Apothic Red!

Last summer I had a blind wine tasting at my house with a bunch of friends.  Leanne had brought this wine and it was by far the crowd favorite.  I had been long overdue for a glass and my mom needed something to relax her before her flight back to Myrtle Beach....so it was a win win. 

• Appearance: A dark deep purple red color
• Smell: Very oakey at first but settles after a little bit.  Hints of blackberry, plum and vanilla.
• Taste: Oakey, slightly sweet, blackberry, cherry
• Feel:  This wine had a medium body with a velvety smooth feel to it.  
• Overall: I must say I am very happy Leanne brought this to the tasting it is without a doubt one of my favorite bottles and for $10.99 you can't go wrong.  This wine would pair well with another bottle or with a sharp cheddar cheese.  Yeah now I'm hungry!

This wine is a blend of Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel...gotta love the blends.

9.5 out of 10

Sakonnet Vineyards Rhode Island Red

Two summers ago Meg and I took a trip out to Little Compton for the RI wine festival and it was amazing.  Once a year all the vineyards on the trail come together as well as local food vendors and for about 30 dollars you can eat and drink all you want!  That year Sakonnet Vineyards was the host and let me tell you it was well worth the drive.  

Here is my take on the RI Red!  

• Appearance: This wine was a distinctive dark ruby with a shade of plum to it.
• Smell: Dark berry's like blackberry and a hint of blueberry, plum, and raspberry
• Taste: Up front it's sweet, blackberry and plum really come through in the finish
• Feel:  Very smooth and silky
• Overall:  Loved this wine, it was on the sweet side but it paired well with the gorgonzola flank steak pinwheels we made, the contrast of sweet and salty was great.  I would definitely recommend this wine and if you have the time please take a drive out to their vineyard in Little Compton RI they have an amazing setup.  

9 out of 10

Trinity Brewhouse - IPA

If you are looking for some good food and drink then the Trinity Brewhouse in Providence RI is the place for you.  Here is a quick look at their IPA!

• Appearance: Poured a hazy copper color with a small frothy head
• Smell: Grainy, earthy, floral, malty, with an overshadowing  hoppiness...the smell doesn't do it justice.
• Taste: Starts off malty with some herbal flavors but then quickly has a bitter hop flavor and finishes grassy.  
• Feel:  Light, on the smooth side, kind of creamy.
• Overall:   Being a advocate of IPA's I enjoyed this beer and found it to have good drinkability. Cheers!

7.5 out of 10

Southern Tier 2X IPA

My mom was in town visiting my little Emerson and after a few errands we decided it would be a good idea to stop at the Mews for lunch.  While I was sitting there trying to decide what beer to have I remembered my buddy Kevin recommending the Southern Tier 2X IPA.   

• Appearance: Poured a nice golden amber color with a light frothy head that disappeared quickly
• Smell: Probably my favorite part, citrus fruit, (oranges and grapefruit) and slight piney hoppy aroma
• Taste: Surprisingly balanced in flavor considering the overpowering citrus aroma.  Malty and grainy at first however it quickly transforms and the citrus hops and piney hops come through finishing with a decent amount of bitterness and a very piney hoppy aftertaste.  
• Feel:  Medium bodied, with a medium amount of carbonation.
• Overall:  This beer is definitely for the IPA lover and not for the casual beer drinker.  If you haven't had and IPA before I wouldn't start with this. Not my favorite IPA however it has decent drinkability and I would buy it again.   I would have liked the citrus hop flavor to come through a bit more and a little less of a bite on the finish. Cheers!

7 out of 10

Perry's Revenge Ale - Cottrell Brewing Co.

Perry's Revenge Ale! Talk about straight from the brewer.  What makes me so excited about this beer is that its made 10 minutes from my house and they have tours all week! 

• Appearance: Pours dark, however it has some nice light brown hues that swirl through.  
• Smell: Molasses, boozy, and with hints of chocolate
• Taste: Again the alcohol came through with a boozy taste, kind of warming, caramel, molasses, hint of chocolate and a bit of an earthiness 
• Feel: Slightly carbonated, light and airy, without an alcohol burn...at 8.5% alc.volume! 
• Overall:  It's complex flavors keep me from drinking it over and over, its got so much flavor you could probably even have this beer as a dessert.   Cheers!

7 out of 10

History 101

Last January, three divers, Charles Buffum, Mike Fournier and Craig Harger, announced that they had located the wreck of Oliver Hazard Perry’s ship USS Revenge which sank 200 years ago off the coast of Rhode Island near Watch Hill.   It turns out that Charles Buffum, in addition to being a diver and an amateur archaeologist, is also the owner of Cottrell Brewing Company, which is celebrating the discovery with a new ale –  Perry’s Revenge Ale, a dark Scottish-style ale with an 8.5 percent alcohol content. 

