Tasting - Camelot Mead

Camelot Mead

Name: Camelot Mead
Variety: Honey
Region: Bloomington, Indiana
Country: United States
Year: none
Price: $6.99

Wine Review: "Really sweet with honey aftertaste. Floral aroma. Nearly clear white. Tastes like a white wine with a touch of honey more than it does a mead. Pretty average."  3.1 stars (Greg Wilson)

My Review: I've only tried mead on other time.  It rained while my boyfriend and I were at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, so we went inside a restaurant, saw they did a mead flight, and tried it.  Each one was very distinct and had complex flavors, I really enjoyed them.  So when I saw this wine at Kroger, I thought I'd try it.  It had none of the complex and intense flavors I was expecting.  I could only smell honey, nothing complex.  It had a light sweet honey flavor.  I was not very impressed and wish it had had more flavor.  Maybe next time.

Tasting - Open Kimono

Open Kimono

Name: Open Kimono
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2016
Price: $10.99

Wine Review: "Green Dragon is always on the prowl for a great Sauvignon Blanc at a tasty price. She has discovered yet another.
Open Kimono appears to be a wine company in California that produces at least two wines, this Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and a Riesling from Washington State. Those are some good locations from which to source wine.
The price point is appealing. It is listed at $13.99 but marked down to $9.99. My wife was attracted by the stylish label, but the liquid inside was quite enjoyable too.
Green Dragon prefers the Marlborough style of Sauvignon Blanc – tangy, tart with a blast of acidity. This delivered on all. The wine has the herbaceous, cut grass aroma and nice tropical flavor notes.
As the mercury starts to rise this summer, this is a great wine to chill down and chill out." 3 out of 5 (vino-sphere)

Owen's General Tso's

My Review: I really enjoyed this wine.  It had a herbal spice smell, as well as a boxwood/cat pee note that's typical of grapes coming from New Zealand.  It had an herbal, maybe sage, taste and was highlighted with pleasant acidity.  It had a strong acid after taste.  I had this wine with General Tso's Chicken from Owen's dinning hall.  The food cut the acid as well as the other flavors in the wine.  The wine really helped cut the spiciness of the ever unpredictable Owen's General Tso's, which happened to be extremely spicy this go around. 

Tasting - F.J. Serra Chardonnay

F.J. Serra Chardonnay

Name: F.J. Serra Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2015
Price: $7.99 (on sale)

Wine Review: "Ripe and creamy, with flavors of pineapple candy, honey, brown sugar, buttered toast and cinnamon. It's just what millions of Chardonnay lovers want." 85 Points (Wine Enthusiast)

My Review: This wine had a lot on the nose, but so little else to offer.  It smelled slightly funky, of apricots and brown sugar.  It tasted very light and pleasantly
acidic.  It's after taste was even lighter.  There just wasn't much to this wine.

Tasting - Blue Ash Road Chardonnay

Parker Estate Chardonnay

Name: Blue Ash Road
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2014
Price: $9.99

Wine Review: "Lemon and green apple up front. Then transitions to weird sour/metallic taste on the finish reminiscent of sucking in the white pith of a lemon. Minimal vanilla/oak. Not the worst $10 bottle. But have had better $10 bottles. " 2.5 Stars (Craig Szafranski; Vivino)

My Review: This was a pretty average wine.  It smelled of vanilla and pear.  It had a smooth crisp appley peary taste.  It's after taste had a slight acidity to it.  I had this wine with my left overs from lunch.  With the potato hash, the wine was sweeter and there was no acidity.  It wasn't great.  With the BBQ grouper taco, the acid in the wine matched with the fish/spiciness and there was less apple taste and more pear.  It wasn't a bad pairing with the taco, but it also wasn't my favorite.

