"A" new beginning - European wines

ABC wines continued!!
We had so much fun finding and tasting Cabernet Sauvignon wines alphabetically that we decided to continue with our “ABC” search. The new “rules” are: The wine has to be a red from Europe, but NOT from Italy. The name of the wine has to start with the “letter of the week”.

Wednesday November 2, 2011
“A” Hosted by Mike and Becky
This was the week of the BIG snowstorm that hit Connecticut. No heat. No electricity. We drank by candlelight and sat by the fireplace to stay warm.

1. Viña Alarba – Spain $11.99
   Bob 8, Karen 8.5, Mike 8, Becky 8, Jess 8.5, Sean 6
   Karen: “Smells good. Not berry, not fruity. Woodsy. No bite. A little bit dry. Just how I like it.”
   Becky: “It smells woodsy because you’re sitting next to the fire.”
   Bob: “It has a dark color.”
   Becky “It’s hard to see in the dark.”
   Bob “It’s a little cold”
   Becky: “It’s room temperature!! (47 degrees)


2. Alejandro Fernandez Dehesa – Spain –$25.99
   Bob 6, Karen 4, Mike 6, Becky 4.5, Jess 6, Sean 3
   Karen: “Smells like dirty socks.”
   Sean: “I was going to say dirty feet.”
   Becky: “It tastes better than it smells.”
   Karen: “It tastes a lot better than it smells but it’s not as good as the first one.”
   Bob: “It wasn’t refreshing.”Jess: “Lots of sediment.”
   Karen: “It has a bite.”
   Mike: “I was going to say sour, but a bite.”Bob: “It’s drinkable - Grapes.”
   Karen: “That’s what it smells like – Immature grapes!”


3. Alto Moncay - Spain $29.99
   Bob 6, Karen 8.5, Mike 7.5, Becky 8.5, Jess 8, Wayne 7.5
   Becky: “This smells a lot better than that stanky one.”
   Bob: “Bitey”
   No!! everyone piped in
   Karen: “Berry. Butterscotch. Finish tastes like a Werther’s Original.”
   Becky: “A lot of nuances.”
   Karen: “First, Second & Third taste.”
   Wayne: “It’s on the spicy side. My guess is this would be a Spanish wine. Bold in our mouth. Big tannin finish.”
   Note: Karen changed her ranking because it’s so interesting
   Note #2: Wayne was a surprise taster…he came by to drop off his generator for Karen and Bob. What a nice friend! Why don’t Becky and Mike have a friend like that?!?