The Graduation Dinner Continues

Posted on November 19, 2022 by thewineraconteur

It was fun watching our grandson indulge in one of his grandfather’s quirky enjoyments.  I would venture to say that most teenagers don’t go out on a regular basis for fine dining, in fact over the years, we have discovered that we had best results taking the grandchildren to establishments that they feel more comfortable with, like Italian, Asian-Rim, Mexican, Middle Eastern, casual casino dining and pizzerias; of course, I draw the line at fast food, after all, I do have to eat as well and my sport coats are not totally out of place in a real restaurant.

My Bride went with Pecan Encrusted Mediterranean Sea Bass with Haricots Vert and Crushed Corn Cream Sauce.  I went with Duck Magret with Potato Puree, Roasted Beets, Sauteed Broccolini in a Black Truffle Sauce.  Our guest of honor, went very simple and cautious and had the Bistro Chicken with Baked Mac & Cheese.  I had chosen earlier in the wine shop a bottle of Chateau Maucoil Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2018.  The estate of Chateau Maucoil begins with its Roman occupants, a cantonment for Caesar’s legions.  Then it became part of the Orange-Nassau family, and the succeeding families have been allowed to maintain its letters of nobility.  Some of the plots planted in 1895 still exist. In 2022, Domaine Duseigneur, has taken over the estate and the estate has been rated organic over the years.  There are twenty-five hectares of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and eighteen hectares of Cotes du Rhone Villages. It is one of the few estates that still maintains all thirteen grape varieties that are allowable.  There are three distinct terroirs on the estate; red clay, hard limestone rocks and sandstone, and sandy hillsides.  The fruit is still harvested in the ancestral way of manual harvesting, and undergoes three passes for the proper selection of grapes over a period of four to six weeks.  The youngest of the vines average about forty years of age.  The wine is a blend of sixty percent Grenache, fifteen percent Syrah, fifteen percent Mourvedre and ten percent Cinsault.  The grapes are sorted and put in concrete vats, by variety and by plot.  After maceration and fermentation for thirty days, the wines undergo a mixed aging of vats and barrels of a wine for twelve months, before being blended.  A pretty ruby red the wine offers notes of black fruit, smoke and spices.  On the palate, a rich blend of blackberry and plum, with nice balance and elegant tannins and a nice finish of terroir. 

For dessert my Bride wanted a classic Crème Brulee and our guest of honor chose three scoops from the daily selection of house-made sorbet and gelato.  I was a bit more decadent and enjoyed a glass of Dolce Late Harvest Wine Napa Valley 2014.  Dolce was created in 1985 by Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel and is the only winery dedicated to making a single late harvest wine in America.  A twenty-acre estate in Coombsville at the base of the Vaca Mountains with a combination of gravel, volcanic ash, loam and clay.  A blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc and as they wait for the botrytized grapes, the harvest exceeds over six weeks of painstaking inspection of the clusters. A lovely golden hued wine that offers notes of orange zest, vanilla bean and butterscotch.  On the palate a creamy blend of ripe oranges, pears and apricots with caramel, vanilla and nuts, rich, but not cloying, perfect acidity to be mouthwatering and a nice long finish of fruit and terroir.  

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Another Grandson Graduates in Vegas

Posted on November 17, 2022 by thewineraconteur

We are probably one of the few people that go to Las Vegas and don’t gamble.  For us, whatever happens in Vegas, is not a big deal and we don’t have to hide about it.  We go for the kids and the grandchildren, but somehow and thankfully so, we are not the grandparents from the old Shirley Temple movies that we grew up with on television when the sets and the movies were all black and white.   

Even though most people want to erase the memory, we all basically lost a year or two, because of a draconian decision to see how docile and ovine we could be.  We had planned on attending our first grandson’s graduation in Las Vegas, but that was in 2020, but America slipped on a banana peel.  By the time, we could get out there, the momentum of the occasion was over and our grandson was already attending college and working.  So, we had to come up with a Plan B and instead of a graduation party, we would let the graduate chose a restaurant to celebrate at.  So far, neither of the two have selected Picasso, but we still have three out there to go. The first graduate wanted us to choose, and so we selected a nice idyllic setting on the water in Las Vegas.  We went to Marche Bacchus, and the second graduate had no idea, so we repeated with Marche Bacchus again. 

