noonionsplease.com

6945 Airport Boulevard, Mobile, Alabama

March 27th 2010 11.00 am

Dr. Bill (FMTalk1065 weather forecaster) had promised us a nice weekend so we decided to head over to Mobile to visit the Festival of Flowers held at the Providence Hospital and after a few minutes of our usual comedy routine: “where do you want to go for lunch?” – “I don’t know, where do you want to go for lunch?” we decided to try TGI Friday on Airport Boulevard.

As we had planned to do my famous Steak with Red Wine Mushrooms that evening for dinner we wanted an early lunch so we would be hungry later and we arrived at TGIF a little after 11am.

Not surprisingly we were the only customers there and we soon got seated.  Dr. Bill might have been able to predict the temperatures outside but nothing could have prepared us for the temperatures inside the restaurant – it was freezing!  As a native of Northern England I’ve experienced some cold weather in my time but on this occasion I was sat in an icebox while dressed in a t-shirt designed for the nice weekend we had been promised.  By the end of our meal I could barely feel my fingers or toes and the end of my nose had turned a rather pretty shade of blue.

So, what about the food and service I hear you ask?  Well, I think a timeline is the best way to portray our experience…

11.05     Arrive at restaurant and seated promptly (we were the only customers remember)

11.07     Server takes our drinks order (including a cup of hot tea to try and warm Mrs. Onion up)

11.10     Server takes our food order and says the drinks will be here soon.

                Our order:  Nachos Deluxe for Mrs. O and a half chicken club sandwich and soup of the day for me.  The Tomato and Herb soup sounded good and warming…

11.15     Our drinks finally arrive.  Mrs. O’s cup of hot water is accompanied by a large wooden tea caddy which  was opened with a flourish by our server to reveal… about 4 tea bags.

11.45     No, that’s not a typo; 35 minutes after ordering our food it finally arrives.

11.47     Server returns to ask if everything is OK.  (It wasn’t - the soup was barely warm but I was so hungry and cold by this time I didn’t care).

11.51     No, that’s not a typo either, just over 5 minutes after receiving our food our server returns to ask if we are going to save any room for desert.

11.53     Two minutes later she returns to ask Mrs. O if she needs a box.  As Mrs. O was barely half way through her meal and still had her knife and fork in her hands this may have been a little premature.

11.55     The server returns with our check.  (We are still eating).

12.00     We both agree that perhaps we aren’t welcome or that they are expecting a large rush of customers at any minute (there were still only 3 other tables occupied) so we pay and leave.

In a departure from using the Onion Ring Scale here is TGIF By The Numbers:

35           The number of minutes for two very simple dishes to arrive, one of which was cold.

10           The number of minutes our server expected us to eat, box, pay and leave.

30           The dollars that we spent.

28           The degrees Fahrenheit the thermostat was set at.

0              The number of times we will return to TGIF in our lifetime.

5              It can only mean the infamous Fifth Onion…

28567 County Road 13, Daphne, Alabama

January 9^th, 2010 12.00pm

We had read some good reviews about Bentz’s so we decided to give California Dreaming a miss and try something different for Saturday lunch.

Someday I hope we remember not to go to places like this and expect the same sort of food and beverage that can be found at places like Stix or Zeas but that day wasn’t today and so we settled back on our wooden bench seat and looked over the menu.

As this is more a bar than a restaurant the menu was fairly limited and the choice of wines was about the same as you would expect in economy class on a Delta flight to Europe.  No surprise then that my Cabernet Sauvignon and Mrs. O’s Pinot Gris turned out to be screw top mini bottles of Columbia Crest & Cavit.  Now before you start leaving comments calling us wine snobs, we are not – we are wine geeks.  There is a huge difference.  Wine snobs wouldn’t have even been in Bentz’s Pizza Pub; wine geeks like us (and anyone else that isn’t afraid to drink red wine with fish) should just remember to order a beer once in a while.

Bentz’s is definitely geared up for sports with plenty of Pitsburgh Steelers memorabilia around the walls and a number of screens of various sizes showing different sports channels.  One item that stirred memories for me was the Area 51 arcade game, sadly not working.  It brought back memories of the Seafarer’s Centre in Dubai where I would spend many a happy hour blasting aliens until I either ran out of Dirham coins or I reached the 999,999 score that meant I was top of the leader board (again!)

4671 Airport Boulevard, Mobile, Alabama

January 8th, 2010, 5.30pm

The end of the first week back at work after New Year so for our Friday night date we decided to meet up at Zea’s for dinner.

