Vino Virgins

A really good wine shaped drink!

2010-07-21T19:35:00.012-04:00

Today I had what could only be called a rare day.

I went thrifting with Violet; knowing my random and eclectic tastes she helped me pick out a bunch of new records ranging from Bach to Fonzie's Favorites at the local Goodwill. I support and love the Bohemian Chicness that is my best friend, which resulted in an amazing $3.00 embroidered A-line skirt and a super pretty brown paisley print dress. Capped off with a deliciously spicy lunch at The Dancing Avocado Kitchen then wine shopping at World Market. I ended my super chill day with a glass of Olde Savannah Sweet Tea Wine, some leftover fried chicken, and a heated literary discussion with my husband. Since we are a wine blog lets talk about the wine of today.

Olde Savannah Sweet Tea Wine is good, however I am not really sure it can really be called a wine; because really I don't think it comes from grapes. As far as wine shaped drinks go this is a delicious choice. My wine hating sister tried it and liked it. You don't know my wine hating sister but that's a huge complement!

I'm not a huge fan of super sweet but for me this wine perfectly rides that line between alcoholy and sweetness. Bottom line is I would serve this wine at a BBQ or any southern type summery dinner party. It's amazing good. Cellar of Celebration!!

♥♥♥♥
Veruca Vino

Violet's Thoughts

I tried this one night after a few (*cough*pitcher*cough*) margaritas and it was really super awesome. Then I bought a bottle a week later to enjoy on my own and it was only ok. I wouldn't really consider it wine as much as I would consider it a wine shaped drink....it's marketed as wine, but doesn't look or really taste like wine. It's pretty good though, so I'll agree with cellar of celebration, at least for now.

Summertime...and the livin's easy.

2010-06-13T16:12:00.011-04:00

Things that taste like summer:
The Ocean
Sweet Tea on a hot day
Cheeseburgers
Hot dogs
Watermelon
Key lime pie,
Crisp white wine...the list can go on and on.

There's no denying it though, summer is officially here. It may not be 'officially' summer, but the kids are all out of school, and every time I get in my car I think my eye balls are sweating. I haven't worn actual shoes in weeks...I currently live in flip flops and tank tops, and what better way to celebrate summer than to enjoy a few things from the list above?

A good friend of mine sent me a message through Facebook the other day asking if I'd tried any of the Keel and Curley Vineyard's wines. Most specifically the strawberry riesling and wild berry pinot, which I said that I had and loved both of them. Then he asked if I'd tried the new Key Lime wine. Oddly, I'd been at World Market earlier in the day shopping for new blog inspiration, and had in fact come across this particular wine. I waffled back and forth a bit, as I already had 2 wines in my basket. One for drinking and one for reviewing...so I decided I would buy the key lime on my next trip. After that Facebook message though, I figured I'd better check it out A.S.A.P. If it was good enough for someone to email me about then it had to be pretty good.

That Friday night I picked a bottle up and proceeded to summon my muse via liquid inspiration. All I wound up with was a headache. The wine was actually *really* tasty. It's a little tart, but with a semi-sweet feel. It's light and crisp and VERY easy to drink. It's mild and would probably go great with just about any summer food you can think of. I personally had a craving for something spicy like a good jerk chicken with some sautéed veggies. It was really great to drink by itself and was one of those wines that makes you want to eat something. I was telling my friend that it seems there are two types of wine pairings: wines that make food taste better and foods that make the wine taste better...this is one that makes the foods better, drinking it all you can think about is what food would this would go with, which is bonus points in my book, because I just love wine and I usually judge my wines based on whether or not I can drink them by themselves rather than pairing them with food. Yes, I am aware that that makes me sound like a lush. It's ok though, I accept me.

I poured glass after glass of this stuff, lost in movies and conversation I didn't realize that I had pretty well finished the bottle...and as I tipped my last glass back and swallowed the last little bit of this liquid sunshine, I thought to myself "wow, this is pretty good stuff!"

Then the headache set in. I drank a huge glass of water, took some ibuprofen, massaged my temples, cleaned my glasses, closed my eyes and even stood up to stretch and walk around a bit...nothing worked. This was one of those alcohol headaches that doesn't stop until it's been slept away. I understand that headaches can come on for a variety of reasons and vary from one person to another as much as our tastes in wines...but I just want you to be warned that for a 12% alcohol by volume wine, the only buzz you'll get is the sound in your ears from your head pounding.

I'll say Cellar of Celebration on this one though, even despite the ice-pick-through-my-eyes feeling. Mostly because I know that the headache could have been a fluke occurrence, but also because this stuff really was tasty. Even the cashier at world market said so when I bought it. Keel and Curley vineyards have a way of really impressing me with their flavors. My inner hippy is also happy because it's a mostly local vineyard (only about 3 hours west of me). So the whole local sustainability thing is total bonus and mostly makes up for the head pounding. You can pick this and most of the other Keel and Curley wines up at your local Publix supermarkets and now World Market, or you can order directly from their website. Most bottles are under the $15 mark which is also pretty awesome.

This Mah Jam, Yo.

2010-05-13T20:48:00.011-04:00

Holy sweet summer treats, Batman. Veruca and I recently made a trip to World Market to explore some inexpensive wines. We were mostly successful, aside from one or two questionable wines, I think we did pretty good.

Today I present to you Jam Jar.

