Bogle - Chardonnay @@@@@ (5 corks) !

Retails: $9.95 (Wal-Mart)

Let me start this off by saying...I love my fiance. Not only, in his currently unemployed state, does he happily do errands, groceries and clean the house, but he has exceptional taste in wine! He isn't even a wine drinker, not in the least bit. He is, by and large, an avid Captain Morgan drinker with next to no exceptions. When it comes to selecting a bottle for yours truly, he has yet to disappoint.

Just last weekend, we were exceptionally busy so I asked him to do the big-daddy grocery trip entirely on his own. Normally, it's our weekend ritual to do the largest grocery run together. However, as life has a tendency to do, we were overwhelmingly busy with innumerable obligations and so, I sent him, with list and coupons in hand, to grab our grocery load for the week. Included among the typical milk, pasta and deli meats that grace our list regularly, was a bottle of white wine---a dry white that I needed mostly for cooking. Given his less than optimal knowledge of wine, I sent along the following instructions: "the cheapest bottle you can find, a CHARDONNAY would be preferable."

But, taking the opportunity to impress me, he decided to buy me a bottle of Bogle Chardonnay. For reds, Bogle is one of my all-time favorites. When he's usually aiming to surprise me, as he frequently does (lucky me), he will buy me a bottle of Bogle's Merlot (usually priced at about $12). With even more surprise, it turns out their whites are priced below $10--which he specifically noted so that I'd have another stellar wine to ad to my blog. Go, Honey!

It is completely wonderful! Fragrant and light with a very bold apricot, honey and citrus flavor, this white wine is absolutely delightful. Unlike most whites, the flavor is very strong and stands up easily against strong meals. Since I initially intended this bottle to be used for cooking, I'm sure you're dying to know how the meal went---it was incredible and here is the recipe!

Shrimp with Potatoes and Pancetta
Ingredients:
1lb small potatoes (red russet or smaller is good), diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1lb raw shrimp (deveined and without tails)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup pancetta (or bacon if not available), diced
salt and pepper to taste
parsley to garnish

- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- In an oven-proof medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high
- Add potatoes, cook 5 minutes while stirring, add peppers and onion. Cook five more minutes until potatoes are tender, constantly stirring,
- Add wine, pancetta, shrimp, garlic and red pepper, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Cook in oven for ten minutes
- Add parsley and serve
(prep time 15 minutes, cook time 15, serves 2-3 people)
Enjoy!

Hazlit Vineyards- Red Cat @@@@@ (5 corks)

Retails: $8.99 (Total Wine)

I'm usually an absolute skeptic when it comes to white wine. I'm not quite certain why. I find that more often than not, they are flavorless or extremely acidic with very little complexity. Very few have ever knocked my socks off enough to polish off a whole bottle in one sitting (that's my "excellent wine" barometer).

I also used to date a guy who loved white wines---cheap whites. He once showed up at my house with every bottle of white wine Arbor Mist and Gallo makes (and yes, for the record, Gallo does make some decent wines but their whites are like drinking rubbing alcohol). He also had this annoying habit of opening a bottle, sampling, and re-corking it and moving on to another. I was forced to choke down sip after sip of awful white wine all for the sake of love. Needless to say, the guy is a goner and I'm left with a house full of disgusting half-drank bottles of cheap white wine. At least cheap reds make excellent Sangria...recipe to follow...

ANYWHO, so, Total Wine always features a wine every month and this month it happened to be Red Cat, a ruby red wine with a clever label that sparkled through a clear bottle. I'm a sucker for good design and anything sparkly. Total Wine has yet to lead me astray with their monthly wine picks, so I decided to take my chances and try a bottle. To my delight, it was fruity, refreshing and beautifully light. This is an excellent summer wine---when the weather gets so hot that red wine makes you sweat bullets, pick up a bottle of this and enjoy the cooling sensation of this crisp pick. Living in Florida, this is an excellent all-the-time wine. The color is exquisite, almost the same color as grenadine. You'll taste pomegranate, cherries and even the pucker

roxy.cape's "Bad Red Wine Sangria" Recipe

Ingredients:
- 1 bottle of bad red (or super dry red such as a Burgundy)
- 2 oranges, 1 sliced, 1 juiced
- 2 green apples, sliced
- lime juice
-lemon juice
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup seltzer water

Mix all of the ingredients together in a giant pitcher with a wooden spoon. Mix until the sugar has disolved and the fruits are well mixed. Store in the fridge, serve over ice. Ole!