# Duck Dynasty's Duck Commander Tripple Threat Red Wine - My Review!!!!



## leah elisheva (Nov 3, 2014)

Well Happy new and Very Wonderful Week To All!

While never having watched a single Duck Dynasty episode, I am tonight, for the first time ever, going to start!

Today I bought their red wine, out of curiosity. It was 10 bucks, it was a blend (Zin, Cab & Merlot) of grapes that I love when mixed together, and I quite frankly did wonder if it would make me grow a beard and praise Jesus.

Now DON'T send me hate mail, as I'm a religious woman and am simply injecting humor here and not meaning to be offensive in any way and absolutely APPLAUD those commander folk, and am excited now to watch their show as well!













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__ leah elisheva
__ Nov 3, 2014






And so onto that wine...

I BROILED some bison steaks and still managed to make them barely seared - as if doing ahi tuna.

This was no mean feat, considering the tiny stove and broiler setup in our rental cottage resembles a Betty Crocker toy set of cookery that you would gift to a 4 year old who wants to "pretend cook," versus a 44 year old who does the exact same thing; but then who's counting right?

STILL, THE MEAT WAS AMAZING & PAIRED REALLY PERFECTLY WITH THE WINE!

I have my own weird & simple "rating score" for wines. It is a five point system versus the 90 plus scoring of professionals - a simpleton I am, I must confess.

My system is this.

1. *Color. *(I love YOUNG wines that are deep dark and delicious in color - deep violet/purple but dark dark! No vintage brick or brown depressing wine color in my glass). And so, if it is a young wine, (this indeed was - 2012 only and thus very dark in color), that gets one point.

2. The *NOSE.* Not mine mind you, but the wines. That's simply a* combo of AROMA & BOUQUET.*

When you hold the glass perfectly STILL, up by your nostrils, then the *OILS come to the surface, and you can smell the initial scent or top note of the wine. This is called, "aroma."*

THEN,

You can move the wine around a bit - swirling it some - NOT like some bombastic and spastic fool doing crazyass figure 8 designs on the restaurant table and like an affected weirdo, but just *a couple swirly movements right up by your nose, not on the table, and this gets air into it and thus the ESTERS are now evoked. That is what "bouquet" is.*

And so *that COMBO - of aroma, with the glass held still, and bouquet, with it moving around some, is called "The Nose."*

And if a wine has a strong, seductive, and sexy "Nose," then I give it a point. Sadly, try as I might, and wait over time even, this one was flat. I long for more scent from it. But I cannot lie and say that it was aromatic and seductive that way. Maybe another year for them will be, I hope so, as I do love the wine otherwise.

3. *TASTE.* How does the wine actually taste to me? And after waiting 10 minutes, (I always taste immediately and then start drinking righteously after 10 minutes, just to see if a difference happens, and in this case it DID! After opening some, it tasted well! That got a point!

4.* My SKIN!* I am a sensitive Sally to say the least. I react with stars and stripes and Rorschach blots, all over my skin when drinking foul wines that have chemicals added in. I handled this pretty well, which means there is not tons and tons and tons of junk added into it. ERGO: Another point is had!

5. Lastly in my simpleton rating system, is *"Would I drink it again?"* And I would indeed! Thus another point

And so, I give this 10 dollar wine, a *4 *out of 5!

And if you do not care about smell, then you may even, for the price especially, love it more than I! A delightful surprise!

One thing I know, *THIS WINE IS PERFECT TO PAIR WITH SMOKED FOOD! AND I WILL BUY MORE & GO DO THAT NEXT!*

OH! And now that I revealed my very own simple but fabulous scoring system, I'd really love to hear YOU chime in, and with wines you try, and give your rating to them.

We all can learn of brands and take note! Thanks tons!

Cheers! - Leah Who Will Light A Fire Tonight & Watch Duck Dynasty!!!!!!


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## mdboatbum (Nov 3, 2014)

I must now try my best to find the stuff and surprise my wife with a bottle. Despite trying to appear all hoity toity (WOW that took 5 tries to get that word typed in without the autocorrect changing it) and my well documented disdain for "reality" TV, I must admit the duck people are pretty entertaining in small to medium doses. By the way, there is an episode from a couple years back in which they buy the presumed source of the bottle you just enjoyed. Their initial efforts are somewhat reminiscent of Lucy and Ethel in the candy factory. 
Oh, and I think I speak for all of us in requesting you immediately post a photo of you sporting the new beard.