Zea’s, along with Bone Fish Grill, was one of the places we used to go whenever I flew into Mobile and Mrs. Onion would meet me at the airport so there was a touch of nostalgia as we returned to one of “our” restaurants for the first time in a couple of years.

The restaurant is nicely decorated and the subtle lighting gives the impression that it is aiming for fine dining with a touch of romance and it doesn’t disappoint.  The wine list isn’t extensive at Zea’s but it was nice to see some old favorites on the menu.

Our perusal of the food menu was made even more enjoyable with the glasses of wine that arrived just a minute or two after we ordered them; Trinchero “Main Street” Sauvignon Blanc for Mrs. Onion and a McWilliams Hanwood Estate Shiraz for me, both priced at a very reasonable $5.

I am a big fan of their Almond Chicken Salad but this time I opted for the Seared Tuna Steak ($19.95).  Served with potatoes and snap beans, the pungency of the ginger soy marinade and the slightly bitter, but nice, taste of the orange butter coupled with the flavor and texture of the fish paired very nicely with my Shiraz.  Only serve white wine with fish?  Don’t you believe it – experiment with combining different flavors.

Mrs. Onion’s Twice Cooked Duck ($19.95) was seasoned with Asian herbs and a honey soy sauce and the cuisine of the Far East was fused with some delicacies from closer to home, namely grits and collard greens.   Although slightly fatty, as duck tends to be, the meal got the seal of approval as did the choice of pairing it with a Sauvignon Blanc; a New Zealand version would have been even better but this Napa version did what was required of it.

Overall a very good experience, good value at $55 and a place we would recommend for either date night or a special occasion and well deserving of the single onion.  We may even consider going to half an onion if they could just expand the choices of wine to include options within a varietal, for example a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand as well as one from California or a left bank Bordeaux to provide competition for the Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon.

A final word about the service; we didn’t notice it at all.  That is a good thing – our server just quietly got on with the job of telling us the specials, delivering our wine and food in a timely manner and being available whenever we needed anything and didn’t hover around the table when we were eating and talking.  Good job Daniel F.

The Onion Rings (out of 10):

Mr. & Mrs. Onion award Zea’s …

 Eastern Shore Center, 30500 Highway 181, Spanish Fort, Alabama

December 31^st 2009 7.30pm

New Year’s Eve and we decided to give our local Italian restaurant (we don’t count Olive Garden) a second chance.  We had been once shortly after they opened and it wasn’t a great experience but as we were going to Cellar 43 to celebrate the arrival of 2010 the proximity of this restaurant was the deciding factor.

We were escorted to our reserved seats and were soon greeted by our server who took our drinks order – 2 glasses of {Valla} Pinot Grigio ($7) which arrived promptly while we were still looking over the menus.  Mrs. Onion, after missing out on the lamb at Ruth’s Chris earlier in the week decided to try it here and I opted for linguine meatballs ($15).  Our server returned a few minutes later to say that they had sold out of the lamb!  Ossobuco ($28) was next on the wish list and she assured us that they had plenty of it and that Mrs. Onion would not be disappointed about the portion size.

The restaurant is decorated like an Italian village and on this occasion was well patronized by a fairly loud and joyful group of people obviously glad that the holiday shopping was over and relaxing with a glass or two of wine.

We had declined an appetizer but a basket of fresh warm bread was brought to our table, accompanied by a bowl of olive oil, garlic and herbs which was delicious.  I noticed on the menu that this was available to order as an appetizer.

To accompany our entrees, and in keeping with the Blue Moon, we each ordered a glass of the {research} Sole Luna from Tuscany ($7).

The food arrived in fairly quick time and the server had not been wrong about the Ossobuco; a mountain of meat, perhaps 7 or 8 inches tall, stood proudly from the plate and put my linguine into the shade. Both meals were very tasty and went well with the wine, including a second glass, purely in the interest of scientific research to make sure our impressions of the first were correct.

Needless to say Mrs. Onion’s appetite was sated before the Ossobuco was finished but we declined the offer of having the remnants boxed  as we both agreed that we would only end up leaving it at the wine bar if we had one too many.

The check arrived ($95) and I wasn’t surprised to see that they had charged us $1.50 for the bread and oil.  I know in the overall scheme of things $1.50 isn’t much but we didn’t actually ask for the bread and in every other restaurant we go to if it is brought to the table it is complementary.   If we are going to be charged for something we should at least be told and have the option to accept or decline.