I've been trying to write a review for this stuff for two weeks now, and all I can manage to come up with is "Yum." I know that's not much of a review, but it's the truth. This stuff is freakin yum. It tastes like blackberries, it tastes like pie, it tastes like rich southern picnic desserts. It's got a little bit of a bite in the first glass that gives you that weird clenched jaw feeling for the first two or three sips...(apparently that's what they call "Tannins"...who knew?!) - but after that it's sweet smooth sailing. Seriously, it smells like the raspberry jam I put on my toast, it tastes like sweet, fruity, amazingly wonderful goodness...I think somewhere between raspberry and blackberry preserves and pie. Yes, I said pie...and who doesn't love pie?!

I'm going to say this is a perfect spring red pick. Hell, the bottle accents even remind me of spring picnic table cloths. Even better than the amazing taste is the absolutely awesome price of $9.99 a bottle from World Market, $8.99 if you are a member of their whatever club. Which I am, so I bought 2 bottles and saved $2. Booyah, bishes.

And for you lushes out there you really can't go wrong with a 12.5% alcohol content. For the record the hangover is nearly non-existent. Therefore - Jam Jar South African Sweet Shiraz - I salute you. 3 times now I have been intoxicated by your yumminess, and 3 times you have won.

To the Cellar of Celebration. You win.

After thought - I described this wine to my brother as a drinkable version of the seasonal Raspberry Jam I kept for my morning toast. It also makes for a whirlwind of intoxication - but that could just be hormones and the new moon. I still highly recommend as I've recently started in on my 4th (5th? maybe) bottle.

Disapointment in a Glass

2010-05-04T22:27:00.011-04:00

Violet and I recently went to our local World Market looking for something delicious to drink. I found this super adorable bottle of Sweet Pea Apple Wine, they had peach and strawberry flavors; I couldn't decide between them so because it was on sale for $6.00 a bottle I bought both flavors. I was sooo excited to try them because they combined three of my favorite foods, strawberries, apples, and peaches, I even teased my self for a few days by keeping it as an end of the week treat. It was a huge bottle of disappointing.

I decided to try the apple peach flavor first, the first sip was actually really good. I was all yeah nom nom, I even text-ed Violet right away in excitement. Unfortunately the rest of the glass was all downhill. The more I drank the more it tasted like rotten sour fruit, I couldn't even taste apple or peach.

I then tried the strawberry hoping it would be better. That one was even worse, it was still very sour and the strawberry didn't taste like real strawberries; it was more like that sugary artificial strawberry flavoring you find in cheap candy. After half a glass I was feeling very vomitous so I just dumped it.

The only really positive thing I can say about this wine is that the bottles are so unbelievably cute. Totally retro and adorable, I would only ever buy this again to use as a decoration when I redo my kitchen. I'm sorry Sweet Pea but you are getting chucked into the Cellar of Shame!!

♥ ♥ ♥
Veruca Vino

Big Bertha of Wines

2010-04-11T19:27:00.009-04:00

So we've been slackers here at Vino Virgins - but that's because it's spring, and we've been cleaning out the cellar, which means we've been recovering from spending an unseasonably long Florida winter inebriated. Onward and Upward though - lots of stuff has happened in our wine world recently!

First:

This is the ginormous bottle of Riesling that our friend Teri brought over for our Wednesday night get together, which consisted of an amazingly made dinner (prepared by yours truly), the New Moon DVD...aka Taylor Lautner's perfectly rippled and now fully legal abs, and a 3 hour long flashback to Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Teri brought over two wines - one was her favorite Moscato, the other was this GINORMOUS bottle of Johan Falkenberg Riesling, both of which are purchasable at Sam's Club. Yea Yea - don't judge, just because it's not the little gourmet wine shop doesn't mean it's not good. Everyone's on a budget these days.

Truth be told it was pretty good. At first it didn't really taste like anything, but that's probably because we had just eaten a very rich dinner: Seasoned Baked Chicken smothered with sauteed mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and then covered with melted swiss, a lovely spinach dish made with fresh spinach, sauteed garlic, bacon and onions then mixed with asiago cheese, and baked sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon...That's a lot of flavors. So, when we first cracked the bottle and poured a glass it just tasted like slightly pear flavored air. It was light and refreshing, which was good, but there really wasn't much flavor.

I thought maybe it was just the fact that we'd eaten a rich dinner, but by the 4th glass I still didn't taste much other than hints of pears and apples. It got the job done which - really - isn't that all that matters? haha!

It does pair well with snarky comments about cheesy 'tween fiction, campy movies, and Kristen Stuart pulling Taylor Lautner's hair. I think at one point in time my husband and Teri were debating the semantics of lycanthropy versus shape shifting versus sparkly gay vampires. In fact, in hindsight, I'd say it's a perfect pairing with this flick - it's all sparkle and fluff and not a lot of flavor or substance...but it still makes you feel good in a wholly inappropriate way.

I'm going to say Cellar of Celebration for this one. While it's not a rich celebration of phenomenal wine making - it is perfect for the enjoyment of vapid, ridiculously lustful, guilty pleasures. And it comes in a HUGE bottle.

Tantalizing Trepidation

2010-02-20T18:42:00.013-05:00

This is the bizarrely juxtaposed feeling I get every time I set out to try a new wine. It feels like being set up on a blind date. You get really excited because this could be 'the one.' Then you get insanely nervous, because on the other hand this could go horribly, horribly awry and end up being one of those situations you will deny ever happened for the rest of your life. Frankly when it comes to blind dates - it's usually the latter that's the case!

