Wine Tasting - 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvingnon

 Name: 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvingnon     

Grapes:  86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 2% Malbec              

Region: Washington                                                                                         

Country: USA                                                                                   

Vintage: 2020                                                                                                  

Price: $16.99

Wine critic review: "Aromatically, this Cabernet Sauvignon, which includes small amounts of Merlot and Malbec, is one big black cherry, with traces of earth and tomato leaf. Dark plum and saline flavors are joined by a touch of roast pork and a lot of wood spice. Might work nicely with a bánh mì packed with Vietnamese ham". — Michael Alberty, Wine Enthusiast

My Review: This wine was very dark in color. It had notes of blackberries, plums, and a slight okay flavor. Overall, it was very mild and dry with a little sweetness and high tannins. I enjoyed the flavor of this wine and would have it again.

Wine Folly: Wine Folly catagorizes Cabernet Sauvingnon as having full body and a high ammount of tannins (page 136). It ranks low for sweetness, but higher for acidicty, which I found to be true for this wine. It's described as having flavors of black cherry, black currant, and cedar (page 136). It is primarily grown in France, but also grown in several locations in the USA, including Washington (page 138).

Wine Tasting - French Blue Rose

 Name: French Blue Bordeaux     

Grapes: 50% Cabernet Franc, 50% Merlot                      

Region: Bordeaux                                                                                         

Country: France                                                                                   

Vintage: 2021                                                                                                  

Price: $14.99

Wine critic review: "Light and bright, this open wine revels in its soft texture and lively red-fruit acidity. It is immediately accessible and ready to drink" — Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

My Review: This wine was more orange in color than other roses that I've tried. It had a slight cheesy/milky smell. It was very dry, tarte and had a light flavor. I picked up notes of apple and lemon. This wine had a very light body, it almost felt a bit watery. Overall, I really enjoyed the lightness and complexity of this rose. I would definitley have it again.

Wine Folly: Wine Folly catagorizes Cabernet Franc as being medium in body and having low sweetness (page 135). It is most commonly grown in Bordeaux, France (page 137). Merlot is catagorized as having high tannins and acidity (page 208). Wine Folly states that it is often grown in Bordeuax as well, and mixed with Carbernet Franc. Both grapes have fruit-related flavors, such as strawberries and plums.

Wine Tasting - Chateau Morrisette

 Name: Chateau Morrisette     

Grapes: Pinot Grigio                        

Region: Virginia                                                                                         

Country: USA                                                                                   

Vintage: not listed                                                                                                  

Price: $11.99

Wine critic review: "Pale lemon-straw hue. Medium body and medium acidity. Nose of honeysuckle with apple and peach palate. Minerals on finish. Bit of an odd aftertaste. Serviceable. Tartrates/wine diamonds left in glass." — Alexis G., Vivino

My Review: When I first smelled this wine, I got notes of honey and pears. It had a medium body and was fairly dry. Upon tasting, I picked up strong flavors of pear and apples, with a little bit of honey as well. The wine is tarte, but not so tarte that it makes my mouth pucker up. Overall this wine was really delicious and I would buy it again. It's awesome that it's a local wine as well.

Wine Folly: Wine Folly catagorizes Pinot Grigio as having a varying level of sweetness, with medium to high acidity (page 236). The tannins were ranked lowest on the scale, which I thought was true for this wine. The flavors associated with Pinot Grigio are white peach, lemon zest, and cantaloupe (page 237). The wine did have a citrusy/fruity element, so it makes sense that lemon zest and white peach would be associated with it.

Wine Tasting - Josh Chardonnay

Name: Josh Cellars     

Grapes: Chardonnay                        

Region: California                                                                                         

Country: USA                                                                                   

Vintage: 2022                                                                                                  

Price: $6.99

Wine critic review: "Subtle oak spices and a lot of ripe, delicious pear and peach flavors drive this medium- to full-bodied wine. The texture is broad and mouthfilling while a crisp apple acidity keeps it lively" — Jim Gordon, Wine Enthusiast

My Review: When I first smelled this wine, I got notes of citrus and pears. It had a medium body and tasted very similar to how it smelled. I picked up on flavors of pear and citrus, particularly a little orange. Overall, this wine was pleasent but a bit too sweet for me. It did have a sourness which counteracted the sweetness, but overall it was mostly sweet. I felt like it didn't have a lot of flavor when compared to other wines, but it was easy to drink and fairly mellow.