Overall not too bad but the cost was high for the quality of both food and service and there are better options available if you are willing to spend $100 for dinner.  I don’t think this will be added to our list of regular haunts.

I’m sure I don’t need to mention the fact that we had a glass or two of wine at Cellar 43 to ring in the New Year and therefore we were in no fit state to review of our local wine bar on this occasion.

The Onion Rings (out of 10):

Mr. & Mrs. Onion award Gugliemo’s …

2058 Airport Boulevard, Mobile, Alabama

December 26^th 2009 6.30pm

Ruth’s Chris tends to be our place to go for milestone events and this visit was no exception as we marked our second wedding anniversary a couple of days early.

We had informed the restaurant about our special occasion and when we were shown to our table we were pleased to note that they had put rose petals over the table cloth (and later we found they had given us a complimentary dessert).

The restaurant is divided into different rooms and the lights are kept low with each table bathed in candle light.  Patrons of the restaurant seem to respect the fact that it is a high end eatery and dress accordingly although we did notice one person entering wearing jeans and a t-shirt when we were leaving.  Most of the diners talk in hushed tones, with the occasional exception of happy birthday wishes or similar, so the atmosphere is one of refinement and elegance.  Unfortunately our table was at the entrance to the room so we had a continual stream of waiters and bus boys passing by but not to worry, this was our special night.

A couple of glasses of {Strong?} Sauvignon Blanc ($10) quenched our thirst and whetted our appetites as we perused the menu and we decided to share a plate of calamari ($14) and salad ($6.50) to start the proceedings.

After ten minutes or so studying the entrée menu Mrs. Onion decided to try the lamb for a change but our server told us that he should have informed us that they were out of the lamb, so we both opted for steak, Mrs. Onion taking the filet ($34) while I ordered the filet and lobster tail ($40).  We added sides of Asparagus ($9), Mushrooms ($7) and mashed potatoes ($7) to round out our feast.

The wine list in Ruth’s Chris is not something to be rushed and on previous visits (before we turned in to wine geeks) it was something that was a little awe inspiring, however, now that we know a bit about the subject and have sampled one or two different bottles (!) we did notice a lot of familiar names and quite a lot of what we might call “supermarket wines” at incredibly high prices.  We fully appreciate that restaurants make their money on the alcohol but seeing a $9.99 bottle of very average wine marked up to $45 or more is a little crazy.

We settled for a bottle of (first name - Robert?} Hall Cabernet Sauvignon which was not a name we recognized from Bruno’s or Publix so we didn’t feel so bad about paying $40 for it.

The food, as always at Ruth’s Chris, was very good and the young Cabernet was tannic enough to stand up to the beef but at the same time provided some nice blackberry fruit flavors with a long dry finish that left us wanting more of both food and wine.

Mrs. Onion managed to leave room for a little chocolate cheesecake ($8, but later taken off our check) and accompanied it with a Kahlua Coffee ($11) while my after dinner treat came in the shape of a Di Sarono Amoretto ($7).

I have to admit to traveling to Ruth’s Chris with the preconceived notion that it would be our first zero onion restaurant but the realization that the wine list wasn’t as good as we remembered it and the fact there was a certain something about the service and general ambience that didn’t quite reach our expectations means that it still gets half an onion.  It can’t get a full onion because the cost (over $200) precludes it from being a daily or even monthly venue but it isn’t quite the full deal. So the search continues…

Returning to the Eastern Shore we decided to have a night cap at Cellar 43 and, as tends to happen in these circumstances, one turned into three fairly quickly so we will have to do a review of our local wine bar another time.

The Onion Rings (out of 10):

Mr. & Mrs. Onion award Ruth’s Chris…

30500 Highway 181, Spanish Fort, AL.

December 21st 2009 (7.30 pm)

Quotes from our first review of the Ruby Tuesday:

“The meals arrived before the end of the first glass of wine…”

“There can be no complaints about the service we received…”

What a difference a month makes!

We were seated without delay or fuss as the restaurant only had about a dozen tables filled but my Onion Radar should have been alert to the fact that we got a booth in the bar area.  This isn’t so bad if you get a separate server but ours was also trying to run the bar at the same time.  Having said that there were only two people drinking at the bar so what happened was inexcusable.

Having enjoyed the bottle we had last time we both ordered a glass of the Simi Sauvignon Blanc and decided that as we both had only eaten light lunches we would share the Guacamole Dip as an appetizer.  Mrs. Onion ordered the Quesadillas and I liked the look of the Crab Cakes which come in both appetizer and dinner portions; needless to say I opted for the latter.

