Now here are 3 excellent wine choices we greatly enjoyed.

Blandy's 5 Year Old Alvada Rich Madeira (Portugal) - If you've followed my posts you'll know both Nancy and I are BIG fans of quality madeiras.  I've reviewed various styles before (malmsey, bual, sercial, verdelho) and in fact many of the samples were from Blandy's.  This Alvada sample is an example of the wine label trying to make something new, a quality category in itself.  I'd describe this as midway between a bual and a malmsey style and hey that's a good target to shoot for because bual gives some interesting flavors with a touch of dry and malmsey gives interesting flavors with rich sweetness.  This Alvada has terrific complex flavors and aromas and also somehow maintains a freshness to it.  Really nice stuff.  No wonder it costs more than their other madeira bottles and even squeezes down the volume of the bottle you get.  Anyway I proudly give this a 10 out of 10, how could I not when I'd given even less impressive madeiras 10's?

Sakonnet, Rhode Island Red, Southeastern New England (Rhode Island, duh) - I'd read that Sakonnet is one of the more respected wineries in all o New England and this was the first sample I'd found from them.  Really this is a cool wine.  First the label, although not extravagant, was designed by a team of artists from the Rhode Island School of Design, a giant among art schools.  Then when I pulled the cork I was hit with a strong but unusual bouquet.  I couldn't make my mind up for a while whether I liked it or not, but all my attempts to compare it to negative things like smoke or wet dog weren't quite accurate descriptions.  I decided in the end I actually liked the bouquet though I disagree with the back label which says it smells like blueberry boysenberry violet and lilac.  The taste was a rich bold knockout and I'd compare it to wines I've had in the past which some describe as "meaty".  Really a cool wine for a good value.  Nancy fully liked it too.  I note it has no year on the bottle so they're probably blending many vintages to get to this beast but I don't mind, I really liked it.  I'll score it 7 out of 10 for above average.

Domaines Corey Creek, Rose, 2007 (North Fork of Long Island) - Although I've had New York wines before I don't think they ever were from North Fork of Long Island before.  Furthermore although New York wines often have New World grape varieties blended in and giving a hint of wild to the flavor this rose is actually just Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, a classic Bordeaux selection of grapes.  Anyway, it's a nice balanced rose with enough flavor to keep me satisfied and yet mild enough to keep Nancy satisfied although she often does not like rose's.  This is a nice wine, and at an affordable price.  6 out of 10 for upper average.