Thursday, January 26, 2017

Tasting- Dona Sol Shiraz, Petite Syrah and Symphony

Name: Dona Sol
Variety: Shiraz, Petite Syrah and Symphony
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: ??
Price: $6.95
                 
Winery review: "Shiraz has a unique jammy fruit character that is well represented in the Sweet Red. Both on the nose and on the palate, jammy fruit, like strawberries, cherry pie and red licorice, entices the senses and pair well with cheeses and desserts."

My review: I liked this wine!  My initial smell of this wine was red fruits such as raspberry and strawberry.  This wine was very sweet and smooth. After smelling it for a good amount of time and finally tasting it, I detected a hint of honey.  I enjoyed this wine and would definitely try this wine again!  

I drank this wine on its own with no food. 

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Tasting- Avery Quinn Zinfandel

                                                     
 Name: Avery Quinn
 Variety: Zinfandel
 Region: Santa Rosa, California
 Country: USA
 Year: 2013
 Price: Regular: $15, Sale: $6.95
                 
 Magazine review: "Just the thing for winter warming or summer cookouts, this is a classic California Zinfandel with plenty of body, richness, and fruit.  Aromas show briary dried red fruit - raspberry, cherry, and cranberry - with hints of chocolate and spice.  Juicy and fleshy on the palate with brambly fruit and plenty of pepper and spice.  Finishes juicy and easy and fun."

My review: I did not really like this wine very much.  Right off the bat I smelled tropical fruits such as pineapple and some red fruits such as raspberry.  After smelling a little bit more, I detected some scents of flower.  It tasted very earthy and had a mulch-like after taste.  I would probably choose a different wine over this one! 

I drank this wine on its own with no food. 

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Tasting- Finca del Castillo Tempranillo

Name: Finca del Castillo
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2015
Price: $4.95
                 
Magazine review: "Medium garnet color. Bright aromas and flavors of cherry, blackberry, vanilla, and plum with a lightly tannic, vibrant, dry medium-full body and a sleek, complex, medium-long finish with notes of cigar box, baking spice, cocoa, and iron with chewy tannins and moderate oak. This tempranillo delivers on several cylinders with juicy and generous cherry plum flavors up front that then turn into chewy tannins and a complex web of iron, chocolate and cigar box."

My review: I thought that this wine was fairly good!  My initial smell of this wine was raisins and cherries.  It definitely tasted dry with some earthy tones and very strong cherry flavors.  I also tasted a bit of yogurt.  Overall, a pretty good wine. 

I drank this wine on its own with no food. 

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Tasting- Pieter Cruythoff Chenin Blanc

Name: Pieter Cruythoff
Variety: Chenin Blanc
Region: Swartland
Country: South Africa
Year: 2015
Price: Regular: $9, Sale: $4.95
                 
Magazine review: "A wonderful nose of bananas, oranges and melons jumps from the glass of this 100% Chenin Blanc, which is finished with a screw cap. Another great value from South Africa, this wine is medium-bodied, fresh, lively, and a terrific dry white to drink over the next year."

My review: I was not a huge fan of this wine, but it was not terrible.  My initial smell of this wine was some fruit and a little bit of woody/earthy. At first taste, the wine was a bit bitter with a woody dry taste.  Later, I tasted a bit more of some tree and tropical fruits.  This would not be my first choice in wine!

I drank this wine on its own with no food. 

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Tasting- El Cortijillo Verdejo

                                                        
 Name: El Cortijillo
 Variety: Verdejo
 Region: La Mancha
 Country: Spain
 Year: 2015
 Price: $4.95
                 
 Magazine review: "Golden straw color. Bright, attractive, tropical aromas of creme brulee and fruit tart with a silky, bright, dry-yet-fruity light-to-medium body and a smooth, intriguing, snappy lime and apple finish with crunchy, fruit tannins and light oak. A super smooth and pure white sipper."

My review: I liked this wine!  My initial smell of this wine was, funny enough, very strong of grapes and fruity smells in general.  It definitely tasted sweet and smooth with some earthy tones, however the flavors were not very strong and somewhat difficult to distinguish. 

I drank this wine on its own with no food. 

first blog-wine

I have only recently turned 21 in the past few months, so I have little experience with wine except for the couple of experiences at dinner with friends, one or two celebrations, and the sips of communion at church.  One of the most fun times that I have had with wine was a wine night with a bunch of the girl friends over break.  One of my best friends recently got back from a study abroad in Italy and picked out a bunch of wines for all of us to try.  Out of all of the alcoholic beverages that I have tried, I would have to put wine as one of my top choices.  I enjoy the taste of it as a whole, and can really appreciate the foods that it can complement.  I would say that the experiences that I have had have been with the cheaper wines, so I would like to branch out and try wines that have more vintage to them and maybe more flavor.  In church, I only sip the red wine. Most of the time, I actually dip by bread in the wine, so I don't really get a taste for the wine itself. 
Overall, I have fairly minimal experiences with wine, but the experiences that I do have are positive which is one of the reasons why I want to learn more about wine.  Through my few experiences, I have come to enjoy white wines better than red wines because white wines tend to be a little sweeter.  I especially like Chardonnay and have had this wine the most.  The times I have had red wine, it seems a bit tough in taste, which I believe would go well with some meals. 
Coming in to this class, I hoped to gain more overall knowledge about wine such as its origin, the differences between different types of wine, the process of wine production, and wine pairings with food.  One of my favorite things to do is cook good, healthy food.  I think that wine would make a great addition to my cooking in terms of taste whether that means adding cooking wine to the food, or drinking the wine with dinner.  Knowing that wine is not bad for me and possibly is good for me, also makes me want to learn more about it and learn how to pair it with different foods.  From the two videos that I have watched for this class, I have already learned so much about wine and cannot wait to dig deeper into this subject.