Tasting - "Ramsay Pinot Noir"

 

Name of the Wine: Ramsay Pinot Noir

Grapes in the Wine: Pinot Noir

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: California (North Coast)

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: $6 per 5 oz glass, $19.95 per bottle

Review of the Wine: From the Vintage Cellar, "The nose shows classic Pinot Noir notes of raspberry and cherry, with lots of earthiness and lovely toasty oak. The mouth explodes with blueberry, Bind cherry, anise, and toast. Even more striking is the depth and richness of the mouth-feel, like a rich, thick, red pillow for the mouth. The wine is very fruity, with blackberry characters and a big, rich, tarry and solid balance. The oak is refined and quite opulent in its "warm" characters."

Wine Folly: Page 150: Pinot Noir

Pinot noir has flavors of cherry, raspberry, clove, mushroom, and vanilla. I could taste the cherry in this, but almost everything was overpowered by the flavor of the oak barrel it was so clearly aged in. I could almost taste a bit of the vanilla, but overall it tasted like I was eating a piece of toast (in a good way).

My Review: I don't think I've ever had a wine that tasted this toasty. And by toasty, I literally mean it tasted like toast. It was like eating a piece of toast. I love eating toast, so this wasn't an issue for me. But others might find this off-putting when they are expecting a more fruity flavor. This was the first example of a wine that truly had the flavor of a new oak barrel. I'm not sure exactly if they aged it in a new one, but it was a very strong flavor, so it must have been at most on its second or third use. I thought it would taste delicious with meat, cheese, or basically anything that you would put on a sandwich, but I had it on its own. I thought it was great on its own as well, and loved the warm and almost woody flavors.

Tasting - "La Playa Viognier"

 

Name of the Wine: La Playa Viognier

Grapes in the Wine: Viognier

Country of Origin: Chile

Region of Origin: Colchagua Valley

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $4 per 5 oz glass, $9.95 per bottle

Review of the Wine: From the Vintage Cellar, "Visually this viognier is a rich yellow color. There's aromas of jasmine flower and peach and the palate has a great balance of fresh fruit and a long finish."

Wine Folly: Page 186: Viognier

This wine's flavors include tangerine, peach, mango, honeysuckle, and rose. I could taste the tangerine, peach, and mango, but didn't really taste the honeysuckle or rose. It definitely had a mostly citrus taste.

My Review: I really liked this wine because I thought that it had a citrus-y flavor without the acidity. It had a medium sweetness which paired well with the floral orange blossom flavors. I thought that it also had an almost grapefruit scent, but couldn't quite taste it. It was rich and medium-bodied with very little tannic component which is something that I like. I thought it was very easy to drink and did not need any foods to balance the flavor.

Wine Dinner 1: Old World

I recently completed the wine dinner assignment with my boyfriend. We decided to try three different European wines which each pair with a different European-inspired dish, and mix them together. The first course was Italian-inspired homemade "pizza bianca" which means white pizza. We planned it to pair with the valpolicella wine, which pairs well with aged cheeses (according to the wine folly textbook), such as the ricotta cheese that was part of the blend we put on the pizza.

The second course was French-inspired, with a baguette/ribeye steak open mini sandwich, which also had cheese and red pepper jelly. Since chenin blanc and viognier both pair well with Thai food (which is known to be spicy), it went very well with the savory steak and spicy red pepper jelly. This was my favorite course and it paired especially well with all three wines.

For dessert, we had strawberry shortcake (a popular German dessert) which was meant to pair with the riesling wine. The dessert was the only thing that wasn't homemade, as they came frozen and we heated them up. They were delicious, and had a soft shortcake outside with a strawberry filling that tasted like pie filling.

Wine 1: Valpolicella

Name: Valpolicella

Producer: Bolla

Variety: Corvina

Country of Origin: Italy

Region: Veneto

Vintage: 2021

Price: $10.49

Review of the Wine: From WineSearcher.com, "Dusty, very slightly vegetal and green notes, with cherry fruit. Fruity, red fruits and cherry palate, dry, but slightly anonymous. Nice savory tannin and acidity, with a hint of spice though a slightly harsh finish."

My Review: I didn't really like this wine on its own, I thought it was too tannic and acidic. I thought that it could have been better balanced. I am sure it was not a flawed wine, but I thought that it had a burn that wasn't accompanied by any other redeeming flavors or characteristics. I could definitely taste spices and a slight fruity taste, but it was overall bitter.

