With the way the economic status of America is heading, extra indulgences in life are far from being enjoyed. Amongst this is of course Wine. As we all know wine is not cheap. If you are able to get a cheap bottle then drinker beware, for most of what is out there is not great quality. I have found myself drinking more South American and Australian. These wines, you are going to find affordability as well as drinkability. If you want a French or Italian wine then you just need to know what you are looking for.

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Angels, Thieves, and Winemakers is a collection of poems by Joseph Mills with the focal point on wine. It takes a true wine lover to be able to get inside Mills head as he takes you through the themes of Religion, Life, and Relationships. Mills approaches wine with wit and creativity, making this an easy, quick, enjoyable read. Thankfully, he stays away from abstract ideas, which cause the world to believe that wine drinkers are crazy and over analytical. It is true that we are crazy but do we really need documented proof?

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Image by Polifemus via Flickr

I’ve been cruising around the wine world for a year and a half now. While I know more about wine than I did when I started I still have been unable to quantify what I’ve learned, am I any closer to understanding wine? Perhaps, but I still feel that I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface, which might be its allure.

I can differentiate the varied sections of Burgundy, but then there’s the Loire Valley and after that there is some other place or grape. Shakespeare once wrote, “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” This quote not only reminds me of my foolish roommate, but also those who decide to take wine too seriously. Don’t get me wrong a healthy enthusiasm for knowledge is great but mastery does not come when you have finished every book known to man about wine, nor after visiting ever major wine region. There are still those diamonds in the rough that make the journey through wine even more rewarding. A great example is the Tannat coming from Uruguay.

I never want to feel like I know everything there is to know about wine because then where would I go, its almost as absurd as conveying a complete understanding of life, preposterous. And while Tastevine will hopefully never be able to fully explain wine, we hope that it will give its users a tool in which to explore, to let wine’s mysteries draw you in as it has me. Cheers all of you fellow quaffers. And remember to share your experiences with friends so they can share the joys too.

Seems to have more alcohol than their Riesling-Kabinet

Clear, clean, light pale-straw

Nose: candy, sherbert, fresh, lime-minerality, tinned-peaches, honey

A lot fuller – more dimension to it, broader on the entry, much fuller mouth feel, more bracing finish… would stand up to food a lot better than the Riesling-Kabinet. A bit more graceful – certainly not as lively but certainly better rounded.

Serve with: shell-fish (scallops pan-seared in chilli-infused olive oil)

or – with Thai-green curries/ Chicken Korma with pineapple and coconut

Seemed to have a higher acidity

Clear, clean, light pale-straw

Nose: Apple sour-patch-kids, fresh green melon, sea-breeze, cheeky, clean

Muscata on the entrance; immediately makes the mouth water; enough sugar to keep you bouncing off the walls, fizzes with sweetness, pumps vitality. Rocketing sugar cut with a high acidity – making for a high-wire act that still pulls off a fine balance between two extremes.

Pleasant and clean finish, lingering tingle on the tongue,

Balanced – could make a crazy spritzer… or even used in cocktail instead of sour-mix… would work well in a punch as well (perhaps two-shots Van Gogh Appel Vodka, one part Riesling, one part soda water, a twist of lime, a dash of bitters and ice.)