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## leah elisheva (Nov 3, 2014)

Thank you Andrew!!!

Yes, if my only complaint is that it doesn't have some seductive and crazyass incredible aroma, we know that for me, the wine snob, (but a charming one nonetheless or so I do hope) but if I, the wine snob, did like this wine (hubby is out buying brussels sprouts and another bottle for me even - late night snack) then we know that it is palatable or I would never have suggested it. Enjoy!

I do think it deserves a hell of a lot of credit!

Meanwhile, I am determined to alas see the show! (Will look now on "On Demand TV" for some episodes and start getting a clue, since they bought a decent winery).

That drew me in!

Anyway, here's to new experiences! They are fun!

Cheers! - Leah


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## knuckle47 (Nov 4, 2014)

What better way to evaluate something you are eating or drinking...appears to be a well distilled succinct formula.   I have adopted this technique


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## leah elisheva (Nov 4, 2014)

Thank you so much Knuckle47! It's not a fancy rating scale by any stretch, and I am certain the renowned sommeliers would spit their wine out at my simpleton "way," yet I do find it to work every time and am delighted you agree!

Happy Tuesday!!!! Cheers! - Leah


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## disco (Nov 4, 2014)

Har! When I was growing up, wine was Carmel which was so sweet it could go on pancakes. Then I moved on to Baby Duck, Lonesome Charlie and Berry Cup. Slowly I started to try better wines and became a price snob. Then I took a wine tasting course from a wine salesman. He taught me the least accurate measure of a wine is price.

So, I totally agree with trying wines of less than high cost and think your find and meal sounds terrific. Bison and wine is great!

Disco


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## daveomak (Nov 5, 2014)

Leah, morning.....   Happy New Year to you.....     Pretend cook ???  Yes you are....  I haven't seen you cook anything that I can remember...    Sear and plate blue or is that "bleu"... that's plating a perfect meat, not cooking....  Love your wine scoring....  Love your "cooking' also....   Looks like something I would eat with endless delight...   Cheers.......   Dave


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## leah elisheva (Nov 5, 2014)

Indeed (Disco) the price can be misleading.

If I use my 5 point humble rating scale, some 5 thousand dollar bottle of vino may or may NOT end up with the same score as an 18 dollar bottle.

It's interesting stuff and at the end of the day accurate and so I'm delighted that anyone enjoys and approves!

Your evolution with wine sounds absolutely amazing and least we forget that you also make such, correct? For that alone, I do humbly bow down!

And Sir Omak! You are SOOOOO right! I sear, plate, "arrange," and repeat! Cooks, and Chefs, deserve a whole other level of credit!

Today - case in point - I grilled Trader Joe's New Zealand grass fed NY Strip steaks and layered them over salad. Typical meal for me albeit with some pink Himalayan sea salt that has black truffle flecked into it, which is Godly, in my opinion, and so it was a treat! For that salt alone, I am so grateful!

And while camel burger meat is in my freezer; yes true be that, this "hump day" was spent with traditional cow.

Happy Wednesday to all! Please make today delicious!

Cheers! - Leah













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__ leah elisheva
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## knuckle47 (Nov 5, 2014)

I was in Sams club on Friday night. They had a bottle of wine in display.... Likely a 5 on the Leah scale.  Separate black carpeting in a 5 foot glass case and an inverted teardrop bottle in its own stand.  I couldn't remember the name because of the shock but.... A separate crew of wine folk will travel to any where in the world you wish and they will open and serve the wine for you.   Price for this $158,000.00.  :icon_eek:



Found this:

The Walmart-owned-and-operated retail warehouse is selling a Penfolds Block 42 Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon Ampoule, of which only three exist in the U.S., for $158,000. In proper Sam’s Club fashion, that is a bargain of $10,000 under its usual value of $168,000, according to a news release from the retailer.


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## daveomak (Nov 5, 2014)

And Sir Omak! You are SOOOOO right! I sear, plate, "arrange," and repeat! Cooks, and Chefs, deserve a whole other level of credit!















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Katie, BAR THE DOOR ....  that looks sooooooo good....


