Mome reads Mommy, My daughter's way to spell it when she was younger... It stuck. My son calls me Mome... just like it looks. I now sign all my notes to them "Love, Mome". It's our inside secret and makes them smile. I always want them to smile.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Cabernet vs Merlot, and Other Things I'm Noticing About Wine

Recently I've been tasting a lot of different brands of wines. I've strayed from my usuals and ventured out to find new gems. I thought a was a diehard Merlot fan...at one point, then I came across Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs. Was my mind changed by the fancier names, or was it the flavors I was enjoying more? I thought it was the flavors, but have recently been enjoying some Cabernets, which I thought I liked less than I actually do. Are you following so far? I'm working on an experiment right now and it seems as though I like Merlot better than Cabernet on the higher price (by high I mean $20) brands but prefer Cabernet on the lower priced (all the way down to $3) brands. Is this coincidental? I first noticed this with Tisdale. They're the $3 gems I found at our local Bottom Dollar. I bought both Merlot and Cabernet, and Pinot Grigio for my neighbor (it's one of her favorites). In tasting them I became aware that I liked the Cab better. It kinda shocked me. I've come across some folks recently who don't care for Merlot and prefer Cabs, so I thought, when given the option, I would get both from the same winery. With Barefoot wines I prefer the Merlot and I recently had the chance to try Clos Du Bois and preferred the Merlot from them as well. While both wines were good, the Cab started out a little overbearing. By the second and third glass it had mellowed a little. May have been my taste buds numbing or may have been due to the extended breathing the latter glasses were exposed to. I find that big flavored wines almost act as appetite suppressants for me. If I drink a light bodied wine while cooking dinner I eat a regular meal. If I've opened a deeply flavored bottle, as the Clos Du Bois Cabernet was, I find myself less hungry when dinner hits the table. Anyone else find that to be true?

One more shocking truth...

It was suggested a while back that I try Delicious Red by Vella. A box wine. I couldn't find it anywhere and finally decided to try the Burgundy by Vella. I think I mentioned already that I liked the lighter tones for a casual glass while making dinner or relaxing in front of the TV. I finally found the Delicious Red and like it as well. It's a sweet red without overbearing sweetness. While I would never use either of these as a complimenting beverage with a meal, they are both fine for casual sipping. Rather enjoyable actually.

Let the banter begin.

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