Wine Win Wednesday: "It's a Headsnapper!" Radiant Red

Wine: "It's a Headsnapper!" Radiant Red

Why it's a win: This was my favorite at our November Wine & Dine, and it went fast!  The theme was "Wine with Faces on the Label" - our hosts were new parents and got creative on their last-minute supermarket trip - and gave us a chance to try a few wines we'd all never heard of and probably wouldn't have picked up on our own.

The Radiant Red won me over with it's blackberry and currant overtones and its super smooth finish.

Where you can find it: Your run-of-the mill grocery store

Price: $9-$11

Half-off Deal to Wine Tasting Class

I've seen this deal pop up on a few of the online coupon sites before, but I haven't purchased one myself. 

This might be a fun activity with friends, or for a date night.  If you're a frequent Wine & Diner or you've been out tasting at the vineyards, I'm not sure you'll learn anything new.  But it could still be fun.  :-) 

WineUP! Wine Shop

 $20 - Improve Your Palate at the WineUp! Wine Shop Tasting Class ($40 value) 

Half-off Deal to the Bite of Oregon!

Portland Perks is offering a great deal on entry to the Bite of Oregon happening August 10th-12th.

For $14 you get two 3-day entry passes (normally $30) to the biggest food, beer, and wine festival in Oregon - and you get to support a great cause as all of the proceeds go to the Oregon Special Olympics!   


The Bite of Oregon features Oregon's largest wine tasting spectacle with 21 local wineries offering samples of delicious, delicious Oregon wines, with one oddball from California.    


Bryann and I will be volunteering on Friday night from 5:30-10pm so come by, grab some "bites" and taunt us with your delicious food and beverages!

To view this fantastic deal and purchase tickets, click here

To view the Bite of Oregon website and learn more, click here

To view to list of participating wineries , click here

Products We Love: Oster Wine Opener

Product: Oster Wine Opener

Why we love it: It's a cinch to open wine bottles with this thing.  Seriously.  There is relatively no effort required!  You position it on top of the cork, hold the wine bottle, press the down bottom, and the cork comes right out!  Then press up and this wine opener will spit the cork back out for you.

I got it as a gift and originally I thought it was silly.  I had my trusty old Rabbit wine opener stand.  Some adjusting of the stand height and two flicks of my wrist and I had an open bottle.  I've probably gotten lazy in my old age, because this is way too much effort for me, now.  I'm giving the Rabbit to Goodwill on our next donation trip.  Unless any of our club members want it?

Where you can find it: Any store with a housewares section - Fred Meyer, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc.

Price: $20

Wine & Dine: Cruise Edition

Some of the members of our Wine & Dine club were lucky enough to be able to go on an Alaskan Cruise recently!  We missed those other members that couldn't join us, so I'm bringing the wines we had at dinner, and during out wine tastings to them!  All the wines we ordered with dinners were within the $25-$30 range on the ship, so I'm guessing these could be found in stores for between $10 and $15.

 Bryann and I enjoyed this Rosemount Shiraz from Australia during one of the nights where we both ordered a beef-centered dinner.  It paired well with our meals - it was bold enough to stand out against the beef, but not too abrasive. 

We also ordered this Bolla Valpolicella from Italy with dinner during Italian Night.  Our waiters and waitresses dressed in adorable stripped shirts with handkerchiefs tied around their necks and the dinner was completely Italian themed.  The Valpolicella was mild and light and accompanied my Fettuccine Alfredo quite nicely!

The Sylvester "Kiara" Cabernet Sauvignon from California was dry, yet flavorful.  It wasn't quite as good as the Santa Carolina Cabernet from Chile we'd had a few nights prior, but it was a tasty alternative.  I'm a cab girl though, so I'm a bit biased towards them to begin with.  

We also did a Maître d' Wine Club on the first day-at-sea.  I don't remember all of what we tasted -- looking back, I'm kicking myself for not keeping the tasting menu and my notes -- but the wines that stand out are the wines I think Princess is most famous for serving.  

The Opus One was the most talked about, and most expensive wine on our list.  Opus One, which has a rather interesting story on it's rather fancy website (found here), makes only one wine from its vintage, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.  We tasted the most recent 2008 vintage, and I gotta admit...  It was pretty scrumptious.  I've seen rumors amidst the internets that you can find Opus One at Costco from time to time... you know, just in case you want to grab a bottle and then invite me over for dinner!

Bryann and I also really liked the Sylvester "Nikiara" Meritage.  This was a blend, much like Opus One, of Cabernet, Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot.  It was incredibly well balanced, fruity and spicy and chocolatey all at the same time, and very, very, melt-in-your-mouth drinkable.