Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Barefoot Cellars
Color: White
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: NA
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $6
Stars: 3 (out of 5)

We drank this wine tonight after dinner as we prepared to leave on a 10 day vacation with the kids. We're headed north to Richmond, VA to visit my brother and his family, then over to Lexington, KY for the kids' first visit to UK. I don't know who's more excited, me or them!

The wine was served well-chilled and was crisp and refreshing. The aroma and taste were primarily white fruits, pear and apple. For our tastes, we definitely prefer the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, but for the price, the Barefoot was just what we needed as we packed.

Concannon Petite Sirah

Name: Concannon
Color: Red
Varietal: Petite Sirah
Vintage: 2005
Country/State: California
Region: Central Coast
Price: $14
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We enjoyed the Concannon Petite Sirah last night with pepperoni pizza. It was really good, with cherry, peppery, smoky flavors. It didn't seem as full-bodied as the Petite Sirah we had recently from Bogle, but was still very tasty and smooth. I didn't decant the wine before drinking it, and after reading some reviews on the internet, it seems like maybe I should have, as it may have opened up a bit more. Even so, we still really liked this wine...Petite Sirah is becoming one of our favorite varietals and I can't wait to try some from other producers.

Double Dog Dare Chardonnay

Name: Double Dog Dare
Color: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: NA
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $4
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


For the price, $4, you can't beat the Double Dog Dare Chardonnay. I bought this wine recently at Total Wine after seeing it recommended on various websites as a tremendous value. I figured for $4, it was worth a shot...After having a couple of glasses last night with dinner (grilled swordfish!), I agree with all of the positive reviews. It's incredibly fresh, fruity, and light. The nose is rather limited, but the taste is apples and citrus fruit with a lemony blast at the end. The finish is nice, though not particularly long. Not much oak, if any at all. Very refreshing!! For the price, it's tough to beat. This wine would best be enjoyed on its own or with light seafood or chicken dishes.

Amaretto Sour w/ Prosecco

We took a break from the wine tonight and made one of our favorite summer time drinks instead. The Amaretto Sour with Prosecco is a recipe we found last year from Giada de Laurentiis of the Food Network. The recipe can be found here... It's one of our favorites and tonight was the first time we've made it this summer. We adjusted the recipe to make a pitcher, using a full bottle of Prosecco (we used the Lunetta Prosecco from Cavit), about 8 tablespoons of Amaretto, 8 tablespoons of simple syrup, and juice from a couple of lemons. Then we added a sugar rim to the glasses with sugar, lemon zest, and lime zest.

We really need to make this more often. The only problem with this drink is that it's a little too good. Krista and I drank the whole pitcher in less than an hour. Next thing I knew we were having a dance party with the kids in the family room. The boys love the Kidz Bop!!

El Prado

Name: El Prado
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Spain
Region: Valencia
Price: $6.5
Stars: 2.5 (out of 5)

This wine was OK. It fit the bill as something cheap and drinkable, but for just $2-3 more there are so many better options, especially among Spanish wines. In the $7 range, I would highly prefer the red from La Vieille Ferme.

I drank a couple of glasses of the El Prado last night after dinner, and Krista and I finished it off tonight with spaghetti. The aroma and taste were mostly raspberry and blackberry and it had a reddish purple color. The description on the label is misleading. It's described as a full-bodied wine, when really it's on the light side of medium-bodied. It's even a little watery at first, but then settles in to a more medium body style.

It was worth a shot for the price, but I probably won't be buying this wine again anytime soon.

Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Liberty School
Color: Red
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: California
Region: Paso Robles
Price: $12
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We broke out the Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon tonight and really enjoyed it. It was just a coincidence, but now that I think about it, it's pretty appropriate that we chose a wine with "Liberty" in its name to enjoy on July 4th. We stayed in tonight after keeping the kids out late last night to watch the fireworks show after the Clearwater Threshers minor league baseball game. There's nothing like minor league ball. For $25, a family of four can get tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 drinks, and 4 bags of chips. A great value for the money. Speaking of great values...

This wine was silky smooth and had the honor of being the first wine poured into the decanter I received for Father's Day. It probably didn't need decanting, but I really wanted to break in the decanter!

The wine was a deep purple in the glass with a nose of blackberries, blueberries, and vanilla. It was rich and full with a sweet spiciness that was really brought out by the cracked pepper in the grilled chicken we had for dinner. It didn't take long for Krista and I to polish off this bottle tonight. It was very well balanced, had a nice mouthfeel and long finish, and at just $12, was an excellent value. It's bold enough to be paired with red meat, but smooth enough to enjoy on its own. We both really liked this wine and would definitely purchase it again.

La Vieille Ferme Rose

Name: La Vieille Ferme
Color: Rose
Varietal: Blend (Cinsault/Grenache/Syrah)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: France
Region: Rhone
Price: $7.50
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

I don't know what it is about Rose wines, but they just don't seem to do it for me. They aren't quite as crisp and refreshing as a white, and they aren't as bold and mouth filling as a red. We've enjoyed the white (Cotes du Luberon) and the red (Cotes du Ventoux) by La Vieille Ferme, so I was excited to try their Rose...It was quite tasty, mostly strawberry and raspberry, but it just felt like something was missing. I've a read a lot of articles recently proclaiming Rose as the wine for the summer. This one is very drinkable, but I prefer a Sauvignon Blanc or white blend as a cool, summertime wine. Krista was even more direct, refusing to even drink a glass after trying a couple of sips of mine. "What's the point?" was how she described it.

I guess we'll pull the plug on Rose wines for awhile. At some point, I want to try one from the Tavel region of France, a region that really specializes in Rose. But for now, we'll stick with the whites and the reds.