Day 148-2002 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine by Lynfred Winery for $35 for 375 ,;

This wine is by far the best Vidal Blanc Ice Wine of Lynfed Winery. The only reason I bought this wine because it is way out of our price range is because I was getting 25% off the mixed case of wine. I like Ice wines and generally they are made out of the Vidal Blanc grape, and Lynfred has 2 other Ice Wines from 2007 and 2006 from the same grape which are not nearly as good. If this wine was closer to $20 I would purchase it more often, however it is overpriced for its mellow honey flavor so I will only blog on it for informational purposes.

Day 147-Blueberry wine 375 ml by Lynfred Winery for $11.00

This wine is by far the best fruit wine by Lynfred Winery. The blueberry wine goes great with chocolate and without anything. If you like blueberries you will love this wine. This wine is smooth, not tart and not overly sweet. This wine is 100% blueberries and actually tastes better than blueberries to me. I like the Cooperhawk blueberry wine also, but I have to give the nod to Lynfred. This is a light fruit wine despite being a berry wine and does not require a spritz, due to the texture of the wine being so mellow.

Day 146-2004Cabernet Franc Ice Wine for $24.00 for 200ml from the Debonne Vineyards of Ohio

We bought this wine on our trip to Ohio, and despite it not being in the price range we need to include it because it is just that good. It may be the best ice wine, myself and my better half have ever tried. The vintner describes this wine as having hints of cherry, chocolate, and vanilla and I would agree those are the flavors that come through on this wine. When someone thinks of an ice wine, they generally think of a very sweet, kind of sticky wine, that is not the case in this wine, this wine is smooth as silk and if you are willing to try an ice wine, this wine is irresistible even though it s

Day 145-Apricot Wine by Lynfred Winery for $10

This wine is 100% apricots so you need to like apricots in order to like this wine. I am not a huge fan of apricots, and I think this wine is ok. I would not buy this wine again, because I like the sparkling apricot much better, and I feel this wine is a litte to heave and would do better spritzed with seltzer water. The reason the blog has been so limited this month is that a lot of the wines we have been drinking recently are repeats, and since we are moving at the end of the month, we are trying not to buy more wine, because then we would have to move the wine. Back to the Apricot wine, a definite change of pace from the typical berry wines, and a well made wine for someone who likes apricots.

Day 144-Elderberry Wine from Prairie State Winery of Genoa, IL for $14.99 at Long Grove Farmstand

I tried this wine at the Wine and Dine Long Grove Wine Festival. I may have tried this wine previously at the actual winery in Genoa, Il, but I am not sure. I had a cold when we visited the winery the first time and can't remember any wines that stood out in particular. This wine is sweet and tart and a very good berry wine. It is a unique flavor, and if you like berries in general, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, more than likely you will like this wine also. I find berry wines turn to vinegar very fast due to the freshness of the wine. I am actually quite paranoid about wines turning into wine ever since I had 2 wines taste of vinegar in a week. I would buy this wine again, but I would make sure that it was this year since I think this wine is one that turns to vinegar fast.

Day 143-2008 American Chardonnay by Lynfred Winery for $17.50

This is not a sweet wine, however this is the white wine of the month for August 2009. This wine is a Chardonnay that is slightly buttery. It tastes like your typical Chardonnay which is a grape that I don't like, I prescribe to the ABC's (Anything but Chardonnay) of wine to a certain extent. Occasionally, I like an unoaked Chardonnay, but generally speaking I need to drink this wine with food in order to actually enjoy this wine.

Day 142-Recession Noir $12.99 by Prairie State Winery

We have visited this winery, Prairie State Winery, in Genoa, Ill last winter. We bought the Pumpkin Wine at that time, and I am unsure if the Recession Noir was actually available. I tasted this wine with my sister at the Wine and Dine Event at Long Grove, Il this last weekend. This wine has a cute caption on the bottle and the vintner is reporting of having a Recovery Noir in the works. This wine is very mellow, a great drinking wine that does not require food. It is fruit forward and would be my house red if available closer to my home. I am going to check on line to see what the shipping charges on this wine since I think this wine would be my house Red Wine. This wine is off-dry which is why I find it so pleasant with cherry flavors that would pair with turkey and cranberry or with chocolate and fruit. This wine is better than the Fred's Red which I also considered for a house red.

Day 141-Moscato d'Asti 2008 by Umberto Fiore for $7.99 at Costco

We bought this wine because it was the most reasonable Moscato d'Asti that we have ever found in a store. Generally speaking, I do not like Moscato d'Asti because I find them too sweet. This wine tastes like your typical Moscato d'Asti very sweet with just a touch of fruit flavors. I don't find this one to have as many distinct fruit flavors so I would think that the quality is somewhat compromised by the taste, however this wine is still very good for a Moscato d' Asti and at this price it would be a staple for my better half. I would give this wine out at Christmas due to reasonable price and woulb probably be a total hit for the non-wine drinkers.