Veruca called me and said "Next time you go to the store and you're in the wine aisle - there's a white wine with a woman holding a baby on the front. It's German and made by the same company as the Pedo-Midget wine. Buy it. It's pretty cheep, and I can't decide what I think."

The wine she'd recommended was the Liebfraumilch by Schmitt-Sohne. I did buy it, and she was right it was cheep....and weird.

I told my husband that it was like the first kiss with someone that were uncertain about - and just as the kiss started and everything seemed poised to swing in a positive direction - the object of your possible affection bit your lip and bumped your head. The moment was gone. No magic, no fireworks, not even a spark - just a bloody lip and a headache.

I was really hoping we'd hit it out of the park on this one. It has all of the qualities I adore in a wine: low acid, decent sugar and a twist cap! It smelled sweet and had a lovely sunny day color - but behind that deceptive smooth mouth feel was a bitter bite. Sorry Liebfraumilch - I don't get kinky until the second date. I don't want your number, I don't want to see you again, I just want you out. To the Cellar of Shame with you!

Essen, Trinken und fröhlich sein!
Violet

Veruca's Thoughts:

I really wanted to like this wine. When Violet asked me why I wanted her to try it so bad all I could say was "I don't know it's just weird."

Everything about it says I should like it, great smell, pretty color, low price. When I actually took a sip it was blech. I thought it was sickly sweet, like biting into an overripe piece of fruit, totally off putting. I agree Keller der Schande!

♥
Veruca Vino

Lucky Number...Duck?

2010-01-24T22:01:00.007-05:00

Last week Veruca and I decided to switch things up a little and instead of going to our favorite evening hang outs and spending boat loads of moneys, we decided we were going to make our own gourmet lunch and share a bottle of vino, then pretend we were kooky old southern biddies swirlin' our wine, twirlin' our pearls and gossipin' about the neighbors.

It was mostly a success...I mean we had to make our own lunch of course -a super tasty and spicy vegetarian taco salad. We had picked up a bottle of Lucky Duck Malbec on a very frugal whim - we didn't expect much because our palates haven't quite fallen head over heals in love with reds yet and it was only $4.

Yeah - that's not a typo FOUR DOLLA WINE! And it ain't even boone's farm. (We of course purchased a few back up bottles of wine we were positive we loved, just in case.)

Veruca and I have a little bit of experience under our belts in regards to cheap wine. And it's usually never a good experience, but as we've learned in our vino adventures...just when you think you know what to expect - the unexpected kicks you in the teeth. This wine was more like a bitch slap, but whatevs, it wasn't as bad as the price tag led me to believe.

It was actually not too bad - kinda fruity, not super acidic, no weird minerally mouth feel. It was just wine...except for when you got a bite of zucchini with your swig. That was kinda weird. Almost like the zucchini was the anti-flavor, it sucked all the good out of the wine and left you with a bit of a skim-milk mouth feel. No real flavor, but sort of an almost filmy feeling on your tongue. (I can hear the obligatory "That's what SHE said!" comments going through everyone's heads now...)

I'm torn between Back in the Barrell and Cellar of Celebration - because it wasn't GREAT, but it wasn't bad either... so go scrounge the change from out of your couch, pick a bottle of this up from your local wally-world and let us know what you think: Exalted or Atrocious?

Real Life Convo with Mama Veruca

2010-01-23T21:41:00.002-05:00

In the short time Violet and I have been sharing our vino experiences with the general public, I've noticed that my mother has this weird sort of sixth sense for choosing good wine. I don't know her method for picking bottles and honestly I don't think she has one. What I do know is when Mama Veruca hands me a glass of wine chances are it will be memorable, for example she picked an insanely good Sofia Coppola 2008 white for my b day; and a really banging Merlot (I can't remember the name of) she brought to Xmas. However, despite her seriously spot on choices, sometimes like the best of us she does stumble. Here is a portion of an actual conversation we had while finishing up our Christmas shopping:

Veruca(V): I've been looking for that Sofia but can't seem to find it. Tried anything decent lately?

Mama Veruca ( M.V. ): I tried a Merlot.

V: Oh? Was it good, what kind was it?

M.V. : I don't remember the name, but it had a bear or wolf on the label.

V. : The one with the bear vomiting fire? Toasted Head? I've seen that at Publix and thought about trying it.

M.V. No it wasn't that and I didn't get it a Publix. It was really gross.

V. Ok? ...where did you get it?

M.V. Save a lot.

V. (./facepalm) Mom! Don't buy wine at Save a lot.

If you don't know what Save a lot is trust me, you don't want to buy wine there! Now despite this stumble I will randomly be revisiting Mama Veruca and her wine picks a couple times this year, you all will get to know her better, well at least her amazingly astute wine choices. Oh and maybe if we are nice we can all convince her to make me a pan of her sinfully delish lasagna too!

XOXO
Veruca Vino

Look Ma, I'm a Real Wino!

2010-01-15T20:43:00.002-05:00

Thanks to www.corkd.com for giving us an awesome opportunity to rant about even more randomness!

We definitely look forward to sharing even more wine awesome with everyone via cork'd and here!

Yum Yum Peter Brum!

2010-01-03T00:54:00.009-05:00

You know that feeling when you meet someone special, its all new and different and all you want to do is make-out and pretend everything else doesn't exist? I believe Violet and I found that equivalent in a wine, Peter Brum 2008 Dornfelder Vino Noir. We love this wine. I mean love, love, love this wine. Under normal circumstances this would be a "Bish bettah keep her hands off mah man!" situation, but since we love all of you - we'll share.

