Wine Tasting 2: at the Vintage Cellar

This is the second week of wines at the vintage cellar and the same rules apply. The wines are meant to be both cheap and well crafted to appeal to the college aged budget. All of the wines are Under $20 normally and under $8 on sale at the Vintage Cellar. This week featured a balance of reds and whites and finished with a Muscato just like last week.

As a note I will review each wine separately giving both my impression of the wine and the description from the winemaker themselves. Following that I will rate each wine on a scale [-2, 2]. Where:

-2: Bad wine, undrinkable

-1: Disliked, but drinkable

 0: Okay wine, neither disliked or liked

 1: Good wine, might buy

 2: Great wine, definitely will buy

Wine #8

Name: Fontana Candida
Variety: 60% Malcasia Bianca di Candia
             30% Trebbiano
             10% Malvasia del Lazio
Region: Frascati
Country: Italy
Year: ---
Price: $12 (Sale $5.95)

Winery review: A blend of 60% Malvasia Bianca di Candia, 30% Trebbiano and 10% Malvasia del Lazio. This Frascati, made from grapes grown in volcanic soils near Rome and cold filtered, is a pale straw gold. On the nose it offers light-as-a-zephyr lemon and a hint of grass. On the tongue it is ultra crisp and delightfully flinty, its lemon and clementine flavors as smooth as old silk. At the end of a nice clean finish a dab of ripe pear takes a bow.



My Review: A blend of different white grapes the Frascati had a slightly sweet fruity flavor to it. Appley on the tongue and with a slightly bitter peppercorn finish. Overall a good white with a lot of interesting flavors.

Rating: 1

Wine #9

Name: Foxhollow
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $5.95

Winery review: This Chardonnay’s aromas of tropical pineapple, crisp green apple and citrus are supported by underlying nuances of vanilla. The finish is smooth and creamy yet balanced with enough acidity to accentuate the vibrant fruit flavors with a hint of orange blossoms.








My Review: An okay wine, quite wet on the tongue without much heat to it. It has quite a bit of spice playing around as well as some fruity flavors. All of the flavors were subdued however and was rather boring overall.

Rating: .5

Wine #10

Name: B&G Chicken & Turkey
Variety: 50% Grenache
             30% Syrah
             20% Carignan
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $5.95

Winery review: 85 Points – Wine Enthusiast
A blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Carignan. Deep red garnet color with purple highlights. Intense nose of morello cherry, tobacco and liquorice. Good structure on the palate with lots of fruits and a long fruity and spicy finish. A true delight.

My Review: A fruity red wine the Chicken and Turkey was a quirky wine to begin with (look at the name!) and a quirky wine overall. With flavors of cherry throughout it seemed to be a good red until the heat of the alcohol broke through and ravaged my mouth creating an unpleasant feeling that left me wanting.

Rating: -1

Wine #11

Name: Foxhollow
Variety: Cabernet Sauvingnon
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $5.95

Winery review: Rich and supple with juicy plum, blackberry and chocolate flavors and a pleasant sense of sweetness backed up by good acidity and moderate tannins. Offers early complexity and charm with real richness and depth

My Review: A strange wine with very little in the way of smell, the Foxhollow had an earthiness to it that lended itself to some spiced earthy flavors with a blackberry and licorice finish. The aftertaste of this wine was also quite sweet.

Rating: 0

Wine #12

Name: Opera Prima
Variety: Muscat
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: ---
Price: $15 (Sale $6.95)

Winery review: 85 Points – Wine Enthusiast
Flowery and sweet smelling, then round and fairly smooth in the mouth. The bubbles and flavor package of tropical fruits galore is pleasant and shouldn’t offend anyone. Finishes clean and easy. A mango boat of flavor.







