Tag Archive for: wine tasting

8 Wines to Try This Summer

Paula Rizzo Drinking WineSummer has always been my favorite season. First because my birthday is in the summer and I think everyone becomes attached to “their season.” But also I love cooking outdoors and enjoying great summer wines!  You know how I feel about Pinot Grigio but there are many others to choose from.

So get your spatula in one hand and your wine glass in the other and let the grilling begin! Here’s a list of great wines that I’ll be trying this summer for under $20:

  1. Enza Sparkling Rosé: Straight from Italy, this sparkling wine has a refreshing strawberry and green apple flavor. $15

2.    337 Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine offers deep and bold flavors of  grapes from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. $14

3.    Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato: Enjoy the moderately sweet watermelon, peach and ginger ale aromas with fizzy fruit flavors. $10

4.    Petite Sirah: If you prefer red wine, definitely break this out at your next barbecue! This wine tastes both smooth and silky and it’s easy to drink! $12

5.    Mt. Beautiful North Canterbury Pinot Noir: Another red wine selection that offers a taste of cranberry, black cherry and spice. $18

6.    Adega do Monte Branco Alento Branco: This white wine is perfect for sipping on the patio—it’s pure, refreshing blend tastes like ripe pineapple and zesty lime. $14

7.   Penfolds Club Tawny: A personal favorite of mine! This wine has just the right mellowness and consistency to leave your mouth watering. $14

8.    Marco Negri Moscato D’Asti: This sweet, bubbly wine is perfect to pair with any dessert to end your summer barbecue. $18

What wine will you be drinking this summer?

List for Making Sparkling Wine Cocktails

Jay and I belong to a wine club and we get shipments of wine every few months. We love it because we get to try all kinds of wine and don’t have to carry them up to our 9th floor apartment.

(We have an elevator — but still!) I still need to figure out when we will be hosting a wine tasting party. But in the meanwhile — my wine guru friend, Wendy Crispell, put this list together for us for the summer!

List for Sparkling Wine Cocktails, Refreshing Summer Sippers

by Wendy Crispell

In the extreme heat we often just want to relax at the end of the day or on the weekend with a refreshing cocktail.  I find in the dog days of summer I like a lighter style that is a bit lower in alcohol and also uses the best of summer’s fresh fruits and berries available at your local farm market. Experimenting with flavors can be fun with a few friends. Using these basic ingredients, add your own touches or use my favorite recipes. Read more

Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine-Tasting Checklist

FACT: I only drink three beverages – water, tea and wine.

My husband Jay and I belong to a wine club and we get different types of red and white delivered every few months. It’s a good thing or else I would only drink Pinot Grigio. It’s my favorite and now that the weather is warmer – it will be my varietal of choice.

We recently visited friends in San Diego and went vineyard hopping – which is where we took this picture.  But I’m trying to broaden my horizons because my wine palette isn’t as refined as I’d like.  So you know by now that when I want to learn more about something…I make a list. So for this task I went to the best: Gary Vaynerchuk – wine expert extraordinaire and founder of DailyGrape.com.

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