Mirassou- Reisling

 This Reisling I bought mostly for fun since we watched the Gary V. video about Reislings. This was pretty inexpensive at around $8 from Kroger and the vintage year is 2009. www.mirassou.com says this wine is

"Our Mirassou California Riesling is distinctly soft and approachable yet crisp and fruit-forward. The wine offers aromas of peach, apricots, and spice with intense fruit flavors of red apple and peach." 

To me the reisling just smells kind of sweet and floral. It seems to be more fragrant when it is room temperature rather than just straight out of the fridge.The alcohol in this wine is more noticeable than I would like, but it is not too bad. It is very fruity and I can taste the apple flavors the website mentioned, but like the smell, none of the flavors are particularly pronounced. This wine is ok, but I'm not sure I would buy it again.

Gallo Family- Pinot Noir

I bought this wine so I could get a little more experience with drinking red wines with dinner at home. This is a Pinot Noir made by the Gallo family winery in California. It costs about $5.50 in Food Lion. Winediva.com describes this wine as "Black cherry and crushed purple floral aromas, cedar chips and fine spice with vanilla... flavors of berry fruit... roasted coffee bean, cedarbox and fine spices."
This is a pretty ambitious description of this wine. To me this wine just kind of tastes like red wine. It is pretty thin, and dry but not overly so. I can taste the oakey/ woody flavors described. I would not go so far as to say I can smell purple flowers though....
With bruschetta,  the wine is much more flavorful and almost a little sweet.  I think it tastes pretty good though, especially for the price. This wine is much better quality than the price would lead you to believe, and even though it isn't amazing, it is well worth the price.

Dinner- Palisades: Old world, New world

 This Thursday night, I went to the Palisades for an "Old World, New World" style wine dinner with Michelle, Rachel, Joe, Laura, Justine, Steve, and Caroline. The Palisades gave us three wines: Barnard Griffin Rose of Sangiovese 2010, Tiamo Organic Chianti 2009, and Ingleside Sangiovese 2008. They also gave us Parmagianno Reggiano with olive oil & crostini, Chicken and Mushroom Ragou't, and cauliflower in Bagna Cauda to accompany the wines.
The first wine I tried was the Barnard Griffin Rose. This rose was  made by the Barnard Griffin Winery in Washington state. It "boasts of gorgeous melon, pomegranate, and cherry fruit with hints of pineapple and rose petal. Dry and flavorful with a pleasant underlying minerality."  This wine was a very pretty dark pink color, and very clear. On the nose, I could smell strawberries and cranberries. Without food, it was crisp, dry, and tasted of cranberry and pomegranate.With the cauliflower, which one its own reminded me of crab and seafood, the wine tasted still of berries, like blackberry, and it tasted like cherry, but it was more toned down, and almost felt calming. It was made the food taste sweeter and fruitier. With the bread and cheese, the wine burned a little more, but still tasted of strawberries and cranberries. Finally, with the chicken and mushrooms, the wine was a little sharper, but not as dry as it was on its own.

The second wine I tried Thursday night was the Tiamo Organic Chianti 2009. In Italian, "tiamo" means "I love you." The Palisades described this wine as "intense and fruity" on the nose “with persistent aromas of spices and licorice. On the palate, it is full-bodied, with great acidity and balanced tannins.” I thought the chianti smelled spicy and woody, and I could taste a hint of the licorice.
The wine without food was dry, and astringent, but still very full bodied. It definitely smelled stronger than it tasted, but I could taste the woody flavors the most. I think this wine smelled a lot stronger than it tasted. The wine was a dark purple color, and was a little cloudy. In Steve’s glass we could see some of the cloudy, organic wine material. The garlic in the cauliflower toned down the spiciness of the wine, and the alcohol was sharper and more noticeable. The berry flavors were more prominent and the wine felt fuller. With the bread, the wine was not as dry and tannic, and not as spicy. I could taste dark berries like blackberries, and cherry. With the chicken, the wine was a lot smoother, and spicier, and again, not as dry as it is on its own, and the cherry flavors were significantly more noticeable.
The final wine I tried was the Ingleside Sangiovese. This wine was actually made inf Virginia which is was a pretty interesting wine for us to try at the dinner. This wine “exhibits wonderful aromas of dried fruit such as prunes and dark cherries” with “soft tannins and good depth on the finish.” This wine smelled fruity, like strawberries, and had a little bit of a metallic, coppery smell. It was redder than that chianti, and more clear, but still a very dark color. Without food it was dry, fruity, smooth, and full bodied. It tasted like cherries, blackberry, and vanilla, with noticeable oak flavors. With the cauliflower, there was not much change in the taste of the wine. It made the cauliflower much more pungent and the wine was a little fruitier. With the bread, the wine felt “deeper.” It was full, and very woody, and almost tasted like meat in a way.
With the chicken, it reminded me of chicken soup and was very smooth. It wasn’t as dry and it was fruitier.
This wine dinner was fantastic. I had an awesome time hanging out on our mini-study abroad reunion. The wines were a lot better than the wines from the South Africa themed dinner and the bread was such a great complement to the wines. All of the wines paired with the food very well and it was just a great time!