The first time we tried it Violet asked our server for a sweeter red. She came back with a sample of this yumminess. We nibbled some Margherita Pizza and drank some of this amazingness. It's smooth, it's sweet, it's fruity - like cranberries, blueberries and raspberries all got mushed together. There's not a lot of acidity and the sweetness is mild enough that it's not overpowering to the point where you get sticky mouth after a few glasses. Since our first date with Peter Brum we've been out a few more times...even a lunch date with Mr. Violet (Kinky!). Most recently we had dinner in...

Talk about your perfect romantic evenings!!

This wine definitely goes into the Cellar of Celebration (hell we might even give him the keys to come and go as he pleases). Not only is this our new favorite red - it goes with everything we've eaten it with, and it's under $15 a bottle. Unfortunately, we've only found one place in town that sells it... and we're not telling!!!

XOXO
Violet and Veruca Vino

Menage a Pinot

2009-12-29T16:36:00.003-05:00

One of the questions we've been asked is: How do the Virgins choose your wine? For me, there are many things I consider like: this bottle is pretty, hey this is cheap, that matches my thong!! In the case of Pinot Grigio I chose it because of my love of Bravo's Real Housewives of New York. I love the episode when Ramona is at Jill's for the committee meeting, she shows up late then head twitching, eyes all bugged out starts screeching for her glass of Pino Greeg. It makes me want to pop a cork and be as functionally drunk and clueless as that trainwreck. I am on pins and needles waiting for the next season of Bravo's NY awesomeness.; however I digress.

Since my Mollydooker review I have tried 3 different Pinot Grigio's:

Yellow Tail 2009: When I bought this at Publix it was on sale; $5.99. For the big bottle!! I drank this with spicy chicken, mac & cheese, salad; I love love loved it. I am going to assume the vast majority of you readers didn't grow up within walking distance of an Apple Orchard, so I'll attempt to describe this: imagine you just took a huge bite of a super fresh off the tree Granny Smith Apple, add a mild white wine bite and you have this wine. Tart, fresh, and just amazing. Not many things lately makes my cynical heart flash back to the awesomeness of prepubescent Connecticut however just the scent of Yellow Tail brings back memories of 4th grade field trips minus the alcohol , therefore it goes into the Cellar of Celebration!

Oggi Pinot Grigio: I ordered this the night Violet and I went to Ormond Wine Co. I had two glasses, I did not enjoy this. It was tart, however it was very dry and it made my tongue feel weird. The more I drank it the thirstier I got, which is an odd experience. We had ordered a warm layered brie wheel concoction thing that was delicious, however I think the green apples and salty croistinis didn't mix well with the wine. I'm going to throw this one back in the barrel, because while I wasn't 100% impressed with it I am willing to drink it again. However with out the apple overload.

Barefoot Pinot Grigio: Another wine I picked up at the grocery store. Oh have I mentioned I am totally on a pinot grigio kick? I had two glasses with a late dinner, which was garlic chicken, tossed salad and buttered noodle. I enjoyed it, totally a light fruity wine that compliments and doesn't overpower. However I think I am throwing this one back in the barrel. While it was a decent wine I wouldn't choose this over the Yellow Tail.

The theme I noticed with Pinot Grigio is its tartness, I don't think I would ever describe it as super sweet. Its a very noob friendly wine, definitaly something to start off with if you are new to wine and want to get your feet wet.

Sláinte
Veruca Vino

Opening a wine bottle with a shoe!?!

2009-11-12T03:34:00.010-05:00

I applaud their resourcefulness and enthusiam! Bonus points awarded for public drunken glee in the middle of the day!

Sláinte Mhath
Vercua Vino

I Know Kung Fu

2009-12-03T12:17:00.006-05:00

Well maybe not in the "You're in the Matrix, Neo." kind of way...but I do know Kung Fu Girl Riesling. It's alright. Kind of like the Matrix movies, there's lots of cool action involved with the process, but the plot is only ok. It's not exactly a lesson in existential philosophy, but it's not as vapid and poppy as the latest Lady GaGa video. Wait I was talking about wine right?

So Kung Fu Girl Riesling is a Charles Smith Wine distributed by K Vintners, which looks like it should by all rights and means be in the Matrix, with all it's sleek, black rock 'n' roll type labels and names... Heart Syrah, Motor City Kitty Syrah, The Boy blend (Grenache and Syrah)...this is obviously not your typical vineyard. I'm seeing some pretty awesome bad assery here, just not with the Riesling.

Our friend J-Hut (A.K.A. James the Dork) has been telling me for like a year now, maybe more that I neeeeeeeeded to try this wine. It was amazing, magnificent, terrific and all around chubby inducing, but since I hate ordering breakable stuff over the internet I hadn't tried it yet. Then on one of my and Veruca's adventures to Ormond Wine Co. (actually our first visit there, keep an eye out for lots more shout outs to them) I found it! It was there, staring at me on the shelf saying "Buy me, I'm sexy. Doit." So I did (along with another bottle of wine I knew I liked, just in case).

