Name: Primo Amore Moscato
Variety: Muscat
Region: Puglia
Country: Italy
Year: 2011
Price: $7.95
Wine Review: Straw-yellow color with golden reflections and a delicate mousse. Fruity and very inviting, with intense scents of peaches and exotic fruit. Fresh and pleasantly sweet with a taste that reveals its varietal characteristic.
My Review: The Moscato had a clear color to it. It had a very sweet smell. There was a fizzy feeling in your throat when you drank it. It was a very sweet, fruity tasting wine. I did not like this wine, it was too sweet for me.
Food: I did not taste this wine with food.
Name: Finca del Castillo Tempranillo
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $4.95
Wine Review: Rooty, spicy and baked on the nose, with aromas that lean towards raisin. The palate is more gritty and acidic, with raisin, cola, and spic flavors. Darkens up on the finish, which is long and peppery, with adequate juiciness and a final note of tomato.
My Review: The Tempranillo has a darker red color. It had a very spicy smell. The Tempranillo had a very tart and rooty taste. It also had a bitey taste to it. I liked this wine.
Food: I did not taste this wine with food.
Name: Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau
Variety: Gamay
Region: Beaujolais
Country: France
Year: 2012
Price: $3.95
Wine Review: Bright and tangy, offering a classic banana note on the nose, with flavors of raspberry, wild strawberry, and light spice. Modest finish.
My Review: The Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau had a light red color. It had a tangy smell that had hints of banana. The wine had a strong raspberry taste as well as a spicy taste. I did not really like this wine.
Food: I did not taste this wine with food.
Name: Mars and Venus Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Central Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2011
Price: $5.95
Wine Review: A very nice value Chardonnay that comfortably over-delivers vs its modest price tag. No oak here, just bushels of clean, crisp, Chardonnay apple and stone fruit with a hint of caramelized pineapple. Juicy and clean, this is a mid-weight white that's just perfect for parties or weeknight sipping.
My Review: The Mars and Venus Chardonnay had a light yellow color. It also had a buttery smell. The Chardonnay had a slightly buttery taste and was kinda sweet. I could also pick up a fruity taste but not the different fruits described in the wine review. I thought this was a decent tasting wine.
Food: I did not taste this wine with food.
Name: La Cappuccina Soave
Variety: Garganega
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: 2011
Price: $7.95
Wine Review: Bright straw yellow in color. Delicate on the nose, whit notes of flowers and almonds. Dry, well-structured and delicately fruity with hints of bitter almonds on the finish that is typical of Garganega-based wines.
My Review: The La Cappuccina Soave had a light yellowy golden color. It had a very flower smell. Upon tasting it, it was a dry white. I could also taste the fruitiness. I liked this wine.
Food: I did not taste this wine with food.
Name: Opera Prima Sweet Red
Variety: 50% Tempranillo, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $4.95
Wine Review: Doesn't try to hide its warm-climate terroir, with a soft texture framing jammy-sweet black raspberry, cherry, red currant, root beer, and sweet tea. Drink now.
My Review: Upon smelling this wine, it smelled very sweet. It tasted as sweet as it smelled. I could taste the fruits in the wine. I did not like this wine. It was too sweet.
Food: I did not taste this wine with food.
Name: Montes Alpha Syrah
Variety: Syrah
Region: Valle Central
Country: Chile
Year: 2009
Price: $7.95
Wine Review: Blackberry and cola aromas are cool and collected. The palate has weight and texture to accompany berry, mint, herb and peppery flavors. Turns more herbal and roasted as it unwinds. Pepper and spice lead the finish.
My Review: I liked that this wine was a drier wine. I could taste the fruity flavors. I also felt the peppery and herb flavors on the back of my throat as I drank it. I could also smell the spices. Overall, I really liked this wine.
Food: I did not taste this wine with food.
Name: Coreto Tinto
Variety: 25% Tinta Roriz, 20% Caladoc, 20% Castelao, 15% Touriga Nacional, 10% Shiraz, 10% Alicante Bouschet
Region: Estremadura
Country: Portugal
Year: 2010
Price: $6.95
Wine Review: Despite its light touch, this fruity and full, with its blackberry fruit dominating the warm spice note and acidity. Soft tannins keep the wine together.
My Review: In this wine, I could taste the blackberry flavor. It was also apparent in the smell. I could also feel the spices on the back of my throat when I drank it. I thought this was an okay wine, however not really my favorite.