Tasting- Feb 11, 2012

On Saturday, at the Vintage Cellar, there was another wine tasting where six wines were offered. The wines were Don Rodolfo Torrontes, Grayson Chardonnay, Monte Antico Tuscan Blend, Woop Woop Cabernet, Black Chook Shiraz/ Viognier, and Emeri Pink Moscato.
The first wine I tried was the Don Rodolfo Torrontes. This wine is from Argentina and made from Torrontes grapes picked in 2010. The Vintage Cellar said it was "Light yellow-gold color with hues of green. A very fruity, floral nose with white peach and hints of citrus. Good volume in the mouth with complexity and balance, and an excellent fresh finish." I thought this wine was crisp and dry. It was very fruity and tasted like apples and grapes in particular. This is a pretty well priced wine at only $9.95.
The second wine I tried was the Grayson Chardonnay. This wine was also $9.95 like the Don Rodolfo was. This wine is from California and is 100% chardonnay grapes picked in 2010. The website described it as "brilliantly ripe and shows aromas of bright, brisk acidity with notes of peach and Asian pear. The palate offers green apple with a crisp finish showing gentle hints of apple pie and tropical fruit." This wine was aged in french oak barrels which was pretty noticeable in the flavor. It was very earthy and oakey. It was also smooth, crisp, and bright, and tasted a little like apples.

The third wine of the day was the Monte Antico Tuscan Blend. According to the website, Monte Antico is from Tuscany, Italy and is "85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot. The best selections are blended and aged 1 year in oak (80% in Slovenian barrels, 20% in barrique) with at least 6 months bottle age." The Vintage Cellar describes this wine as "Plenty of blackberry and chocolate character, with hints of plums. Full and very velvety with a bright and fruity finish." This wine reminded me of berries, especially strawberries and was kind of earthy. It was dry, but had low tannins and was sort of acidic. Overall I liked this wine and since it is only $13.95, I might buy it again to have with food.
The Woop Woop Cabernet was the fourth wine I tried. This wine is from south eastern Australian and made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes picked in 2009. This is another reasonably priced wine at only $12.95. The Vintage Cellar described the Woop Woop as "smells like a $50 Napa cabernet. Lush, pliant and sweet, with a layered, chewy texture to the flavors of red and black fruits, bitter chocolate and spices. This is really packed with fruit but there's a litheness to it as well."  I thought this wine was pungent and smelled fruity, like berries. It was a little woody and tasted like berries and plums. This was a pretty good wine too.


The fifth wine I tried was called the Black Chook Shiraz/ Viognier. This is a noticeably more expensive wine as $18.95 and because of that I would be hesitant to buy it in the future. This wine is from Australia and is a 2010 vintage and made from 95% Shiraz grapes and 5% Viognier grapes. The Vintage Cellar described this wine as "Inky purple. Vibrant, intensely spicy aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, cracked pepper and fresh flowers. Elegant, full-bodied black and blue fruit flavors expand nicely, with refreshing mineral bite adding vibrancy. Very clean, focused shiraz, with excellent energetic finishing lift and cut." This wine was not very pungent and it was definitely the dark dark color the Vintage Cellar described. It was acidic and spicy and the cracked pepper flavors stood out above anything else.

The final wine I tried was the Emerei Pink Moscato. This Moscato is non-vintaged, and it is made by an Italian family (the DeBortoli's) who makes the wine in Australia from Muscat grapes. The Vintage Cellar described this wine as "Pale translucent pink. Fresh fruit aromas with strawberry and musk. Velvety and full with a persistent bead and fresh finish." This wine is pretty well priced at $13.95. I thought this wine was really good. It tasted like berries and grapes and was really sweet. it reminded my of the sparkling grapes juice you give to kids. It was really bubbly too and tangy. Definitely delicious!      

