My First Wine Review!

Do I profess to be an expert? Could I call myself a sommelier? Heck, no. I just like wine. It tastes good, makes me feel good and is fun to try different kinds.

With all that preface on my qualifications, I am going to review Plow and Stars Riesling. It was a pleasant little surprise. I found it on my grocery journey at Whole Foods, and it was on sale for a perfect price of $7.99. Normally I find Riesling a bit too sweet; but of course, when I had just turned 21, Beringer White Zinfandel couldn't be sweet enough. Oh how the palate changes!

I will say, however, that the time we lived in Northern California and the time we spent wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma did help wean me off of cheap-o wines. Now, if there is nothing but a white zin at a party, that's fine with me. I'll drink some...I ain't proud. Besides, it's nice to revisit my first experiences with alcohol via pink, syrup-y wine, but it just doesn't taste as good to me as it used too. It's gotta be, for the simple fact, that I've learned there is so much more out there. Flavors, aromas, varietals and pairings.

So, back to Plow and Stars. I was very pleased. It's made from organic grapes, which was a nice plus, and it paired very well with the rock fish I made that night for dinner. My husband, who doesn't like sweet wines much at all, really enjoyed it.

This is what the back label said: Plow & Stars 2008 Riesling from Horse Heaven Hills in Columbia Valley, Washington is made from organically grown grapes. The vineyard is sustainably-farmed and stainless steel tanks were used exclusively to preserve the complex character of the Riesling grape. The crisp acidity makes this delicious Riesling a great companion to Asian cuisine, fusion cuisine, or seafood.

And this is how I would describe it: This wine is citrusy and light with a tiny tingle on your tongue (though I don't see any effervescence), and it made me think of all things summer- melon and peach in particular. It happily cuts through the steamy hotness of the Houston air and alleviates my temperature induced irritability (seriously).  It would be great with spicy food too and with a Thanksgiving turkey.

Like I said, we drank it with some rock fish that I pan seared and served with roasted sweet potatoes. Kinda an odd combo, but somehow it worked. The rock fish was buttery and a bit meatier than I expected, so the wine cut through the richness perfectly.

Anyways, that's my two cents. Give it a try, let me know what you think. Over all we were really happy with our new found wine. There's another wine over there that I've got my eye on. Couldn't tell you exactly what it is but when we try it, I'll let you know!

Also, any ideas for wines to try, let me know in the box below...let's shoot for $10 and under. This is a low budget production after all.

Cheers Dahhhhlings!