Santero Strawberry Moscato

This week, gentle reader, I'm going to get a little girly. Those of you who know me IRL* are probably laughing so hard right now, because "feminine" is a word that appears pretty far down on the Top-Five-Hundred-Words-Used-To-Describe-Me list. It falls somewhere between "math-whiz" and "tall".


my bad...

But, when it comes to intoxicating libations, stuff me in a tutu and give me a puppy commercial to weep at, 'cause I LOVE ME SOME GIRLY DRINKS. Fruity, pink concoctions are my friend. If they're yours too, you'll really enjoy this week's wine: Santero Strawberry Moscato.

This is the sort of wine you want to have on hand when you're craving a Mai Tai, but, well, you're at home by yourself, eating a quart of ice cream in your pajamas, and you'd have to get dressed AND leave the house... or in any other non-pathetic circumstance in which you find yourself craving a fruity, alcoholic beverage but you don't have the ability or inclination to create one.

Santero makes several Moscato + fruit wines, but today I'm talking about the strawberry for a couple of different reasons: 1.) It's PINK, ergo it's a good choice for Valentine's Day, if you're into that. 2.) We're tasting it at PWC on Friday, February 7th, along with a bunch of other fun red and pink drinks.

Moscatos, by nature, are a sugary-ass wine. Sorry, there's no other way to say that accurately. On a sweetness scale of 1 to 10, Moscatos are a 46. They tend to have light fruit flavors about them, like peach or mango. This lends them to being a good wine to infuse with actual fruit flavors. And that's just what Santero has done.

The first thing you'll notice about the Santero Strawberry Moscato-- it's bubbly! Moscatos can be flat, slightly effervescent, or bursting with bubbles. This one's quite carbonated, so it works well in a situation where you might drink champagne (coughvalentinesdaycough), but your unsophisticated palate thinks that champagne tastes a little like vomit (yup, that's me).

The scent and taste of the wine is straight up strawberries and sugar. You've been forwarned, this is a *very* sweet wine. But it's also quite tasty. Santero Strawberry Moscato isn't the sort of wine you pair with a meal, but it's great with (or heck, FOR) dessert. Pairs well with chocolates in heart-shaped boxes. Hint Hint.

Price: $

My Rating: B

Enza Prosecco

I'm back! Did you miss me? Or rather: did you notice that I didn't publish a blog last week? Well if you didn't, shame on you, 'cause I noticed, and I missed me, damnit! And I think this is a good time to announce that, due to my ever-changing schedule, I'm going to move my blogging adventures to Wednesdays at whatever-time-I-get-around-to-it. I hope you find these changes agreeable. :)

We're SUPER excited!

This week, in preparation for Valentine's Day, I'm presenting to you with a nice bubbly that you just might wanna include in the romantic evening I'm sure you have planned for next Thursday: Enza Prosecco. On V Day, I myself will be schlepping it to Personal Wine Cellar, where we'll be having a totally free, baller tasting event from 5:00-7:30. So if you're really into Valentine's Day, come share some wine and goodies with your special someone. If you hate Valentine's Day...just come have a drink and eat some chocolate; you'll feel better for it. The point is: you should come!

Anyway, back to the Enza: if you are even an occasional reader of the CWT blog, you probably know that I am a fan of Prosecco-- particularly Riondo Prosecco. The Enza is a little different, but still a nice wine. It's clean and clear, with no obvious scents or flavors when you first smell and taste it, and nothing that lingers long after your sip. For this reason, it's good with a meal. Or chocolates. Or chocolates as a meal.

The Enza is "off-brut"-- not entirely dry, but not super sweet either. This is a small bubble sparkler with a thick head, so if you or your honey are predominately beer drinkers, this is a good sparkling wine to start out with. Light, crisp and refreshing, this wine is best served cold and would feel right at home with you soaking up sun at the beach. With a forecast of a foot of snow predicted for this weekend, I kinda wish the beach was where I was headed. I guess one can dream...

Yep, there. 

Price: $

My Rating: B