Simple Pleasure Sunday: Stocking Up on Wine for the Winter

Back on Sunday, October 30th, my friend Elizabeth and I ventured out to the wine warehouse called Total & Wine & More and then made dinner together at my place. This is the second time that I’ve been to this amazing store, but my first visit to their new location to a bigger place in the same shopping center. In their celebration of the new superstore, they mailed a coupon. If you spent $100 on 750mL or 1.5L bottles of wine, then you got $20 off. Initially, I had planned to spend $75 like my first big wine shopping excursion, so I played with my virtual shopping cart on their website until I got it just over the needed $100 subtotal. That wasn’t perfect, but I actually managed to get the subtotal to $100.23 in store. With the coupon (and tax), my total was $87.45. I ended up with seven bottles of wine including a double bottle (1.5L)! That’s like $11 a bottle. Such a wonderful value! I definitely wanted to stock up on some wine for the winter when I am no longer earning a lot of commission.

I picked up the following bottles of wine:

1. Radius Riesling
I wanted to have a bottle of either Moscato or Riesling for when I have my friend T over for a weeknight dinner. She likes a sweet white wine while I am the complete opposite with my dry red preference, so we pretty much have to have two bottles on the table. I actually served her this domestic wine from Washington last Tuesday evening and she liked it.

2. Bolla Chianti
This was my go to for years and what I often grab from the liquor store I can walk to. I already enjoyed this 1.5L bottle including when I was wining and dining with T.

3. Dom des Grandes Perrieres Sancerre
Sancerre is my signature white wine. I love when a wine is described as “elegant.” I look forward to trying this particular crisp Sauvignon Blanc with my penne pasta with sun-dried tomato cream sauce dish maybe sometime during the winter. This was my priciest selection, but it was still under $20 after the discount.

4+5. Banfi Chianti Classico
This is my favorite red wine. I discovered it on my first visit to this store. It is the smoothest medium-bodied Italian red wine I have ever had. Check out an entire post dedicated to this signature red wine of mine. I grabbed two bottles, one I am enjoying this week and the other I am saving to share with another friend.

6. Gabbiano Chianti Classico
This was such a great value. It tasted of berry and pepper though and I happen to prefer a more smooth taste, free of spice and pepper. I remember that I first discovered that a wine could contain a note of pepper at a wine tasting at Boordy Vineyards here in Maryland. I don’t think I’d purchase it again.

7. Rivata Prosecco
I wanted Prosecco because it is an ingredient in an Italian cocktail called a spritz. I intend to serve it in the summertime. This sparkling wine is also described as “elegant.” That coupled with the price being right, I can hardly resist!

I did really well. Like on my first visit, I got an amazing value on the bottles I wanted. It was odd to be filling a shopping cart. I don’t buy a lot of anything anywhere!

I would like to buy a bottle of tequila before next summer, so I can have blood orange margaritas throughout the season. I’m sure that I will buy that along with the Banfi Chianti Classico and perhaps something new to try if that’s in my budget on my next visit to this warehouse.

Elizabeth picked up a bottle to try with dinner. We couldn’t find anything we loved the description for that was reasonably priced and completely different. I suggested a South American wine, maybe one from Chile, but they didn’t seem to be represented well in this store. We returned to the Italian section and I suggested Valpolicella, a rich red wine from the Veneto region. I have a fond memory of drinking this specific wine in Piazza delle Erbe in Verona on my last trip to Italy in 2011. Elizabeth and I both liked this wine with so much going on, but I don’t believe either of us loved it. I was glad this Valpolicella didn’t have a note of spice, which I believe stopped me from buying it before. I would purchase it in the future.

For dinner, we tried a new recipe: balsamic chicken. We both love this dish, but wanted to find a decent recipe for it. This one was delicious! The chicken was so moist. This was the best way I have ever prepared chicken. I am happy to now have this recipe in my repertoire. We served it on a bed of sauteed spinach. We also made my olive-oil roasted gold potatoes.

I have to sincerely thank my friend Elizabeth for helping me that day. I woke up with a cold on the previous day, Saturday. The morning of our outing, I sneezed and I suppose my muscles were tight at that moment because my back went out. I could function, but despite pain reliever (alternating with cold medicine!), was in serious pain every time I sat, bent or twisted for six days. She helped me carry the heavy liquids and probably helped more with the cooking. I am grateful.

I still did laundry at my parents’ place as usual that Sunday afternoon/evening, but simply was not at my best to publish a blog post at the end of that particular exhausting day. I even set up those bottles and snapped those pictures while we were cooking, planning on publishing the same day, but it was too much. I am sorry that I didn’t post. I will try to catch up on the blog, so please stay tuned!