Tasting -- Gallo Family Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Name: Gallo Family Vineyards

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: N/A

Price: $1.49

Critic review: This is the closest review of this wine I could find: Rich purple color. Compact at first on the nose, this takes time to open up to show tart cranberries mixed with black currant and blackberry fruit, lots of concentration to the fruit but also some earth, pencil shavings and charcoal aromas as well. Full-bodied, tannins show strength but they’re also quite velvety and the wine has a rounded, robust feel to it. 

(http://www.terroirist.com/2016/01/wine-reviews-gallo-signature-series/)

My review: I haven’t had much Cabernet Sauvignon but I enjoyed this wine. On the nose it smelled earthy and had hints of dark fruit. The color was deep red to purple. The wine was very smooth to drink. The tannin structure was pleasure while added some complexity to the wine. It tasted more “grapey” that I anticipated. It also had some dark fruit characteristics like a cherry or blackberry. The finish was short and left some tartness on the tongue.

Tasting -- Vitas Villa Ribolla Gialla

Name: Vitas Villa

Variety: Ribolla Gialla

Region: Venezie

Country: Italy

Year: 2014

Price: $18

Critic review: The 2014 Ribolla Gialla shows more minerality, nice quince, white currant and citrus oil notes, a dry, refreshing mouthfeel and a fragrant bouquet. – Robert Parker

My review: This wine was fragrant with floral notes along with hints of pear. On the palate is was light and dry. There were notes of apple, pear, and other citrus fruit. The drinking experience was nice and refreshing. I enjoyed this wine enough to buy a bottle!

Wine Tasting -- Garnacha de Fuego

Name: Garnacha de Fuego

Variety: Old Vines Grenache

Region: Aragon

Country: Spain

Year: 2014

Price: $2.95

Critic review: The Garnacha de Fuego Rose is a solid effort that has a light salmon color to go with notions of cherry blossom, orange peel and herbs de Provence. Medium-bodied, supple, fresh easy-drinking, and an outstanding value at $3.

My review: This wine had notes of caramel on the nose, in addition to floral scents similar to blooming flowers in the spring. On the palate is was decently dry with a long finish. It seemed to coat the entire mouth. The flavors that were present were citrus, and orange pith. It was refreshing and easy to drink.

Wine Tastings -- Barao de Figueira Tino Reserva

Name: Barao de Figueira Tino Reserva

Variety: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca

Region: Beira

Country: Portugal

Year: 2013

Price: $12

Critic review: From vineyards at 2000 feet elevation, this is a rich and spicy wine that has a pure streak of fruit freshness and a firmly tannic core. It is perfumed from Touriga Nacional in the blend, with red berry and black plum flavors coming through strongly along, balanced by acidity. It will be better from 2017. –Wine Enthusiast

My review: This wine had strong scents of coffee and chocolate. There were also floral notes mixed in. On the palate the wine was consistent. It had a creamy mouth feel with a spicy, berry  finish. The tannins were not overwhelming.

Wine Tastings -- Vinedos Real Rubio Rioja Crianza

 

Name: Vinedos Real Rubio Rioja Crianza

Variety: Tempranillo, Graciano

Region: Rioja

Country: Spain

Year: 2010

Price: $16

Critic review: Lightly baked berry aromas vie for attention with leather, spice and mild earth notes, and the result is disjointed On the palate, this is tight as a drum initially, but more expansive as it unfold. Cherry, plum, raspberry, vanilla, and woodspice flavors finish pure, clean and easy. This is a fine yet manageable Rioja that’s not trying too hard. Drink through 2016. – Wine Enthusiast

My review: This wine had strong notes and flavors. Lots of berry on the nose: cherry and plum. On the palate there was good tannin structure. Smooth finish with spicy flavors. I was reminded of cinnamon of a Big Red gum. There was also fruity notes like cherry. I would drink this wine again.

Wine Tasting -- Crane Lake Riesling

 

Name: Crane Lake

Variety: Riesling

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: N/A

Price: $5.95

Critic review: Pale golden color. Ripe and dried peaches on the nose. Mineral and dried peach flavors. Nicely balanced leaning towards lime acidity.

My review: This is the first Riesling I've had. Compared to other whites I've had it is very sweet. On the nose there was peach. The first thought that came to mind was my old day care and eating fruit packs. It was hard to pick of specific flavors from this wine. 

Dinner -- Homemade Beef Burgundy

On Tuesday, our wine group finally decided to tackle a wine dinner. And it was great. The other students that contributed were Ena Tovillo, Nikka Pelayo, and Gillian Gavino. We decided to divide and conquer each component of the meal. 

Ena handled the appetizer, which was brie topped with honey and crackers. I was in charge of the wine pairing for the dish and chose to pair is with Chardonnay, per google's recommendation. I the pairing worked well. The oak and lemony flavors of the wine paired well with strong buttery flavor of the cheese.