First thing I noticed was that it had a screw top. I *love* twisty tops, partly because I'm lazy and hate trying to find my cork screw in the drawer of kitchen utensils I've accumulated over the years, but also because it's environmentally friendly and if I remember right is also considered better for freshness. I poured my glass about 1/2 full...it smelled ok, some apples and pears and a little bit of a bitter wine smell, but it wasn't a turn off...more like a "meh, it's ok..." type smell.

I took a little sip. First thing I noticed is that it tasted more bitter than it smelled. It also tasted more like bitter pears with less apple. And it was fizzy. Not fizzy like champagne, but still sort of bubbly. Imagine 1/2 pears 1/4 apples and 1/4 soda water, more fruit than fiz, but still more fiz than I want. I took a few more sips, decided that I didn't like it, but that it wasn't really bad...I just didn't think it would pair well with Bride Wars.

I'm gonna toss this Back in the Barrel for now. I'm not super impressed, but I'm not completely turned off. Some of you might really, really like it. I'm just picky haha

Free Your Mind, Neo.

Love,
Violet

Literally the Grossest Thing EVER!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-14T04:17:00.036-05:00

Violet and I went to The Ormond Wine Compa ny tonight. Good wine, good food, good music. I got to babble about my love of the Jewfro, Violet got to bask in my awesomesauceness for a night. It was a win win for all....until later....

We went to Mother Violet's house, she had a bottle of wine left over from the Vino Virgins Halloween Jamboree, Most specifically; Treat 2008 California White Table Wine; I did a web search, other than the fact I have physical evidence; IE the bottle, a pic, and I KNOW I bought it from World Market this wine doesn't exist. After my encounter with it I am pretending it doesn't.

My first glass at Mother Violet's house it was ya'know wine, I was pretty sure I was going to buy it again next Halloween. I had it set for if not the Cellar of Celebration it was going Back in the Barrel to be discussed next year...Oh, how Jesus weeps for innocence lost, I wish I could go back to those salad days when the worst I could do to a wine was Shame it.....

I took it home chilled it a bit more and tried again. Omg was it bad, so very very bad.

Regrettably, it took me two sips before I noticed the biggest flaw of this wine; the very chunky white substance at the bottom of the glass. YUCK. I don't even want to make comparisons, you all get it!

On the off chance this was my fault I dumped the wine; grabbed a fresh clean glass out of the dishwasher, re cleaned that glass with Dawn and poured myself some more "Treat". Srsly, how I wish I did not!!! More chunky whiteness! (pics at the bottom.)
That madness got tossed quickly.
Moral of the Story Kids? Never ever ever drink Treat 2008 California White Table Wine!

I am banishing this to the same level of the Cellar of Shame that is occupied by the molester priests that tell you Jesus wants to &%$2 your *&#) then *&^% your *&^% until you &%@*(

Sláinte Mhath,
Veruca Vino

Mollydooker and Wine Aisle Slags

2009-11-07T18:31:00.008-05:00

Today was an interesting day, drank some good wine and had some high school drama, first lets discuss the good wine.

My brother bought me a bottle of Mollydooker wine for my birthday, more specifically The Boxer 2008 Shiraz. I asked him why this wine and his response was "dunno, just liked the bottle" I agree, its a cute bottle, I giggled at the burly boxer with two left gloves on the front, btw Mollydooker is Aussie slang for left handed.

This is officially my favorite red. I drank it with steak dinner (steak, asparagus, and garlic mashed potatoes.) it was fantastic, and surprisingly sweet for a red. It did kind of have a ketch feeling on the first few sips, but that went away and it was delicious, smooth and warm. In my wine journal I wrote under the impressions "Nom, Nom, CELEBRATE!" It's true I speak fluent Lolcat when I drink, don't judge.

I am really interested in trying the other wines in the Mollydooker brand. For now this goes into the Cellar of Celebration!!!

Now for the high school drama...today I was in my local grocery store picking out the subject of my next post when I noticed a group of women trying to pick out wine for a bachelorette party. I swear wasn't eavesdropping (much) they were just being very loud. Now mind you these women were a good 10 or 15 years older than me, always looking to pimp this site I turned with every intention of introducing myself handing over a business card and offering my assistance. Before any of this could happen one looks at me and says 'teehee I didn't know lumberjacks drank wine'. OOH burn!! She got me and my super cute plaid shirt!!!! I just rolled my eyes grabbed the bottle of Yellow Tail and walked away. I passed them later as they were standing in line to check out, I snuck a peek into the basket and saw six, yes - count them: SIX big bottles of assorted Gallo wines. BWAHAHAHAHAHA

Slainte
Veruca Vino

Rootin'

2009-10-25T11:52:00.007-04:00

Once again my inner hippy gets the best of me. I really need to stop letting my emotional response to saving rain forests and pretty bottles dictate my beverage choices. I really had been avoiding buying the Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon that had been taunting me from the store shelf for months because I *knew* I would regret buying it.

Finally in a moment of weakness and an urgent and dire need to have something pretty, I bought it. I bought it because of the stupid little tab that said "Help Save the Rain forest!" and because the vine on the bottle was fairly reminiscent of my sexy new tattoo.

Now for those of us who grew up a little farther back in the woods than the rest of you, the word rootin' has different denotations. Basically it's getting drunk and driving an obnoxiously large vehicle through someone's front yard (usually that nasty skank that tried to make a move on your man). Picture this: window's down, gun rack rattling, radio blaring - and as you look out the window of your truck to make sure that the rear wheels are really tearin' it up...mud gets kicked up and right in your mouth as you are yellin' out a big "HELL YEAH BITCH TAKE THAT!"