We chose the restaurant, for several reasons.  It is on the water, it is a wine shop and they sell the wine at retail and then apply a corkage fee, and it is a French Bistro, which is different from the restaurants that they would normally go to.  It is located in a little strip center in the middle of an older, established residential neighborhood, that is totally devoid of any of the trappings one would associate with Las Vegas. The current owners purchased the restaurant in 2007 from another couple from Burgundy and they just maintained the quality and the style that was already there.  We also wanted him to try some dishes that he might have a chance to try.  We ordered for the table Beef Tartare, with hand cut Tenderloin, Capers, Shallots, Cornichons, Egg Yolk, Dijon and Brioche Toast Points.  We also selected an order of Seared Foie Gras with Almond Butter, Vegetable Jam, Torched Grapes, Pistachios and Toasted Croissant.  Now, I ask you, what kind of grandfather would I be, if I didn’t have the graduate try a little Sauternes with the Foie Gras.  Much to my Bride’s rantings that I will get the restaurant closed down for serving a minor, I don’t even think that they could possibly have a magistrate that stupid that would disagree with a grandfather attempting to have his grandson appreciate the finer things in life.  So, we indulged with some Chateau Lapinesse Sauternes 2018 from Vignobles Siozard. It began in the mid-19th Century; and is managed by twin brothers that represent the Sixth Generation of the Siozard family.  The wine is pure Semillon is grown on a 2.5-hectare plot of red soil that is manually harvested until all of the botrytised grapes have been picked.  The maceration and fermentation are done at cool temperature and then the juice is aged for twelve months in Stainless Steel tanks.  A pretty gold color with notes of quince, melon, apricots and exotic florals.  On the palate a rich taste of candied fruits and nectar of flowers, with a nice finish of fruit and the desire for another sip. I have tried many wines over the years with Seared Foie Gras and I think that Sauternes is the best choice.  

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Saying Goodbye to Our Host

Posted on November 15, 2022 by thewineraconteur

I guess it truly was a moment of serendipity that we ended up at the Las Vegas Food & Wine Festival at Tivoli Village.  We really went to Las Vegas to spend time with the children and grandchildren, but who could say no, when we were asked if we would like some tickets, and they were VIP tickets to boot.  It was getting late for us, not for the locals, as we were still maintaining Detroit time, so we went off looking for our host to thank him one more time.  Of course, by this time we had our crystal wine glasses with wine, a “swag bag” which in reality was a nice wine bottle carrier and some munchies, that we were going to take back to our room, which conveniently enough was right across the road from the festival. 

We didn’t quite stop at every table, because we normally don’t drink straight Tequila, and we seldom drink beer (me sometimes, her never).  I did kind of glance over all of the chef’s and the food that they were serving as it wasn’t as germane to my articles, and my charming Bride ventured to more tables than I did, and she was in Heaven.  By the time we were leaving, the crowds were getting thicker and we basically covered the entire area again, which really gave us plenty of additional footsteps, if you are one of those like my Bride that has a wristwatch that counts your walking, in the pretext of keeping us healthy as we were eating all of these wonderful dishes and drinking some interesting and wonderful wine.

We finally found our host and it was in a tented booth celebrating the wonderful cheeses of Italy.  There were these charming young ladies slicing up and serving from large wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.  A perfect way to finish the wine in our glasses, and the cheese was so great that we really didn’t even need any cheese; and I am the fussiest and the biggest pain in the arse when it comes to cheese.  Not only that, but besides the fresh cheese that was being sliced and served, there were these little prepackaged shrink-wrapped containers of the Parmigiano Reggiano that didn’t require refrigeration, so we grabbed some of those to enjoy later as well.  We thanked our host several times, before we left, and later on he sent me several photos, some that I used for these articles, from the official photographer of the festival.  I guess my attire or at least my hat, made it easy to find me in the crowds.  Thank you, Alan.   