Tasting- Feb 9, 2012

 This Thursday at the Vintage Cellar, Rachel and I tried another five wines. The wines were Coastal Vines Brut, Lazzaro Chardonnay, Tres Ojos Garnacha Tempranillo Rose, Into Zin, and Legaris Crianza.
The first wine, the Coast Vines Brut, smelled very grapey and sparkly, almost like the sparkly grape juice you get for kids on New Year's. This wine is a sparkling wine from California, but unfortunately I was unable to find a vintage or the variety. The Vintage Cellar describes this wine as "light colored wine with aromas of apple and citrus. On the palate there are flavors of melon and pear"
This wine tasted spritzy and tart, dry, fresh and crisp. It was very good and I would love to try it again, especially since it only costs $6.95!

The second wine of the night was the Lazzaro Chardonnay from Mendoza, Argetina. This wine is made from Chardonnay grapes picked in 2010. This is another inexpensive wine at $6.95 per bottle. The Vintage Cellar describes this wine as "mellow peach and melon aromas and some oak. The

palate is round, creamy and full. Tastes of spiced, dried apple with
a stalky, pithy accent."
This wine smelled very citrusy and dry. I could not detect any sweetness in the aromas.  The taste was pretty interesting. It was dry, but I could taste oranges. And it felt almost frothy and tasted like lemon meringue pie.

The Third wine I tried was the Tres Ojos Garnacha Tempranillo Rosé 2010 from Calatayud, Spain. This wine is a blend with equal part of Garnacha and Tempranillo grapes picked in 2010. This wine is another cheap option for college students and will only run at $5.95 a bottle from the Vintage Cellar. The Vintage Cellar describes this wine as "medium rose colored rosado boasts a spicy red cherry/plum nose with a soft lush attack of red berry fruit flavors and a crisp dry finish. Simple and refreshing and a natural for tapas."

This wine smelled like meat to me, which was pretty off putting at first, but once I tasted the wine, it was really pleasant! It was peppery and sweet and tasted kind of like those redhots candies. I would definitely drink this wine again, especially if I had a steak to go with it.



The fourth wine I tried on Thursday night was called Into Zin. This wine is a Zinfandel from Lodi, California and the vintage is 2008. This wine only costs $7.95 and the Vintage Cellar described it as "Spicy , jammy, ripe round plum with juicy soft finish." I thought this wine smelled like home depot. It smelled like wood and sawdust and a warehouse and pepper. It tasted really peppery and spicy, just like the Vintage Cellar described. I also tasted red berries, like strawberries. Even though this wine had a lot of bold flavors, like liquid itself felt a little too thin for how much flavor it contained. Overall, it was very delicious!

The Final wine of the night was the Legaris Crianza. This wine is from Ribera del Duero, Spain. The vintage is 2003.
The description the Vintage Cellar gave was "A silky texture carries plum, tobacco, coffee and mineral flavors over ripe tannins in this balanced red. Berry and vanilla notes linger on the finish." It also received 90 points from wine spectator, and for a wine that only costs $8.95 that's pretty notable. This wine smelled weird to me, like chemicals and plastic. It almost smelled industrial, like car exhaust. The taste was pretty good though. It was dry and fruity, and tasted  like berries in particular.
This wine was great!

Tasting- Emma Pearl Merlot

The fifth wine I tried on Saturday was the  Emma Pearl Merlot. This was a much more expensive wine than the previous four I tried. The Vintage Cellar sells it at $17.95 per bottle. This is another wine from the Napa Valley in California. According to the website, the Merlot grapes are grown in the "Paso Robles area of San Luis Obispo County" and the wine is aged in oak.

The Emma Pearl website, http://www.emmapearlwine.com/our_wines_emma_pearl_merlot.html describes it as 

Fresh juicy cherries and ripe sun-kissed raspberries grown on California’s Central coast come to mind when swirling the 2009 Merlot in the glass.  On the palate, the welcoming fruit-laced nose gives way to delicate notes of exotic spices, vanilla and soft silky tannins. The finish is velvety smooth with lingering notes of pomegranates and cherries.

 This wine smelled fruity, like raspberries and other red berries and had a very strong taste. It was smokey and had strawberry flavors, and I felt like there were too many tannins. I do not think I would buy this wine, but if someone gave it to me for free (and with food) I would give it a second shot.