That's what this wine tastes like. Dirt. That's the dirt of humility for your prideful revenge. It's the taste of executing the perfect payback plot - and then it completely blowing up in your face. It's bitter and hard to swallow.

Sadly, not even the sexy bottle and donations to the rain forest can save this wine from the cellar of shame.

Eat, Drink, and Yee-Haw Ya'll!
Violet Vino

It's Britney, Bitch.

2009-10-08T14:33:00.010-04:00

Last week sometime I picked up a very cheap bottle of Inglenook White Zinfandel. It was like $6.00 at Publix, after my experiences with the the grody Gallo I was mentally kicking myself all the way home. Surprisingly it didn't suck.

Drinking this is totally like listening to Britney Spears, you get funny looks for liking it but are too busy shaking your panty clad ass to care. It wasnt sweet or very acidy (thats totally a real word), it was just you know....wine. I paired it some steak and garlic pizza and it was alright.

Now I had no idea what cask series meant, so I looked it up!! Apparently Inglenook mixes older wine with newer wine to make it.

Despite the fact that I didn't hate this wine, I am tossing it back in the barrel, its not good enough to celebrate but I don't think it deserves a shaming.

On another note since my oh so classy wine mug broke I have decided that I need to replace it with this -->

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
Veruca Vino

Update!

2009-09-27T09:01:00.004-04:00

Just an update on the things we have in the works!

We finally managed to land a camera (Thanks Marshall!!) and worked on some filming last week. Apparently none of the chords we have for our camera fit. Luckily, the accessories are cheaper than actually buying a camera, so soon we shall have everything uploaded...then to edit! We actually have almost 2 whole tapes of film, which equals to roughly an hour and a half. Don't worry! The show won't be that long! Keep your eyes and ears peeled though in the next few weeks. We are still new at this, but we are pretty confident it's going to be amaaaazingly awesome.

Next! Since Veruca and I eat, sleep, drink and breathe all things Vino Virgins, we now have a Zazzle Store. Right now there are only two items a super awesome shirt and a key chain. Coming soon we will have re-usable shopping bags, refrigerator magnets stickers...and anything else we can slap our names on. Keep an eye over on the right hand side of this blog for new store products. Special, super huge thanks to Veruca on this one, she's quite the creative genius.

This weekend we visited the 11th Annual Klingon Feast in Daytona Beach, Fl. to discuss all things sci-fi and alcohol. Friday night was original series Klingon costumes, so no crazy ridge heads our first night in. We conducted some interesting interviews about how our otherworldly friends felt about wine here on earth. We also landed an exclusive interview with guitarist Chuck Silver of the awesome central Florida band Sci-Fried. Veruca judged an intergalactic wine tasting contest trying everything from Blood wine to Dragon Snot. Yeah...it was like that.

As soon as we recover from our hangovers we will be working on editing and uploading as well as some new wine reviews. Until then here are some pictures from the weekends shenanigans!

Group Photo!

Interviewing Chuck from Sci-Fried - he told us his secret recipe for his entry into the wine tasting contest...but we'll never tell!

Hot Chicks at a Sci-Fi Gathering?!?! Yes, they do exist!

And the best shirt of the weekend goes to Dr. Vern of Sci-Fried:

Live Long and Prosper!
Veruca and Violet Vino

What's German for delicious?

2009-09-18T15:15:00.000-04:00

Spat-burgunder Blanc de Noir!!!

I got this bottle during Violet and my excursion to our local Vino100. This is a great wine. It's light, slightly bubbly and easy to drink. If you need something to serve with, say... a family BBQ grab a few bottles of this. It is definitely a crowd pleaser. I drank it whilst snacking on some cheddar and watching a Hilary Duff movie (don't judge!) From the first glass to the last I enjoyed it.

Personally I think it will stand up to anything you decide to serve it with, whether its baked chicken, super spicy Asian, or just a glass or two that you need to unwind. I haven't seen any blancs readily available at the grocery stores so you may have to look for this a bit, but it will be worth it since this is a very enjoyable wine.

I was curious what exactly Blanc de Noir meant, so I googled it. It's a white wine made from red wine grapes. The grapes are crushed and then quickly separated from the skins.

Total Cellar of celebration!!

The Second Coming?

2009-09-03T11:59:00.006-04:00

Finding the perfect Pinot for mommy woes, wine for breakfast and if the Sutter Home Moscato was considered God’s Vagina…these two wines MUST be the second coming. Who knew God had multiple O’s?

This past week Veruca encouraged us to go local by picking up a bottle of Pinot Noir made in Plant City, Florida. She sent me a text message saying they also had a Strawberry Riesling, and we all know how much I *love* Riesling. I ran out, bought a bottle for a mere $12.78 (with tax), sped home and put it in the refrigerator. It was Friday, friends were coming over to hang out and play video games, and I had no plans to leave the house.

While the wine was chillin’ I popped onto the vineyards website to get a little bit of info. The Strawberry Riesling description reads: If you could bottle summertime, this is what it would taste like!! Light, refreshing and clean with the color of pale gold sunlight and a nose of ripened strawberries. The body is crisp yet bursting with honeyed red berries that lap over with soft acidity. Sumptuous to sip on its own, or paired with a cooled fruit salad and a pool!

