While we would typically like a bit more body and complexity in our reds, the Domaine Vincent Dureuil-Janthal Rully came through with a wealth of red fruit flavors as well as subtle undertones of clove and other earthy characteristics.
The steak we paired this one with was perhaps a bit too strong in the meat department, but the morel mushrooms as a side worked out beautifully.
Read moreDomaine Vincent Dureuil-Janthal Rully 2017 Review – Fruit and Barrel
If any easy-drinking Cabernet Sauvignon is what you seek, look no further than the Howard Park Cabernet from Australia. This fruit-forward, low-tannin Cab will likely go down quick!
Read moreHoward Park Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Review – Low Tannin Cab
We're quickly becoming fans of Chardonnay from South Africa, and when we purchased an assortment of bottles from a local wine shop, we were intrigued by the offerings from Richard Kershaw Winery.
Part of this is simply because we like this varietal from the country. But the other part was that Kershaw focuses on single clonal grapes in isolated growing regions similar to what one of our favorite US-based wineries, Boundary Breaks, does for Riesling. So we picked up a bottle of the GPS Series from the Lower Duivenhoks River and paired it with a lovely sous vide salmon dinner.
Read moreKershaw GPS Lower Duivenhoks River Chardonnay 2017 Review
Our journey to first trying Rebulla (commonly known as Ribolla Gialla) was an interesting one.
It started when one of our favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh, the Eastern European vegan joint Apteka (a must-try if you ever visit), expanded their wine to-go menu as the result of 2020's global pandemic. As part of this, they brought in many natural wines from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus which gave us a field day in buying obscure varietals to try.
One of them was Stekar's Rebulla from Slovenia, which we immediately opened to enjoy with a feast from the restaurant. This one was funky and, to be honest, didn't really taste like wine at all!
Read moreStekar Rebulla 2018 Review – A Wild Apple Cider of a Wine
We absolutely adore the varietal Torrontes as grown in South America, and when we found a winery producing it in Bolivia of all places, Bodega Uvairenda, we knew we had to pick up a bottle.
The 1750 Torrontes here is grown at a relatively high altitude (above 5,000 feet) and is blended with about 15% of other grapes including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pedro Gimenez. Together, this wine ends up being a bit more mellow than what you'd typically expect for this otherwise potent varietal.
Read moreBodega Uvairenda 1750 Torrontes 2018 Review – A Mellow Torrontes
Every so often we have a wine that we fall in love with at first sip. The South African-based Ataraxia (in Hemel-in-Aarde) offers a Chardonnay that, for us at least, won us over right away.
If an intensely acidic and fruity Chardonnay is what you see, Ataraxia's entry will certainly deliver.
Read moreAtaraxia Chardonnay 2016 Review – A Truly Fabulous Chardonnay
We had received a bottle of the Terra dei Re Claris Rosso from a friend and didn't think much of it as we assumed it'd be a fairly straight forward table red from Italy.
What we did not realize when we opened it, however, was that table wine in Italy can vary dramatically by region. In this particular case, our bottle featured a table grape from southern Italy, Aglianico (a new variety for us), and had a vastly different flavor profile from what we expected.
It certainly made for an interesting food pairing.
Read moreTerra dei Re Claris 2015 Review – Intensely Peppery Table Red
Our first rose from Provence was the Mathilde Chapoutier Grand Ferrage 2018 which was a blend of many grapes including Grenache, Cinsaut, Syrah, and Vermentino (listed as Rolle).
While this one had a relatively light flavor profile, we enjoyed the bottle of this all the same- especially with a heaping plate of homemade paella!
Read moreMathilde Chapoutier Grand Ferrage 2018 Review – A Lovely French Rose
Any time we try a new grape for The Grape Pursuit project is a day worth celebrating, and cracking open the Planeta Frappato 2018 marked one such day.
This Sicilian red is known for being fairly light in body and packing full of delightful red fruit. In this case, we got a wealth of strawberry!
Read morePlaneta Frappato 2018 Review – A Fruity Sicilian Red
Normally when we try a Shiraz, we expect a full-body, fairly tannic wine. But the Torbreck Woodcutter's Shiraz 2018 from Australia was actually a bit less intense in both of those categories and actually caught us by surprise!
Read moreTorbreck Woodcutter's Shiraz 2018 Review – A Medium Bodied Shiraz
