Bucket List: Go to Tuscany, Italy.

My dream is to go to Tuscany with Darin and drink the wine of the country (a lot of it). I love Italian wines (but not in a snobbish kind of way). I especially enjoy wines from the Tuscany region. The grapes grown in the beautiful Tuscan terroir (okay, that was totally snobbish…I could just say dirt…but why) are amazing. As I make my road map of places I’ll drink, one place I would visit would be the Tenuta di Arceno estate (and drink today’s wine pick) PrimaVoce (pronounced: prima-voy-chay). It is a great Italian wine for the money.

PrimaVoce, Arceno Toscana 2005.

After sharing this bottle with friends, I had to look it up and find out more about this fantastic bottle. The wine came as a recommendation so I had no clue what I was drinking (shame on me, I should have done my homework and savored the glass). PrimaVoce is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet, Cabernet Fran, and Syrah. It was named for the leading voice in an opera. It is a smooth Merlot blended in a powerhouse Cabernet Sauvignon region. I taste plums and vanilla. The wine maker will tell you that you also should taste a hint of ginger, white chocolate, and cherries.

Whether you taste them or not, who cares. It’s a very good bottle for just over $20 (I bought it for $21 but then 2 weeks later I found it on sale for $18). Enjoy.

My New Favorites!

It's been a while since I have sat down to write on my wine blog. Sorry about that. It’s not that I’ve haven't been drinking wine, I have, but I'm working on a few things, including doing my homework on wines, and while doing so I just kept my thoughts in my head (I know, a bit uncharacteristic of me).

It’s been a busy red wine drinking summer, love that. We've had way too many social events and gatherings to go over the last few months and our "theme" for bringing wine to these events was to branch out and bring new wines we had not tried to these social gatherings we were so graciously invited to.

Here are just a few of our new favorites we are adding to our wine closet. I hope you get a chance to taste them too.

My very favorite is Juan Gil, 2006 Jumilla Red Wine. If I was to ever have children of my own (no, Darin, we're not...I said "if"), I’d name my first born Juan Gil (a bit over the top I realize but I really loved this wine). A Jumilla Red Wine from Spain, it is produced by the Bodegas Hijos De Juan Gil Winery. It’s made with 100% Monastrell grapes. It has a very dark cherry color and a powerful aroma of red berries. It is a pleasant and easy drink. I spent less than $15 on this wine. I will be back to buy more.

Privada, 2005 Lujan De Cuyo Mendoza, Argentina. One word, delicious. I tend to be set in my ways when it comes to the wines that I buy and that I drink. I honestly forgot that Argentina has some great vineyards and Darin had to gently remind what I'm missing. He purchased the wine (must give the man the credit on this one), and we brought it to a summer BBQ party with friends. The wine was a delicious blend of oak, blackberries, plum, and a hint of dark chocolate. It drinks very well and I bought this bottle for under $15.

Renwood, 2004 Zinfandel “Old Vine” Amador County. I'm really enjoying my Zins lately. This is a hand-crafted beauty, and of course, it could be a difficult bottle to find. Sorry about writing on a wine that might not be so readily available, but that is what happens when you save a wine for "good” it might not been around after you figure it out it was good, very good. The wine was a big spicy Zinfandel. Loved it and it will be worth the hunt to find it. I just ordered two bottles of the 2005, so I hope it is somewhat similar in structure and taste. I'll be happy.

Campos Reales Tempranillo (and it was a 2008). Nice easy red to drink, well balanced. Slightly dry, black pepper and cherries. We had it last night at a free summer concert with friends and it went with anything. I loved this wine not only for the taste, structure, and blend, but also because I purchased it for under $10.