Emerson Rosalie

So it's been a while since I have been on here and for a good reason!  I am proud to say that I am the father of a beautiful baby girl!  Her name is Emerson Rosalie and she was born on March 13th 2012!  It has been an amazing ride the past 9 months and well worth the wait!  The best day of my life was when I met my little baby girl, I can not say how excited I am to have her.  Megan, my fiance, again showed me how tough and determined she is by going through the delivery and without epidural to boot!!  Meg is still recovering but she too is just over the moon with excitement. In the next few days look out for some new reviews featuring a local brewery here in CT and one of my new favorite IPA's by Southern Tier.

Black Cannon!

One word. AWESOME!  If you are into IPA's then Heavy Sea's Black Cannon should be one of your top picks.  Even my fiance Meg thought it was great and she's more of a Blue Moon with an orange kinda girl.  For this one I'm gonna get straight to the point.  Appearance: Kinda like a Guinness without the cascading effect, Robust.  Smell: Hoppy, Roasted Malts Taste: Hops, Roasted Coffee, Creamy, Smokey, Bittersweet up front but does not last.  Feel: Slightly carbonated, just enough in my opinion.  Overall:  Like in the tale of Goldilocks this beer is not to bitter and not to sweet, its just right!  Cheers!

9 out out of 10 Tell me what you thought!

Maugle Sierra Vineyard

Maugle Sierra Vineyard is one of my favorites!  Located right off a scenic highway in Ledyard, CT it's definitely a must see if your in the area.  They have 10 amazing wines, all of which I have had the privilege to taste and at some point I hope to share with you.  I went there this past February and once before in November and both experiences were amazing.  The last trip I made out there was in 2010 with my fiance Megan, before they had renovated and I must say they have made some impressive improvements to their building.  

They have a great outdoor deck with high tables and a patio down below with picnic tables and adirondack chairs.  Inside, as you can see from the picture above, they have cozy seats by a fireplace and the room has the feel of a chalet located in Vermont or New Hampshire.  Tastings are $10.00 to try 6 wines and throughout all of March there is live music every Friday and Saturday night from 5:30pm-8:30pm.  Oh yeah, don't forget to bring some pepperoni and cheese :) 

My sister Lauren out on the Deck sipping on a 1740 Ledyard House White! 

Have you been here? Tell me what you thought of Maugle Sierra.

Bogle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Some people say first impressions are everything and for now Bogle Vineyards is good in my books.  This was my first time trying one of their bottles and let me say I loved it.  My sister and law came over to visit so naturally we decided a bottle of wine would be a good idea.  At $9.99 this wine offers you top notch flavor at a superb price. Bogles 2009 Cab is oakey on the nose, it's taste has hints of blackberry, currants and spices, especially in the finish. It was slightly dry which I liked and it paired really well with what I considered a giant gourmet cheeseburger.  I would definitely recommend this wine to friends and will be putting it into my regular rotation :)  Cheers!

8.5 out of 10 -  Tell me what you think of it!

Newport Storm - HURRICANE AMBER!

This brewing company is special because its made right here in Rhode Island about 45 minutes from my house! I have had the opportunity to try many of their 30 different beers, this one is the original and one of my favorites.  In 1999 this beer hit the streets and is what I would consider their catalyst to success.  This beer is actually in remembrance of the hurricane of 1938, the worst storm of the 20th century.  In my opinion it has a slightly hazy amber color, it smells some what pleasant with a floral, malty, hoppiness, and it tastes a bit on the sweet side with hits of caramel, toasted grain, and nut.  It has a medium to thin body that doesn't fill you up quick, however the sweetness kept me from drinking more than two or three...  I would say overall its drinkability is good but something you would pick up for a change of pace, something to savor, not to drink over and over in one sitting.  I would recommend giving this a try!

7.5 out of 10 - Newport Storm

PromisQuous!

Promisquous...okay I will be honest the name is what caught my attention... This week I had mentioned to Leanne that I was going to bring a bottle of 337 and on my way out I stopped in my tracks when I saw this bottle.  Promisquous hmmm what's that?  Not only does it have a trendy name it had a fun definition of their meaning of promisquous to go along with it, and for $10.99 you can't beat that.  I just hoped it wasn't a dud. I am pretty happy to say it was quite delicious.  It was surprisingly light considering it was a blend of some heavy reds like Zinfandel, Merlot, Cab, and Petite Sirah.  Fruity, sweet, fresh flavor with hints of blackberry and a great finish.  The name is what sold me at first however in the end it finished strong in my book.  I would recommend it if you haven't had the opportunity to try it, especially if you are cooking up a nice steak.
7 out of 10 :)  Cheers!

Cheers!

Let me start off by saying I am very excited to start blogging. During the summer time I try to host a few beer tastings and the occasional margarita tasting ;)  When it gets a little cooler out, that's when I like to have my wine tastings.  Let's be honest there's not much better than a glass of  red wine to warm you up on a chilly day, especially if there is a a nice fireplace near by.   So each week a few friends and I get together on the weekend to sample new drinks and I thought it would be fun to document the bottle of the week. I look forward to sharing all my drink experiences with you!  Cheers!