Category Archives: EMPTIED BOTTLES

Here reside my bottle breakdowns. These reviews provide information about each wine’s context: history, geography, value, etc., and composition: from appearance and aromas, to sweetness, acidity, tannin, body, length, flavors and quality within its type. Each review features a chart where I rank the wine’s qualities (e.g. light, medium, or full bodied) according to the Wine and Spirit Education Trust’s tasting guide. These are snapshots of a wine and reviewer. Don’t be surprised if the wine and your perception of it change. Use this data to buy and taste wine with purpose.

Stop worrying if a wine is bad or good. Judgment only describes the judge. Instead, treat each wine, each bottle, even each sip as a meeting unique unto itself. Find new wines here to stretch your mind and palate.

Open bottle. Open mind.

Chardonnay, Hamilton Russell, Walker Bay, South Africa 2008

Posted on July 11, 2011 by waywardwine

Chardonnay still brings this to most minds: Butter. Cloying, yellow richness in a glass. But is it the grape’s fault? Once alcoholic fermentation is finished, winemakers can add lactic acid bacteria (e.g. Oenococcus oeni, and Lactobacillus and Pediococcus species) to … Continue reading →

Posted in EMPTIED BOTTLES, White | Tagged butter, Butter popsicle, chardonnay, diacetyl, Hamilton Russell Vineyards, Jelly Belly, Malolactic fermentation, margerine, Oak, Paula Deen, Popcorn, South Africa, south african wine, Tim Russell, Walker Bay, wine, Wine tasting descriptors | 1 Comment

Mourvèdre Rosé Blend, La Bastide Blanche, Bandol 2010

Posted on July 4, 2011 by waywardwine

The Northern hemisphere has rediscovered summer’s heat. Now armed with Waring Pro’s vaguely accurate wine chiller (my review), the world of colder wines unfurls before me. Never on the cutting edge, I heed the last few years’ “Rethink Pink” advertisements. … Continue reading →

Posted in EMPTIED BOTTLES, Mourvèdre, Rosé | Tagged Bandol, French Riviera, Grenache, La Bastide Blanche, Mourvèdre, Paris Hilton, pink, pinkism, Provence, Rosé, saignee, sexism, United States, wine, Wine color | 5 Comments

Nebbiolo, Monte Degli Angeli, Barolo DOCG Italy 2005

Posted on June 6, 2011 by waywardwine

I’ve committed infanticide. Opening a Barolo five years after harvest is child sacrifice to traditionalists. Why? For the last century and a half this small commune in northwestern Italy has made wines that usually soften into something drinkable after a … Continue reading →

Posted in Nebbiolo | Tagged 2005, Barolo, italy, Maceration, Monte degli Angeli, nebbiolo, Oak (wine), pinot noir, Slovenian, wine, Wine tasting descriptors | 1 Comment

Mélange de Trois, Jamesport Vineyards, North Fork Long Island, NY 2005

Posted on May 23, 2011 by waywardwine

Sex sells wine and visa versa. Our social insecurities about copulating pair beautifully with our concerns over alcohol. We giggle and titter at both because, although natural and basic, they seem to be taboo, private things. As kids, sex and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cabernet Blend, Long Island, Red, Uncategorized, WINERIES WANDERED | Tagged Alcoholic beverage, Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Folie à Deux, Jamesport Vineyards, Long Island, Mélange de Trois, Ménage à Trois, merlot, Oak, wine | Leave a comment

Sauvignon Blanc, Jamesport Vineyards, North Fork Long Island 2009

Posted on May 16, 2011 by waywardwine

I was enamored with Jamesport Vineyards on Long Island. Maybe it was the first winery that morning. Maybe it was the previous day’s mixed results. Maybe we share the same birthdate. Either way, they looked professional. The tasting room was … Continue reading →