Noisy Water Winery

At that point, I knew nothing about wine varietals; about acidity or tannins; about blends or bouquets or body; or what made wines sweet or dry. All I knew was that I really, REALLY liked what was in the glass. And I kept coming back.

Eventually, I kept coming back so much that they put me on the payroll. And while I've learned so much about wines in the years since and expanded my palate to enjoy drier wines (red as well as white), there remains a spot in my heart for my first Noisy Water love, Jo Mamma's White.

“Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter, sermons and soda water the day after.”
 – Lord Byron

Amor En Fuego is literally translated as “love on fire”. And if you love red chile, chocolate, and wine, you’ll understand how this wine got its name. With hints of berries and toasted marshmallow on the nose, and a rich velvety middle of milk chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla, finishing with a spicy red chile kick (but not too spicy!), this wine is a perfect complement to an appetizer course loaded with fruits and cheeses or as a dessert with a rich cheesecake or anything sweet and creamy like tres leches cake. Or pair it with something dark and chocolatey, like brownies.

“To love is to burn, to be on fire.”
— Jane Austen

My husband came to an appreciate dry, tannic red wines much sooner than myself who had graduated from Moscato to Sauvignon Blanc, but he urged me continually to expand my horizons. However, my palate hadn't quite attained the level of appreciation for strong tannins that his had; consequently, I often retreated to my safety zone of dry white wines and concluded that I wasn't cut out to enjoy dry reds. Then, in 2018, Noisy Water Winery released their Mourvèdre.

A grape that originated in Spain and is now grown in France, Australia, and the United States. Mourvèdre – a wine I had never heard of, and like all wines in the Noisy Water catalog, I had to learn about it. Which meant drinking it. 

“The best way to learn about wine is in the drinking.”
- Alexis Lichine, American wine dealer and writer (1913–1989)

Notes of dark cherry, leather, and a hint of pepper fill the nose, suggesting a truly dry, tannic experience, but then one sip and… surprise! Like the grumpy old man who’s really all heart under that gruff exterior, El Cabron Viejo glides like velvet over the palate to an astonishingly mellow finish. Even novice wine drinkers who typically shy away from anything dry and heavy on tannins will be able to appreciate the smoothness of this blend. It’s a great place for them to start exploring dry, full-bodied red wines.

“Nobody would do anything if they knew what they were in for.”
- Amarante Cordova in “The Milagro Beanfield War”