Bubble and Sweets Part 2

So I've done reds I'd like for my wedding, now I'm moving onto whites. So theres a few I'll mention, again some are boutique some are plain ol' bottle shop but all are fabulous.

This first one I found pretty much by accident. My lovely fiancee was looking for a secret Santa present for a work collegue and we went to the bottle shop together. I must say, I only found this brand of wine cos I like pretty pictures.... Baily and Baily has a large selection of red, white, dessert and sparkling wines all with different names and pretty silhouette pictures to match. We ended up getting a few different ones for the secret Santa gift and then tacked on a few for ourselves. 

Baily and Baily Silhouette Moscato Heavens Gate= OH MY GOSH!! This is so lovely. It's really smoothe, refreshing and has a beautiful round flavour that doesn't fade once you've swallowed it. Theres no burn to this wine and is amazing on a hot summer afternoon. 

My second white is a boutique wine from Maleny Mountain Winery at Maleny, Sweet Sunshine *sigh*. Not only does it have a lovely name, it tastes beautiful too. The winery website itself describes the wine as "sweet and soft in texture with a pleasant fruity finish" and it's so true. It is worth the almost 2 hour drive up a mountain (I have a massive phobia of heights....) to get to it. Doesn't hurt that pretty much everything from the place is amazing and theres a cheese factory up the road.... But I would go just to get this wine so I could indulge on a hot day. A total must for sweet lovers.

I'll combine my next two as they both come from the same place. Brown Brothers. I love Brown Brothers wines and they are a staple in my wine collection. They are readily available in all bottle shops and are great prices. So the first is the Moscato. Its the plain 2010 Moscato, they have a few. It has a mild frizzante to it and a sweet sherberty taste. The other Brown Brothers is the Crouchen Riesling. I've drunk this wine for many years and still love it. Its very fruity and crisp and never disappoints. 

           



So they are my choices for sweet whites. They are all great value and go well either on their own or with food. Stock up I say and enjoy *kisses*

Bubbles and Sweets

Ok so I finally have my ring (YAH!) so I can really start looking into what we (translation "I") would love to have incorporated into our wedding. Today I'm going to compare some champagnes (well sparkling wines really) that I've narrowed down as wanting for toasts etc. Also, I'll throw in some of my and my fiancees favourite wines. Now not all places are happy to have you provide your own alcohol so depending where we have our reception will decide whether any of these make it to the big day.

The first bubbly I'd like to mention is one I've only recently tried. NV Frizzante by Banrock Station. I bought this on a whim last Friday and we had it as a celebratory drink on Saturday when we finally got my engagement back. In a word this wine is delicious. I admit, I like sweet wines but this one, boy oh boy, it's got the most beautiful flavour. Its described as "lemon sherbert and exotic fruit". It certainly has a sherberty fizz to it but it's a very soft fizz. It doesn't give you that tickle in the nose that makes you screw your face up nor does it have the fizzy burn like a lot of the others that makes you smack your tongue around your mouth. You can buy it in any bottle shop. It's around the $14.99 mark I think.

The other I'd like to discuss is a boutique sparkling wine from a winery in the Hunter Valley called Peterson House. Now, unfortunately we've not been to the actual estate, we tasted (and subsequently purchased) several of their wines at the Brisbane Ekka this year. I was drawn to it as the stand was lavishly pink and sparkly (thats just me, I like shiny things) and I'm sooooo glad I was. The Botrytis Semillon is absolutely stunning. It is described by Peterson House as having "rich apricot and smooth citrus flavours" and you better believe it does. It's not technically sparkling (it's actually a dessert wine) but it gives that impression when it hits your tongue. Like the NV Frizzante it has no burn to it and slides down easy. A little too easy :P This is only available through Peterson House online or their cellars in the Hunter Valley (so unfortunate for non Hunter Valley residents). We still have our bottle and are saving it for a very special occasions. It's priced at $32.00 and totally worth it!

So they are my choices as our "champagnes" for the wedding. Now for general wine selections I have a few I'd like to share. We are mainly red drinkers but as I said earlier we like sweet wines. It can be difficult to find sweet reds in bottle shops but I've done the hard yards and heres all the tips you need to find a good drop. All these wines MUST be served chilled so are much better being drunk in the warmer months.
The first is a wine I kinda found by accident. I can't even remember the circumstances but I know it was an accident. Its Crimson Cabernet by Banrock Station. It is gorgeous in every way. It's raspberry, strawberry and cream in flavour and has no bitterness or acidity like some other reds (that goes for all the reds I'll mention). It is VERY drinkable and goes with pretty much anything. Or nothing at all. It retails for between $8.99 to $14.99 depending on specials in bottle shops.

The second is Cienna by Brown Brothers. My oldest sister put me onto this one when I told her about the Crimson Cabernet (hereafter to be called CC). We did a swappsies of sorts. Cienna is just as good as CC but if possible it's even sweeter with even less acidity (which is really saying something). It retails a little cheaper than CC. Around $12.99 in any bottle shop.

Lastly, I want to mention what is my FAVOURITE sweet red. Love by Sirromet. This is the most beautiful wine I have ever tasted. We picked this one up from the Queensland Tasting Centre at Mount Tamborine (awesome place! You must go there. Wines from all over not just 1 winery). This wine is just so good I cannot praise it enough. You must try this wine. You just must! It's a cherry type flavour that leaves your mouth feeling like it's just spent a long relaxing time by a cool pond (without the fish/frog after taste). If you're not a fan of reds as such, I would recommend this as your "first". It'll be gentle and sweet and take care of your needs without asking anything in return. You can get this in other places than the Sirromet Winery such as the QLD Tasting Centre and other boutique wine shops but it's not available in general bottle shops.

Hopefully I'll be able to partake in one, some or all of these beauties at my wedding but it's not possible then that fine because I can get most of them with not too much trouble.