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

Tutidi Moscato

Well folks, I have some good news and some bad news today on the blog-front...

The good news is: I have emerged victorious from my Robitussin-induced, sleep-deprived delirium and fully intended on making sure today's offering is a.) in English, b.) free of technical difficulties and c.) coherent.

The bad new is: I didn't have time to taste a wine this weekend. I know you're thinking "that's preposterous, how can you not find time to DRINK WINE, since it is in part what you are paid to do at Personal Wine Cellar?"
I know, I know; you're right. And as a special gift to you, I'm going to let you use your imagination to answer that question and call it a day.

Lucky for me, the wines we'll be tasting at PWC this Friday are some old favorites; three delicious Italian sparklers, great for chilling while you're chillin' and/or grillin' (see what I did there?).
"Tutidi," as the bottle will tell you, is Piedmontese for "everyday." Not fussy or frilly, all three wines are great tasting and reasonably priced. The Cortese is a light, drier white and the Bracetto is a bubbly red with pleasing dark fruit and berry flavors.

Yup, only one photo today.

Since I tend to favor sweeter whites (and remember what it tastes like), I'll tell you a little more about the Moscato-- the Ultimate Summer White*:

The Tutidi Moscato is a great party wine. By that, I mean it's great just chilled and in a glass, but it's also versatile enough that you could do other things with it; add some schnapps or a cordial to make a delish carbonated cocktail. There's already a decent amount of light fruit flavors in the Moscato, so you can add some fresh fruit to make a fantastic (I wanted to say slammin', but had some last-minute reservations committing to yet another silly apostrophe) white sangria-- I'd go with peaches and or pears.

If you're the type of person who's ever said "I'm celebrating something and want to participate in/give a toast, but I don't like champagne" (or something to that effect), give one of the Tutidi sparkling wines a try for your next toast-worthy event. And if you need a reason to celebrate and don't have any impending festivities, I do have a birthday coming up...

Price: $

My Rating: A

* Tied with Riondo Prosecco. And up for debate, if the mood strikes. But it is really good, I promise!