Wine Tasting, March 22

Zonin
Pinot Grigio
2009
$5.95!!!

Italy
This wine was AWESOME! I bought this very affordable Pinot Grigio not only because of the price, but it had stellar flavor -and I normally am not very impressed by white wines. This wine had a very buttery, fruity flavoring and great freshness. This is the perfect wine for a summer day!
San Elias
Carmenere

2010
$5.95
Chile

Carmenere! We learned about this grape in class this past Thursday, so I spoke with one of the Vintage Cellar employees about this wine being more commonly used as a blending grape in the past but now is becoming more of a specific varietal wine. He had some insightful things to say about how this wine used to be confused with Merlot which I thought was interesting since Merlot has also experienced a change in how people now approach it as a varietal wine and less a blending wine. Overall, I was not very impressed by this wine but I did find it to be a hearty, spicy wine. I think this wine would be much better with food and not by itself.

Estrella

Chardonnay

2010

$5.95

Napa, California

When I saw this wine was a Chardonnay from California, I instantly thought oaky, buttery California Chardonnay! It was steadfast to its reputation; it was a creamy, oaky, and lightly acidic with a green apply taste. I was not able to catch much of a woody taste; I was looking for that vanilla flavor from the possible barrel fermentation.

Col Des Vents
Corbieres
2009
$7.95
France

This wine was mediocre for me. It had a blackberry-esque taste, was pretty spicy, and had a smokiness that I didn't like too much. I liked that the description gave the percentages of grape varieties used (50% Carignan, 35% Grenache, 15% Syrah).

Peter Mertes
Liebfraumilch
Rheinhessen
Qualitatswein
2009
$5.95

The label was a mouthful and so was the wine! This was a very unique and interesting wine and tasted great, though I think it would have been better paired with food. I thought it was intersting that the bottle of this wine was darker colored, since white wines are often in clear bottles.

Chocolate Wine -WHAAAT

Choco Noir by Premium Blend of Hialeah, Florida is a $12.99 wine with a whopping 14% alcohol content. This chocolate-infused red wine tastes less like a wine and a lot more like a liquor to me. I would treat this wine a lot like I would a liqueur like Bailey's. A small amount by itself or on ice isn't too bad, but it's really sweet and you won't want more. This drink would also go well in a mixed drink; a yummy idea that comes to mind is coffee and choco noir. Overall, I wouldn't rate this wine very high because it simply does not achieve the level of quality or the standard expectation that a consumer might have for a glass of wine. I would rate this drink higher if I didn't expect it to be a wine; it simply doesn't hold true to it's own identity.

Speaking of chocolate... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA

Wine & Dine Potluck

A classy night for me and my accounting friends: a wine and food potluck. Everyone brought great food and fun wine -it was a great success and perhaps a tradition in the making.

Notice the chocolate wine!

Wine Dinner at Home

Fontina Cheese, red grapes and red wine.
Estancia Pinot Noir, 2008 from Central Coast, California.
Cost: $17.50, rated 86 points Wine Spectator, 13.5% Alcohol

This wine was rich and spicy while also light and fruity. It wasn't crazy acidic, but it had enough going on to appreciate the cut of cheese and fruit while drinking. The wine had deep, rich berry flavors, and was smooth and creamy with just a tiny bit of a bite. If you ask me, most red wines go well with cheese, fruit, and pasta but I do think this one was particularly well-paired with what we ate.

I found a decanter at my mother's house and thought I would give it a swirl. After letting the wine breathe, uncorked for 35 minutes or so, I used the decanter when pouring the wine. In one glass, I had the decanted wine and in another glass I had the wine that I poured straight out of the bottle. I tasted the two glasses of wine immediately and found zero difference in the two. 30 minutes later, I tried the two wines again and could not perceive anything with stark contrast. Perhaps I didn't give it enough time, didn't do it correctly or maybe my taste buds are not sensitive enough to notice the subtle changes the decanted wine experienced. Either way, it was a cool experience to try this experiment and use a decanter!
Lasagna as the main dish - SO good with a bottle of wine! In tandem with the red wine, the gooey cheesiness paired with the savory, salty meat, the red tomato sauce and the hefty carbs of the pasta really bounced off the walls of my mouth REALLY well.

Freshly baked, hearty Italian bread!