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Two From Riboli Family Wines

Posted on November 13, 2022 by thewineraconteur

While we were at the Las Vegas Food & Wine Festival at Tivoli Village in between grazing on all the munchies, a fellow at one of the wine tables asked me if I had ever had a Los Angeles wine, and I had never been to Los Angeles and the only vacant land that I could think of, was where the Hollywood letters are mounted.  The Riboli Family Wines of San Antonio Winery began as the San Antonio Winery; the vineyards are gone, but the winery is still there (along with a Cultural Heritage Board Monument Number 42.  The winery is over a century old and named for St. Antonio.  Many wineries disappeared when the government first attempted to treat the citizens as children, and they have not learned their lesson, but San Antonio Winery survived the Volstead Act (Prohibition), by making altar wines and in the process, became one of the largest makers of altar wine.  It is estimated that there were about one hundred wineries in Los Angeles, but because of Prohibition and then the Great Depression, they were the only one to survive in the city. They have always had business relationships with vineyards, as well as their own vineyards.  The fourth generation of the family is the Riboli family and they now have vineyards in Paso Robles, Monterey and Napa Valley. Their brands are Maddalena Wines, Stella Rosa, San Simeon, Highlands 41 and Opaque.

The first wine that we tried from the Riboli Family Wines was their Opaque Darkness Red Wine Paso ZinRobles 2018.  The winery is certified sustainable by CSWA. This wine is all estate grown and a mix of Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah.  Each of the small lots of varietals were fermented individually, then blended and aged for fourteen months in a mix of French and American Oak.  Opaque was a good name for the wine, as it was extremely dark purple with notes of black fruit and coffee beans.  On the palate plum, blackberry, raspberry and vanilla and cooking spices; with a finish of more fruit.  

The second wine from Riboli Family Wines was their Highlands 41 “Black Granite” Red Blend Paso Robles 2020.  Millions of years ago, the ancient sea covered the Highlands 41 vineyards leaving fossils and limestone soils.  In 1934, Highway 41 was completed connecting Yosemite to the Pacific Ocean and cutting through the heart of Paso Robles.  Once a seabed, the Creston Highlands is 1,300 feet above sea level.  Creston Highlands is in the Creston District AVA, one of eleven sub-districts of Paso Robles.  The wine is a blend of forty-five percent Zinfandel, twenty percent Petite Sirah, fifteen percent Malbec, ten percent Syrah and ten percent Merlot.  The wine was aged for ten months in neutral American Oak, with ten percent being new.  A nice deep dark wine that had notes of boysenberry, elderberry and violets.  On the palate a meaty wine with tones of cassis, some mocha and violets with a finish of terroir.

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Prohibido Wines, Loica and Bodegas Alconde

Posted on November 11, 2022 by thewineraconteur

I have to admit that most of the fun at the Las Vegas Food & Wine Festival was actually getting a chance to try the foods, and many were from touted Chef restaurants on The Strip that we don’t get to anymore.  Since we stay in Summerlin to visit our children, it is easier to stay there, then to drive the twenty minutes and get into rush hour traffic, no matter the hour on The Strip and then parking is another issue, but since we are into walking, we can handle the hikes. 

We had a chance to try two wines from Prohibido Wines and it was great, because they have limited production and they do not ship to Michigan; shades of the old days.  As you can decipher, Prohibido means forbidden and the name harkens back to the days of Prohibition, when politicians thought they could legislate what was best for the people; it didn’t work then and it really doesn’t work now, for thinking people. The first wine that we had was Prohibido Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2016 and this was their first issue and vintage.  The wine was aged for thirty months in oak barrels and they produced two-hundred cases.  It was getting dark, but the wine was a pretty dark red with notes of black fruit, spices and leather.  On the palate black cherry, blackberry and some vanilla, with a full-bodied wine with good tannins and a medium count finish of more fruit than terroir. While I had the 2016, my Bride had the Prohibido Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, made with Organic grapes from Yountville (Napa Valley) 2019.  There was no discussion of production of this wine, but it could conceivably have seen thirty months of oak aging as well, though there were only fifty cases produced of this wine.  For a young wine it showed remarkably well and offered a similar tasting profile to the 2016.  The 2016 was drinking perfectly, and after tasting the 2019, I would venture to say that there will probably be some great secondary and tertiary notes and tones if this wine is cellared for a few years.