Food: I did not taste this wine with food
Name: Maipe Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Cuyo
Country: Argentina
Year: 2011
Price: $7.95
Wine Review: Yellow color with green hints. Expressive wine, fresh, very aromatic. This Sauvignon Blanc displays grapefruit flavors, with hints of melon and honey. It finishes with bracing acidity and fresh mouth feels that make it a terrific aperitif and an excellent accompaniment to virtually all seafood, especially shellfish.
My Review: This wine was dry. I also tasted the acidity. I could also taste the grapefruit in the wine. I did not taste the melon or the honey. Overall, I really liked this wine.
Food: I did not taste this wine with food.
Name: Encostas do Lima Vinho Verde
Variety: 80% Loureiro, 20% Trajadura
Region: Vinho Verde
Country: Portugal
Year: 2010
Price: $4.95
Wine Review: Pale golden silver color. Bright floral aromas of peaches, raspberry, and honeysuckle with a soft, dry-yet-fruity medium body and a crisp, tart citrus and talc accented finish. A delightful sipper that is sure to please.
My Review: When I smelt the wine, I could smell the fruits in the one. Not the exact fruits mentioned above, but I did pick up a fruity smell. When I tasted the wine, I picked up the fruity taste but again not the individual fruits. I also got an acidic taste when drinking the wine. It was also a sweeter wine. Overall, I liked this wine.
Food: I did not have food with this wine.
Currently, I have a lot of experience with wine. My family is full of winos so drinking wines and tastings are a big part of what my family likes to do. When I first started to drink wine, I was all about the sweet stuff. I loved anything that was high in residual sugars. My parents were not very happy with my wine taste since they had moved to more drier and sophisticated wines. After I came home for the summer last year, my parents took me to several wine festivals and wine tastings. During these festivals and tastings, I tried a lot of different wines. At first, I did not like anything that was not sweet. But the more I began to expand to drier wines, the more inclined I was to move away from the sweet stuff. My parents were a big help in developing my pallet. They have also helped me find wines that are still good but not terribly expensive.
Since the summer, I have gone tasting back home every time I am home. We always go taste at the same place with the same guy named Ray. Ray has a large knowledge of wine and great taste. He also finds good deals on generally more expensive wines since he has been in the business for a long time. When tasting with Ray, he always tells you about the region, the year, the wine maker, the grapes, and the flavors you will find in the wine. He also taught me about the ratings given out by magazines like Wine Spectator. Tasting with Ray and my parents greatly increased my knowledge of wines and willingness to try new wines. It also gave me experience in talking about what I tasted. My parents and Ray would always ask what I tasted. From this, I learned to pick up some of the things that they would talk about. Recently, at the suggestion of my parents, I have made a list of wines that I buy. This list includes the brand, varietal, year, price, whether I tasted it or just bought it off the shelf, and if I liked it or not. I have found this to be very helpful in keeping track of what I buy and what I like. Apart from tasting at home, I drink wine at least once a week.
My favorite type of wine is a Sauvignon Blanc. More specifically, a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. I have found a lot of different brands that I like to drink. Sauvignon Blanc is my go to wine and the wine that I drink the most often. If I am drinking wine, it is almost always a Sauvignon Blanc. I also like some unoaked Chardonnays. Until recently, I have been hesitant to try red wines. However, with Thanksgiving and Christmas, I started to try a lot of red wines at family events. I tried a wide range of red wines, sometimes with food and sometimes without. I began to enjoy drinking red wines, something I did not think was going to happen. The red wines that I like are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Malbec, Tempranillo, and Chianti. I was surprised at how well I liked red wines once I started to taste them, and how many different types that I liked! However, I'm still a white wine girl at heart but have learned to appreciate the red wines.
From this class, I hope to gain a better general knowledge of wine. I still am not sure on all the regions and grapes and what grows where etc. I would like be able to follow a wine conversation without having to stop someone every few minutes to ask what something is or means. I know that is a way of learning but I'd like to know it before hand. I also want to know what wines I should branch off to. When I buy wine at the grocery store, I tend to stick to the same brand. Since I do not like sweeter wines anymore, I am hesitant to just buy a random label off the shelf and try it. Generally, the only way I branch out is if I go to a tasting and like what I taste. I also would like to learn what foods to pair with what wines. I am very excited to take this class and expand my knowledge of wine!
Name: Primo Amore Moscato