Lunch left overs

Tasting - El Pendador

El Pensador

Name: El Pensador
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Campo de Borja
Country: Spain
Year: 2014
Price: $7.99

Wine Review: "Cherry, plum and spice on the nose. Medium body. Tart cherry and spicy vanilla upfront gives way to undertones of tobacco. More than I'd expect from a 7 dollar bottle." 3.5 Stars (JK; Vivino)

My Review: My boyfriend and I went backpacking this weekend.  Our only requirement for the wine we brought with us was that it needed it be a screw cap, since we forgot to pack a corkscrew.  For the price, this wine was fantastic.  Since we also for got to pack cups, it was hard to smell much besides a woody jam.  On its own it had a spiced wood taste with a slightly astringent, yet fruity aftertaste.  With the rice we had, the spiciness was cut and there was some fruit noticeable.  With the packet of hickory smoked flavored tuna packet, all the wood and spice flavors were gone and the wine tasted like cherries.  This was a perfect wine for a cold night.

Tasting - Cantina Montelliana Extra Dry Prosecco

Montelliana Prosecco

Name: Cantina Montelliana Extra Dry Prosecco
Variety: Glera
Region: Prosecco di Treviso
Country: Italy
Year: none
Price: $9.99

Wine Review: "Slightly sweet, though the bottle says extra dry. Nice and fruity (might be where the sweet comes from). Totally delicious. Back home I would drive around to look for this." 4 Stars (Hennie Cronjé; Vivino)

My Review: This wine was exactly what I needed after my spring break training trip.  It smelled crisp apple, peach, and sassy grass.  It had a high acid taste that messed with it's green apple sweetness.  It's after taste was refreshing and sweet.  I would drink this again.

Tasting - Arca Nova Vinho Verde

Arca Nova Vinho Verde

Name: Arca Nova
Variety: Loureiro 50%, Arinto 40%, Treixadura 10%
Region: Vinho Verde
Country: Portugal
Year: 2016
Price: $9.99

Wine Review: "This is a soft wine with its creamy fruits assimilated into the tangy texture. There is plenty of acidity to give this wine its cool character as well as its citrus and green-apple flavors. Drink now." 85 Points (Roger Voss; Wine Enthusiast)

My Review: This wine was a light straw color with small bubbles.  It smelled of several different fruits and veggies: green apple, pomegranate, and sweet potatoes.  It tasted of apricots and had a pleasant fuzziness.  The aftertaste was a strong green apple flavor.  I drank this wine with my dinner, which was a meal from HelloFresh since I had gotten a free box to try from my boss.  With their Mediterranean veggies, the wine's sweetness was cut and everything just meshed perfectly.  The fruit flavors in the wine balanced very well the veggies and hardiness of the couscous in the dish.

HelloFresh Mediterranean Veggies

Tasting - Belle Glos Pinot Noir

Belle Glos Pinot Noir

Name: Belle Glos Pinot Noir
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey, Central Coast, California
Country: United States
Year: 2016
Price: $58

Wine Review: "A rather forceful example of the grape variety, the 2016 Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir comes through with fine black fruit aroma and flavors. Wood shows up on the palate as the wine completes its journey to its finish. Pair the wine's richness with a well-marbled steak."  90 Points (Wilfred Wong; wine.com)

My Review: My boyfriend surprised me after I took the GRE on Friday and then took me to dinner at 622 North for my birthday.  He picked out this wine and we split the bottle.  This wine was a dark magenta color and very subtle in flavors.  It smelled of a woody raspberry jam, with a hint of blueberries.  It had a slight acidic and blueberry taste.  The aftertaste was pleasantly acidic.  I really enjoyed this wine on it own.  But it got even better with food.  With Salmon Croquettes, the slight acidity of the wine was cut  and the berry flavors were more pronounced.  I had the Atlantic Salmon entree.  With this food, the acidity was cut even more and the berry flavors were pronounced with some plum ones as well. 

Atlantic Salmon

Salmon Croquette

Dinner-Palisades 2/21 Argentina vs South Africa

Wines from around the world and Rachel's hand

On Wednesday, I went to The Palisades Restaurant in Eggleston with two of my friends from crew--Chelsea and Rachel.  Since we have erg sprints this Saturday and Rachel is only 20, they just watched me drink while eating their pizzas.  Side note: not sure how pizza is going to be that much better before 2ks, but whatever.  

Our waitress brought out the four wines: a 2016 Pinotage from South Africa, a 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina, a 2015 Torrontes from Argentina, and a 2015 Chenin Blanc from South Africa. 

