Adult Pharmacy

I'm just going to skip over the fact that this is so late, and pretend like I hadn't promised myself a million times that I'd get better at this... 

Last week was pretty lovely. I had a quilting and sewing retreat with my mom, which resulted in my new living room quilt top being about half done (and it's looking glorious, if I do say so myself!). It is always so inspiring to see what everyone is working on, and it's such a great opportunity to dedicate some time to my own work and projects. Last year I worked on a baby quilt for one of my dear friends, and the year before that, another friend's baby, so this year it was quite refreshing to work on something that will be for my own home. It's a pattern that I've had for a few years now, and actually I've had most of the fabric that long too, so I was happy to finally get started. 

The rest of the week was pretty low key, I made some cupcakes for a bake sale, and we took a quick run to the states for turkeys. The only other very exciting part was that our wing friends D&S had their baby! A beautiful, healthy and bright looking baby boy they've named Ozzy. Yay! Our hearts are very full of love for this little guy already. 

Seriously, doesn't it look like it's from the 70s?

November 17, 2016

So, this week's "champagne" has a bit of a back story. Not long after we started the blog, our friend Kate said that we should try and find the cheapest bottle of champagne (or sparkling wine) we could, and review it. We all agreed it would be quite entertaining, and probably pretty awful. Anyways, so this week when we were in the States, we went back to the Rite Aid (we had found a bottle called "Flip Flop" there a couple years ago for $5) and went on a hunt. 

Yup, those are cinder block walls,
with the section painted on...
So you won't get lost!

First of all, Rite Aid: does that not make you think of a pharmacy? Yes, us too. Which we decided was kind of fitting, in that it's sort of a pharmacy for those who wish to self medicate. Second: really, this place looks super sketchy. Both inside and out. It looks like the bargain basement of booze. Which, when put like that, doesn't sound all that bad. But despite all its quirks, it actually has an enormous selection of everything. Sure it's got some waaaaay bottom shelf, far off the beaten path stuff, but it's also got some very high end stuff. Like Johnny Blue ($300 CAD) and other bottles well over the $100 USD mark. Impressive stuff. 

Why, yes, that is a $5.99 price tag...

So, this is how we found André. There were a few varieties in the André line up, and we chose the brut rosé (I know, shocking, we don't usually like it pink bubbly... except that we do...). The hilarious and disturbing thing about this one, is we don't know anything about it. It's not even on their website... So, yeah, that's just great... The other hilarious thing about these guys is their label (and very prominently boasted on their website), specifically the "California Champagne" that they call these bad boys... Direct quote. It's awesome. 

Okay, so onto the nitty gritty. What we're all dying to know... How was it? 

Weeeellllll, disappointingly, it wasn't terrible. I mean, don't get me wrong, it wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible. And that's without taking the $5.99 price tag into account. (Although, with the dollar the way it is, $6US is like $97CAN...)

That's quality right there... 

Okay, so on twisting the top (yes, that's right, it wasn't a pop the top night, it was a twist the top night) it smelled sweet for a "brut". Like, very sweet. The first few sips were an adjustment. This was not a brut. This was not a dry bubbly. It tasted like candied fruit. 

Around the mid-glass mark, when I started getting my bearings among the sweetness, I started getting some fruity flavours, strawberries or raspberries maybe, sweet with a touch of sour... The bubbles were nice, they helped to cut the sweetness as they had a very sharp mouthfeel. 

Yeah, he wanted to wear his Christmas
sweater... a touch early, but who
am I to say no? 

Into the second glass, in my notes I have: "tasty enough, but pretty effing sweet"... now, keep in mind, we know nothing about this guy. Maybe the alcohol content was ridiculously high and messing with our brains... It's possible. We were starting to get some peach flavours (or at least I was, Shane still claimed fake candy strawberries, like the gummy candies that are supposed to be "strawberry flavour" but are really just "red flavour"). It also seemed to get sweeter the further into it we got. 

All in all, it (shockingly) wasn't the worst we've had. I found that surprising, and Shane even said "I'd try some of the others in the André line up, mostly as a lark though". It wasn't particularly our taste, being so sweet, and when we tried to let Tyson try a bit, he sniffed and then snubbed it (that boy has expensive taste). 

But there you have it... I guess. The review that will disappoint the world as it wasn't as bad as we had all hoped. Don't kid yourself, you were hoping it was awful, and that we'd be regaling you with stories of us spitting it out in a comical, cartoonish manner, and then trying again and gagging and choking and whatnot... don't worry, we all were... 

Better luck next time...
~S

• Brand: André California Champagne
• Type of Grape: Who knows...
• Sweetness: Not sure, we guessed it around a 20-25g/L?
• Price: $5.99USD
• Tasting Notes:  Well, not as bad as we expected. There were strawberry and peach notes, very sweet, and nice bubbles. Would probably go nicely with something salty, like bacon (but then again, what wouldn't??)