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## leah elisheva (Nov 6, 2014)

Thank you Dave!!! This was lovely!!! Nothing like a simple steak & salad dinner right? My once a week minimum!

And Knuckle47, that's an Aussie treat that you saw for such Casheesh! Hopefully our Mick will weigh in here and tell us if it is worthy of the coin! How wild!!!

Meanwhile, it's a simple cuttlefish & brown rice pasta day over here. Make your day delicious and filled with fantastic cheer!!!!!!!!! - Leah


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## moikel (Nov 6, 2014)

Sorry I am late to the party.

We get Duck Dynasty down here,I watch it irregularly but I confess I do like it. I have never seen them drink alcohol !Its all ice tea !

We get lots of your TV  on cable so I see Andrew Zimmern,Bourdain, Wicked Tuna,Deadliest Catch etc.

But back to wine.

I am a value sort of bloke.I hate over priced,pretentious  wines.Since Robert Parker quit reviewing down here there are less cult wines at stupid prices & more food friendly value wines that aren't" over" everything, over done,over oaked ,over alcohol .

That there is good wine at $10 in your stores is a great thing.

I got the job of picking the wines for the Xmas work party.About 250 people going hard out of the chute 2 fisted drinking.

I went with this













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__ moikel
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$11 a bottle. One of those gold medals is from New York International Wine Show so I assume its available to you guys.

Made by a big company but they moved off their  home patch to bring grapes in from 2  better regarded regions.Still a family out fit started 1985.

This was a close second.













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Aussie sense of humour,make wine in a very German influenced part of the country & stick a Zeppelin on the label,call it Big Bertha. Big company again,real big, but they created a little brother winery & let them make it in  a true Barossa Valley style,open fermenters,basket pressed minimal filtration. HONEST. & RIGHTEOUS.Big berry flavours ,opulent in style,BIG.A whole $13 a bottle.Great glass of wine,true to its roots& its region. Drink with steak,venison etc.Absolute fit for Leah's cooking.Available in the USA.

In answer to the original question the ampoule deal is for people who buy "bling" I haven't heard or seen it here & assume its some marketing garbage for people with to much $. Penfolds 389 about $80 its big bro  Grange $ 750 .I don't get it. I can buy absolutely drop dead gone to heaven ,cab sav or shiraz here for $50 to $75.

I don't except in stand out vintages like 2012  when  "hand on my heart" I can say it may be years before there is a vintage as good.

Mick


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## leah elisheva (Nov 6, 2014)

And there you have it! I knew that Mick could set us straight on this stuff!

Thank you thus, and for those 2 wine picks as well! And, I agree with you stateside here as well, in that for $75 bucks, and under at times too, there are some righteous sips that could serve as "holiday" wine or whatever one desires.

So interesting on what you get for our TV lineup! Here we now have "The Real Housewives of Melbourne" on Bravo! OY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers!!!! - Leah


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## moikel (Nov 6, 2014)

I draw the line at Real Housewives of anywhere or those Batchelor crap.
Abalone Wars about the dive fishery down in Cape Jaffa territory is pretty good. Abalone a sort of sea snail that Asians are mad about.Strict quota & you have to dive with an air hose. They are a Southern Australia critter there are people diving near my week ender but it's S.A where the best abalone & the biggest sharks are.
I will buy some soon & show them. They are farming them as well,in Tassie! Where else?


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## knuckle47 (Nov 6, 2014)

What, they finally stopped showing " I Love Lucy "?


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Nov 6, 2014)

Hey Leah, hope all is well with ya.... I've been kinda hit & miss on here for a while !  I love DD but have not tried their wine, now I have to try it & I'am sure the wife will agree as she's a huge fan of the show as well as wine.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts..... Thumbs Up


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## leah elisheva (Nov 7, 2014)

Oh Mick, I LOVE abalone but only sample such one every 10 years practically! Hard to find! I'd love to see what you get there indeed!

And agreed! (On "The Real Housewives")! Just add alcohol...

Anyway, Justin, yes, the wine wasn't bad and it was better than many a rot gut bottle sold by the glass in local haunts here, and so I'd drink it again even if it were around. I still haven't caught the show, but will try to see an episode when able.

Meanwhile, it's a pan seared emu day here. Happy FRIDAY to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Make it delicious!!