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Wine 2: Chenin Blanc and Viognier

Name of the Wine: Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier

Grapes in the Wine: Chenin Blanc and Viognier

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: California

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $13.99

Review of the Wine: From James Suckling, "A bright and fresh blend of 75% chenin and 25% viognier, offering white peach and hints of candied lemon. Lightly steely with bitter-lemon notes. Just slightly off-dry."

My Review: I really liked this wine, I thought it had the perfect blend of tart citrus flavor and sweetness. I could taste pear and apple in the wine, and it had a light, crisp taste. The acidity was strong but nowhere near overpowering, and it was complimented by the lack of tannins. It tasted great on its own, but paired well with the foods.

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Wine 3: Riesling

Name of the Wine: Childress Riesling

Grapes in the Wine: Riesling

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: North Carolina

Vintage Year: n/a

Price: $9.79

Review of the Wine: From TotalWine.com, "The fresh, fruity and vivid personality of this off-dry white wine bursts with peach and floral aromas. Low residual sugar provides for the achieved off-dry characteristic desired by Riesling lovers."

My Review: This was my favorite wine from the dinner. It was sweet without tasting too sugary, had a fruity yet tart taste, and was lightly sparkling. It smelled like flowers and tasted like tropical fruits. It was light and and a bit acidic, but without the sharp and tart bite of some other similar wines.

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Valpolicella with Pizza: Since it was a white pizza, the extra flavors and spices of the valpolicella were complimented very nicely. This meal was the "canvas" that the strong flavors of the wine needed. The herbs and spices present in the wine were lessened and the chocolatey/plummy flavors of the wine were able to present themselves.

Valpolicella with Steak: These two paired decently well, but since the red pepper jelly, cheese, and steak were already very different (but delicious) combined flavors, this added one too many tastes to focus on. It was a bit darker with these, and made the steak taste worse than it actually did. This is probably because it felt like the baguette absorbed some of the wine, and I didn't really like that texture or taste.

Valpolicella with Strawberry Shortcake: I thought that the strawberry shortcake softened the valpolicella and made it taste better, but the valpolicella made the strawberry shortcake taste worse. If I had the chance to drink this wine with this dessert, I would take it. But if I had the choice between eating the dessert on its own or with wine, I would rather have the dessert on its own. That being said, the strawberry flavors brought out the fruity flavors of the wine, and the cream seemed to take in some of the wine and make it almost like a rootbeer float (but with cherry-flavored wine).

Best Pairing with Valpolicella: Pizza

Chenin/Viognier with Pizza: These two were great together, because they almost made the flavor combination of "baja Mexican food" (which, coincidentally, I do not like. However, this was pleasant). The combination of the savory pizza with the almost-sour lime taste was interesting and made me want more. I liked these two better than I thought I would, perhaps because the slightly dry wine was well-complimented by the fats in the cheese.

Chenin/Viognier with Steak: This was paired perfectly! The steak, pepper, and cheese along with the fruity flavors almost made this taste like a fancy salad. I tasted more honey when I had the wine with these flavors. Since it was chilled, it was even more refreshing with the dark flavors of the ribeye.

Chenin/Viognier with Strawberry Shortcake: These two tasted good together, but I'm not sure if they paired very well. At certain points during dessert, I made up my mind that they did, but at other times, I wasn't sure. I think that if I was very focused on the flavors, I didn't like them that much. But once I swallowed, the finish of the two were nice together. I tasted more of the sour flavors of this wine when paired with the sugary sweetness of the strawberry shortcake.

Best pairing with Chenin/Viognier: Steak

Riesling with Pizza: I thought that the pizza made this wine taste like slightly flat soda. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but it was definitely interesting. I think it almost reminded me of sprite with the pizza, and kind of brought me back to my childhood, when sprite was my favorite drink and pizza was my favorite food. It was almost too sweet for the pizza, but I thought they still went very well together. The wine tasted less acidic in general, and the sweetness somehow went very well with the fats in the cheese and herbs in the bread of the pizza.

Riesling with Steak: These two paired very well together, most likely because of the red pepper jelly. The combined flavors of the food were all very different, but somehow the wine made them all come together quite nicely. The wine was almost a dry wine, and the grease of the steak made it very pleasant, along with the cheese in the meal. Since the jelly was a bit spicy, the sweetness was the opposite complement, and they made an entirely new flavor together.

Riesling with Strawberry Shortcake: These two were also very nice together. The wine and dessert were sweet, but the "cake" balanced the two. We have learned in the class that it is difficult to pair sweet foods with wines that aren't as sweet, but these two were great together. The lime flavors paired well with the strawberry, which makes sense because my favorite gum used to combine watermelon, strawberry, and lime. I like these flavors together already, and thought they were great in this pairing.

