5 Wines "Under $10" - Reviewed by a Range of Palettes

What: a pseudo-amateur wine tasting, focused on red and white wines under $10. The only reason I use the word pseudo is because a third of our tasters were quite expert while the other four of us are still pretty new (okay, brand new?) to the tasting game.

The setting: Friday night, screened in back porch, complete with a killer spread and complemented by perfect early fall weather.

The wines: well, here they are. I'll go into more detail below as well as share every taster's notes. Thank you to Brandon for making the tasting recommendations. (We all wrote down our notes independently/individually then shared our thoughts with the group.)

(Mmm... brussels sprouts, sundried tomato wheat pasta, prosciutto wrapped melon, salami, several cheeses, olives, brownies, purple potato salad, egg rolls, apples/hummus and more)

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay (Australia) - 2006.

• B.T. - "A little oily/lanolin-y, slightly oxidized. Nose: a little oak; lemon/citrust. Palate: thick mouthfeel. A little light on flavor. Slight rocks, lemon. Not much [in terms of palate]. Oily/lanolin --> oxidized. Aging too fast --> oxidized. Tasted better a year ago."
• C.T. - "I don't smell much. Easy and light; a little apple-juicy; not a lot of maliclactic fermentation. Needs more acid - has a little on finish but would like more."
• G.G. - "Water, mild, tasteless."
• E.O. - I lost her card for this first wine so I don't have these notes. I'm sure they said something profound though. Sorry! :(
• D.M. - "Smell: Pear. Taste: quick, mild flavor. Reminds me of a cool fall breeze flowing through the forest."
• K.M. - "Good legs but I hear legs don't actually mean anything... Rainy/misty/foresty; fruity; not crisp" (funny the hubs and I both took away "forest-like")

This was the point in the evening where I learned that wine is either aged in oak, steel or concrete. Concrete is apparently somewhat common for aging white wines. Who knew?

Four Vines Naked Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County, California) - 2008

• B.T. - "Nose: Apple peel; pear; some tropical fruits. Palate: Pineapple, kiwi (?), guava (?); freshness; some chalkiness on finish; grapefruit/orange pith; better acid [than Penfolds]. Not as good as the 2007."
• C.T. - "Small nose - citrus, acid, fruit, a little grapefruit. Reminds me of a New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Better finish. Better acid. Persimmon or kumquat (?).
• G.G. - "Acidic; bitter finish; semi-dry. Lingers on the tongue. Spicy."
• E.O. - booo! I can't find these notes either. Bummer. argh!
• D.M. - "Strong. Almost carbonated-like. Fruity but not sure what type of fruit. Earthy/rustic."
• K.M. - "Much more crisp [than the Penfolds]. Healthy amount of acidity/sourness. Reminds me of Georgia-grown white wines."

With this wine came a little more knowledge. Brandon tells us that "naked" means this wine was aged in stainless steel. Also, it can accidentally happen that wines get a little carbonation. Note: this wine is really affordable for a U.S. wine because land here is expensive — and you need a lot of land for a vineyard.

Mark West Pinot Noir (California) - 2008.

• B.T. - "Nose: Tobacco, dark fruit, black currant, black cherry, touch of herbaceousness. Palate: some sugar, dark chocolate. Decent Tannin. Must be some syrah added. Dark fruit, cola. Would not necessarily be able to call this a pinot noir blend. WAY better than 2007 vintage and prior"
• C.T. - "Cherry, fruity. Very easy. Not a lot of depth — but easy and enjoyable. Strawberry."
• G.G. - "Dry, bold, acidic." (it was at this point that Garey told the group that he sometimes can't taste foods unless they have A LOT of flavor)
• E.O. - "Earthy, robust. Sweet, smooth finish. Hint of chocolate" (so bummed I lost Erica's earlier notes!)
• D.M. - "Smell: oak, spice. Taste: strong, powerful, talented, up-and-coming. Nice acidity."
• K.M. - "Some acidity. Good body. It sounds generic, but I wrote down 'I like it.' Tobacco flavors. Smells to me like the Naked Chardonnay. Blackberries (?). Reminds me of a petite syrah taste-wise."

Campo Viejo Rioja Crianza (Spain) - 2007

• B.T. - "Nose: a little hot (alcoholic). Damp earth, slightly bretty. Bright cherries. Palate: Cherries, tannic. Good structure. A little simple. Might get better with age. Best [of the tastings] so far."
• C.T. - "Aroma: damp, a little earthy, a little acidic. Tannic. Finish is good. Leather, cherry."
• G.G. - "Fruity smell. Dry. Smooth."
• E.O. - "Apples, spice. Oak barrel. Complicated" (Editor's note: this tasting card has a heart and a Christmas tree drawn on it. Symbolism? I'm not sure)
• D.M. - "Smell: cinnamon. Taste: Smokey, rustic."
• K.M. - "More acidic than the Mark West. Cabernet-like. Oaky. Good tannins. Simple.

I hope Brandon can correct me if I'm wrong, but I wrote down from his comments that Rioja took over in Spain when Bourdeaux grapes were ruined. Riojas are mostly tempranillo. The label saying "Crianza" means it was aged a year in oak.

Also, for some reason I have "Did you know that argonauts have the half life of a softshell crab?" written down on my card. Apparently this is where we started getting silly and making inside jokes that even now I'm on the outside of a few days later.

