Mirassou Pinot Noir

I'm a big fan of pinot noir. A really big fan of pinot noir. Because of this, I'm always happy to find a pinot noir that fits into my budget, which is exactly what I did with the Mirassou pinot noir. I drank this particular wine over Memorial Day weekend with a NY Strip that I personally seasoned and grilled to perfection. It was great.

The combination of the flavors from the meat and the smooth, rich flavors from the wine made for a truly enjoyable meal. Finding a pinot noir for under $10 ($8.99 at my local store) is a great find in itself, but finding one that can compliment a fine meal and be enjoyed well after the meal has been finished is an amazing find.

If you're in the market for a pinot noir that's smooth with no after taste and will compliment a good steak dinner, you can't go wrong with the Mirassou pinot noir from California. For the price, there really isn't any beating it. I give Mirassou Pinot Noir 4 stars out of 5. A definite must buy.

Voga Italia

This week I’m doing two wines, a red and a white, and still coming in under my $20 budget. Voga Italia has introduced a pair of wines that are both affordable and enjoyable…a great match if there ever was one.



Voga Italia Pinot Grigio






I start with the pinot grigio (mostly because I drank it first). Made in northern Italy, I found this wine at my local grocery store, and have seen it at most of your common stores (Giant, Safeway, Kroger, Food Lion, etc.). This wine was a great compliment to a grilled chicken dish. The light, crisp flavors went well with the grilled chicken flavor, complimenting instead of overpowering the light seasoning that I used. I also tried this wine with some mild cheese and crackers as a snack later and it was just as enjoyable as a sipping wine as it was when I enjoyed it with my main course. As I’m a firm believer that price doesn’t make the wine, this wine did an excellent job of proving my point. I’ve found few pinot grigios that I’ve enjoyed more, and none of those rang in at the very reasonable $9.99 that the Voga did. I happily give this wine a 3.75 stars out of 5, and highly recommend it to anybody that enjoys pinot grigio.

Voga Italia Quattro



My second wine is the Voga Italia Quattro, a blending of (as the name implies) 4 different types red: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz, and pinot noir that is made on the Italian island of Sicily. I actually drank this with pasta dish, but feel that I probably would have enjoyed it more with a red meat dish…hindsight is 20/20. The natural tannins of the cabernet and pinot noir were off-set rather well by the somewhat milder merlot and shiraz, and while this was certainly an enjoyable wine, I almost wish they’d made it without the merlot to allow it a bit more bite. If you’re all about your red wine this might not be your exact cup of tea, but if you’re looking for a nice red to help you get into some of the drier reds, this is actually a very good way to go. For the $9.99 price tag it’s certainly one I imagine will end up in my kitchen again, but I can really only give this one 3 stars out of 5. Maybe another year of aging will help this in the future, but it’s hard to say for certain.