Best pairing with Riesling: tie between Pizza and Steak

This assignment helped me learn more about how different foods can bring out different flavors in the wines. Sometimes the same wine can taste different with different foods (and vice versa)!

Drink This Now! Lesson 1 Blog

 

Name: Côte du Rhône

Producer: Domaine Grand Veneur

Variety: Rhône

Country of Origin: France

Region: Rhône Valley, Southern France

Vintage: 2019

Price: $19.95

Review of the Wine: Wine Enthusiast: "Sourced from a plot just a stone's throw from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Les Champauvins is consistently one of the best Côtes-du-Rhône bottlings available. Heady aromas of lilac and crushed white pepper introduce a palate that's powerful yet pure in fruit, packed with flavors of candied raspberry and strawberry leather. Delicate and dusty in tannins, it finishes long on streaks of salt and anise. Lovely young, the wine should improve through 2029 at least."

My Review:

This week, I completed the Lesson 1 assignment in the Drink this Now! textbook. The lesson involves opening a red wine (I chose the Domaine Grand Veneur Cote du Rhone from the list), tasting it immediately, two hours later with cheese and meat, then trying it again the next day. I chose asiago cheese as my "hard Italian cheese" and calabrese salami as my "spicy meat."

First, you open the wine and try immediately. It was dark red, probably the darkest wine I have ever seen. It almost looked like black ink to me. It smelled very strong and somewhat tart. I could definitely smell the bite before I even tasted it. It was so tannic that I could have almost described it as "mouth-puckering" but it didn't quite go that far. It did make my mouth feel very dry and had a bit of a strong finish. I definitely did not like this wine, and was not super excited to continue with this assignment at this point. It had an almost leathery taste to me, with dark chocolate flavors because of how bitter I thought it was.

Second, you leave the cork off for at least two hours to allow the wine to "open up" and oxygenate. When I smelled it the second time, it did seem like it was going to be less aggressive. However, upon actually tasting it, I only could detect a slight difference. The difference was there, it was more fruity and somehow more flavorful despite having less of a harsh flavor. But I still did not like how tannic it was or the strong aftertaste. The dark chocolate flavor faded a bit but it was still prominent. I thought it tasted more plummy and had a bit of a licorice taste with some level of a black coffee aftertaste.

Third, you try the wine with the cheese. I must say that I definitely liked the wine better with the cheese. However, I didn't actually like the cheese that much, so it was only marginally better. However, the more I tried it (around my fourth taste of the two flavors together) I started to appreciate the nuances of both flavors. The fat in the cheese balanced very well with the wine, and since there was something else in my mouth, the wine didn't seem as dry to me. It felt more fruity and jammy, and I started to notice that it tasted like raisins or a fig newton.  The flavor of the wine came out more because I wasn't as focused on the uncomfortable dryness of its mouthfeel.

Fourth, you try it with the meat. This was my favorite so far. The meat paired perfectly with the wine, which I wasn't expecting. I thought that since the meat was dry and had lots of spices it wouldn't help me attain the distraction from the tannins that the cheese allowed. However, it actually was better than the cheese. It made the wine taste different than it did with the cheese. I tasted more of a berry taste when it was paired with the cheese, but with the meat it was more earthy. It had a thicker taste but because of the slight grease of the meat, the tannins actually were complimented in a great way. The meat itself actually tasted better with the wine to me. The wine had an oregano and dried herb taste with the salami, possibly because they both had the same herb flavors and when paired, those came out even more.

After this, I tried the meat and the cheese together with the wine, even though it wasn't mentioned in the book. I definitely did not like them all three together, but I thought that the meat and cheese alone paired quite nicely, and I would definitely eat them together on a cracker. But the three tastes together clashed just enough that it made all three of them taste worse, or perhaps just distracting.

The next day, the wine was the most toned-down that it had been the whole time, but I still thought it was too strong. I thought it was still too dry for my taste, though I was able to appreciate the cherry and raspberry flavors a bit more. It was not better than when it was paired with the meat or cheese, but this is the best it tasted on its own. Even though Wine Folly says that there are hints of lavender in this wine, I never tasted those soft flavors. I did taste more and more berry as time went on, except with the meat when I tasted more of the spices in the flavors.

The lesson was overall very interesting, because I didn't realize the extent that food and time can change the taste of a wine, usually for the better.

