Previously I have reviewed flipflop wines and have been 100% satisfied. They are a fairly new brand and have very affordable prices, without sacrificing taste. This time I had the opportunity to taste the Moscato.
Moscato is a white wine, on the sweeter side (but not dessert-sweet), and less dry than other wines. These grapes are harvested in California and are most often recommended for dining with white courses (chicken, lean pork, etc.) though I maintain that whatever tastes good to you is what you should do (taste great with a steak? have it with a steak!). Like most white wines, it is most certainly best served chilled.
This wine was fantastic. It was smooth, light, and crisp. It was incredibly refreshing after a long day of work. This is a perfect summer wine for picnics, barbeques, bonfires, etc. It had light citrus flavors and even lighter floral notes to ensure that they aren't overwhelming. The flavors all blended to ensure a smooth finish.
I'm not the only one who is a fan of this wine. In 2010 the flipflop Moscato earned Double Gold at the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the largest, most influential international wine competition in America. In addition, none other than Wine Enthusiast Magazine gave flipflop Moscato a “Best Buy” in the June issue of the magazine. I would certainly agree!

One of the coolest things about flipflop wines is their commitment to bettering the world. Just this year, flipflop has dedicated profits of their wines to help 11 million children through the Soles4Souls program. There are more than 300 million children in our world without shoes. Without shoes, not only are these children highly vulnerable to parasitic diseases (such as hookworm and threadworm) and injuries but without shoes children are often unable to attend school because shoes are part of a uniform requirement. Thus far, flipfop has help put shoes on more than 100,000 feet.

The second flipflop wine I tried was the Riesling. This Riesling wasn't as sweet as I expected. The Rieslings I'm accustomed to are near dessert sweet, and this one wasn't. Thus, it helps to know what you like when you are looking to enjoy a Riesling. If you are one who really enjoys the light, syrupy sweetness of a Riesling, this one might not be your choice. On the other hand, if you're often turned off by the full sweetness of a Riesling, you might give this a try and see if you've finally found a Riesling you'll enjoy.

One thing I must stress about Riesling, especially this one, is that it MUST be served chilled! Don't worry about any perfect temperature (45-50 degrees F), just ensure that it has been refridgerated for approximately 2 – 3 hours before serving and make sure that it stays chilled (if you can't keep it in the fridge, put it on ice). Drinking Riesling without chilling it will rob you of the true flavors and smells that emerge when it is cool. In summary, it just won't taste nearly as good room temperature as it would chilled.

flipflop Riesling has the flavors of peaches and apricots and melons and it is fruit forward. I didn't notice any floral undertones, which is great because I don't prefer that in my Rieslings. There was a hint of spice in my nose which was an excellent touch. This Riesling could easily be paired with any pork or chicken dish—simple or complex.

One last interesting note about this wine is that it's a Washington wine. The Northwestern United States are moving forward in their vineyards and wine making. I find it very exciting that the United States is coming along when it comes to wine. Not only are we competing with the traditional wine areas such as France and Italy, we are also creating new flavors and dimensions for wines.

Cheers!

Flip Flop Wines! Hurray!

Most of you don't know that I'm a wine-o. I started my love affair with wine at the end of college (when keggers and wops became inappropriate). I was lucky enough to be contacted by flipflop Wines to give these new wines a go. I'm doing these reviews in increments as to really absorb (pun intended) the flavors and experiences of each of the wines. Due to the ridiculous heat that the Midwest has been experiencing, I started with a cool glass of Pinot Grigio. The strongest opinion I can tell everyone about this wine is this:

If you like pinot grigio: you will love this wine!

The wine itself is young but the vitner has patened a recipe that does not stray one bit from a very original Pinot Grigio. It has a very classic flavor of a Pinot Grigio. Oftentimes you can tell if a P.G. doesn't have a dedicated vitner—the taste is very young, too sweet, not the right level of dryness. It's as if they think that drinkers will enjoy anything sweet and white, which is not necessarily true. A good P.G. will be slightly sweet and have undertones of lightly sugared citrus with, oftentimes, only an afterthought of floral (which makes it such a hit with non-experiences wine drinkers—floral often turns off drinkers). The flipflop Pinot Grigio has these clean, lightly sweetened citrus flavors and uses other white fruits like pear to create a full-bodied, balanced glass.

Let me say it again, if you are a wine drinker that likes Pinot Grigio, you are GUARANTEED to enjoy this bottle of wine.