Bogle Petite Sirah (California) - 2007

• B.T. - "Nose: Big! Some blue fruit, black fruit, red fruit. Bramble. Palate: Big fruit. Good structure. A little 'jammy' but excellent tannin and structure. Blueberry/blackberry jammy. Crazy finish"
• C.T. - "Good tannins, nice finish. Smoke. Cherry. Tobacco."
• G.G. - "Tastes exactly like the Rioja."
• E.O. - "Extremely tannic. Great structure. Beefy. Bite. I smell chocolate."
• D.M. - "Can't describe but I love it!"
• K.M. - "Most acidic yet. Definitely tobacco. Good tannins. Full bodied. Favorite yet. Deep. Feels like it would hold up well to steak."

This was the group's definite favorite. I guess it worked out that we ended with the best.

FYI: Petite Sirah is sometimes added to red wines to make them more structured.

If you do a wine tasting, be forewarned... copious amounts of fermented grapes may cause you to imitate nerds you've met at industry association meetings.

And a few more photos from the evening:

(If you're an Atlanta, try Toco Hills Giant, Total Wine and Green's for these selections)

And a big "break a leg" and congrats to Garey and Erica, who will be walking down the aisle this Friday!

Summer Housewarming Party Style

Yesterday, I posted on my other blog ("Katy Streams Her Consciousness") that we had a little housewarming party slash cookout on Saturday.

What does one wear to a late June housewarming party? Well, I think we can confidently look to my friend Lauren, who looks absolutely adorable for anything and everything.

Here's how Lauren attends a summer inside/outside housewarming party in style:

Summer casual chic in an Ann Taylor LOFT jeweled tee ($45), Ann Taylor LOFT crinkle shorts ($50) and some mauve espadrilles by Restricted. (shoes bought at the Columbus, GA, boutique Pursona for $53.)

This top has a party in the back — check out fun the ribbon tie. (Photo from Ann Taylor LOFT)

Such fun and feminine details.

I love that the shoes are slightly pink but still neutral.

And here's what I wore:

Black shorts from H&M ($25), four-year-old black satin espadrilles from Old Navy ($12, I think), linen Safari-ish top from Ross by Ecologie ($14) and a black/brown/gold costume necklace I found on eBay a few years ago for $8. Aren't you jealous of our astro-turf patio?

What would you wear to a cookout or summer housewarming party?

Sweet Elegance Bridal

Gotta tell you locals about Sweet Elegance Bridal.

No, I'm not renewing my vows after less than two years; I went wedding dress shopping last weekend with one of my besties.


Megan had a few pre-reqs for her wedding dress, all of which are reasonable: flattering cut, fair price tag, elegant style... and good customer service from the bridal shop where she's buying. (The latter seems like it would be easy, but we've had too many frustrating experiences with wedding dress shopping and bridesmaid dress shopping. Note: stay away from New Natalie's.)

I digress. When Megan did her preliminary wedding dress hunting online, she kept seeing that the dresses she liked were carried at a Decatur shop called "Sweet Elegance." So she made it the first stop on her wedding dress journey.


Sweet Elegance is a small bridal boutique on Church Street in Decatur, Georgia. Amidst a sea of car dealerships, you could almost miss this gem of a shop -- not to mention its simple black awning and strip mall locale doesn't do its interior or experience any justice. The store specializes in dresses from $400 to $5,000 in a variety of styles and cuts.

The shop is owned by a mother/daughter team. Aimee, the mother of the duo, opened the shop about five years ago when she felt a void needed to be filled in Atlanta. She and her daughter felt as though all the bridal boutiques were overpriced, provided horrible customer service and/or didn't carry flattering and elegant styles.


When a bride makes an appointment at Sweet Elegance, she isn't rushed or pressured to try on dresses far out of her price range. Also, because the boutiques are experts at understanding the female body, they choose the dresses they feel would most flatter the bride.


Megan's experience was no different. She only had to try on four dresses to find "the one." Aimee showed us how Megan could alter the skirt of the dress for an even more "wow" silhouette. The sales staff was friendly and courteous and really made the experience feel special for Megan. She tried on veils and earrings and even did a little silly practice walk "down the aisle." And her mom was comfortable with the price.


Of course I can't post a photo of Megan on this blog until after her Spring 2011 wedding -- but I CAN show you a teeny crops of a photo. Isn't that the face of a gal who's found the right dress? Mike is going to have his socks blown off when he sees her walking down the aisle!

Sweet Elegance

1652 Church Street

Decatur, GA 30033

(404) 292 - 8424

Appointments Mon. - Wed. from 10:30 to 6; Thurs. - Friday 10:30 to 7; Saturday 10 to 6. Closed Sundays.

Totally Fun NYE (Plus an Outfit Reveal)

Thanks to everyone who helped me figure out what to wear on New Year's Eve (gah, it was so tough!) . The sparkly off-white top and black skirt ended up being great choices for our little shindig — not to mention I'll eventually get to wear that purple vintage getup for another occasion (with a little tailoring in the top, of course).

Lovely party hostesses.

Fam part 1

Fam part 2 (gotta love 'em)

Miz Mego, looking fabulous.

• Sequined formal halter: Rimini (from the formalwear department at Gayfer's or Dilliars or something forever ago... had never worn it) - $40
  
• Black high-waisted pencil skirt from Express - $60
• (Not pictured) black tights (Target?) and the below Dolce Vita brand Wish Boots from Endless.com - $143 (with free shipping)
• (Kind of a splurge outfit for me, but the boots were my big purchase this winter)

Boots from Endless - now $136 (free shipping). They're even cuter with the tops folded/cuffed.

Also, thanks to Raging Burrito and Raging Taco (Decatur Square) for allowing us to host a party in their space again this year. We appreciate it, Laura and Scott!