Tasting - "Beliveau Merlot"

Name of the Wine: Beliveau Merlot

Grapes in the Wine: Merlot

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: Virginia

Vintage Year: 2019

Price: $7 per 5 oz glass, $24.95 per bottle

Review of the Wine: From the Vintage Cellar, "One year in French oak gives this Merlot a creamy nose with traces of soft pepper. With traditional flavors of light red fruit, this wine is made for roast duck or lean cuts of beef."

Wine Folly: Page 131: Merlot

This wine’s flavors include cherry, plum, chocolate, dried herbs, and vanilla. I tasted the plum flavors but never tasted the herbs or chocolate flavors. I tasted cherry, which I usually taste in most wines.

My Review: This was my favorite wine from the tasting. It had a dark yet sweet flavor, and tasted more like fruit punch than other wines that I have had and the alcohol taste was lighter yet present enough to give it body. It had a nice finish and I can definitely see how it would pair well with meats, but would also like to try it with cheese.

 

Tasting - "Beliveau Summer Rose"

Name of the Wine: Beliveau Summer Rose

Grapes in the Wine: Pinot Noir, Chambourcin, Vidal Blanc

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: Virginia

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: $7 per 5 oz glass, $24.95 per bottle

Review of the Wine: The Vintage Cellar says, "A floral nose precedes the bright and fruity flavors of strawberry and raspberry in this dry rose. There is a perceived sweetness that may fool you as you sip. Grilled vegetables, fresh fruits, and feta cheese are all wonderful pairings with this enchanting rose."

Wine Folly: Page 150: Pinot Noir

The flavors in this wine include cherry, raspberry, cloves, mushrooms, and vanilla. I taste more of a raspberry or strawberry taste than the dark flavor of cherry, but it is a complex flavor that is somewhat sweet like a raspberry and somewhat darker like a cherry. I do not taste the earthy flavor of the mushroom, nor do I taste any vanilla.

My Review: This wine was relatively tart compared to the other wines at the tasting, but I appreciated it. It almost had the flavor of a cough drop in my opinion, due to the spicy feeling, but was lighter and more classically fruity than the artificial flavors of medicine. The most important flavors in this wine were the strawberry and raspberries, which seemed simultaneously distinct yet inseparable. When I focused on one flavor, I felt as if the whole wine tasted that way, then thinking about the other, I felt the opposite. It had a fresh and light taste with a strong floral smell.

 

Tasting - "Beringer Main & Vine White Zinfandel"

 

Name of the Wine: Beringer Main & Vine White Zinfandel

Grapes in the Wine: Zinfandel

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: California

Vintage Year: NA

Price: $4.49 for 750 mL bottle, $8.47 for 1.5 L

Review of the Wine: From total wine: "Fresh and delicious with berry-like fruit flavors and aromas of citrus and honeydew. Enjoyable with a wide variety of foods, it pairs especially well with today's spicy cuisine."

Wine Folly: Page 189: Zinfandel

There are blackberry, strawberry, peach preserves, cinnamon, and sweet tobacco present in this wine. I taste the berries and the peach, but can not pick out the cinnamon. Cinnamon has a very specific taste, and I don't feel like I'm able to pick it out in this wine.

My Review: This wine reminds me of the Moutard Pét' Mout' that I tried. They are both sweet and tart at the same time, with a light yet bold taste. It says in the textbook that this wine would pair well with Asian barbeque, and I can definitely see how they would pair well together. It is fruity and yet not very sweet, and it has a full body. It only has 10% alcohol but it tastes like there would be more, which is interesting, because I taste it more than in some other wines.

Tasting - "Childress Burst Sweet Rosé"

 

Name of the Wine: Childress Burst Sweet Rose

Grapes in the Wine: Muscat

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: North Carolina

Vintage Year: N/A

Price: $16.99 per bottle

Review of the Wine: Yiannis Wine says that the wine will "exhibit both berry and floral aromas, along with tropical flavors."

Wine Folly: Page 138: Muscat Blanc

It contains flavors of mandarin orange and orange blossom, lemon, pear, and honeysuckle. It tastes more like cherry to me, but I can see how there are citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges present because it has a bright and tart taste. 

My Review: I wanted to like this wine more than I do, perhaps because of its name, the art on the bottle, and the words "fruity, fizzy, and fun on the tongue!" which are present on the label. However, it tastes a bit too much like cough syrup to me, and the fizz seems to almost take away from the flavor and makes me dislike it more. It is not the worst drink I have ever tasted, but I will likely not purchase this wine again. It reminds me of cough syrup because of its mildly unpleasant aftertaste. It does not have a rich array of flavors present, and does not quite have a specific "wine" taste. It is a bit one-dimensional and almost a bit bitter in my opinion (mainly judging by the aftertaste).