Thanksgiving Riesling

Thanksgiving means delicious food and wine and this year was no exception. I went to visit my parents and brother, none of whom are big wine fans. My dad and brother actually hate wine, so bringing a wine everyone would like was a big challenge. Luckily, I knew the perfect wine!

Schloss Vollrads riesling, one of the best rieslings I've ever had. I originally had it in a restaurant in Dallas and loved it, but haven't had it in a couple of years. When Grapevine Market had their closeout sale, I got a couple of bottles for $10 instead of $15. I remembered it being amazing, and hoped it still would be a few years later, for a group of people who are not into wine.

The wine ended up being a success! My mom has had a few rieslings before and its the only type of wine she even kind of likes, so I wasn't surprised she liked it. My dad hasn't had wine since college and never drinks, and he liked it too! My brother only likes beer and never drinks wine, and even he said it wasn't bad! Success! :)

The wine is very light and fruity. It tastes almost slightly bubbly, and is inoffensive in every way. Its very refreshing and versatile and is pretty inexpensive so basically its an all around winner! I will definitely get this wine again!

Goat Cheeses

So many amazing cheeses! Here are a few of the cheeses Im enjoying this week! Here is a very herby goat cheese from Whole Foods:

And a honey goat cheese with pecans on top:

YUM!

Juan Gil and Manchego

Manchego is probably one of my FAVORITE cheeses of all time. It is an oily, salty, Spanish sheep cheese that you really just have to try. Everyone I've shared it with loves it as well, which is why I brought it for a wine night. To go with the sheep cheese, we had a Juan Gil red wine, also from Spain. I bought the wine a while back and the Specs guy recommended it to go with sheep cheese, so I thought this would be a match made in heaven. Each thing was delicious separately, but I still cant really tell if a wine and cheese "pair" well.

Note: These pictures are TERRIBLE! :(

Le Roule

As I've said before, I love soft cheeses with herbs and Le Roule is no exception! I used to get this cheese at Central Market but just recently found it at Sun Harvest for a lot cheaper! The cheese itself is super creamy and soft and there is a layer of herbs winding throughout the cheese.

Its amazing!

Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Yum, yum, yum! I had no idea goat cheese cheesecake existed, but I ran across it at Specs during the wine tasting! So of course I had to get a slice to try it. Goat cheese usually has a distinct flavor and texture, so I was a little bit nervous to see its take on cheesecake but it was really delicious! In fact, it tasted exactly like a regular cheesecake haha. It wasn't overly sweet, which I liked, and there was a bit of cherries or cranberries or something that paired well with it.

Im not a huge cheesecake fan, but this was pretty good. Im glad I tried it, just to see what it was, but I probably wouldnt get it again because it just tastes like regular cheesecake.

Texas Hills Orange Moscato

This Texas Hills Orange Moscato is probably one of my favorite wines. I visited the winery about a year ago and took home this bottle and decided to finally open it this week.

This wine comes in a 2/3 sized bottle and is 14% alcohol yet still sweet, so its almost like a dessert wine. It is... SO good.

I cant even describe it well enough, so here is the description from the winery's website -

"The Orange Muscat grape has a natural orange zest essence that presents itself in the wine. Pleasantly sweet, (less than 5%Residual Sugar); nicely balanced; with an alcohol level of 14% (highest alcohol level we've ever done with the Orange Moscato) this wine has a smooth orange zest presentation with just a hint of peach and tropical fruit. "

It really is sweet, but not overly so like a lot of moscatos Ive had. I think its cool how that particular grape has a natural orange flavor, and the almost bitter orange zest flavor pairs so well with the sweetness of the wine. If you've never had it, I would definitely recommend everyone go out and get this wine! :)

Stocking up at Grapevine

Ok so Im not going to lie - I spent a fortune at Grapevine Market. All the wines were 30% off! I took this as a once in a lifetime opportunity to stock up on some of my favorite more expensive wines that I never buy. So here they are...

I actually have two more that I bought after the picture was taken. On the left are 2 Schloss Vollrads, which is an AMAZING german riesling that I had a few years ago in a restaurant. Its usually $15 and with the discount they were only $10 each. Then I have 2 orange moscatos from Texas Hills and Flat Creek, both around $19, discounted to $13. Then a Pine Ridge chenin blanc/viognier that I like, not too pricey but delicious. Then an argentinian torrontes that is one of my faves, from $16 down to 11. The rest are just wines I like and would probably buy otherwise. Spanish and Chilean red wines and 2 vino verdes that I got just because they were super cheap and its good to have those around (I think they were like $5 and $6 with the discount).

I also got an almond sparkling wine from Flat Creek ($15 down to $10) that I predict will be amazing, based on the past 3 almond sparklers I've tried. Also I got the Chisholm Trail Desperado wine($20 down to $14), because I've been to that winery and remember it being very good. So basically my wine rack is completely full and in fact overflowing now. Im not planning on buying wine again until after I move next summer!