Wine Tasting: 2007 Roshambo "Ezekiel" Viognier

Awesome spicy food wine. Great dry finish, nice acidity. All of what I love in a Viognier is there - hints of melon and honey flavor, maybe a little bit of peach if you stretch a bit. Fermented entirely in steel, which is how I actually prefer my Chardonnays. My apologies to all of you out there who like the typical buttery, oak/steel-fermented California style of Chardonnay... I absolutely ABHOR the buttery taste that produces in white wine. If I am going to choose a white wine (I mostly choose reds), I want it to be nice and crisp and light and dry - usually to pair with spicier Asian dishes. So, I usually end up gravitating towards Viognier over Chardonnay because it has a similar body to Chardonnay, but without that buttery-ness that can come with partial fermentation in oak. As you can tell, I love this wine and this varietal. Enjoy!

Wine Tasting: LongSword Accolade Sparkling Chardonnay

OK... this sparkling wine was just so divine I ended up drinking the whole bottle... sorry :). Wonderful notes of pear and apple with a slight bit of residual sugar. It has a bit of a dry finish, which is quite nice given the sugar content. This pairs extremely well with spicier foods... totally takes the heat out. It is from LongSword Vineyards in Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon, so the only way to get it is directly from the winery. The winemakers are just this lovely couple who really care about making wine that is designed for everyday drinking - wine that is not designed for perfection of the varietal, but for fun, friendly, accessible drinking. Highly recommended!

Wine Tasting: 2006 Bridgeview Vineyards "Black Beauty" Syrah

Appellation: Southern Oregon.

This was a pleasant wine, but could stand to age about another year or two. Relatively dry for a Syrah (I prefer fruitier), but still quite a pleasant wine. It's light enough to be able to go with chicken, pasta, and other less heavy dishes. Medium-bodied and easy drinking. I picked this up back in early July when I was with my folks visiting Crater Lake in southern Oregon. Not the best of the bunch that I picked up, but very good for it's reasonable price at the winery ($17).

Recommendation: 3 out of 5.