We settled in to discuss our respective days and enjoy our wine but after 20 minutes or so I commented that surely it doesn’t take long to mash up a couple of avocadoes and throw some tortillas on a plate.  Another 10 minutes and I’m starting to think that the server had either forgotten our appetizer or that it would arrive at the same time as our entrees.

Having failed to catch our server’s eye I went up to the bar to ask about the status of our food.

“It’s not my fault, it’s the kitchen” came the surly reply.

Now both of us have worked in service industries for most of our lives and if there is one thing likely to get the little vein in my neck throbbing it is when a customer’s first point of contact does not take ownership of a problem.

By this time it was almost 8.15 and we were conscious of the fact that our Pug had been home alone for 12 hours without access to a fire hydrant so we decided to ask for our meals to be boxed and we would eat them at home.

The churlish attitude of our server continued to fan the flames of my irritation and when he dumped the “to go” bag on the table he nearly knocked a full glass of water over Mrs. Onion.  I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt in that I don’t think he did it deliberately but he had a very clear view of the table and it was a close run thing.

When he slapped the check folder on the table without so much as an apology I decided that it was time for a word with the manager but the server had already turned on his heels and was walking away from us.  When I called him back his eyebrows were raised and his face set in the classic “what now..?” expression which of course didn’t do much for my blood pressure.

When the manager finally got to our table (she had been dealing with other complaints) she at least took ownership of the problem and offered to pay for our meals, however, during our conversation Mrs. Onion noticed that the rogue server was hovering a booth or two away from us and was obviously trying to hear what was being said.  Later in the conversation I too noticed him as he was pacing between the door and the bar, effectively blocking our exit from the restaurant. 

I told the manageress that it was very intimidating to have him there but as she looked round he must have realized and moved back behind the bar.

We finally got home around 9pm and had to microwave our food but take a look at the “dinner” portion crab cake…

Hopefully the ruler gives the impression of a crime scene, because it is certainly criminal what happened to us.

 

We will certainly never use the restaurant service here again so…

Congratulations Ruby Tuesday, you are the first ever recipient of the infamous Fifth Onion.

Eastern Shore Center, Spanish Fort, Alabama

December 11^th, 2009 2.20pm

California Dreaming really is our “go to” place and there is hardly a week goes by without us eating here.  The Spare Rib sandwiches are usually superb; I think we only had one bad experience and that was a late lunch at around 1.30pm when the rib meat was overcooked.

The service is usually good but not spectacular.  Given the number of times we go there we might expect a little more acknowledgement (the manager of Stix always comes over to talk to us even though we only eat there once every couple of months) but some of the servers are getting to know us and our regular wine order of Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio at $9.95 and the value for money Ranch Zab Zinfandel ($7.25).   Mrs. Onion has overhead the bar staff talking about our regular order on at least two occasions so it’s not like they don’t know who we are.

The restaurant definitely only gets a one onion rating but unfortunately this visit was the “one in ten” where the service was very poor and we hope that this doesn’t become a trend or else there is a danger of an extra onion being awarded, or worse still we will find a different venue for our Saturday lunches.

Due to circumstances beyond our control we were having a very late lunch and the majority of the main seating area was unoccupied so we were invited to sit in a booth near the bar.  As regular readers will know this isn’t always the best place to get good service, especially if it is the bartender that is responsible for serving you while at the same time trying to satisfy the bar flies.

Recalling our previous experience of eating the prime rib late in the day we decided to go with something different.  Mrs. Onion liked the sound of the Seafood Nachos ($9.95) and when our server finally arrived (some 10 minutes after we were seated) I enquired if the barbeque chicken nachos could be prepared “Sans Onions”.  Unfortunately it was pre-prepared so I asked for a couple more minutes to have a look over the menu.

Nothing really took my fancy so I decided to risk the Rib San & Fries but resolved to ask the server to make sure the meat was still good.

We waited out the two minutes she had promised would mark her return to take our order…  we waited some more…  and some more…  when she finally came out from behind the bar she went over to two customers who already had eaten and proceeded to (loudly) talk about Alabama’s chances of going through the full season unbeaten and winning the National Championship.  On a number of occasions it looked like she was finishing the conversation but then turned back with some other discussion point.  A full ten minutes passed before she came back to our table and asked if we were ready to order – as we had been in the restaurant for over 25 minutes I assured her that we were.

The food was delivered to our table by a different server and the quality and quantity were both up to the usual standard for this restaurant and that mostly made up for the  poor attention to service – a second glass of Zinfandel probably helped as well.