This cheese dish was Fontina cheese, garlic, thyme and olive oil. Didn't last long with that great bread and wine! This fried cheese mixture was molto buono with the wine; the earthy garlic and herbs with the cheese created a nice, salty offsetting taste that tasted great with the wine.

Wait a minute...

Who in the world is Robert Parker? And what is Wine Enthusiast?

During this course I have heard these two names mentioned with regard to wine ratings, both from Vaynerchuck on Wine Library TV and at the Vintage Cellar wine tastings. I have obviously gathered the relevance and general context of the purp

ose and concept of what function these two validation-giving people/things offer, but I do not know exactly what's going on with them. So here goes my search for knowledge:

Robert M. Parker:

Parker was born in 1947 and is one of the top wine critics in America, with influence stretching internationally. Robert Parker rates wines on a scale of 100 which has met with much controversy. Though the quantitative nature of a score seems cut and dry, Parker recognizes and emphasizes that no numerical system can appropriately rank a wine; written comments connected with quantitative scores give those with interest a better understanding of the wine in question. Some criticize Parker for the influence he has had on the wine industry, both in the sense that his taste buds are naturally biased towards ce

rtain types of wines (which carries over to the scoring and reputation of the wines) as well as with regard to how Parker's specific criticisms have shaped consumers' perspectives. ...So take everything with a grain of salt. Or just. Grapes. Or not. Also of note, Parker publishes a newsletter called "The Wine Advocate," the means by which Parker's unique vocabulary has achieved significant influence in the culture of wine.

*Note, not to be confused with Robert B. Parker, a crime writer. HAHA.

The Wine Enthusiast:

This is a publication distributed as a magazine as well as a catalog, and it is also a store. After the first glimpse, it's obvious that Wine Enthusiast is one way to achieve the ultimate wine culture immersion; whether that is via food and pairing, tools and supplies, wine knowledge, housewares, tips and techniques and MORE.

Wine Tasting #3, March 1

Wine 1) Muscanti Brut, $7.95 from Spain (No date)

This wine was interesting! It had a smooth bitterness to it while simultaneously being mouth-watering and acidic. It had a TON of flavor in my mouth -almost a bad wine to start with because the other wines couldn't quite overcome its intensity. According to the description this wine is made with the "Charmat" process, causing it to be called "Spanish Sparkling Wine," and it is also called a "Spanish Sparkler" in the description.

Wine 2) 2009 Spanish Vines Sauvignon Blanc, $4.95 from Spain

This wine was scored 85 points by Wine Enthusiast and is described as having apple and floral notes and an almost buttery taste as well. I completely agreed on the buttery aspect, however, I thought this wine was flat and a little tasteless. Though, as a friend pointed out, it may be the case that the previous wine had so much more to say it may have spoken over this second tasting, leaving me with the impression of a flat, weak wine.

Wine 3) 2009 Torrent Bay Chardonnay, $4.95 from New Zealand

I thought the smell of this wine had a smokiness to it; I also caught a slight citrus taste along with an overall smooth texture. The description mentioned oak flavors (OAK MONSTER, grr), melony aromas and a good fresshness/weight ratio.

Wine 4) Lost Vineyards Vinho de Mesa Tinto, $3.95 from Portugal (No date)

I can't believe how cheap this wine is! I found this wine to be not overly acidic, pretty significantly musty, smooth, and had a zip in the nose. The description states that this wine would go well with wild game and heavy fish and I fully agree with the fish recommendation. For me, the miscellaneous berries were slightly undercover in the wine; I didn't pick up on them as much as I picked up on the mustiness.

Wine 5) 2007 Ebano Ribera del Duero Tempranillo, $7.95 from Spain

This wine was scored 87 points by Robert Parker. The wine is 100% Tempranillo aged 4 months in French oak. It seemed to have a lot of complexity and I would have liked to drink it with some more time and pair it with foods as well. I noted that this wine was smooth and buttery while also acidic and dry in my mouth. It was spicy and juicy and flowery all at the same time.

Dinner and Vino at Gillie's

A friend of mine and I tried some wine at Gillie's recently. I ordered a Cabernet Sauvignon along with a vegetable and bread focused entree. My friend order a Turkey burger with a glass of Chiante. I found that my vegetable entree with cabbage, olives and other bitter vegetables emphasized any bitterness to be found in my wine, a wine considered to bend towards more bitter tastes. I really enjoyed this wine though, it was one of the better Cabernet Sauvignon drinks I have yet to have. Unfortunately I was not able to get additional information on this wine (ever been to Gillie's? It's rather hit or miss with the wait staff...). A great thing about Gillie's is that you do get food that has good quality, an important thing to attend to when you're eating with a wine and trying to get a lot out of it.

