Winking Owl Shiraz

Description on the bottle:

Style: full bodied

Taste: dry

Notes: subtle flavors of black cherry, blackberry, and a hint of spice

Food: pasta, roast beef and steak

Temp: best when served between 55 & 60 degrees

Origin: California, USA

Sarah says:  I gave this wine a shot for two reasons; 1 because it was only $2.85 and 2 because it was recommended by my sister, Anne.  The recommendation I received was to refrigerate the bottle, then pull it out about 30 min before drinking.  So, I did that - except I only waited about 20 min (I'm not really into sitting around and waiting.  I want what I want and I want it now!).  This wine was just ok.  I didn't look at the back of the bottle until now and I see that it's classified as dry - I think that is the problem.  I don't think I like wines that leave a dry taste in my mouth.  I couldn't really taste the hints of black cherry or blackberry, both of which sound delicious.  I actually thought it tasted fairly bland - it didn't seem to have much flavor at all.  I don't think I'd serve this wine to company, but for less than $3, it's perfectly acceptable as a night alone drinking while blogging wine.

Overall rating:  Thumbs up for price, down for flavor.

Sarah says:  Speaking of company - I finally have some new dining room furniture!  I really wanted something nice - but a few friends convinced me that I should wait on the nice stuff, because my kids are probably going to ruin it.  So, after lots of looking around, we finally decided on a table, chairs and a bench from IKEA.  We've purchased a significant amount of furniture from IKEA over the past 5 years, so we're well aware of all of the assembly that is required.  Or, maybe I should say, Jon was well aware of it all.  He's done a significant amount of complaining about all of this stuff that he's had to put together (a dresser, a few night stands, a few beds, etc).  I've always classified these duties as his jobs as the man of the house.  But, this time around, I was feeling generous, and decided to pitch in.  Holy crapoly - IKEA stuff sucks to build!  I built a bench and 4 chairs (compared to Jon who only built the table!), and it took me days.  It probably took 2 hours to build the bench, about 1 hour for the first chair and about 30 min for the others.  I had to make a few mistakes with the first chair that I was sure not to do again.  It was awful.  My hands are still sore from that dreaded alan wrench.  I would like to toot my own horn, halfway through the bench I asked Jon to come behind me and tighten my screws because I thought he could get them tighter than me.  After fiddling with a few he said I didn't need him, everything was tight enough.  It's nice to know I can do it all by myself!  

Anyways - the dining room stuff is built.  I'm no longer embarrassed by my table and chairs - seriously, anyone who sat in our set at the old house knows how horrible our old table and especially the chairs were.  I'm ready to have company!  There won't be any Winking Owl wine, but at least there will be a nice, comfy chair!

I built these guys! (Muscles flexed)