Cheers! - Leah


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## moikel (Nov 7, 2014)

Little guys are farmed down in Tassie.thats $8 each. 













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Big ones are $70. Popular as sashimi I didn't buy any today,just grabbed some snapper for steamed fish chinese style & some mackerel for the smoker.

BUT THE BIG NEWS is there is now an upmarket butcher shop lots of wagyu beef,salt bush lamb,organic pork etc.Stuff cut to order ,ageing room,premium meat. .But wait theres more,its got a fully worked Yoder BBQ.Pulled pork or brisket on a bun,or a plate of goodies at the bar with a big beer selection.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			


















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__ moikel
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Steamed fish with ginger ,garlic,& shallots .Given its a hot day a bottle of Villa Maria pinot gris from New Zealand.


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## moikel (Nov 8, 2014)

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Tonights dinner ,lime leaf,shallots ,ginger,garlic ,lemon juice & into the big boy bamboo steamer. 

Villa Maria from NZ  make some great crisp white wines. Lot of people of Croatian descent have vineyards there.

It was a great match.I like pinot gris ,very summer.













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__ moikel
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## leah elisheva (Nov 8, 2014)

Dare I say, this is your best Mick! Although each time - whether goat, fish or swine - I do believe that. You're an impressive Chef!

But this, this is so damn beautiful! My kind of meal! I love it!

And the abalone are so impressive! Pricy creatures, right! But wow, so fun to see! Thanks for this. EXCEPTIONAL!!!!!

Cheers! - Leah


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## moikel (Nov 8, 2014)

Your to kind. Steamed fish is such a great thing.You really taste the fish,a few aromatics of course.

Those snapper are the backbone of the restaurant trade,great fish.

I do like Pinot Gris & summer is the time to drink it.

Abalone gets shipped to Asia.I saw on TV that its a big thing at wedding receptions in Hong Kong ,real status thing.

I think seared your style would be more my thing.


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## moikel (Nov 8, 2014)

I grabbed this awhile back.It might come on your radar .Only cost $14.













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__ moikel
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From the Mendoza region of Argentina ,Valle de Uco to be exact.

Black fruits &.plums about 14%

You know way more about malbec than me .Here it goes in blends don't see many straight malbecs although there are some very old vines in S.A. They do a few in France somewhere,Cahors maybe?

This is great for the price. I will get some wagyu flank or hanger steak from the posh butcher shop at the fish markets& do a little char grilled number with some chimichurri.Channel my inner gaucho.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Do you get many Argentinean wines in your neck of the woods?


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## leah elisheva (Nov 9, 2014)

Hi Mick! Those swanky weddings with the colorful shells sound like really something! What a gourmet treasure!

On Cahors, we DO get a lot of Malbec here and years ago it was my favorite grape - and the word on my car's license plate even for a couple years - though now I'm back to my heavier reds, Cab, Amarone, Tannat, Barolo and some of the more autere Bordeaux blends too.

Nonetheless, Malbec was a great bang for the buck pick back then and for the most part still is except for the South American vineyards that have been bought by Americans who added more chemicals and changed the wine.

"Alamos" used to be an easy and delicious "house wine" for nightly gulping - both their Malbec and Bonarda as well. (Argentina). Then, our "Gallo" clan bought it (USA) and it did change! I no longer buy that one but there are numerous others.

In any event, such fantastic posts you've got here! Thank you!!! Cheers! - Leah


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## leah elisheva (Nov 9, 2014)

My recent eats have been simple. 
Some pan seared balsamic emu with asparagus & shallots - paired with Bordeaux,  and then some barely seared scallops with wheat free brown rice fusili pasta.
not sure what today brings but am off to go discover that! CHEERS! 












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## moikel (Nov 9, 2014)

We don't know what to make  South American wine here. We ship winemakers over there & there are some joint ventures making wine but  it can be a bit hit & miss. 
I  hate " industrial "  wines where ever they are made. My country makes some rubbish at the bottom end way to much sugar & lots of short cuts
That's a nice Malbec & it's just a nice change  from Aussie wines.
Your food looks wonderful as usual . Still on the trail of some wallaby to show you.The veal if the kangaroo clan.


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## leah elisheva (Nov 10, 2014)

I'd love to see some wallaby Mick! And I'd love to try some! I've never had it and thus feel deprived! Cheers! - Leah


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