My Review: Similar to other Muscatos that I have had this was a very sweet wine, slightly sparkling with an earthy-sweet flavor of blackberries and cinnamon. This had many of the properties of the other Muscatos that I liked including a zing on the tongue and an overall sweet flavor but it was not as well done as I would have hoped. The wine seemed to have traded complexity for a simplicity of sweet.

Rating: 1

Wine at Home 1: Sparkling Muscats

Me and my roommate bought a couple of Moscatto wines to try after the wine tasting at the Vintage Cellar. They are similar in style to Wine #5 (Angove Zibibbo Sparkling Muscat) which we both liked a lot.

As a note I will review each wine separately giving both my impression of the wine and the description from the winemaker themselves. Following that I will rate each wine on a scale [-2, 2]. Where:

-2: Bad wine, undrinkable

-1: Disliked, but drinkable

 0: Okay wine, neither disliked or liked

 1: Good wine, might buy

 2: Great wine, definitely will buy

Wine #6

Name: Castello del Poggio Moscato Provincia di Pavia
Variety: Muscat
Region: Piedmont
Country: Italy
Year: ---
Price: $15 (Sale $10)

Winery review: Straw-yellow 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: Sweet with a subtle cherry flavor, this sparkling wine plays a symphony of light fruity flavors on the pallet. Though this sparkling wine it is not very carbonated and therefore easy to drink.

Rating: 1.5

Wine #7

Name: Rose ‘N’ Blum Bubbly Moscato
Variety: Muscat
Region: Ceres ,California
Country: United States
Year: ---
Price: $18 (Sale $7.95)

Winery review: “Our Bubbly Moscato is everything you love about this varietal, accentuated with bubbles,” says Winemaker John Kane. Lively and fun, the wine flaunts intense aromatics and creamy deliciousness, lifted with bubbly brilliance. Apricot, jasmine and orange zest aromas tantalize the nose before giving way to decadent peach nectar and honeycomb on the palate. “The rich fruit dances with light sparkly bubbles,” remarks Kane. “It is perfect for summer celebrations, brunches, picnics and special moments with friends.”



My Review: At a higher ABV of 11% than other white wines that I have had, the Rose 'N' Blum Moscato is a less sweet slightly dry version of the other sparkling Moscatos that I have had so far. It seems to have a citrusy flavor with a tangyness of grapefruit at the end. Overall a decent wine but overshadowed by other sparkling Muscat varietals.

Rating: 1

Wine Tasting 1: at the Vintage Cellar

Today I tasted five wines from the local wine and beer store, the Vintage Cellar. The wines are meant to be both cheap and well crafted to appeal to the college aged budget. All of the wines are Under $20 normally and under $8 on sale at the Vintage Cellar.

As a note I will review each wine separately giving both my impression of the wine and the description from the winemaker themselves. Following that I will rate each wine on a scale [-2, 2]. Where:

-2: Bad wine, undrinkable

-1: Disliked, but drinkable

 0: Okay wine, neither disliked or liked

 1: Good wine, might buy

 2: Great wine, definitely will buy

Wine #1

Name: Lagosta Vinho Verde
Variety: 
Region: Vinho Verde
Country: Portugal
Year: ---
Price: $12 (Sale $5.95)

Winery review: Fresh and juicy, with fresh-cut apple and gooseberry flavors that feature notes of citrus and light spice on the finish. The name “Lagosta” means “lobster,” and this would be a great seafood accompaniment.








My Review: My main feelings when it came to this wine was that it was fairly sour. It had a sharp taste that to me overpowered any more subtle flavors that it may contain. 

