It may be the December holidays now, but in late November, we were popping corks with Cork Poppers, celebrating fall and the upcoming "busy season" with some wonderful wines and delicious foods! This time, our hosts were Mike and Kate and the theme was Wines to See Us Through the Winter.
We started out with some festive Prosecco, because what is more festive than that?
But then, Barb and Anne are always festive!
Meanwhile, wines were uncorked. We have seven today, one white and six reds.
Rick tried working his new corkscrew to no avail! Fortunately, there were other options for opening!
Then it was on to our first offering, Josh Pinot Grigio. This California wine is a reliable standard, purchased in many groceries, and it brought comments such as "Very Fresh" and "This is good!"
Then the conversation degraded. Mike S. said, "Does it pair with Brussels sprouts?", to which Bob replied "Nothing goes with Brussels sprouts." Barb weighed in with "It has the floral notes of Grandma's panty drawer." I said I'd never smelled my grandma's underwear and Cheryl said she didn't have a grandmother. Mike S. weighed in with "My great grandmother raised me," to which Rick replied, "That's what made her great."
We were off!
The second wine was from Clayton, Pont du Nord Grenache 2023 from France.
Barb said, "It's why I like reds,' and Rick said, "My birthday is coming up -- I'd like some!"
It was a nice dry red, but difficult to find. "Don't you hate it when you love it and can't find it?" I bemoaned. Barb agreed -- "I've had dates like that. (And this was only our second wine.)
Barb was next with Chateau Corbin Montagne St. Emilon by Jacques Rambeaud, a 2022 Bordeaux. She found this one at Costco for $15.
Clayton noted it was "really good" and from there we had a discussion of how you tell the difference between a $77 bottle of wine and a $7 dollar one. "The price," Bob said authoritatively. Barb said it wasn't her favorite and liked Clayton's better.
Roger served up 12 Knights, 2021, a Portuguese wine by Aveleda. The wine was fermented in stainless steel casks first, then aged in oak. At $14.99 from his local grocery. He said it "should be served at a round table."
(We decided that since we were sitting in a circle, that was good enough.)
Barb called it "opulent" and I said "I should have had a bigger pour." Kate noted it was "one of the best reds Roger ever brought," which turned our discussion to the time he brought all the wine -- seven wines of Minnesota. (And they weren't very good, for which Roger has been taking heat for years!)
Rick offered a 2023 Barbera D'Asti DOCG by Cantine Povero, an Italian wine from the Piedmont. This one priced out between $15 and $20. This was a wine we had enjoyed on our "date day" earlier in the month and was purchased at an Italian grocery with a huge and excellent wine selection.
Barb exclaimed, "Oh, this is pretty" and Rick and I agreed it was the "best so far" with "great legs." Kate said she loved Barbera and called it "very nice." Barb added "You can taste the difference." It was full bodied and fruity, dry -- but just the right amount of dry. I loved it and hope he bought a second bottle!
Mike S. was up with Vividor, which retails at $17 but was part of the 6 for $66 wine deal at a local wine store. It was a Spanish wine from the Valencia region.
"Vividor" means opportunist, scoundrel, hustler, punk or bon vivant." (We decided we liked the "bon vivant" description best.)
Mike S. described it as "aromatic, like Vicks Vaporub," but on a more serious note, Anne noted it was "fruit forward" while Rick called it "a little strident" and added that it should have been decanted and Kate said she thought it "could have stayed in the bottle a lot longer." (Kate later told me they pitched the rest of the bottle. But the label was great!)
Our last wine came from Bob and was called "Three Finger Jack" from Lodi, California. It was a red blend from Wild Country and had a higher alcohol content of 15.5 percent.
Rick called this one "too strident" but Clayton thought it had the right amount of dryness and said "It tastes like more!" Mike M. said, "I like it. Yes! I like it" and Anne thought it was "great."
Of course, during all our tastings we aren't just drinking. (In fact, some of us aren't drinking that much at all.) This time our food table featured warm food that included mini-meatballs, sausage (sorry, no pix of those!), stuffing balls, and mini-quiches.
Also on hand were ham-pickle roll-ups, olives, veggies and dips.
For desserts we had a great selection of cookies. And of course there was bread, crackers and cheese for the tasting as well.
Kate sent us all home with packets of trail mix. I've been enjoying mine all week!
Meet your Cork Popper Gang:
Dick and Cheryl / Jeanie and Rick / Barb, Anne, Cheryl and Kate
That wraps up another visit with the Cork Poppers. Our next one will be in January or February! Special thanks to Mike S., Anne and Cheryl for sharing photos and to Kate for taking notes when I had to take a break for a bit.
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