Wine Folly: Wine Folly catagorizes Chardonnay as having a lower level of sweetness, which was surprising based on this wine (page 149). The body is shown as medium, which I felt was true based on this wine. However, I was surprised that "pear" was not a flavor associated with Wine Folly's description. On the other hand, I was not surprised to see "yellow apple" there. It also recommends to pair the wine with something rich and buttery, which I think would be a great combination considering this wine's sweetness (page 149).

Wine and Cheese - #2

  Tonight, my boyfriend and I had our second wine and cheese night. His roommate also joined in. 

We tried each wine with each cheese, which were Apalachian Tomme, Monterey Jack, and Dill Havarti cheeses. Below are my observations:

Barefoot Sauvingnon Blanc – Smells like crisp apples, tastes a little bit tarte with flavors of pear and lemon. Overall not very flavorful.

• Tomme – This cheese is very rich and totally overpowered the wine. The wine's flavor did not come through very much.
• Monterey Jack – The wine tasted very pear-y and sweet when paired with this cheese. The slight sharpness complimented the lightness of the wine.
• Dill Havarti – The dill was very strong in the cheese which distracted a bit from the wine. Overall, it didn't particularly bring out any flavors in the wine.

 

Pioneiro Vinho Tinto Red Wine Blend – This wine smelled a bit spicy but had a fairly medium-to-light body and mild flavor. Its main flavor was a tobacco/smokey taste.

• Tomme – The wine tasted very mild, it wasn't a bad pairing but overall the cheese did not enhance the wine, and it was a bit bland.
• Monterey Jack – The spicyness was really brought out in the wine, which was surprising. This was a great pairing.
• Dill Havarti – The dill completley overpowered the flavors of the wine. I could feel the alcohol in my mouth but it had little to a mild taste.

Reguengos Alentejo Doc Red Wine Blend – taboccoey smell with a slightly spicy and bitter taste, medium body

• Tomme – Wine was very smooth, and the cheese flavor was enhanced but did not overpower the wine.
• Monterey Jack – Made wine taste very bitter and took away most of the tobacco flavors, not a good pairing
• Dill Havarti – Out of all the wines, this one paired best with this cheese. It made the wine have a smooth mouthfeel, but the bitter flavor was enhanced, which was a bit unpleasant.

Wine and Dinner Blog #2

To celebrate the end of our last spring break, my boyfriend and I decided to do another wine and dinner tasting.

We saw a rosemary lamb shank on sale at the grocery store, so we figured this would make for a great meal. We paired it with roasted potatoes and veggies (bok choy and onion). Following the directions on the package, we used some of the read wine when making the lamb.

Above are the three wines that we tried with dinner.

Wine 1: Peter Mertes Spatlese White Wine

Variety: Riesling

Region: Pfalz

Country: Germany

Year: 2021

Price: $9.99

My review: This wine had an oaky smell, with a slight hint of "Sprite" as well. It was very sweet and had a flavor like grape juice. It felt very lightly carbonated, so I suspect that might be a flaw in the wine since it is a table wine.

Wine 2: Oak Leaf Pinot Grigio

Variety: White Blend (grape breakdown not listed)

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: not listed

Price: $3.49

My review: This Pinot Grigio smelled very strongly of citrus and had a hint of "cleaner smell" as well. It had a slight apple flavor and was mildly acidic. Overall, it was very light-bodied both in color and appearance. 

   Wine 3: St. Chateau Michelle Cabernet Sauvingnon

Variety: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah, 8% Other Red Varietals

Region: Washington State

Country: USA

Year: 2020

Price: $13.99

My review: This wine smelled very buttery upon opening, which reminded me of the Apothic brand wines that I've tried. It also had a mild smell of vanilla. The flavors I would describe this wine with are blackberry and plums. It had a bit of a spicy flavor as well, which was interesting and something I hadn't had before.

. 

Carefully assessing each food, we again tasted all the wines with our dinner to determine how they paired:

Roasted Potatoes

Wine 1: The earthiness of the potatoes paired very well with the wine, and toned down its sweetness.

Wine 2: This wine paired alright with the potatoes, but brought out somehwat of an odd flavor. The earthiness was not a good pairing with the appley flavor of the wine.

Wine 3: The potatoes were a fairly good pairing with this wine, I felt like it made it smooth but also lightly acidic.

                                                               Rosemary Lamb Shank

Wine 1: Since this wine is so sweet, it didn't seem to be impacted much by the lamb flavor. It wasn't a bad pairing, but not something I would purposely do again.

Wine 2: The lamb made the wine taste very acidic and it was not a good pairing. I suspect this might be because of the red wine sauce used with cooking the lamb.