Rating: -1

Wine #2

Name: Rubus Rosado Prieto Picudo 
Variety: 
Region: Tierra de Leon
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $14 (Sale $3.95)

Winery review: Bright clean strawberry rose color.　In the nose it is intense and fresh, with strawberry aromas and slight citric hints. In the mouth it is fresh, strong and tasty, emphasizing a delightful tingle due to its carbonic residuals. The name Prieto Picudo means "tight & pointy" (more or less). This is due to the tightly formed bunches and the slightly oval/pointy shape of the grapes. The bunch shape is reminiscent of Tempranillo; the berries are thick skinned, and dark blue-black in color. Prieto Picudo is well adapted to the difficult growing conditions in Castilla y León province - not a lot of rain, very cold winters and scorching hot summers. The vines tend to relatively low yields, with lots of color, concentration and good acidity. Also, it's the same grape as Alfrocheiro Preto in Portugal. Alfrocheiro is an important variety in Dão region of Portugal.

My Review: Like the wine before it this red wine also had a bit of sourness to it, not as much as the white before it, but enough that it made a lasting impression on my pallet. However this wine also managed to have a dryer mouth feel to it that I have found common among reds.

Rating: -1

Wine #3

Name: George Duboeuf Beaujlais Nouveau 
Variety: 
Region: Beaujolais
Country: France
Year: 2014
Price: $14 (Sale $3.95)

Winery review: Balanced and lightly creamy, offering pretty flavors of plum sauce and raspberry coulis threaded with hints of ground spice. Elegant, with a floral finish.





 



My Review: This wine was not very good. It had no flavor at all to the point of being no more than watered down grape juice. It had the same mouth feel and a similar taste to water.

Rating: -2

Wine #4

Name: Five Rivers Merlot 
Variety: Merlot
Region: Monterey
Country: California
Year: 2011
Price: $18(Sale $7.95)

Winery review: Ripe cherry and blackberry fruit stars in this easy-drinking wine, with oak providing toasty sweetness. It’s an everyday, cheeseburger-friendly Merlot.








My Review: Overall a good wine, this Merlot peaked my interest. Not because of its slight woody flavor that you first experience but because it had some "other" things going on as well that my current list of descriptors couldn't explain. It seemed to patiently invite me in to try and understand it and its complex flavors.

Rating: 1

Wine #5

Name: Angove Zibibbo Sparkling Muscat
Variety: Muscato
Region: South Australia
Country: Australia
Year: ---
Price: $18 (Sale $4.95)

Winery review: The Zibibbo variety is noted for its delightfully fresh aromas and light fresh palate making it the ideal variety to use in sparkling wine. The variety is part of the Muscat family and is delightfully fresh, this frothy, sweet ‘alfresco’ sparkling wine displays crisp floral aromas with citrus peel and creamy flavors on the palate. Pale straw in color, the wine shouts of celebration and exuberance, and with a modest 8% alcohol, is ideal on a lazy sunny afternoon with friends.




My Review: This is a wine that grew on me, from good when I tried it to hauntingly good later that day when I remembered it. It was a sweet sparkling wine almost as sweet as a soda with more subtle flavors and less bubbles. The flavor was very light and had a zingyness to it a sort of zap that you would experience with a good citrus like an orange or lime. Not really a sophisticated wine but a entry level wine that just tastes good no matter your opinion on alcohol.

Rating: 2

Introduction to Wine: Initial Impressions

Wine is something that I would like to know more about. As a person with Celiac Disease I cannot drink beer or anything that contains barley, rye, or wheat. This means that wine is my casual drink of choice along with hard cider. When I turned 21 I went to the vintage cellar and bought a bottle of "Champagne" because it was the middle of the week and I had tests but also I feel wine, especially sparkling is a classy way to celebrate.

While I have tried many different ciders I have only tried a couple different wines, mostly those my parents have. But overall I think at this point I prefer whites to reds, sparkling to table wine, and Cabernet is one of my favorite reds.

Mostly the wine I buy tends to be cheap and if I buying a red wine I a usually using it to cook in. Some of my favorite dishes are stews with beef and chicken which accept red wine easily and taste amazing.

There are many things that I would love to learn about wine but primarily I need to try many different wines and learn about the different styles, regions, and grapes. Overall I want to get involved in wine culture so that I know what I am doing in a wine store and can pick out a great wine to drink and cook with.