 

Tasting- One Hope Cabernet Sauvignon

After the DeLoach, I tried the One Hope Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is another wine from the One Hope company that donates a portion of  the profits from their wines to different causes. For this wine, the 50% of the profits go to help families with autistic children.
This wine is also from the Napa Valley in California and made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes picked in 2010 and is again pretty inexpensive at only $11.95 a bottle.
They said the bouquet of this wine has "aromas of lush black cherry, cassis, and a hint of tobacco." It has "complex layers of spice" and "soft tannins."
I thought this wine was delicious and I want to try it again. It was woody and oakey with noticeable tannins. It smelled like wood and blackberry to me. This would be a great wine to eat with dinner one night.

Tasting- DeLoach Pinot Noir

The DeLoach Pinot Noir was the third wine I tried at the Vintage Cellar on Saturday. This wine is made from Pinot Noir grapes picked in 2009 in the central coast region of California. This is another affordable wine at only $12.95. 

The Vintage Cellar described the smell of this wine as "smoked meats and fragrant herbs...ripe berries," with flavors of "liqeur-soaked dark cherries, with pancetta and rosemary." This is a pretty good description of the wine. It was definitely a wine that would go better with food and was just a little to much to come on its own. To me it tasted bready and woody and I noticed a lot of tannins.It smelled smokey and woody too.

Tasting- Bolla Soave

On Saturday at the Vintage Cellar, I sampled another six wines. I first tried the Bolla Soave. This wine is from the Veneto region of Italy and made from Garganega and Trebbiano grapes that were picked in 2010. The Vintage Cellar sells this wine at $10.95 per bottle, which is a pretty good price for this wine. The Vintage Cellar said that this wine has a "soft floral bouquet and clean pear and lemon flavors" and a "delicate almond aftertaste."

This wine was a little sparkling, and it made the tip of my tongue tingle. It was a little "bitey," but definitely tasted like citrus and I could smell the floral qualities too. Overall I liked this wine a lot.

Gallo Family- White Zinfandel

This wine I tried at home was a Gallo Family White Zinfandel. This wine is from an area near Modesto, California. I chose this wine to try because my godmother used to work for the Gallo family and I had never tried their wine before. And it only cost like $4.99 at Food Lion!

This wine is pretty interesting. It's very fruity and more bold than the white wines I've been trying. It has flavors that taste a lot like red berries, like strawberries in particular. 

I drank the wine while eating Greek yogurt with honey. The yogurt was not particularly fatty or too sweet so the wine tasted pretty acidic, but not tannic or dry. In fact the wine is pretty sweet, but also very crisp. I like this wine a lot and for the price it is definitely worth it!

Dinner- Palisades: South Africa

 This Thursday, I went to dinner at the Palisades restaurant with a few other students in the class.The theme for this week's dinner was South Africa.This was a really fun experience! The Palisades restaurant was a really cute little place that kind of looked like an old fashioned bookstore and it was nice and quiet. The drive there was definitely an adventure. We thought we were lost on back roads for like 25 minutes and almost hit a few deer, but we got there safe and sound. and luckily got home safe too!!
We tried three different wines from South Africa:  the Mulderbosch~ Chenin Blanc 2010, Ken Forrester Petit Pinotage 2010, and Graham Beck~ Game Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009. Along with these wines, we tried some South African style food. They served us pumpkin fritters, biryani with beef skewers, and apricot chutney.
The first wine we were served was the Mulderbosch~ Chenin Blanc, of the chenin blanc variety, made with grapes picked in 2010. This white wine is from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. The Palisades described this wine as tasting of "apricot, pineapple and lychee...peach pit and almond... floral and ginger spice." You can buy this bottle of wine for about $12 depending on where you buy it. This wine smelled fruity and I noticed that it smelled like apricot. Without food, it tasted a little earthy, but still fruity, though not as sweet as it smelled. It was also tart and a little tannic. With food, it had a dry aftertaste. With the pumpkin fritter, the wine tasted smooth, woody, and a little oakey. With the apricot chutney, the wine was spicier and I tasted ginger and pepper. This was probably very affected by the chutney because the chutney itself was very spicy and peppery. When I drank the wine while eating the meat and rice, it tasted like anise and I could feel a little more heat in the wine.

The Ken Forrester~ Petit Pinotage 2010. This is made from Pinotage grapes picked in 2010. The Palisades noted that this grape was "bred at the University of Stellenbosch in 1925 as a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut." They described the smell as "mulberry, plum pudding and cherries, supported by smokey bacon nuances." The Palisades described the tastes as "Juicy and accessible with soft palate and delicious fruit concentration." This wine smelled smokey and peppery to me and tasted earthy, woody and tannic. It definitely dried my mouth out kind of like black tea, and I could taste a little bacon. With the pumpkin fritters, the wine tasted smokey, oakey, and sharp.  With the chutney, it was more peppery, and tasted of cloves and fruit.With the meat and rice, the wine was spicy,oakey, peppery and lost all of the tannic qualities.