Gill, who probably has the broad cuisine experience, tackled the main entree, Boeuf bourguignon. It is a savory french dish cooked with sirloin, bacon, mushroom, onion, red wine sauce paired with egg noodles. The dish was cooked and paired with a 2012 Pinot Noir. On its own the wine had a lot of fruity flavors. Strawberry and black cherry stood out the most. On the nose, it was waxy, almost like new crayons.The wine and dish were PERFECT together. The wine already had very smooth tannins. Together, bites and sips were seamless. It also make the smokiness of the bacon in particular stand out.

For our final course, Nikka provide the wine and the classic chocolate cake. It was a good choice as the Pinot Noir's label explicitly mentioned pairing with chocolate cake so it was a good transition into the next wine. The wine was a red blend called Rosa Obscura from the 2015 vintage. This wine was also smooth. It had similar fruit flavors as the pinot noir, such as cherry and strawberry. It paired nicely with the cake and was very smooth.

We had a good time at the wine dinner, and probably drank more than any of us anticipated going in. It was amazing to me to see over the course a meal of wines change with food. It sort of gave Boyer a bit more validation in the lecture video. This is something I definitely want to do again, but also want compare our pairings to that of a restaurant sommelier's.

Tasting -- Fume Blanc Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Dry Creek Vineyard Fume Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Sonoma County
Country: USA
Year: 2014
Price: $12.99


Critic review: "Stainless-steel fermented and given no time in oak, this wine is a nod to the producer's longstanding devotion to the Loire Valley and its aim to make a crisp, balanced, non-fussy white. It succeeds here in concocting a mix of lemon peel, apple and herb—a light pretty wine that's lovably quaffable." -- Virginie Boone
(http://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/dry-creek-vineyard-2014-fume-blanc-sonoma-county)

My review: The wine had a strong citrus scent. I mostly smelled apple and pear undertones. Those same smells were apart of the flavor. A lot of apple and earthiness was present. I had this wine with a balsamic salmon, caprese pasta salad, and chocolate cake. I found that the wine was best with salmon and not so good with the pasta salad. I believe the fatty fish helped to balance and acid of the white wine and balsamic vinegar. Whereas in the pasta, the acids seemed to make the wine more dry.

Tasting--Beringer Founders' Estate Merlot

Name: Beringer Founders' Estate 
Variety: Merlot
Region: California
Country: US
Year: 2015
Price: $6.95/$21.95

Critic review: "Cedar forest, wild black plum and blackberry on the nose. Some herbal notes mid-palate with a long finish. Decant 2 hours. Full-bodied and balanced." -- Natalie Maclean

My review: This wine was paired with a house special pizza. I could sniff out hints of dark fruits primarily cherries and plum. The wine was also pretty dry. The flavor before eating the pizza was fruity, like the cherries, but there was also some spice that I noticed in the back of my throat. The pizza seemed to make the wine smoother, and brought down the dryness a bit.

Some other interesting things I  noticed at dinner was the server was not a sommelier. In the picture below you can see she filled by glass completely (shown is after I took a few sips). I may have gotten different notes had I been able to sniff & swirl properly.

Tasting -- El Pensador

Name: El Pensador (The Thinker)
Variety: Verdejo
Region: Leon & Castille
Country: Spain
Year: 2014
Price: $8.99


Critic review: I couldn't find a review for the exact wine I tasted. The closest was the same style of wine with a 2012 vintage date:

"This Verdejo is in its late stages of life but it's hanging in there. Mostly neutral aromas of apple and lime set up a palate with citrusy acidity that keeps the wine alive. Narrow, simple flavors of orange and nectarine finish pithy but true to the variety. Drink immediately." -- Michael Schachner (www. winemag.com)

My review: I enjoyed this wine. It was very aromatic with hints of citrus, pear, notes of apple. Though it smelled sweet it was pretty dry. The flavor was hard for me to find words to describe. I initially thought the aftertaste was "outdoorsy." But after reading the above review, I would agree that the word I was looking for was pithy. I had this wine with shrimp fried rice, and can say the pairing definitely effected the flavor. I personally, thought the the after taste went from bitter to more buttery with the fried rice.

My overall opinion would be it's good because I haven't had better yet.

Wine Blog #1-Experience

Until recently, I thought of wine to be the drink of class and for special occasions. In my experience those were the only circumstances that I had seen wine be consumed. It probably stemmed from the fact that my dad mostly drank beer and my mom was a "wine hoarder", having plenty of unopened bottles on a rack in our house.

Now, I definitely perceive wine as a more common drink. Since, I've been in college it has become trendy to drink wine over other forms of alcohol, so much so that I have friends who try to drink it exclusively on a Friday night before heading downtown.

I haven't drunken much wine to form a sold stance on it. Though, I like the idea of wine in the more classic sense: on a relaxing Wednesday evening or complementing a nice dinner. That's what I want to get out of this class. Knowing wine and how to use it to. Whether it's over business or on a date or even just to experiment with different flavor profiles.

Another goal for this class: is to be a "wine snob" among millennials. Briefly mentioned above, a lot of people my age love trends and wine drinking was definitely one of them. Myself, on the other hand hate blindly following trends yet I want to enjoy wine. Thus, my enrollment in this class! I want to be able to walk into Kroger, like everyone else, and grab a bottle, like everyone else, and know what's in it instead of shrugging and saying "sounds good."

Let's Drink!