Wine 3: The red wine paired fairly well with the lamb, and it really brought out the spice in the wine. however, the spice flavor was a bit overpowering.

                                                                    Veggie Medley

Wine 1:  The veggie medley went very well with this wine. Since the red wine is also included in the sauce on the veggies, this made it somewhat rich. The sweetness of the wine was a good contrast to this.

Wine 2: Similarly to the potatoes, this wine tasted very acidic with the veggies, and it was not a great pair.

Wine 3: The red wine was slightly acidic when paired with the veggies, you could really feel the spice flavor of the wine, but that was really all.

Overall, we had a great time preparing dinner and trying different wines. I believe I gained a little more knowledge on how to pair wine with different dishes, and what combinations I like/don't like.

Wine Tasting - Lindeman's Shiraz

 Name: Lindeman's Shiraz    

Grapes: Shiraz                        

Region: Southeast                                                                                         

Country: Austrailia                                                                                   

Vintage: 2021                                                                                                  

Price: $5.99

Wine critic review: "The wine’s flavor was smooth with overtones of ripe plum and dark cherry.  Some mellow spice was also noticed. Tannins were quite present and noted on the sides and tip of the tongue. Mouthfeel of Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz was considered woolen, but not off putting. The wine had a long and lingering mouth coating finish. Overall this is a very enjoyable Shiraz.  It’s not too complex but it does have a lot of presence.  It’s rich and really hits you over the head with its flavor." - Jon Rogers, Honest Wine Reviews

My Review: When I first smelled this wine, it instantly reminded me of the Apothic Pinot Noir that I had a few weeks ago. It had the same buttery and berry-like smell. Specifically, I smelled notes of cherries and blackberries. I also picked up on an oaky smell, although it was very slight. I thought it had a great balance between tannins and sweetness. It is definitly a more dry wine, but still sweet enough that I don't feel my mouth wanting to water. It had a very subtle blackberry flavor, and I would consider it to be a medium to full body wine. I enjoyed this wine with my dinner while catching up on Netflix's Love is Blind. My dinner consisted of a spinach salad, and ziti with chicken parm. I thought it paired well with the richness of the pasta but didn't quite mesh well with the spinach salad. Overall, I really enjoyed this wine and look forward to having it again. 

Wine Folly: Shiraz, or Syrah as it's called in France, is described in Wine Folly (page 272) as being a rich and powerful wine with food pairings of darker meats and exotic spices. A chart shows that it has the maximum level of body, and the 2nd to highest levels of tannins and acidity (page 273). I agree with this analysis, however I was surprised to see that it had the lowest level of sweetness. I thought the Lineman Shiraz, I thought it had high tannins but also a good amount of sweetness. While I had described the taste as "blackberry", Wine Folly mentions "plum", which I think is a much more accurate description (page 274). 

Wine Tasting - California Roots Sangria

 Name: California Roots Sangria        

Grapes: 42% Zinfandel; 21% Merlot; 15% Syrah; 12% Muscat; 10% Barbera             

Region: California                                                                                         

Country: USA                                                                                   

Vintage: not listed                                                                                                   

Price: $5.00

Wine critic review: "The deep red color reflects a rich berry flavor, which reminded me in turns of raspberries and strawberries. It’s also aggressively sweet and floral, like breathing in all the fragrances in a rose garden at once. I wouldn’t dream of drinking California Roots without at least two ice cubes. At the same time, this sangria is easy to drink, despite its sweetness. It is, as I suspected, light, refreshing, and slightly tart. " - Elisabeth Sherman, The Kitchn

My Review: I picked up this wine on one of my trips to Target; it was priced well and I love sangria, so I thought I'd give it a try. It smelled sweet, particularly like plums. It was less opaque and more purple in color than traditional red wine. It had a sweet taste, but was also balanced well with acidity. The back of my mouth tingled from the acid, but it wasn't overpowering. There were notes of orange and citris. It was very light and refreshing. I would describe it as a medium-body wine that is more sweet than acidic. Overall I think it's great for summer and I would definitley have it again!

Wine Folly: For the connection to Wine Folly, I'll focus on the two most prominent grapes: Zinfandel and Merlot. Zinfandel is described as fruit-forward, bold, and with "fruit-jam" like flavors (page 302). I thought this was pretty acurate with the sangria; while it wasn't all Zinfandel, I definitley agree with it having fruit-jam like flavors. It's described as having notes of peach, blackberry, and strawberry. Switching over to Merlot - it is known for its black cherry and plum flavors (page 208). It also has high levels of tannins. I could clearly taste the plum flavor in the sangria.