on May 30, 2009
I thought I would post on the different spirits I’ve tried lately. Please keep in mind that I am far from a professional taster, and since I do not have the cash to purchase the more high end liquors, I find myself checking the bargain bin quite often. However, there are some very decent offerings at the lower price points, and since I have tried most of them, throwing my own opinion (and vocabulary) up on the blogs couldn’t hurt. After having to switch from my old store to a new one, (thanks to the owner being a general asshole which apparently isn’t new according to others I’ve spoken with), I have had to make some changes in the brands I usually drink. As I try new things, I will post them up here, take them or leave them
Vodka – Sobeiski
Sobieski
For vodka’s of any price point, this is my all time favorite. Very smooth and not any nasty after-taste as you usually find in the cheaper “gut-rot” liquors. Highly recommended, and for it’s price point for 750ml you won’t find better, or even several steps higher. The company offers on their website to try theirs against any brand of any price, and I have to agree. Highly recommended. 10/10 (Avg $10 for 750ml)
Vodka – Pinnacle
This vodka advertises that it’s distilled with spring water from the Champagne region of France. Compared to Sobeiski this has more of a harsh taste, but it’s by far not a bad vodka. For mixed drinks of any kind, this will work just fine, especially if you would like a little more bite from whatever particular drink you are making. For it’s price point, it’s not a bad pick, but if your spending more for 750ml, I would save the cash and just get the Sobeiski above. 7/10 (Avg $15 for 750ml)
Wine – Jacob’s Creek – Merlot (Vintage 2006)
This is one of hundreds of cheap wine brands, but as far as this price range goes, this wine falls flat. Rather awful taste, and the after-taste is something you just want to wash out with water or something. Compared to some of the other lower shelf brands (Sutter Home, Beringer, etc.), this wine was one I would not purchase again. Not recommended on any budget. 2/10 (Avg $7 for standard bottle)
Wine – Crane Lake – Merlot (Vintage 2007)
This wine comes in an unremarkable bottle, with a rather plane looking lable, devoid of graphics or advertising other than it’s type and year. However, being one of the cheapest wines I have sampled, this is also one of the best brands for it’s price point. The Merlot is competitive against other wines three times more expensive, but has a very pleasant flavor. For a cheap wine to cook with, or to just sip with a meal for those like me on a tight budget, this is recommended. 7/10 (Avg $6 – standard bottle)
Wine – Crane Lake – Pinot Noir (Vintage 2006)
Like the Merlot mentioned in the previous review, this is an excellent wine for it’s price point. Like any Pinot Noir it’s a bit sweeter and a bit more dry than a Merlot, but still a very nice red, recommended. 7/10 (Avg $6 – standard bottle)
Wine – Beringer – Pinot Noir (Vintage 2008)
This wine is in the same price range as the Crane Lake but a couple more dollars on average. Like all Beringer’s I have tried, their wines tend to lean more on the sweet side than others, but they are by far not bad. I prefer the more bitter brands myself, but I have met several others (mostly women) that prefer the sweeter wines. If you are looking for a sweeter red wine, especially for someone who usually prefers white wines, you can’t steer wrong with Beringer. 7/10 (Avg $8 – standard bottle)
Wine – Woodbridge – Merlot (Vintage 2006)
Woodbridge is a california based wine company, and I find their wines to be the exact middle road between the Crane Lake which has a bit more bite, and the Beringer’s which are more sweet. Of all the under $10 avg bottle wines, Woodbridge is probably one of my favorites. Recommended 8/10 (Avg $8 – standard bottle)