I say yes, yes, yes, yes and oh my God don’t stop….more yes. It does smell like strawberries, it doesn’t smell like wine or alcohol at all. It’s sweet and light and crisp, and my first thoughts were something like this:

“Wow, if I could get away with drinking wine at breakfast and not be considered a lush, I would drink this with my eggs and fruit every morning.” It's not so sweet that you get the filmy, sugary feeling in your mouth, but it's not so dry you want to chug a gallon of water after drinking it. It's a perfect medium. The acid is very minimal, so no awful slosh-belly heartburn.

I drank this entire bottle Friday night. Since I’m the only wine drinker in the group of friends I had over, I drank it all on my own, without one single ounce of guilt. Amazing taste, sweet lovable wine buzz, even the wine burps were good and on a hangover scale of 1-10, this wine rates at about a 2. Inexpensive, incredibly tasty, and still feeling great the next day: I think I hear the angels singing in the Cellar of Celebration.

Last week Hayley, one of our fans, messaged us through facebook and asked us for a Pinot recommendation that would pair well with curing her mommy woes. Well ma’am, I think we’ve found a beautiful pairing for you.

Veruca's take:

Publix labeled this as "Blueberry Pinot Noir" even though the winery calls it blueberry semi-dry wine.

At first I was a little scared to try it, because red wines are pretty intimidating. I opened it though and it smelled sooooo good. After dinner I poured a glass and immediately texted Violet, "It tastes like those berry and cream life saver candies!" It was amazing! Fruity but not acidy, with a creamy mouth feel. It was sort of like Willy Wonka came in my mouth. Schnozberry explosion with no icky aftertaste or super sweet and sticky sugar feeling.

Even though most reds are supposed to be served at room temperature, this is way better chilled. The first glass I drank tasted almost like a slightly bitter blue lollipop. After it was chilled though it made the leap from alright to freakin' amazing. Serving it cooled is like putting satin lotion on a baby's butt...it makes it just that soft and smooth.

This wine will probably cure anything from PMS to in-law angst (mommy sorrows included!). Keel and Curley Vineyards, you are doubly exalted to the Cellar of Celebration! This wine is perfection!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!
Veruca and Violet Vino

Pick Your Poison - '08 Viña Borgia

2009-08-24T09:06:00.007-04:00

Last week Veruca and I took a trip to our local Vino100 store in search of our next vino victims. We found success, not to mention a wine club discount...which means we spent less than $10 each on our selections. Score!!

Still on the hunt for reds, I finally settled in on a bottle of 2008 Viña Borgia (possibly named after the infamous Lucrezia Borgia, rumored to be ruthless and known to poison her foes).

It's a Grenache with a description that reads: Taste of blackberries, strawberries and hints of leather, vanilla and plums. Perfectly combined with a sweet and pleasant tannin that leads to a long, balanced and smooth finish...

Veruca and I both crinkled our nose at the idea of leather, but I figured as long as it wasn't totally overwhelming, then I should be alright. Truthfully, it wasn't overwhelming at all...I couldn't taste any leather (Thank God). It was rich, thick and luscious in my mouth. The actual feel of this wine is pretty awesome. The first taste is sort of bitter. There's not a lot of that horrible acid feeling which is a big plus. There is a sweetness to it that does have hints of black berry. It is a little gritty though, I think maybe from too much sediment.

Overall it's a pretty good wine. My only complaints are the fact that it's a little too minerally and maybe even a little too thick feeling in the mouth. Which makes me wonder if maybe I should try one of those cool wine aerator thingies, since they say wine should 'breathe' and I'm impatient. I want my wine and I want it NOW.

Pros: Cool blue cork, fairly sexy bottle, rich semi-fruity flavor, less than $10
Cons: Kind of gritty, slightly bitter, possibly named after Renaissance woman known for poisoning people

I'm going to say this wine goes Back in the Barrel for now. It's not super amazing, but it's not awful. It's probably a good choice if you want to seem fancy for your unexpected dinner guests, but really don't want to spend the money on anything extravagant out of spite.

Eat, Drink, Be Merry...And never trust the scary woman with the big ring and seedy past to pour your drink.

Violet Vino!

Oh God, No Gallo!!

2009-08-12T01:53:00.003-04:00

I am sure that the longer this blog goes on our darling readers will notice that I, Veruca, will occasionally opt for bigger and cheaper is better. Whether your problem is a chipped manicure or a douche bag family member; sometimes a giant bottle of wine is exactly what the doctor orders.

My advice during these hella stressful times is never, ever, ever grab a bottle of Gallo Family Vineyard's anything. Twice Mr. Veruca (in a fit of being awesomely supportive of my new hobby) brought me home this brand. The first was a "white merlot" and now a "hearty burgundy", neither carry a vintage and both have an under $8.00 price tag.

The White Merlot, I tried a month ago. After describing it to Violet, we decided it wasn't even worth discussing. The bottle describes it as: Our White Merlot offers all the flavors of the Merlot grape-ripe plum, blueberry, and hints of cranberry-in a lighter bodied, brighter style. Refreshing and balanced its's a wine that is as fun to share as it is to discover Mr. Veruca picked it up cause he knew I love blueberries and cranberries. This had no hints of any. When it first hit my tongue all I could say was it was a very, very watered down red, it didn't even have any sort of distinctive aftertaste.

