Grapesphere

Growing from the rise of food trucks popping up all over DC and Virginia, this once-pizza truck has now expanded into a brick-and-mortar just outside of DC, in Arlington, Virginia. While the truck has been parked due to the expansion and workload of opening a new restaurant, the pizza has transitioned rather well from the street to the store. Pupatella specializes in Neapolitan pizza, blister-thin and baked for only a minute in a wood-fired pizza oven straight from Naples.

Good: Pizza is chewy and toppings are fresh and wonderful. There’s a good char on the pizza to give it that smokey flavor. Overall, you can get their daily special, or select one of their other favorites. Or of course you can make your own. Friendly staff and quick service add to the positive vibe.

Bad: Not too much – its a small place though so it would probably be tough for groups, and since their pizza comes out quick and fresh, a option to go might leave your pizza a little cold by the time you get home. Some flavor combos also might be a little too much, so if you’re a traditionalist, just stick to the margarita.

Wine: Though I didn’t get to sample a wine or beer list, I can only guess that they have a simple list of wines to choose from. Next time I’m in there I’ll get a better look.

This McLaren-Vale winery makes a number of mid-priced wines, relatively cost-friendly in relation to the quality from these wines. The winemakers seem to come from the position of creating more accessible wines that don’t require a lot of cellar time, but still have something interesting to say. Always nice when you don’t have to wait around to drink a decent wine.

Kangarilla Road Shiraz

Off the top, this wine is very austere. It has a little nose, not much, with raspberry and clove mixed in with some oak. I have to say that the flavor palate changes very little from start to finish with a woodsy, earthy quality. I get a little bit of bell pepper on nose as well. The tannins are integrated nicely with a medium-length finish. There’s also a bit of jamminess at some level but it can’t be said that it’s overly fruity. This wine has a smooth finish and nice structure. Initally, on opening it I couldn’t tell if I liked it or not. However, the wine really grows on you and I grew to definitely like!

With a floral finish mixed with Lavender and honey, I also pick up more tobacco, mushroom, and bell pepper. All in all, the fruit is nicely integrated without compromising the wine structure and quality. With the price around $15, the wine delivers exactly as its makers hoped. You have here a wine that is structured, not overly jammy or fruity, easy drinking with just that hint of something a little more complex. I’ve got to rate this wine borderline outstanding.

Bleasdale Mulberry Tree

So how did it taste? Upfront this wine has a very nice nose, full of blueberries and blackberry fruit. There’s some oak and spice, but mostly you just get the jammy fruit on the nose. The flavor is also very jammy, and somewhat Shiraz-like. There’s a decent amount of structure, and some cassis flavoring to give it that Napa cab feel.

Overall, its a pretty smooth wine, with a little bit of tannins there to give it mouth-feel and body on the finish. Maybe a hint of bell pepper mixed in as well. I’m going to rate this wine a Brick Solid just based on the fact that I could get the initial flavors I’d find in a Napa cab for half the price I’d normally see for something out of California. Its an easy-drinking wine that could be a great addition at the next barbecue.

Aldo e Riccardo Seghesio, not to be confused with the Sonoma winery of a similar name, produces a number of different Piedmont varietals including Barolo, Barbera, and this Dolcetto. Most of their wines are fairly easy to find in most better wine stores. I picked this wine up from the Wine Library for around $13. I’d only had their Barbera and enjoyed it, so I figured “why not”. Plus Wine Spectator liked it well enough with an 89pt score.

Overall, the wine is still pretty young and acidic. I know that Dolcettos tend to be drunk at a younger stage and the draw is their bright fruit and acidity, however this was just tight on the get-go. Cherry and sandalwood flavors upfront, with a little plum action. The nose wasn’t anything too exciting, and was tough to get a read on anything specific. Maybe a little cinnamon and clove, and some damp forest floor. There were some grip-y tannins throughout the tasting, and maybe if there had been a longer decant, we would have convinced those to settle down. Nonetheless, it has a big, strong finish with cherry cola core, and a little tobacco and cocoa on the end. Still, it seemed the wine was a little uneven overall. Not a bad wine, but there are definitely better ones out there.

On the score I’d rate this a Drinkable – just a hair under the 89 score that WS gave them. Maybe revisited in a year, it might all come together but right now its just missing something.

With the explosion of wine bars and wine-focused restaurants across the country, we’ve started to see an increase in the various varietals offered in these establishments. The willingness to experiment has thrust new grapes and styles into the limelight after years in the shadows. Particular the white wines from Italy and Spain have received the most love from these places, expanding the palates of American wine lovers. This is great news for those looking for good wines at lower prices. These wines since they are relatively new to the market also tend to be cheaper, partial based on the fact that there is no reputation to push up the prices.

Falanghina is an Italian wine from the Campania region in southern Italy. These wines tend to have a little sweetness, similar to a Viognier, with a little of the acidity and body of a Pinot Grigio. This wine, priced around $11, is no different with a crisp acidic mouth-feel, good full body, and a little sweetness mixed in. There are quince, lemon, and pear flavors, mixed with a little smokiness and butter. The acidity hits first, but the residual sweetness helped cut into this and rounds out the overall flavor of this wine.

I’m going to rate this a Brick Solid. It’s a good wine, and a good example of this wine, though maybe missing a little complexity. However its got all of the trademarks of the wine style and could be a good wine to break yourself into the different white wines starting to become available.