California Dreaming will remain on our list of places to go back to but in future we will insist in getting a table away from the bar area and with so much competition locally they need to make sure that their service levels are more consistent throughout the restaurant.

The Onion Rings (out of 10):

Mr. & Mrs. Onion award California Dreaming…

December 7th 2009

Wines Tasted:

Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Opportunities to do a vertical wine tasting can come about in many ways.  Sometimes a wine bar will have two vintages of the same wine or if you are patient enough you can buy multiple bottles of a particular year and (shock!) not drink some of them, then wait 2, 3 or more years to collect subsequent vintages.  For this particular tasting we have to thank Sam’s Club.  Yes, you read that right, Sam’s Club.

The Wal-Mart operated retail warehouse probably isn’t the first place you would think of for wine shopping, nor would it be the second or third to be honest, but after discovering a couple of gems it will certainly be somewhere on our list in the future.

The gems in question were Cabernet Sauvignons from Kunde Estate which is a family run winery in the Mayacamas Mountains, California.  The 2004 is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah, and 1% Malbec and is special because 2004 marked the 100^th Kunde harvest .  The 2005 is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Syrah, and 3% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot.  Both were priced at a very reasonable $17.

Both had a beautiful dark purple color which when viewed from above became almost inky.  The nose of the ’05 was very tight but it had hints of oak and leather while the ’04 seemed to be fruitier with black berry and plum aromas but still with a hint of oakiness.

To me the ’05 had a fairly non-descript taste and was highly tannic but Mrs. Onion picked up on some fruit flavors which she liked.  The finish was long and dry and left an almost smoky aftertaste which was not unpleasant.  The ’04 was also big on tannins but had a much more obvious plum and berry taste that carried over from the nose.  The finish was also long but the fruit flavors disappeared on the finish to be replaced with a dry tannic mouth-feel.

Both wines would go superbly well with a nice fat marbled steak and when we tried them again an hour after opening both revealed a rather nice floral nose.

I gave both wines 84 points but I think if they had time to breathe and were paired with good food then they would show better.  Mrs. Onion gave the ’04 83 points but was more impressed with the ’05 which got an 89.

Both bottles had a little leftover so we decided to re-cork them and try them both 24 hours later.

The second tasting was quite an eye opener as both wines had improved tremendously.  The ’05 still had leather and oak on the nose but had opened up to reveal a fruity aroma reminiscent of black cherry jam.  The taste was still very tannic and the aftertaste long and dry and again the fruit flavor disappeared on the mid-palate to be replaced by a hint of sweet tobacco on the finish.

The ’04 also revealed a lot more of itself 24 hours later.  Aromas of rose petal and plum complimented the oak on the nose and the black berry and plum tastes survived the initial taste through the mid palate to a long dry, but fruity, finish.

Based on the 24 hour experiment I increased my score for the ’05 to 86 and the ’04 to 88 points.  Mrs. Onion reduced her score on the ’05 to 87 points due to the weak mid-palate but the ’04 soared to 91 points.

Both wines obviously needed time to open up and at the very least should be decanted an hour or two before drinking.  Also if don’t finish a bottle then you will find a nice surprise waiting for you the next day.

It would be an interesting experiment to see how well these wines age in the bottle.  If the tannins mellow out while retaining the fruit qualities over the next 3 to 5 years both wines could easily become 95+ point wines and at $17 that is a bargain not to be missed - I think another trip to Sam’s Club is called for…

 20000 Bass Pro Drive, Spanish Fort, Alabama

December 5th 2009

The Islamorada Fish Co. is situated in the Bass Pro Shop in Spanish Fort and we had tried to eat there once before when the store first opened but the wait was estimated at over an hour so we decided to eat elsewhere.

A year later, we decided to try again thinking that during the winter the store itself would be less crowded and that we would get a table easily.  Not so!  It took us 10 minutes driving round the parking lot before we found a space and the amount of people coming and going with arms full of carrier bags (and even one guy with a crossbow) is proof, if proof were needed, that  in Alabama hunting and fishing circles, if you build it – they will come.

There was a wait for tables again in the restaurant but we were offered the chance of a seat at the bar so we took it as we were both hungry.

After a slight delay, due to the entire bar staff being busy serving, our server took our drinks order and came back a few minutes later with a glass of Estancia Pinot Grigio ($7.95) for Mrs. Onion and news that the Cabernet Sauvignon I had ordered was not available.  She said that if I liked cab they had one of her favorites by 14 Hands.  I had enjoyed this wine before so accepted her recommendation and at $6.95 it represented very good value for money.

