Wine Tasting 7: 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 Moscato 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 #38

Name: Cortenova
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $6.95

Winery review: Brilliant straw color with emerald reflections. Fresh and floral bouquet with a hint of pears, apricots and bananas. Fresh and inviting with bright fruit and an easy drinking style with a pleasing hint of almonds in the aftertaste.






My Review:
A Fruity wine ob the nose, this wine has a lot of similarities to a Moscato. Such as subtle fruit flavors such as pear and orange, mixed with some soured cherries. This wine was not very impressive overall leaving much to be desired.

This wine would be easy to drink though due to its non offensive nature and its heavy, water-like body. The heat from the alcohol is also well hidden.


Rating: 0


Wine #39

Name: Mars and Venus
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Central Valley
Country: Chile
Year: N/A
Price: $5.95

Winery 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: 
This is a very buttery Chardonnay that smells like a bit of fruit gone wrong. When you taste it, it has both qualities of under-ripe fruit and overripe fruit at the same time. Meaning that it has some of the tartness of an early green apple and some of the mushy awfulness of an overripe apple. This gives the wine an off kilter feel to it that makes it seem like it is completely off balanced. It's lack of acid is also what makes it feel too soft and watery.


Rating: -.5

Wine #40

Name: Bodegas Atalaya
Variety: Laya
Region: Almansa
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95

Winery review: 88 Points – Stephen Tanzer
A blend of 70% Garnacha Tintorera, a.k.a. Alicante Bouschet, and 30% Monastrell; fermented in stainless steel, followed by four months in French oak.  Bright purple.  Cassis, blueberry, pungent herbs and mocha on the nose.  Smooth and open-knit on the palate, displaying fresh cherry and dark berry qualities and a hint of black pepper.  Finishes with gripping tannins and good length, leaving a subtle floral note behind.  




My Review: 
Super dark fruit and smells that remind me of Cabernet Sauvingon, which means smells of blackberries and currents. These tastes follow through in the mouth and have some small tannin that needs to have some more acid to crisp the flavor and lighten the body which is watery like the previous Chardonnay. 


Rating: 0

Wine #41

Name: Paul Laureano
Variety: Tinto Classico
Region: Alentejano
Country: Portugal
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95

Winery review: Paulo Laureano’s Classico is a delicious blend of the native Portuguese varietals Trincadeira (40%), Aragonez (40%) and Alfrocheiro (20%). This is a full bodied red that reveals all that the terroir of Portugal has to offer. Light cigar tobacco and soft leather present beautifully on the nose. Dark, black fruits fill the mouth, but the wine flows smoothly over the palate, with a good bit of spice on the finish. Pair with spicy, cured meats and hard cheeses.




My Review: 
A much darker, muddy blood red color wine. Has a sort of funky forest floor type of taste to it that creates a funky type of taste. The taste also has components of black dark currents with a spicy after taste that is reminiscent of nutmeg. The total of all these flavors makes the wine have a taste just like eggnog. It has a light body and very good acidity with small tannins that makes the wine feel well crafted and quite pleasurable to drink.

Rating: 1

Wine #42

Name: Villa Pozzi
Variety: Moscato
Region: Sicily
Country: Italy
Year: N/A
Price: $8.95
Winery review: Loaded with juicy exotic fruit, mature apricot, yellow peach and tangerine flavors, this sweet and delightful wine is perfect for Sunday brunch or picnics.







My Review: 
A typical moscato that brings not much else to the table. It is sharp, acidic with a light fizz that makes for a standard moscato. Orange and citrus flavors abound on the taste but does not have an open nose which makes the moscato not memorable. Not interesting or extremely well made but a nice standard moscato.


Rating: .5

Wine Tasting 6: at Total Wine

This week was spring break so I thought it was a good time to go to the local wine store back home. They had two wines being tasted there. One was a red blend and the other a white blend with the specific grape varietals not noted.

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 #36

Name: Monte Clavijo Rioja White
Variety: Other White
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2014
Price: $7.99

Wine review: A simple wine that is crisp and refreshing made from 100% Viura. Un-oaked with a clean nature, this light-bodied Rioja has soft aromas of stone fruit and flowers followed by a pleasing palate and nice finish. Pair with seafood or cheese plates or serve chilled on its own.

My review:  On the nose this wine is a sour floral delight. It presents itself as a sweet wort of orange blossom flower with some acidic components. It is very light in body ans has a sweet front with a slightly bitter aftertaste. If I were to serve this wine with food I would definitely have something well seasoned, not necessarily spicy to pair with he light acidity and crisp taste.

Rating: .5

Wine #37

Name: Grao Vasco Dao Tinto
Variety: Other Red
Region: Dao
Country: Portugal
Year: 2014
Price: $8.99

Wine review: Bringing together the classic taste and profile of red wines from the Dao region, this light and elegant wine is ideal for everyday drinking. The fragrant and elegant aroma combines hints of red fruits and typical earthy notes in a fruit-forward style.
My review:  Super fruity wine! The nose it very fruit forward leaving hardly any room for anything else to make its way in. You can get hints of some mustyness however when you drink the wine along with some medium tannin components and some strange combinations of mushroom and heavy blackberry, boysenberry flavors. 

A good if not a little uninteresting red wine.

Rating: .5

Wine at Home 2: Bay Bridge

This week was spring break so I thought it was a good time to try some "two buck chuck" wines that my roommate loves. The wines are actually $2.99 and all made by Bay Bridge a California winemaker.

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 #33

Name: Bay Bridge White Zinfandel 
Variety: White Zinfandel
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2014
Price: $2.99

Wine review: Pale pink hue. Subdued strawberry nose. A soft entry leads a gentle, light-bodied palate with supple acidity. Modest sweetness is balanced by acidity through the finish. Not overly flavorful, but pretty well balanced. 

My review:  A very plain nose, with some small floral notes. This wine is very closed on the nose even for most non red wines that I have had. Floral components carrying through the nose onto the pallet. A very sweet Hibiscus and soured cherry type flavors when you drink it. Although is is a light sweet wine it has a heavier body than you would expect or frankly want.

This is the type of wine that will offend no one but will find it hard to please anyone next to other wines.

Rating: -.5

Wine #34

Name: Bay Bridge Moscato
Variety: Muscat
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2014
Price: $2.99

Wine review: The nose was pear and some apple, not much else. Maybe a little mineral. The flavor was pears and some grassy notes. A hint of butter and some mineral. very green. Not much finish. Drinkable, but nothing spectacular about it. probably not something i will purchase again.

My review:  Sweet on the nose from a fruity smell that resembles pears that are just slightly over ripened. This Moscato exhibits other fruit flavors of pear, blueberry, and raspberry on the nose. This follows through on the taste, exhibiting a citrus zing of acid from a lemon. This was refreshingly light and crisp. Like a sweeter pear cider, a definite crowd pleaser.

Rating: .5

Wine #35

Name: Bay Bridge Cabernet Sauvingnon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvingnon
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2014
Price: $2.99

Wine review: Deep ruby color. Red berry, fruit gum, and spiced nut aromas. A brisk entry leads to a fruity medium body of berry jam and pencil flavors. Finishes with a quick powdery tannin fade. An easy going quaffer for picnics.

My review:  While not as bold, complex, or interesting as other red wines. The bay bridge Cab seems to be a good wine for someone who is just starting to get into reds. It has a fruit forward nose with some blackberry and current flavors. Drinking it you start to see the same flavors but also with some plum added in to round it out. Its mid pallet to finish is where you can find some small tannins accompanying some bitterness. 

Overall, it is sweeter than expected and while its not excellently crafted it is at least a solid attempt.

Rating: .5

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