The Chenin Blanc was produced by the Simonsig vineyard in Stellenbosch region of South Africa.  Without food, this clear straw colored wine smelled slightly grassy and tasted like pears and melons, mainly honeydew melon. When eaten with the Chicken Peri Peri, this wine looses the melon taste and gains a pleasant earthly one.

Starting @ 1:00, moving CW: Lamb, Salmon, Chicken, and Pork

The Alta Vista Torrontes was extremely light without food.  It had a floral smell and taste, both of which very very light.  With the Salmon Cakes with Chimichurri, this wine took on a grassy component and a very smooth body.  I think these pair well and really enjoyed this combination.

Without food, the Alta Vista Cabernet Sauvignon had strong pepper and woody characteristics in both smell and taste.  It's taste also contained a jammy aspect, maybe some cherry.  When paired with the Lamb Locro, the spiciness on both was cut and the jammy aspect became more pronounced.  I also really enjoyed this pairing.

I didn't try the Barista Pinotage with the Braai Spiced Pork Shoulder because I don't eat pork.  The wine by itself was very good.  It had an almost skunky smell, which sounds like it will be unpleasent, by was actually really good.  That skunky smell translated to a woody skunky taste.  I like this wine on its own, but think it would have been farther improved by a spicy dish.

DTN Lesson 1: Why We Drink Wine with Meals and How Food Alters the Taste Perception of Wine

Marchese di Pani Chianti

Name: Marchese di Pani Chianti
Region: Chianti
Country: Italy
Year: 2016
Price: $10.99

I did this lesson when I went home one weekend.  This wine was the closest to the suggested wines at the Food Lion near my parent's house. 

1.  When I first opened the wine, it smelled a little jammy and of red berries.  It had a high acidic taste, with some woody (cedar) and slightly spicy flavors.  It had a pretty light body.  It was very astringent on the after taste.

Only Asiago Cheese at Food Lion

2.  After 2 hours, the wine still smelled jammy, but now it had a spicy component.  It tasted spicier and had a heavy wood competent.  It's body was smoother, but still light.  It was less astringent this time.

Wine and Cheese

3.  The only hard cheese I could find at the food lion was this Asiago cheese.  It seemed softer than I thought a "hard" cheese should be, but it still tasted good.  The wine tasted sweeter and not as spicy with the cheese.  It still had a light body.  However, there was no astringency with the cheese.

4.  Since I don't eat red meat, I tried the Chianti with shrimp and spicy cocktail sauce.  We also had corn pudding and broccoli.  The wine with the shrimp tasted very light and fruity.  Its body was extremely light and there was no astringency.  The wine was still pretty astringent with the broccoli and not as sweet.

Dinner, Mom's face, and Tyler's hand

5.  When I tried the wine the next day, it smelled very mild and maybe kind of horsey.  However, the horsey smell could have been cause I had just came from the barn.  It tasted woody, earthy, and vegetableie.  The body was now medium light.  It was much less astringent.  Oxygen coming into contact with the wine allowed the tannins to soften. 

Tasting - Sideshow: No. 3 The Charmer Shiraz

Sideshow Shiraz

Name: Sideshow: No. 3 The Charmer
Variety: Shiraz
Region: South Eastern Australia
Country: Australia

Year: 2017
Price: $5.99

Wine Review: "Boysenberries and tea on nose. Attack is unripe dark fruit. Hollow mid. Finish is bitter with hints of cocoa and spice. I gave this one an extra half star for price point." 3.5 stars (Robert Wright; vivino.com)

My Review: This wine was a deep strawberry color.  It smelled of a peppery jam and blackberries.  It tasted peppery, spicy, tannic, and like raspberries.  It had a mild astringent taste, but a stronger astringent aftertaste that was still very yummy.  I really enjoyed this wine.  I'm shocked that it was less than $6.

