Recently I have been trying some new wines and discovering some great gems, so I thought I would share them with my readers and also use my blog as forum to remember the great, the mediocre, and the not so good. Each week I will try to review a couple wines and a beer or two. Full disclosure, I have spent a lot of time learning about wines, but I am by no means a beer connoisseur. I don’t mind a good pint every now and then, so hopefully my recommendations will be helpful. Happy Drinking!
Summertime is one of my favorite times of year – I love it when the weather is warm with a light cool breeze and it is possible to sit on my balcony, watch the sunset, and enjoy a crisp glass of wine. There are two wines that I have been obsessed with recently and have really enjoyed sipping them with friends or just while I read during the sunset.
Top Wine Picks:
The first one I consider my dark horse and a surprise to my drinking repertoire- a rosé grown near the Austrian-Hungarian border by Lake Neusiedl: Meinklang: Prosa ein prickelndes Gedicht in Rosa, Frizzante Pinot Noir Rosé: 2012. I long ignored rosés, but about a year ago I had a fantastic rosé made from pinot noir and fell in love. I find it to be so refreshing and a perfect complement to a hot summer day. This sparkling rosé is fantastic –not sweet, but with subtle fruit undertones and a well-balanced acidity. Frizzante is half bubbles, which means this Austrian pinot noir zings with the perfect amount of bubbles, allowing drinkers to really experience the red berry taste. I had this one night on its own and a second time with avocado with a light French vinaigrette. (Purchased at Whole Foods: $15.99)
The second wine pick for this week is: Mont Gravet: Côtes de Gascogne: 2012. I picked up this wine a month or two ago and just revisited it again this week. This wine has fabulous fresh pear and peach aromas. It has a strong, rich taste with light fruit undertones, making this wine more of a presence then just a compliment to a dish. From the Gascony region in the South of France, this wine is best served crisp and cold and with seafood – I opted for fresh crab atop cucumber slices. (Purchased at Whole Foods: $8.99)
Top Beer Pick:
As I mentioned above, I am not a beer connoisseur, but I just could not stay away from: Maine Beer Company: Zoe. In all seriousness I picked this beer solely because of the label – It is clean, attractive, and from Maine (which I have always loved). 
That said, I was very pleasantly surprised by this Freeport, Maine treat – it is dark, hoppy, chocolatey, strong, and velvety. Plus it has a great story – as most things do in Maine. From the back of the bottle – On a rainy fall day in 2009, my five-year old daughter Zoe and I were wandering the streets in Bar Harbor and stumbled across the Whale Museum. Zoe loved it. It put a smile on her face. Hopefully our ale will do the same for you. Cheers! As a final note, I really enjoyed this beer paired with Salt and Vinegar Pop Chips –random, I realize but the salty/dark beer combination was absolutely perfect. (Purchased at Whole Foods: $7.49)
Hopefully you will find as much enjoyment in each of these three picks as I have this summer. I am looking forward to my research for the next weekly wine post!
hungrylikeawolfe 