There were also two wines, one from Chile and one from Spain, that we really enjoyed, but I could only find sparse information especially on the wine from Chile, except for brief almost nothing one sentence descriptions like from a poorly written wine carte.  The first was Loica Andes Series Exotic Blend Cachapoal Valley, Chile 2014. I can only opine about this wine, as Cachapoal Valley is between the Maipo and Colchagua valleys.  The two main varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere.  This wine had a deep color, and reminded me of an aged Medoc.  The second wine was Bodegas Alconde “Magicae” Reserva Navarra 2013.  This wine was a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Navarra has been a wine making region, with the earliest mention in 1356.  Bodegas Alconde is a cooperative that began in 1956.  This wine was aged in oak for eighteen months.  The wine was a garnet red with notes of red fruit, spices and toast.  On the palate the red cherry and raspberry was complimented by full-rounded tannins and a medium count finish with fruit and some terroir.           

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Tenjaku Whisky

Posted on November 9, 2022 by thewineraconteur

While we were at the Las Vegas Food & Wine Festival at Tivoli Village we got slightly astray from drinking wines.  If that is possible, but I saw a vendor table offering Japanese Whisky and I have never had any.  My Bride enjoys Dewar’s Scotch Whisky, even though I thought I would get her a treat of a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label, she still prefers her Dewar’s.  I on the other hand I guess I still have my heritage and enjoy Crown Royal Deluxe Canadian Whisky, especially for medicinal purposes; though I have to admit that I have several assorted bottles of Booker’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey for sipping out of a snifter in the evening.

Tenjaku Whisky (and they also make a Gin) is created in the city of Fuefuki, in the eastern part of the Yamanashi Prefecture. It is known as the most fertile area for peach and grape production, hot springs and crystal-clear streams.  The water used has been filtered through volcanic rock.  Japan, just like Scotch, Irish and Canadian uses the Anglican spelling of whisky, whereas in the States, it is spelled as whiskey.  The “40” is a blended whisky, that was probably one of the easiest and smoothest whiskies, I have ever tried, very mellow and enjoyable, even from the thimble shots that they were pouring.

The Tenjaku Whisky Pure Malt “43” is a newer product developed by their Master Distiller Kenji Watanabe and uses all pure aged malt whiskies and stylistically is similar to a classic Scotch whisky.  After using the double pot distillation and blending processes, the pure Malt Whisky is aged in used Bourbon barrels for up to six years to allow flavor maturation.  I could see this bottle in my liquor cabinet as it offered notes of smoke, tones of green apples, herbs and vanilla with a wood finish.     

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Voskevaz and a Barolo

Posted on November 7, 2022 by thewineraconteur

As we were still wondering around the Las Vegas Food & Wine Festival at Tivoli Village, we were still grazing on all the food that was being offered.  There was a private catering company that we fell in love with their offering, as I think we must have stopped there several times that evening.  They were serving Braised Short Ribs, and just before serving, they were flash frying the meat to give it a bit of crunchiness; it was totally addicting for both of us.   One of the wine booths that we had stopped by earlier, the lead vendor remembered me as a wine guy and he thought he would stump me, by showing me a wine.  I surprised him, with a photo of the same wine that I had, just a couple of weeks earlier, that I haven’t wrote about, until I could find out if it was going to be available in Detroit.

The wine was a bottle of Voskevaz Winery Karasi Collection Vielle Vignes Haghtanak Aragatsotn, Armenia 2016 from Storica Wines.  Voskevaz Winery was established in 1932, but it really transformed when David Hovhannisyan purchased the winery in 1997.  Voskevaz in Armenian means “golden bunch” and grapes have had a long history for Armenia and with the church, with the Annual Blessing of the Grapes. Aragatsotn is located in the Ararat Valley, adjacent to Mount Ararat where Noah’s Ark landed, but you will need an older map, because the mountain is no longer in Armenia (the valley is) and the Mountain has been renamed.  The land is about 1,000m above sea level and the soil is clay and stone.  During the Soviet Era, the winery made Brandy.  The Karasi Collection focuses on wines made in the historic winemaking tradition of the region, using large Karas (clay amphorae), the oldest karases were found in a cave in Areni over 6,100 years ago, at the oldest winery to date.  Haghtanak is an ancient indigenous grape to Armenia and the vines used are 60-80 years of age, and the ungrafted vines are estimated to be about 130 years of age.  The grapes are hand-harvested and the juice is fermented in karases and then the wine is then aged in Armenian Oak barrels for eighteen months and is bottled unfiltered.  The deep ruby-red wine offers notes of plums, blackberry, cedar and vanilla.  On the palate tones of blackberry, smoke, cedar and spice in a big chewy wine with a nice medium count finish of fruit.  With the use of the karases, only three hundred cases of the wine are being produced each year.  A wonderful wine for lamb, both grilled or roasted, or beef if you don’t want to go full tilt Armenian.