The final wine we tried was the Graham Beck~ Game Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes picked in 2009. The Palisades review described this as "black berry fruit, dark chocolate and cassis on the nose, well supported by spicy mineral and cigar box flavors." I definitely smelled the chocolate aromas, and also noticed that it smelled kind of spicy and peppery, and reminded me of barbecue and tobacco. This wine was pretty tannic, and I kind of felt like I was getting a headache when I drank it. It was really bold, fullbodied, and oakey. When I drank this wine with the pumpkin fritters, it was still tannic and spicy. It was rich and mouth coating, and I could taste a little chocolate. With the chutney, the wine was a little hot, spicy, and fruity. With the rice and meat I tasted a lot of black pepper and spice.
This was a really great way to get a well rounded experience with these wines and I would definitely go again!!

Tasting- Risata Moscato d'Asti

The best wine I tasted this week at the Vintage Cellar was called
Risata Moscato d'Asti. This wine was super delicious!!!! It is from the Asti region of Italy and made from Moscato grapes. The Vintage Cellar described this wine as "vibrant" and smelling of stone fruit, tangerines, and honey. I thought this wine was so sweet and floral and really just pleasant. It tasted like honey and orange and it was sparkling too, which really just made it more fun! It smelled wonderful and tasted even better. I will probably be buying myself this as a gift soon.
The worst thing about this wine is that it costs $15.95. I really wish it were $8 or $9, so I wouldn't feel guilty about spending as much money.

Tasting- One Hope Chardonnay

The second wine I tried this Saturday was the One Hope Chardonnay. The One Hope wines were pretty cool because a percentage of their profits go to different causes. For the Chardonnay, 50% of the profits are donated to Breast Cancer research. This wine comes from the Napa Valley Region of California and is made from Chardonnay grapes and blended with Muscat and Chenin Blanc grapes picked in 2009. The Vintage Cellar sells this wine for $11.95, which is another affordable price for the wines they offered. The described the bouquet of this wine as "apple blossom and honeysuckle" with "flavors of crisp pear and apple... balanced oak and bright acidity." I agreed with this description for the most part. It was very fragrant and I definitely tasted the apple and pear the Vintage Cellar mentioned. It was a pretty sweet wine and I would love to try it again some time.

Peter Mertes Platinum

This wine was a lucky find on my part! We had a couple of guests in town who didn't finish the bottle and left it for us to finish, so it was basically free! The Peter Mertes Platinum is a white wine from the Pfalz region of Germany of the Reisling variety.The vintage is 2010. This wine has been pretty tasty so far, with a lot of light, fruity flavors. It reminds me a lot of apple and cherry. It's also a little oakey and smokey. This is a lot drier than the other white wines I have been drinking lately, but it is much fuller and more complex than I was expecting.
Another thing about this wine that I thought was pretty cool was that the back label gives food pairings that go well with this wine. I like this wine a lot, but it would definitely be better with food .

Tasting- Paulo Laureano Classico Alentejano Tinto

The final wine I tried at the Vintage Cellar was the  Paulo Laureano Classico Alentejano Tinto. This wine is from the Alentejo region of Portugal and http://www.weinarkaden.de says that the grapes are Trincadeira Aragonez picked in 2010. The Vintage Cellar sells this wine for $9.95. Every single wine I sampled on Saturday was definitely in my price range for wine. There were some that I would definitely want to try again, but with food instead of just alone. This wine would be one of them. The Vintage Cellar described this wine as "soft" with "silky tannins" and an "elegant long finish. They definitely got it spot on with respect to the tannins. All I noticed when drinking this wine, was my mouth drying out and it lasting a long time. It would probably have been a lot more flavorful with food to bring out the properties that were masked by all the tannins. I really didn't even find much to describe about the smell. Although, this was probably more a function of me not having a strong basis for describing wine smells yet. This wine was pretty good, but definitely not something I would want to drink without some sort of food to go with it.
Overall, my first wine tasting (and wine week!) went pretty well! I tried a bunch of different wines and really started exploring how the flavors and smells can be so different. Probably the worst thing about trying these wines was having to try them during the morning when I was in no way ready to be drinking.
I'm going to be going to a lot more wine tastings!!