Wine, Oh Wine, Oh Wine...

Last night my husband J and I went out to this wine bar called UNWINED (get it? ha ha). We met up with our aunt and uncle, K&K and another couple B&B. At first I didn't know what to expect. The place is part of shopping strip mall (so you always have to be a little weary of these things...)

Once we settled down and looked at the menu. I felt myself unwinding a little bit (I just had to say that because of the name of the place...) They offer at least 50 different wines to taste and 14 different flights. If you don't know wines, a flight is where you get to sample 3 or 4 different glasses of wine for a great price. We all ordered different flights. I got myself the Riesling flight. I like Rieslings cause they tend to be a little sweeter and lighter.

The 3 Rieslings I tried were:

1. Emrich-Schonleber, Halbtrocken, Nahe Germany 2003 ($18.95/bottle)
2. Schmitages, Mosel-Saar-Rumer, Germany 2005 ($14.95/bottle)
3. Grans-Fassian, Kabinett, Piesporter Germany 2004 ($23.95/bottle)

They were all very delicious and I loved them all. They were all crisp, smooth, and had strong overtones of fruits. My favorite one was the Grans-Fassian. It was just the right amount of sweet. Of course, I had to buy a bottle. The owner told me it's his last case, so I may have to stop by this week and stock up on some before it's out. As you can see from the prices, they are all very reasonable. Since I've been out here in CA, I have enjoyed wine more and more -- and why not? I am in wine country after all :)

Another great thing I liked about this place was that the owner of UNWINED was very gracious and personable. He came over and talked to us. Since he knew I liked wines a little more on the sweeter side, he brought over a sherry for me to try. Though I am not a fan of sherry or ports, I took a sip and I felt as though I was drinking through a vat pureed raisins. It reminded me a lot of a madeira wine -- which is very sweet. It was nice for him to do that...but in the future I will refrain from all ports or sherries.

I also liked the tapas plates they offered. Now mind you, this isn't tapas in the Spanish sense, but they called them tapas or "small plates." We ordered a few of the cheese plates -- there was Stilton (stinky bleu cheese) and Jarslberg Swiss, Manchengo and Parmesan, Gouda and Gruyere, and Brie with Figs. Each plate was accompanied by bread, dried fruit, and nuts. I also ordered smoked salmon on creme fraiche with dill on brioche toasts. It was all very good and accompanied all the wine.

The only trouble with wine tasting is that once you start tasting, you can't stop and before you know it, the bill stacks up. For the 6 of us, our bill totaled about $280. We split the bill 3 ways, so it all worked out in the end. Besides, we had a great time!

If any of our friends ever come out to visit, I'm taking you to UNWINED.