Wine Tasting #2 February 9, 2012

Coastal Vines Brut, $6.95 from California (no year given)
This wine is a sparkling white wine that was surprising to me. I have never had a sparkling wine that was not markedly sweet, and I like that this wine was not like that. The wine review describes it as a crisp, clean wine which I agree with. I would absolutely want to include this wine with a seafood dinner!

Lazzaro Chardonnay -2010. $6.95 from Mendoza, Argentina

I was not a big fan of this wine, though white wines are never particularly popular with my taste buds. I thought the wine had an oily texture and I didn't really taste it. The wine notes mention that there were hints of spiced apple in this wine that I did not perceive in the least. I'd like to give this wine another shot.

Note: the wine notes described this wine as "pithy," a word that I've never come across outside of the wine world. Apparently it means: brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning; terse; forcible

Now we know.

Tres Ojos Garnacha Tempranillo Rose -2010. $5.95 from Calatayud, Spain

This wine again seemed oily in texture. I tasted a smokiness above the cherry red flavors mentioned in the article and I agree that it was fairly dry. Love the mention of tapas as this is a Spanish wine!

Into Zin Zinfandel -2008. $7.95 from Lodi, California

This wine had a lot of spice and smoke taste to me. My initial thoughts were cigarettes and then my impression was that of a well-rounded and classic Zinfandel finish.

Legaris Crianza -2003. $8.95 from Ribera del Duero, Spain

Wine Spectator gave this wine 90 points. I found it to be a bold, earthy wine. After reading the description of the wine review notes which mentioned coffee and mineral flavors I agreed -I was happy to have noticed that. The notes' mention of berry and vanilla flavors on the finish pointed out an interesting taste to savor.

Beer Tasting 1 - For Fun!

On Friday night, I joined a few friends at Vintage Cellar (it seems I'm going to become a regular) to taste a few beers, after our recent topics on beer in Geography of Wine. I had a cool conversation with one of the storekeepers about IPAs (India Pale Ales). I was wondering what differentiated an IPA from another type of bitter, really "hoppy" pale colored ale. I have more learning to do about this, but we did have an interesting conversation about how India Pale Ales are an export style of pale ale, given their name because of their geographic journey from Britain to India. There were a lot of politics and trade and money related things involved in its success and popularity and it is still popular today! Pretty interesting.

Wine Tasting 1, February 2nd

After some solid instruction on how to properly taste wine, some friends of mine and I journeyed out to the Vintage Cellar (my first trip to the store) on Thursday, February 2nd - my first wine tasting!

This wine, The Royal Chenin Blanc, 2009 from South Africa was a not-so-whopping $4.95. Apparently this wine should not be drunk too cold, since the chill would cause you to lose much of the fruity flavors that give a "deceptive punch." I thought this wine had sweet and sour qualities.

Coldstream Hills, Sauvignon Blanc, 2009 from Yarra Valley, Australia. This wine was also incredibly expensive -not, at $7.95. I did not have much of a taste for this wine as I found it had a musty, earthy, almost vinegar-type taste to it. Considering the (to me) abnormal tastes in this wine and the rather complicated description of the wine, I think this wine is one for me to revisit as I and my pallet and sensitivities mature.

Marques de Moral Crianza Tempranillo, 2007 at $7.95. This wine's origin comes from Valdepenas, Spain. It has been given 87 points by Stephen Tanzer. I liked this wine because i agreed with the notes given regarding the cherry and rose aromas that came through to me. I liked that I picked up on the same things as the description did. This wine was very interesting, but it initially reminded me of cough syrup.

La Lapin, Multiplicity costing $6.95 and traveling from Paso Robles, California. I bought this wine to try at length. I thought it was earthy and sweet and really enjoyable. I agreed with the description that it had dark, deep fruity elements in the smell and taste.

This was a fun one! Opera Prima Moscato, costing $5.95 from Spain. This wine made me think "pink" and "fun" and "sweet," and that was pretty much it for me. It didn't seem to have a lot of depth, but the description noted things like honeydew and lime which I did not pick up on. After consideration, though, I thought I sensed a taste of grapefruits and sweet oranges.