What I've Been Drinking: Apothic Red

We love red wine at our house, and we are mostly Cabernet Sauvignon fans. I have a great little, part time job, as a wine demonstrator. I work for a wine distributor, going around to different grocery stores, and sharing wine with the customers. The shifts are short -- only 3 hours -- and it's usually lots of fun, standing around talking wine, food, pairings and life with people. Although I've always loved wine, having this job has really helped me to expand my palate. In keeping with that idea, the expanding your palate one, I'd like to talk about Apothic Red Wine.

Apothic Red Wine

Apothic Red, as the name implies, is a blended California red wine. Your first impression upon pouring it is the deep, ruby red color. This is a pretty wine. Upon first taste, you will taste rich, ripe fruits, cherries and jam. It is fruity and just a little spicy, with a hint of chocolate at the end. It's not sweet, but just a little off dry. Is this a contender for great wines of 2014? No, it's not, but it is enjoyable to drink, especially as an after dinner sipper. That little touch of chocolate or cocoa right at the end, really gives it something special. And since it's a blend, and not a vintage, it is a very reliable wine -- that is, it is very consistent in it's taste. This is a lovely wine to present to your sweetie for Valentine's Day. The deep rich color is seductive and the hint of chocolate is very appropriate for the holiday! As well, it's very reasonably priced, around $12 - $13 at local grocery stores in Central VA and I found it for only $8.59 at my big box retailer! Just had to take it home for that price. There's nothing like finding a decent wine for under $9!!

You can read more about Apothic Red here at their website. They also make a white, of which I am not a fan (too too sweet for me) and a Dark, which I've not had a chance to taste. However, the red is a winner!

Try it, and open your mind. Don't try and drink it like a cabernet sauvignon, with a big red meat meal, just take a taste after dinner. I bet you'll enjoy it.

Here's a link about a wine tasting class I recently took online, and reviews about 2 other wines.

How about a little wine?

I've been taking an online class about wine for the last 2 weeks, and I've created a blog post detailing what we've been tasting at our house and out and about. I've got a job -- yes a real job -- to demonstrate wine at different grocery stores. I taste each wine when I open it and then talk about it all afternoon, hopefully selling a few bottles along the way. It's awesome and I love it! Here's a link to my blog about my recent adventures in wine land:

Wine tasting with Skillshare and John Boyer

I hope you enjoy reading about what I've tasted and learned! I did!

A little vino perhaps?

We've been having the most fun at our house recently. My oldest son's roomate sells wine...nice, French wine. When he does a tasting, he gets to keep and consume, at his discretion, the leftovers. Usually, only 1 - 3 people do the actual tastings he conducts. He has 11 bottles of different wines in his case, so that works out to lots of bottles that are at least half full. AND they must be consumed in a rather timely fashion.

Now, the fun comes in when he brings them to our house, in exchange for a mom cooked, home-made dinner. It's been educational as well as yummy! One thing I've discovered, is that I love a dry rose'. If you have not tried one, you should! I also like chardonnay, which I thought I did not. I just don't like the oak flavor that you get in most California chardonnays. The wine we sampled is aged in stainless steel barrels and when you take out the oak, I like it.

You can get these wines at various venues around the Richmond area (think CanCan and several others like it). The rose' I liked is Manon Cotes de Provence (pictured), and comes in a graceful, clear bottle. Another one that was a real treat, crisp and dry, was a Sauvinon Blanc: Haut-Poitou Sauvignon (pictured).

Keep in mind, I am usually a red wine only kind of girl, but these wines and a little education have changed my mind.

I highly recommend you make it a point to attend a wine tasting soon. They are all around the Richmond area, and it's a fun way to educate your brain and your palette!

**Cooks Note: I had some of the sauvignon blanc leftover from our tasting. Last night, I made salmon and used the wine as a "poaching" liquid. I don't have a big enough pan to "poach" on top of the stove, so I used a cookie sheet, with a 1" edge and laid the salmon on it. I spread 2 T. of Ken's Steakhouse Zesty Italian dressing on the top and carefully poured about 1/2 c. of the wine around the fish. I covered it w/foil and put it into a pre-heated 375 degree oven. After 15 minutes, I turned it down to 325 and continued to cook it for 15 more minutes. It was so good, moist and light. My husband said it was the best salmon I'd ever cooked, so I have to credit the vino!