Ladies and Gentlemen it is time for another installment of Monkey Brew U. This time we are going a little less on science here and depending more on personal opinions and societal views. Join me as I walk through the array of drink options and  what your drink may be telling us about you. Remember this is all in fun, and if you don’t like it well go fling some poo about it. (more…)

Type: Wine – Sweet Red
Name: Douglass Hill – 2008 California Sweet Red
Price: $5.99 on sale special
Made: California
Alc/Vol: 10%

Now let me say first and foremost that wine is all about personal preference. Studies and competitions alike have proven that outside the basic dirt cheap stuff, it all comes down to personal preference. Additionally, more and more wineries are looking to make a bottle of wine that won’t reach over $20 because people just typically wont spend big bucks on wine anymore. (more…)

Type: Wine – Red
Name: Goats Do Roam – Red 2010
Price: $8.99
Made: South Africa
Alc/Vol: 14%

Image property of GoatsDoRoam.com

I first heard of this wine from watching one of my favorite shows, Three Sheets, starring Pleepleus and some other guy. The episode was Capetown, South Africa and the drink was a winery called Goats Do Roam. Why the funny name, well according the Three Sheets, Côtes du Rhône is a region in France and an official wine appellation meaning you can’t call your wine a Côtes du Rhône unless it comes from that region. This is similar to why there is sparkling wine and champagne – which the latter must come from the Champagne region of France. (more…)

Image Property of ChateauStJean.com

Type: Wine – Gewürztraminer
Name: Chateau St. Jean – 2008 Gewürztraminer
Price: $15.00
Made: Kenwood, CA
Alc/Vol: 13.2%

“This elegant wine is composed of Gewürztraminer grapes from Sonoma country’s acclaimed vineyards. It expresses fragrant varietal aromas of honey suckle, rose petals and spice, with flavors of lychee fruit.”

This wine was marked down before Thanksgiving and had a sign above it claiming to be “great with turkey” now I’m sad to say I forgot the bottle at home and didn’t grab any leftovers to compare it with, but I did try it to see how it stands alone.

First and foremost with any wine, beer or spirit/liqueur I have to stick my nose in it to get a deep breath of the aroma. It makes me look all aficionado like, you know which compared to a drunk is a good thing – because it’s a fancy drunk. So what did my expertly noviced nose tell me? Well, it didn’t say rose petals I’ll tell you that much. I just so happened to have purchased some roses for my wife recently and nope – not rose petals. It did have a sweet scent and along with the taste partly reminded me of Peter Mertes- Riesling Spätlese, only less sweet to both nose and taste.

The taste was sweet and slightly syrupy, but not overly sweet and then gives to a dry finish with a touch of bitterness. I am wondering if it is from the lychee, although I’ve only had the canned version of this fruit so it could be the pear like syrupy liquid it is in. To be honest this wine goes down smoothly and before you know it you could down a glass or two, so beware

I give this wine 4 out of 5 bananas. It is a good sweet wine that has a nice balancing finish that prevents it from being too sweet.

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Image Property of www.pillitteri.com

Type: Wine – Rosso Dolce/ Sweet Red
Name: Pillitteri Estates – I Baci
Price: $7.79
Made: Niagara, Ontario, Canada
Alc/Vol: 12.5%

“A soft sweet bodied creature with fragrant notes of cherry, rasberry and black current. This Rosso Dulce kiss is very good on its own or made into a sangria.”

Every once in a while I like to explore the world of wines. My wallet may not be able to stretch enough for fancy sophisticated wines, however I doubt my pallet could taste the difference. Therefore, I like to look at some of the recommendations on special at my local alcohol provider. I try to always have a new beer and wine on hand, and while I tend to examine beers here more than wines I am working on exploring the wide world of wines one bottle at a time.

So what did this bottle say to me, well I wouldn’t say it gave me a rosso dolce kiss but it settled nicely on my lips and tongue. The initial scent is strong and rich with hints of sweetness and spice all blended together. The taste matched all of the scents and really came through with a tart cherry finish that left your tongue dry almost wanting to take another sip to quench your new found thirst.

I like the taste but with such a tart cherry dry finish I was hoping for a bit of a raspberry undertone to come through in the end. Since this did not happen I did the next best thing and made a sangria to give it the fruity finish I desired.

The wine, and sangria concoction was served at room temperature so I wonder what subtle differences would have come through if I chilled it. Yet, now mixed in a fresh fruity sweetness the wine really took on a beautifully rich taste that blended a spiced deepness with the sweet fruity flavorings. My wife added a little juice to her sangria mix which toned down the spice to her liking perfectly.

I believe all in all I would give this wine  4 out of 5 bananas. Alone as a sangria or sweet red it would probably only earn 3 bananas but the its ability to play well between the two earns it a higher rating. I made sure to go back and buy the last bottle they had on stock of this delicious wine and will have to keep on the look out for its reappearance.

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