The vendor than produced a second wine that he had on reserve in chests away from prying eyes was Daniele Conterno “Panarole” Barolo DOCG 2017.  Daniele Conterno is the fourth generation to work his family’s estate, which began with eighteen hectares in the heart of the Langhe region. While he considers himself a traditionalist, he is modern enough to become certified organic.  Barolo is so respected and revered in Italy, that it immediately received a DOCG designation in 1980.  This is a single vineyard wine from the Panarole Cru and is a blend of two clones Nebbiolo Michet and Nebbiolo Lampia.  The wine starts with a maceration and fermentation period in wood vat for thirty days, and then ages for thirty months in large Slavonian Oak casks.  A deep ruby-red wine that offered notes of black cherry, plums, hazelnuts and menthol.  On the palate tones of rich black cherry and plums with secondary flavors of tobacco and truffles with sweet tannins and nice longer finish of terroir.  It was drinking perfectly now or if you have patience, I am sure that more secondary and tertiary tones will evolve in five to ten years.           

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AIX and Ethel M

Posted on November 5, 2022 by thewineraconteur

 As we continued to graze and taste at the Las Vegas Food & Wine Festival at Tivoli Village, we were just having fun.  We were talking about wine and food and comparing notes with total strangers, but that was part of the charm of the evening and the event.  Almost all of the food tables we sampled, and if I didn’t, my Bride did; as she is much adventurous than I am about food (I guess I had a sheltered childhood). 

One of the booths was for Ethel M., a fixture in Las Vegas, but you will have to excuse me, even though I love their candies I always think of Lucy Arnaz and Ethel Mertz at a conveyer belt in a chocolate factory, and how they attempted to keep pace with production.  The Ethel M. that I am talking about is Ethel Mars and her candy kitchen that dates back to 1910.  Her son Forrest Mars Sr. created the company in his mother’s honor and you can actually visit and tour the factory on the outskirts of Las Vegas and discover this oasis of chocolate bliss.  All small batches of candy, with no mass production to this day, they still grind the nuts and make the caramel with no chemical preservatives.  With our glasses in hand, we tried a few delightful confections and then we were guided to another table to where they were offering chocolate and wine pairing suggestions.  Who could resist?

After having our sweet tooth sated, we continued on our quest to discover more wines.  We had a couple of glasses of a wine that I have read about and seen, but have never tried; we had Maison Saint Aix Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence “AIX” Rosé 2021.  The region was originally known as Coteaux du Roy René and was granted a VDQS in 1956 and became Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence AOC in 1985.  The district is considered a key appellation of Provence. The region produces rosé, red and white, but it is the rosé that is the major wine of the district.  The region is referred to as Mediterranean, as the vines are not farther than twenty miles from the sea, with long dry summers that usually ensure great harvests.  The soil for the region is of limestone, either as clay or as stones and the region is considered the birthplace of rosé.  Maison Saint Aix is one of the largest domaines in the region and they also enjoy one of the highest elevations in the region.  The wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault, which is considered the classic blend for the region; and the Grenache vines are fifty to sixty years of age.  The domaine has been actively in the past ten years acquiring state-of-the-art equipment as in new harvesting machinery, temperature controlled Stainless Steel tanks and pneumatic presses.  The wine is a lovely salmon-pink color and offers notes of red fruits, peaches and florals.  On the palate lush citrus fruit tones with crisp and delicate acidity, that calls for the next sip and the wine finishes with a medium count of fresh fruit and terroir.  This was a wine that we found to take to the kids for a dinner at their house, my Bride was totally excited about it.                   

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Two From Daou Vineyards

Posted on November 3, 2022 by thewineraconteur

Wandering around the Las Vegas Food & Wine Festival at Tivoli Village was a great time, especially since we could walk back to our casino hotel.  I know that I have mentioned the wines so far, but there was plenty of food to graze on, as well.  Several restaurants represented some of the talented chefs were very visible and offering quick bites and some were so excellent, that I had to go back for seconds and thirds. 

