• Beer
• Red Wine
• White Wine

Chinese hot pot dinners are the perfect place to really try out some drinks that you've never tried before, just as they are an opportunity to try out some "unique" and varied foods.  Not only is hot pot great for trying out foods, but it's a community event in the mold of fondue since everyone basically gets to cook his/her own food, or just steal food that someone else is currently cooking in the hot pot.

At hot pot, expect to see all sorts of interesting fare.  You should see plenty of interesting seafood to sample as well as meats and leafy vegetables.  Everything gets plunged into a very hot pot of watery broth that is made of simple ingredients such as  salt and water and maybe some other ingredient like a spicy sauce.

Drinks at the hot pot are quite varied.  We were able to taste an wide range of drinks from sake to German beer to Italian wine.

PoggioBonelli Chianti Classico - 2003

St. Urbans-Hof Ockfener Bockstein Spatlese Riesling -

2006

Momokawa Pearl Sake - An unfiltered sake in the Nigori Genshu style.  Excellent hits of tropical fruit and coconut, a perfect accompaniment to hot and spicy foods that are typical of a hot pot dinner.  We sampled a bit of this sake and were instantly taken with it.  It's sweet but has the complexity and depth of a good chardonnay.  Very enjoyable when served chilled.

Check this out at sakeone.com:

STYLE
Junmai Ginjo Nigori Genshu: Made with only rice, water, yeast & koji with the rice milled to 60%, it is cask strength and roughly filtered.

TASTING NOTES
This old style, roughly filtered saké is an amazing experience. Pearl offers notes of vanilla and pineapple with banana, coconut, and anise rounding out a creamy body.

PAIRING NOTES
Pearl balances spicy dishes like Thai and Latin yet is a perfect match for rich chocolate deserts, fresh raspberries, and strawberries. Enjoy with steak, barbecue, and hearty dishes. Pull together an evening with spicy barbecue, crisp grilled vegetables, wild rice, and a layered chocolate cake with raspberry sauce drizzled liberally. Or simply enjoy Pearl on its own.

MILLING
Rice milled to: 60%

FILTRATION
Coarse mesh filtration to remove heavier particles and to allow finer elements of moromi to remain for added flavor & character.

SAKÉ METER VALUE
SMV: -12

ALCOHOL CONTENT
ALC: 18.5%

We're still working on all the great stuff so stay tuned...

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Canaiolo
• Italy
• Red Wine
• Sangiovese

Review Date:	09/30/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Contini Bonaossi
Vintage:	2007
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese
Country:	Italy
Region:	Tuscany
Appellation:	Capezzana
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Grapes: 70% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet, 10% Canaiolo.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Red Wine
• Rosé
• White Wine

Childress Classic White 2005, Classic Blush 2005, Classic Red 2005

As a promotion for last week’s Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway - Concord, NC, a local wine shop had a Childress display and as we browsed through the store we were offered a tasting. Free wine! Who could resist?

Classic White 2005

According to the Childress Winemakers:

This easy to drink off-dry blend has satisfying floral and tropical fruit aromas on the nose and bright citrus flavors on the palate that finishes with crisp and clean acidity. It is elegant, refreshing, and excellent with type of food. Serve as an aperitif or with lighter fare.

Lighter fare might be a bit of a stretch for us. As we drank the sample we thought about foods this wine might pair with; meats, seafoods, fruit, cheeses, Smarties. Yeah, that’s right. Smarties, as in the sugary candy that comes in a four-inch long cellophane cylinder of lip-puckering sugar tartness. The notes were just plain bitter, the wine smacked of alcohol with a sour aftertaste like balsamic vinegar that’s sat in the sun for a fortnight. Maybe if we were at the race, drinking our weight in stale beer, maybe if we had consumed 10lbs of nachos and bratwurst, stood in the sun all day cat callin’ for swine, maybe if the guy next to us was screaming at the “Rainbow Warrior” dressed in a fishnet tank top and an Intimidator trucker hat, we would have had a different perspective, a higher appreciation for this wretched swill.

Classic Blush 2005

According to the Childress Winemakers:

The off-dry blend boasts plenty of tropical fruit aromas set off by notes of strawberry and apple. The mouthfeel is intense and powerful and finishes with well-defined balance and acidity. Served chilled as an aperitif or as a refreshing summer drink.

This wine had more personalities than Sybil! True there are tastes of tropical fruit but just for a moment, then it moves on to something sweet, then apple then bitter then an overwhelming taste of vinegar. Oh Snap!

Classic Red 2005

According to the Childress Winemakers:

This is an easy, smooth, uncomplicated red blend with full cherry flavor and a clean finish. The wine is aged briefly in oak for complexity so as to retain the natural ripe, sweet aromas of the grape. It is an easy yet rich wine that marries well with roasted meats and light sauces.

We tasted the cherry and what was something reminiscent of tobacco but just as fast as our excitement erupted it was squashed with a stale oakish aftertaste.

What's more bothersome than anything, the labels don’t tell what grapes are used in the wine so we cannot report what kind of blend they are. Very sketchy... so for $10.99 this lady will be passing.

As much as it hurts us to say it, these wines are not going to be a very sought after by anyone in the wine community though we have faith in the Childress Vineyards. Maybe not a lot of faith, but this family didn’t buy up half of North Carolina by being as stupid as a pack of inbred chicken wing tossing freaks. North Carolina doesn’t have a deep history of growing wine grapes and making wine, and perhaps in another 7-10 yrs they will have come closer to finding the perfect blends. But until that day comes, why not pour a little of this in the doggie dish when he keeps the whiney neighbors awake barking all night.