February 2, 2008...prelude to Super Bowl Sunday.  And, believe me, the beer drinkers were out in droves which leads me to believe that all you  wine drinkers were home drinking to get through another masculine weekend full of nachos, pizza and "Hey, Honey, get me another one will ya?"  But, alas, there were a few curious 'tasters' out there so let me give you a little preview as to what was on the palate that you missed!

We began the festivities with an old favorite, the Moseland Riesling from Germany. We had tasted this wine before the Thanksgiving holiday because it pairs so well with turkey.  And magically, it also paired well with some of our patrons.  This wine has the benefit of originating from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer in Germany, known for its crisp, fresh Rieslings.  On the front end, this wine delivered pineapples, pears,mangos and finished the same with just a hint of bananas.  This is a universal Riesling as it is semi-sweet yet not to much so, and fits any palate and any occasion. This wine is also beautifully packaged.  Each bottle contains a unique picture that flows through the wine and captures the imagination. And, my father always said that a woman's greatest asset was a mans imagination.  I'm just saying.

We then transversed our way back across the 'pond' to rejoin our friends in Napa. Fittingly, the red wine of the day was Blue Jean Wine, a blend of Syrah, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Franc.  This delightful value of a wine was just as fitting to taste as the fit on your favorite pair of blue jeans that you may be wearing right now as your sitting at your computer, wine glass in hand, reading this blog...(you really should get out more).....anyway, its not a pretentious wine, just a simple wine with an almost bistro style personality to it.  The mouth was full of juicy ripe berries and finished with a red, dark cherries.  And, as if its universal appeal isn't enough, it retails for under $9.00.

Our last selection of the tasting was a lovely dessert wine, Nivole Moscato D'Asti from Italy; sorry, we did a little globe trotting last Saturday,but, as usual, the Italians did not disappoint.  This wine is sweet due to the high residual sugar, low in alcohol and full of fun 'tiny bubbles' or "Frizzante" as the Italians like to say.  The nose is rich and pleasant and the palate is full of honey, apples, and pears.  This is a wine to be served before dinner, as a toast for any occasion or simply as a night cap to lull oneself to sleep after a day of international travel.

So, I hope you have been enticed to join me next Saturday.  I welcome the curious, the seasoned veteran, and yes, even the beer drinkers.  After all, March Madness will be upon us soon and, sometimes, we chicks, prefer something other than beer.

The Wine Tellar
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