Writing about wines is something new for me. I haven't done this very much in the past, mostly because I don't know much about wine, but given the amount of wine I've been drinking lately, I thought I would tell you all about the good wines that I've been trying.

The first wine I want to tell you about, I came across completely by mistake. I ran into Burkas down the street from me, looking to grab a crisp, white wine to go with the Indian food that I was having delivered from Heritage India, and they were having a wine tasting (like they do every Thursday and Friday night). The 2003 Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley was the first wine I tasted. Normally, I'm not particularly crazy about Cabs -- they tend to be too dry and have weak flavor with alcoholly finishes -- that might just be because I've never had a good one though. I wasn't expecting much from this wine, but it was free so what the hell, right? The Avalon had a full flavor with chocolate and spice and a smooth finish. I liked it so much, I bought a bottle that night, and now I've bought two more bottles -- I think I might buy a case...At $15.99 a bottle, that wouldn't be very cheap, but for how good this wine tastes, it seems like a bargain to me.

A bit on the cheaper side is the 2003 Genofranco Grillo. After trying another Grillo at 2Amys, I sought out another at wine stores in the area. I finally found the Genofranco Grillo at Burkas and it turned out to be very similar in taste to the one at 2Amys -- and it was only $9.99 a bottle instead of $27.99. I find that Grillos have a similar flavor to a French Chardonnay, but with a slightly crisper and fruitier flavor. This one has hints of apple and grapefruit.

On the more expensive side, The 2000 Stage Leap Petite Syrah is one of my all-time favorite Petite Syrahs. The first time Amy and I drank this wine was at El Gaucho in Aruba and I managed to find it at Bacchus Wine Cellar in Georgetown. When I was paying, the manager of the store who happened to be taking care of the cashier said "This is a mighty fine Syrah! Did you pick this wine out on purpose? Because if you did, you know your wine." Well, I don't really know my wine, but I did pick it out on purpose. I love the wines predominant berry  and pepper flavors and it has a hint of spice that the wine finishes with. I can find this wine for about $36 a bottle and it's definitely a special occasion wine (at least for me).