Day 140 Adega de Pegoes 2008 bought at Vintages for under $10.00

This wine was bought as part of the Spain/Portugal tasting in July at Vintages. This wine is a crisp, summer white, best served chilled with or without food. The wines of Portugal are extremely reasonable and serve as nice alternative to a Sauvignon Blanc. The vintner describes the white wine as grown in the Pegoes region, a Jurassic seabed that makes up the sun-baked plains of Lisbon, are renowned for their scented bouquet and fruity flavor. This is an aromatic medley of rich and juicy summer-ripe fruit, yet refreshingly zesty, crisp and dry. Great wiht Oriental and spicy cuisine. This wine is very fruit forward and is dry, however not as dry as Troy would make you believe. This wine would be great for a summer party, birthday party, and just sitting around drinking out at the pool. I really like this wine for drinking with chicken and fish versus alone, since it is a bit on the dry side. A great value though, for anyone who likes white wine.

Day 139-Emeri De Bortoli Pink Moscato at Vintages for $12.99

We tried this wine at the free wine tasting at Vintages last Sunday of Wines from Down Under. This wine is the first Moscato that we have ever tried from Austrailia. This light pink sparkler is delicious and light. I am glad that I bought 2 bottles of the wine. It is slightly sweet, but not as sweet as the Moscato di' Asti from Italy. This wine is a great wine for a girl baby shower, New year's eve, and any other celebration. I am celebrating that I made it to Friday. We were not able to taste a lot of wines at this down under tasting, we had Tyler with us and he does not have the patience to enjoy the atmosphere of a wine tasting yet. This wine was a pleasant surprise and I will consider keeping this wine as a staple in my house.

Day 138-Pear Wine by Lynfred Winery for $10

This fruit wine is 100% pears. My better half does not like pears, but he likes this wine. I like pears, so I really like this wine. When I tasted this wine originally at the tasting room I found the pear flavor much more distinct than I did when I drank this wine last night. I found that the pear flavor was much more subtle. I found this to be like a white wine with just a touch of pear flavor, a very summery wine. I would definitely bring this wine to barbecues, baby showers, birthday parties, I am guessing this to a crowd favorite for the both the wine and the non-wine drinkers. I find the fruit wines to be nice introduction to wines, and I think this wine has enough fruit flavors to make it a crowd favorite.

Day 137-Berry Sparkling Wine Doux by Lynfred Winery for $20 a bottle after discount

I know lately the blog has been dominated by the Lynfred wines, but like I reported previously the fruit wines were on sale and I bought a case. This sparkler may be my favorite sparkler yet. This wine is 40% vidal blanc, 20% raspberry wine, 20% blackberry wine, and 20% strawberry wine. This wine tastes like a sparkling raspberry/blackberry wine. If you like the raspberry and blackberry wines of Lynfred then you will love this wine. This wine would be great with chocolate, but is superb alone. This wine is similar in texture and bubbles to all the Lynfred sparklers, but I do think this one has the most fruitful flavor. This wine is not going to last long, I am just disappointed that their wines are so pricey, because if this wine was closer to $15 versus $20, I would be more likely to buy it on a regular basis.

Day 136-Peach Sparkling Wine Demi Sec by Lynfred Winery for $20.00 after case discount

I love the Lynfred Sparkling fruit wines, they are delicious. I have tried all of the fruit sparkling except for the Berry which I plan to drink later this month. This wine is 40% vidal blanc and 60% peach wine, a very interesting combination with a delicious finish. It is like a mimosa, but peach flavored versus orange. This sparkler is only 10% alcohol perfect for drinking earlier in the day with brunch. If you like peaches, and if don't mind the taste of peaches, I would gurantee you would like this wine. I really liked the Peach Wine by Lynfred, which made this wine a very easy sell for me. I would buy this wine by the case, to save the 20% but it is still pricey for a weekly drink, however if you can afford to splurge for a vacation or for a summer party, I would, this sparkler does not disappoint.

Day 135-Apricot Sparkling Wine Demi Sec by Lynfred Winery for $20 with case discount

Like I wrote previously in my blog, I bought a case of the fruit wines from Lynfred since it was 25% off the last weekend of July. All the fruit sparklings were included in this special, so I bought one of each of the fruit sparkling wines. The Apricot Sparkling wine is 15% Chardonney, 15% Pinot Grigio, 10% Chenin Blanc, and 60% Apricot Wine. The winemakers assistant when describing this wine said it was more on the dry side. I did not find this at all. This wine was very fruit forward, and was heavier then your typical sparkling wine. The wine was a deep yellow/gold color that looked very similar to the color of the Apricot wine which have tried previously and liked also. I would describe this wine as basically a sparkling apricot wine. If you like the taste of apricots you will like this wine. This wine was delicious and I am huge fan of fruit sparklers. This is a great brunch wine, lunch wine, and general sipping wine in the summer. I found the fruit sparklers to be more fun than elegant, and much better alone than paired with food. The price on the Lynfred's sparklers are just too much to buy them on a more regular basis, no matter how good.

Day 134-Purple Passion by the Village Vintner for $13.99 per bottle

This fruit wine jumps on the Acai bandwagon and is a blend of intense Acai fruit, raspberries with a splash of red wine according to the vintner. We found this wine to be very similar to the Blue Moon and the Pom a Berry that we like from the Village Vintner. This is very good summer wine, doesn't taste like what one would expect wine to taste like, it is sweet very fruity like a juice wine. Purple Passion is not a food wine, but a great summer sipper, served well chilled playing horseshoes, picnicing, at any barbecue. This wine is only 8% alcohol so you can over indulge a little on those nice summer evenings without forgetting the entire evening. My better half really liked this wine and gave a bottle to his father for his birthday.