Carmenere

Trying to be a little more proactive on this wine blogging so I'm not just rooting through my recycling bag to write a blog post on what I've tried...

I headed over to Port of Wines on my lunch break and told them I was looking for a carmenere to try this weekend. The lady working there (who is always helpful) pointed me to a few, and told me that this one is good. It was $19.99, so I decided to pick up a bottle. This will be my one more expensive bottle of the month. (I usually try to stay around $15.)

She also mentioned the Carmen carmeneres. I'll try to find those the next time I pick up a bottle. Again, noting this partially for my blog, but mainly just as a reminder for myself in the future.

Hopefully, this proactive post will help me to remember to post when I actually open the bottle this weekend. Here goes nothing...

Yummy Wines!

My recycling goes out tonight, and it is time for me to put out those wine bottles that have been collecting on my counter! I've been saving the bottles so I could write them down. Weeks have gone by, and usually, I just chuck them in the recycling before I get a chance to remember what they were.

First, I brought a bottle of Rutherford Predator home with me from Napa Valley. Sounds tough, doesn't it? The LCBO has a good description of the flavors of this old vine zin.

I really did love the name, and the cute little ladybug on the label. But most of all, it was just yummy. This was on our second winery stop of the day, and I'd already tasted about six other wines. But this one, I had to buy. It was smoky, and big. Actually, when I opened the bottle at home, it wasn't as smoky as I remembered from the tasting. But it was still really good. We can't buy this one in Nova Scotia right now, I don't think, so I'll have to take another trip to California to get another bottle. Too bad. (Or pick some up in Ontario...)

Then to finish off October, I picked up a bottle of Bonterra Zinfandel. It's an organic wine from California. It surprised me. It wasn't nearly as fruity as I was expecting. It was more mellow than I would have thought a zin would be. I guess there is more to zin than my limited experience had taught me. I really enjoyed sipping that one, and will definitely pick up more in the future. I got that bottle at Port of Wines for under $20.

When November started, I realized that I was out of countries that I wanted to try. So I decided to pick a grape that I wasn't as familiar with and sample a few of those this month. For November, I picked carmenere.  I picked up a bottle of Concha y Toro Casillero Del Diablo. I've had carmeneres in blends before, but I think this was the first time I've bought it not in a blend. It snelled like it was going to be big and spicy (if I remember correctly), but it was really mellow. I really liked it.

I'm looking forward to trying some more carmeneres over the month. Got any good ones to recommend?

Lazy Blogger

So, I didn't blog at all in October. Oops. Not that I'm a regular blogger anyway, so I don't think anyone really noticed.

Running - I ran my half marathon in San Francisco. It was hilly. It was great. I really enjoyed the run, and I was really thankful that my injury derailed my plans to attempt a personal best. I enjoyed the trip to San Fran, and wasn't anxious before the race since I had no set goals. I think that having no time goals on a traveled to race is the best way to do it. I was able to drink wine the night before the race and not worry about how it would affect me the next day. And, when in California, you really should drink the wine.

Reading - I've been reading. Actually, I've been listening more than reading. I have been enjoying many e-books on my iPod on the walks to work. I haven't kept track of those that I've read or listened to, though. So I can't really comment much on that. Terrible reading update.

Resolutions - Heading to San Fran, I knew that October would be my month to try USA wines. I really enjoyed the wines of October. I topped it off with a day trip to Napa Valley to visit four vineyards and sample their wares. That was a lovely day trip, even if I did start out a little hungover after some post race celebrations with my friend the night before. However, sampling wines at 10 a.m. does wonders for lifting the hangover. As does a large latte from Peet's on the bus ride up to Napa.

I realize that this post is a terrible update as there are really no details! But, let's just say that in October, I was focused more on living life and enjoying the moments instead of writing them all down. When I have more time in the future, I may go back and fill in some details on some of my favorite things.