P.K.N.T. Pinot Noir

Okay, yes it has been a while. No I haven't given up wine, but slowed down a little bit. Seems like I don't have time for much of anything right now. Other than running that is. . . Someone (me) thought a marathon was a good idea so now there's a lot of preparation. Follow us on race day, Dec 14th, at the Honolulu Marathon's website.

But back to the wine. Joan got a bottle of pinot noir from P.K.N.T. (picante) for her birthday. We opened this bottle with some Thai food at our favorite eatery, Haleiwa Eats Thai, and, of course, some good company with our friend and neighbor, Heather.

The wine was delicious! Thanks Rebecca! Very smooth, fairly light, little bit fruity. I think a good pairing with the thai food. I had some fried chicken with some mild kick. It's able to quench the spicy while not overpowering. We'll look for it again!

La Planta and Il Bastardo

Another night out, this time with Joan's aunt and uncle. I'm finally getting around to posting this so I think it was last Friday. Three bottles of wine, though I didn't catch the last one, other than it was chianti.



So the first I can't find much information on other than a couple of blogs. La Planta Ribera del Duero Cosecha 2006. It was subtle and rich, and we enjoyed the jalrsberg cheese that her uncle had brought out. I'll find my notes soon and give a little more detail. No, Joan didn't drink out of the bottle! It had been decanted and the bottle was definitely empty.





The second wine was Il Bastardo, a Sangiovese di Tuscana which was also good. I like nearly all sangioveses and this one had a very mellow taste with some earthy undertones. It almost made it seem like a coffee or chocolate had been introduced. I think this is a good mellow wine for enjoying by itself or with simple pastas.

Camelot Cabernet Sauvignon

So, first wine to note here comes while on vacation. Well, visiting Joan's family, which is an awful lot like a vacation. We're at her parents house in Puerto Rico and it's hot! Eli brought a bottle of wine to the Mother's Day party, which we finally got around to opening.

The wine is a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon from Camelot Wines. Joan passed on wine tonight, so it was Phil, Eli and me drinking this with some grilled chuletas and tostones, which translates to pork chops and fried plantains.

The wine itself seemed not very complex and a little fruity. Now I didn't take "Wine Tasting" as a college course (you know who you are) so my descriptions of wines may be off a little, but I'd say a little bit cherry and a little bit peppery. Not a bad pairing, but with the heat and tostones I probably would have gone with a light white.

Now that I'm almost done, I can think of something I'd probably like to do in the future. That would be a template where I quickly fill in the label information and meal, if any. For anyone else reading this, let me know if you have any suggestions that might help me keep track of my favorite wines! Thanks!

To get things started

Well, this is an idea I've had for a while now. Ever since Joan and I spent some time in Naples, we have been enjoying wines and trying to remember all the ones we like.

Just last week (really?) our friends Dan and Aida asked us to join them at Grillsmith for a wine dinner, with a variety of wines matched with different courses. We enjoyed it immensely and I thought it would be a good occasion to start this blog.

Selfishly, it is for us, so we can remember which wines we've had and what the overall experience was like. I hope that at some point, our friends and family might also find it a good reference, and even add some recommendations.

So, now I just need to find the wines and menu from last week and get them up here!