Despite the “Fish Company” name the menu options were varied and all of the dishes sounded appetizing.  Mrs. Onion selected the Fried Catfish Sandwich ($8.95) and I ordered a “do it yourself” mushroom and swiss by ordering the Bass Pro Burger with sides of cheese and mushrooms ($9.45).  This may seem expensive for a burger but it was a half-pounder so there are no complaints on that score.

Considering how busy they were the food arrived in good time and a second glass of the 14 Hands was a perfect foil for the burger.  Mrs. Onion was impressed with the catfish and overall the food was certainly above average.  The portions were huge and neither one of us could clean their plate but I guess if you are catering towards the hunters of Alabama you need to put plenty of food on the plate.

A review of the Islamorada would not be complete without mention of the main decorative feature.  A huge fish tank, maybe 15 feet high runs the entire length of the bar (30 feet or more) and is well populated with coral and colorful fish to keep you entertained while you eat.  Sometimes, not often mind you, it is nice to have a relaxing atmosphere around a bar rather than multiple TVs playing different sports channels.  The only problem with this place is that is situated in the middle of a store so it tends to be frequented by families and that equates to bored children running around.  If they have an over 21 only night then this would be a good place to come for a well priced meal and drink.

The Onion Rings (out of 10):

Mr. & Mrs. Onion award Islamorada Fish Co…

Wines Tasted:

George Duboef Beaujolais Nouveau 2008

George Duboef Beaujolais Nouveau 2009

What better way to start our wine blog than by sampling Beaujolais Nouveau?  How about finding some of last year’s vintage and comparing the two? We managed to find stock of the 2008 at Bruno’s so we bought a couple of bottles at $11.99 each and the 2009 was available at World Market for $9.99.

To prepare for the tasting both bottles were put in the refrigerator for 40 minutes.  Although Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine the lightness and freshness of the Gamay grape is best served slightly cooler than other reds.

Identical glasses were used and each one was given a quick sniff while empty to ensure that the nose of the wine was not affected by any lingering detergent or stale air that may have gathered in the glass.

One of the features of Beaujolais Nouveau is the artwork on the label and both vintages are pretty impressive.

Once in the glass the 2009 had an almost bright purple hue to it and was exceptionally clear. The 2008 was more brown than red, as you would expect from an older wine, but the color was still attractive and the wine had good clarity.

The aroma of red berries was very prominent in the ‘09 but there was also a hint of vinegar when it was first poured but this soon disappeared after a few minutes in the glass.  The ‘08 had a more complex nose with hints of blackberry/bramble and ripe plum.

The ‘09 had a very light and acidic taste and the red berry theme continued through the mid-palate to a surprisingly long dry finish. The ‘08 was a lot dryer initially and had a shorter finish but the taste of ripe cherries was very pleasant.

Mr. Onion preferred the 2008 as it was more complex and had bigger flavors and gave it 88 points compared to 86 for the 2009.

Mrs. Onion gave 89 points to the 2009, preferring its acidity and long finish but still gave a very respectable 87 points to the ‘08.

To complete the experiment both bottles were re-corked and left to sit for 24 hours.

The next day both were tasted again and the ’08 had opened up very nicely and seemed darker, a lot more full bodied and more complex than the previous day’s tasting.  Both the Onions gave it 88 points.  The ’09 was still light and had retained the purple color but the nose seemed to have disappeared completely and the finish was a lot drier than the previous tasting.  The dryness appealed to Mr. Onion who gave it 88 points but the lack of acidity meant that Mrs. Onion only gave 85 points.

Both of us thought that it was an excellent aperitif wine and wouldn’t really stand up to pairing with heavy foods but in the interests of oenological discovery, and without the aid of a safety net, we tried a glass of the ’08 with our spicy turkey sausage dinner. To our surprise and delight the tastes were superb together.  Even with the jalapeño and Mexican spiced hominy the wine’s light fruity flavor came through and helped soothe our fiery tongues.

In summary, a nice experiment and one that proved that even if you have a forgotten bottle of a wine that was meant to be drunk within weeks of bottling there may well be a nice surprise waiting for you under the cork, and of course don’t be afraid to try wines with food pairings that may seem odd.

The unopened bottles of both the ‘08 and the ‘09 are now going to be laid down in our cellar (we call it a cellar, it’s really a cupboard with a wine rack in it) and will only see the light of day again when the 2010 Beaujolais Nouveau is released and we attempt a 3 way match up.  Can’t wait…!