Other Fruit Wines: Ciders!

Unfortunately the wine tasting at the vintage cellar did not happen this week due to inclement weather. Instead of wines then this week we will be testing different Hard Ciders from the sweet, normal to flavored and awful.

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

-2: Bad Cider, undrinkable

-1: Disliked, but drinkable

 0: Okay Cider, neither disliked or liked

 1: Good Cider, might buy

 2: Great Cider, definitely will buy

Wine #28

Name: Schilling Ginger Cider
Variety: "Cider Apples"
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2014
Price: $2

Winery review: Ginger Burst, Spicy surge, complex balance, invigorating sips, crisp finish, schilling ginger.








My Review:
With a strong smell of Ginger this cider has little bite or flavors from the actual cider themselves. This cider is strong smelling with under currents of granny smith apple. This cider overall is ruined by the ginger that it promotes, overpowering and disgusting in a bad butter kind of taste.

While the idea of ginger in cider sounds great and I know can be done well, this drink was just done wrong and should be avoided.


Rating: -1


Wine #29

Name: Strongbow Honey & Apple
Variety: "Cider Apples"
Country: England
Year: 2014,15
Price: $2

Winery review: A seamless blend of fresh apple taste and silky honey.








My Review: 
Sweet fruity apple, smooth and slightly carbonated. This cider is almost exactly like apple juice, easy to drink with slight flavors of blueberry and raspberry finish. Fizzy and fun!


Rating: .5

Wine #30

Name: Anthem Hops
Variety: Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith
Region: Western
Country: USA
Year: 2014
Price: $2

Winery review: Anthem's tribute to the Northwest's love of hops, a gluten free cider dry hopped with Oregon grown Cascade hops for over three weeks. The result is a light largish cider with all the beautiful citrus and floral aromas of Cascade hops with only slight bitterness on the finish. Shy of dry. Mild tart.  








My Review: 
Citrusy, with a pine forest in the mouth this cider had a slightly dry demeanor that struck hard with a hoppyness that was very pleasant. Almost like a camp in your mouth enjoying the outdoors and campfires. A slight bitterness on the tongue, little bit of lemon with that malic acid citrus zing.


Rating: 1

Wine #31

Name: McKenzies Black Cherry Cider
Variety: "Cider Apples"
Country: USA
Year: 2014
Price: $2

Winery review: The Juice Reserved for the darkest of hearts, McKenzie's Black Cherry is an inspiration to hard cider – rich amber, full body with a refreshingly sweet cherry finish.











My Review: 
IN YOUR FACE black cherry. Smells like old a trader joe's shampoo that I had a long time ago which makes the cider taste like soap to me. For everyone else it is like a Twizzlers and black cherry candy had a baby. Tastes like an apple at the front but then is overpowered by disgustingly sweet flavors in the mid to after pallet.

Rating: -.5

Wine #32

Name: Magners Pear Cider
Variety: Pear
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $2

Winery review: 
Not Available.









My Review: 
With a closed nose this pear cider does not give anything away. It does have a slight pear flavor on the nose. The taste is sweet at the front with a very fruit forward that is more tart at the end than you would think for such a sweet pear wine. Strong on the pear and lightly refreshing.

Rating: .5

Wine Tasting 5: at the Vintage Cellar

Another week of wines at the Vintage Cellar, same rules as always. 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 with unusual tastes and finished with a Riesling a sweet desert wine type at the end.

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 #23

Name: Mars & Venus
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $10 (Sale $5.95)

Winery review: Citrus and gooseberry aromas are mild but typical of the variety. A basic citrus palate delivers modest tange-rine and nectarine flavors which lead to a mild, pithy finish showing light citric notes.







My Review:
 Different from all other whites that I have tried so far, this Sauvignon Blanc incorporates some more musty earthy flavors that I find more commonly in red wines with some of the fruitier aspects of whites. The main fruity flavor is blueberries, slightly tart and under ripe combined with a distinct must. This lends the wine to have a sort of bitter sweet flavor where you can tell that the wine is sweet, but you don’t enjoy it for that.

These qualities creates an experience that is memorable if not enjoyable.


Rating: 1.5


Wine #24

Name: Takutai
Variety: Pinot Gris
Region: Nelson
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2009
Price: $21 (Sale $6.95)

Winery review: Since this wine weighs in at 14%, the fruit was clearly very ripe. That ripeness is reflected in the flavors as well, which feature nectarine and honey accented by hints of white pepper. It’s full bodied and lush, with a long finish that mingles the sensations of sweet and spicy.







My Review: 
A wine with a closed nose, it does not let you in with just a sniff. The most you can say for the nose is that it has smells that remind me of a damp fall day where the leaves on the ground have just been rained on. When you taste the wine the fall theme continues with some spices such a cinnamon and pumpkin pie spices.

While these flavors and aromas would normally constitute a wine I enjoy, they were not as well composed as I would like and had too much heat on the finish.


Rating: .5

Wine #25

Name: Yellowtail Reserve
Variety: Merlot
Region: South Eastern
Country: Australia
Year: 2010
Price: $12 (Sale $6.95)

Winery review: Round, velvety and mouthfilling, this is a satisfying Merlot at a bargain price. Aromas of black cherries and herbs fold in hints of cinnamon and mocha, while the flavors are generally fruity, but with a slightly tomatoey note. Soft on the finish. Drink now.  









My Review: 
The companion wine to the first white of the day this merlot exhibits many qualities that I normally associate with white wines along with normal red wine characteristics. The oakyness of the wine is contrasted with its fruity flavors on the nose making it a confusing wine especially when you take the first drink and find out that under nose is a wine that has strong tastes of mushroom and forest floor. Overall a confused wine that is not sure what its purpose in life is.


Rating: 0

Wine #26

Name: Crane Lake
Variety: Petite Sirah
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: (Sale $5.95)

Winery review: Shows a certain rustic simplicity now, with youthfully jammy flavors of blackberries, cherries and currants, sprinkled with cocoa and pepper and wrapped into dusty tannins.









My Review: 
A DEEP purple-red wine with strong fruity flavors on the nose that could almost be called jammy, this petite Syrah is very light in body but strong in flavor. Musty fruit flavors such a licorice, acai, blackberries dominate giving the wine a tropical forest kind of feel. The wine finishes with a mild alcohol heat which can be jarring but not unpleasant.

Rating: .5

Wine #27

Name: Crane Lake
Variety: Riesling
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $5.95

Winery review: Punchy lime and lemon mark this off-dry Riesling with a staccato rhythm, adding edge to honeyed tones of peach and honeysuckle. Exceptionally priced, it’s satisfying and elegant.







My Review: 
A sweet German made Riesling, one of my current favorite varietal wines. This wine continues the list with strange characteristics and tastes. It has both a strong nose and body which remind me predominately of the smell of day old jack lantern. This sort of pumpkin and squash flavor combines with some rotting fruit flavors to create a super interesting sweet wine. Possibly one of my favorite German Rieslings due to its unique sweet, rotting pumpkin characteristics.

Rating: 1.5