We found another table pouring wines and my Bride had a glass of Daou Vineyards “Bodyguard” Chardonnay Paso Robles 2020.  George and Daniel Daou, two brothers who were originally in the IT industry purchased part of the Hoffman Mountain Ranch in 2007 and in 2012 purchased the other part of the ranch and they now had two-hundred-twelve acres.  Stanley Hoffman with help from Andre Tchelistcheff created the first modern commercial winery in Paso Robles after Prohibition.  The winery has four tiers or collections and the amount of aging in new French Oak is determined by the collection.  The “Bodyguard” which is offered in a red and a white is from their Expressions Collection.  All the estate fruit is hand-harvested and Daou Vineyards are certified sustainable by SIP (Sustainability in Practice).  This wine is pure Chardonnay and underwent cold fermentation.  The wine was aged for ten months in a mix of thirty percent new French Oak, thirty percent new American Oak and forty percent neutral French Oak.  This was a nice example of a classic California Chardonnay with a soft gold color.  There were notes of apples and pears, spices and a floral bouquet.  On the palate tones of ripe fruit, including secondary tones of tropical fruits, spices and honeysuckle in a buttery feeling with fresh minerality and a nice finish of terroir, curd and a touch of pineapple.  A very refreshing wine on a beautiful Autumn evening.

While I had their Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2021 from their Discovery Collection which is bought-in fruit.  The fruit for this wine is from the Daou Family Estates, which is family owned and operated and all hand-harvested.  The goal is to craft Bordeaux style wines that combine Old World tradition and New World techniques.  The wine is a blend of 80.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11.5 Petit Verdot, 7.8% Merlot and 0.3% Cabernet Franc.  After fermentation the wine is aged for ten months in half new French Oak and half neutral oak.  The deep purple wine offered notes of black fruit, sandalwood, tobacco and some eucalyptus.  On the palate there were tones of black cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, soft tannins and a medium count finish of red fruit and graphite (terroir).  A very nice wine for early consumption, it struck me as a wine not for the cellar, but quickly to the table.       

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Honey Bubbles Sparkling Moscato NV

Posted on November 1, 2022 by thewineraconteur

We were walking around at the Las Vegas Food & Wine Festival with our empty wine glasses, but at a festival like this, the glasses do not stay empty for long.  We came up to one of the booths that had one of those Kodak moments (at least that is the name that I can conjure up) with the logo of the company emblazoned all over the backdrop.  In fact, some of the photos for this series of articles came from the official house photographer, and my Bride and I happened to appear in a few of the photos. 

As we walked up to the tasting booth/ table/ Kodak moment background my Bride was leading the way.  The gentleman at the booth asked “Have you ever had an Italian Sparkling Moscato” and my Bride, kind of shrugged and replied that she doesn’t like Moscato wines.  Of course, by that time, I got there, and introduced myself and naturally began talking about wines.  Honey Bubbles Wine not only makes a wine, but they are donating proceeds to help combat “Colony Collapse Disorder” which is a malady affecting Honey Bee populations around the world, in fact in 2014 twenty-three percent of the American Honeybee Colonies died per the Huffington Post.  Bees are lauded as the cross pollinators of crops and their survival is crucial not only for viticulture, but for all plants.

Honey Bubbles Sparkling Moscato NV sources their fruit from Asti and Veneto in Italy, but during my research I discovered that originally the company was based in New Mexico, USA.  The wine is a blend of fifty percent Muscat Canelli (Muscat a Petit Grains) and fifty percent Muscat of Alexandria.  The sparkling wine is made using the Charmat Method which is very common in the region.  A prolonged tank fermentation results in less residual sugar (half of most Moscato wines) and a higher alcohol by volume (double of most Moscato wines) which makes Honey Bubbles a semi-sweet sparkling wine.  The soft-rose colored wine offered notes of citrus and tangerines and florals.  On the palate tones of a sparkling mousse body with some sweetness, excellent acidity and a rather nice long finish of peaches and orange zest.  I had to smile, because my Bride started gushing about the wine and how much she enjoyed it, and she made me look it up to see if we could buy some while we were in Vegas to share with the family, but every store that we found listing it, did not have it in stock.         

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