Tasting - Stella Mia Prosecco

Stella Mia Prosecco

Name: Stella Mia
Variety: Glera
Region: Prosecco
Country: Italy
Year: none
Price: $9.99

Wine Review: "Very easy and fresh, this is the kind of Prosecco to drink at a summer poolside party. Citrus, talc powder and peach appear on the bouquet and this sparkler is lean and fresh on the finish." 84 Points (Wine Enthusiast)

My Review: This wine was a very light straw color, with small bubbles.  It had a funky grass odor, but it was still pleasant.  It tasted of pears and had a light sweet after taste.  I would drink the again, especially at this price.

Tasting - Hive and Honey Gewurztraminer

Hive & Honey Gewurztrminer

Name: Hive & Honey
Variety: Gewurztraminer
Region: Monterey, CA
Country: USA
Year: 2016
Price: $7.99


Wine Review: "Typically aromas of cat pee that I have come to expect on the gewurzaminer....however, this one does seem to be balanced with nice notes of citrus. Grapefruit. Very sweet. Also tastes of grapefruit. Made me actively shiver/cringe after drinking. Still yet to find a gewurzaminer I would buy but if that's your thing - go for this one, it's not entirely hateful." (Phillip R; vivino.com)

My Review: I thought everything about this wine was subtle, but that could be because I have a cold... What I could smell was kind of a stinky floral something.  When I drank it, I got a peachy lemon taste, with what I thought was clove honey.  The honey taste could just be that I couldn't place something, and I saw honey on the label.  It had a light sweet, metallic after taste.  I had this wine with my dinner, which was mushroom chicken, baked with rice, and steamed broccoli.  The taste of the wine didn't change with the broccoli.  The sweetness of the wine was muffled by the rice, and was quite nice.  The chicken brought out the metallicness of the wine.  It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't great. 

Tasting - Espuela del Gaucho Torrontes 2016

Espuela Del Gaucho: Torrontes

Name: Espuela del Gaucho Torrontes 2016
Variety: Torrontes
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2016
Price: $6.99

Wine Review:  "Nice flavors of pear and apple. Medium body. Neither sweet nor dry. Very enjoyable for another Argentina wine. Would buy again at this price." (Stephen Bryson; vivino.com)

My review:  This wine was pretty good for its price.  It had a light crisp, floral, almost grassy smell.  It tasted like sweet citrus fruit, with a hint of green apple.  This wine had a lingering taste of of green jolly rancher that stuck around for a bit.  I didn't try this with any food.

Introduction

Neither of my parents are wine drinkers.  My mom has alcohol intolerance and my dad will drink one Sam Adam's seasonal beer with dinner and that's about it.  So, I think my first experience with wine was at a family dinner.  I'm sure exactly when this was, but I'm certain it was Pinot Grigio from Ecco Domani.  It's what my uncle brings a full case of to every family function.  I liked it, so when someone asked me what kind of wine I wanted I would say Pinot Grigio.  When my friends were drinking Franzia, they got something like "sunset blush" or "fruity red sangria."  I didn't really like them, so for a while I assumed I didn't like red wines.  However, I was wrong.
After I turned 21, I started drinking wines besides Pinot Grigio. I'm not sure when, or really how I branched out, probably just from someone telling me to "try this."  My first wine tasting type of thing happened when I went to visit my sister in Atlanta.  When we got back to their apartment after dinner, she brought out a plate with cheeses and wines from places they had visited.  My boyfriend and I were so blown away with how much different the lives of these 30 year-olds were, that we didn't stop talking about how weird of a transitional period they were in their lives the whole ride back to school.  I'm starting to realize that it's not that weird and they'll won't be transforming their lifestyle any time soon.
Since I started being open to trying more types of wine, I've been through some more phases.  The significant phases I went through were Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Merlot, and a pretty long Pinot Noir phase.  I think I've exhausted the idea of phases and just want to try something new each time.  There are not many wines that I don't like--I can only think of Moscato.  I don't want to say I don't like sweet wines, because when my boyfriend and I go hiking, we'll split a bottle of Ripidan River Blackberry wine which is incredibly sweet.  I think I just don't like wines that are sweet without having a reason driving the sweetness.
From this class, I hope to learn more about what makes certain regions unique, how to pair food and wine better, and most importantly how to pronounce wine without sounding like a foul.  

My boyfriend, Tyler, and I at Angels Rest