I am on my 2nd glass of Hearty Burgundy right now. I am seriously trying to decide whether to mix it with some cran-strawberry juice or dump it out. When it first hit my tongue it was almost like it was the anti-flavor, I tasted nothing until the slight whiskey like burn in my throat. The description on this bottle is: Our medium-bodied Hearty Burgundy combines mouthwatering richness with flavors ranging from dark berry to red plum. Well balanced and approachable, it's a wine that is as fun to share as it is to discover. I can see myself sharing this wine with people I hate, they know who they are as for "discovering" it, that would be as much fun as being guy number two in a devils three way.

I know I am being harsh, but seriously - if you are looking for a decent wine that won't hurt your wallet,skip this brand. I unknowingly gave it two shots and hated both times. Cellar of Shame!!

Sláinte chuig na fir, agus go mairfidh na mná go deo.'

(Health to the men, and may the women live forever!)

Veruca Vino

Mamma Madras! Vinho Tinto 2007 Limited Release.

2009-08-07T21:25:00.006-04:00

Este vino es sorprendente. This wine is amazing. I was so skeptical about drinking red wine, it's SO intimidating. I admit, I always think it's going to taste like blood.

This...this is a different lovely beast altogether. Rich, purple, smooth satin rolling across your tongue. Slightly sweet, slightly bitter, and all mouth-gasm. It could be that I've been drinking all night, but seriously, this stuff is pretty amazing in the realm of reds thus far.

The taste is surprisingly sweet for a red wine. The store label reads: Aromas of black fruits and wild strawberries lead to fresh, ripe red berry flavors. Loud flavors of wild strawberry and boysenberry mingle with subtle hints of oak, giving way to a nice, smooth vanilla background.

I tasted no real oak or vanilla, but I definitely tasted the berries. They were like rich, smooth, satin over my tongue. Heavy and strong, but not sticky and sweet, it's like there was a perfect balance of meaty fruits and tartness. If you are new to reds I highly recommend this! I think I heard the angels singing in the Cellar of Celebration as I finished my third (fourth? who's counting?) glass.

Did I mention it only cost me $12.78 (with tax!)? Yeah, that makes it even more amazing.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
Violet Vino

Blondes Don't Always Have More Fun.

2009-07-29T15:58:00.010-04:00

I'm a sucker for pinups. I admit I chose this weeks selection based solely on the sexy, blond bombshell on the bottle. In my defense, the description sounded really tasty. I chose Kestrel Vintners Pure Platinum 4th edition.

Not only did the little display card description sound enticing, the back of the bottle read like an oral sex scene out of a Harlequin Romance novel.

In the nose you will find hints of honeysuckle, passion flower and orange blossoms. The mouth explodes with sweet citrus and stone fruits...The long, lingering finish is sweet clover honey

Hell that makes me want to give a blow job! How can it not taste good? Right?!?!

The very friendly woman behind the counter said that we had made an excellent choice, it was a light and fruity wine that had been offered at some of their tastings and had sold out. She said it was a "lovely blend" and I awkwardly explained that I was a wine novice and had no idea what that meant. She politely explained that it was a few different varieties mixed together during fermentation (I think that's what she said anyway). Either way she made it sound amazing.

Stupid sales people.

Honestly, I thought it was a rather boring wine. I managed to talk Mr. Violet into trying some. He said it tasted like sweet and sour beer. I can't say as though I disagree. It's almost bubbly, but not exactly, it's light and doesn't stick to the inside of your mouth, which is a huge plus.

There were a few times I looked at Veruca and said "I think I taste some apple!" but that could have just been the air freshener in the house. There were really no distinctive flavors. It just tasted like white wine. I'm hoping that maybe it's because I'm a wine noob and my taste buds will eventually hit puberty and fill out. This wine I think goes Back in The Barrel, I'm reluctant to toss it into the Cellar of Shame, because the description sounds so orgasmic. I'm hoping that it's kind of like sex in that it only sucks the first time.

Veruca's Thoughts

I tried this with Violet and was unimpressed, it was more like drinking flat beer. I did get an apple-like aftertaste, but it wasn't good, it reminded me of an overripe crab apple Jason Lanteri dared me to eat in the third grade. After I had glass and a half I put this back in the barrel, however I do like the bottle.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
Veruca and Violet Vino

Fu-ki You!

2009-07-21T10:29:00.000-04:00

Oh Fu-ki Plum wine, I had such high hopes for you. I love Asian food, I love Asian decor, I love Asian tattoos...and not to sound too cliche, but I even love the Asian girl at the Chinese Restaurant down the street. (She's the most infectiously happy person ever).

Fu-ki Plum wine....I hate you. You crossed the line from bitter-sweet to completely and totally disgusting. The only way I can really think to explain it is to use a kool-aid analogy. You know how there's regular people kool-aid? The kind that you can almost taste the fruit flavor in...only it's not really fruit it's more like color? Red kind of tastes like cherry or strawberry and sometimes maybe even watermelon. Purple tastes like it might have been in the room with grapes. Then there is the kool-aid that has two pounds of sugar to every packet of kool-aid. You don't know what flavor it is, it just tastes like sugar and since it looks red, your taste buds think it might be red. That's what this wine is like.

Simply put: It tastes like sweetened Robitussin. Even leaves that same gross sticky feeling in your mouth that nothing short of substituting a pressure washer for your toothbrush will get out. I even tried to cut this with a dryer less sweet wine (I can hear all you wine connoisseurs cringing) but it was still disgusting.

Artificial flavors were obvious, plum was not. I'm sorry Fu-ki. Fuck you. I'm banishing you to the Cellar of Shame. FOREVER.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
Violet Vino