My Personal Experience With Wine Thus Far

    Taking Geography of Wine this semester is going to be my first real in depth experience with wine in my life. I wanted to take the course because wine, wine types, tasting wine, storing wine, kinds of wine I like and dislike, and wine etiquette are subjects that I know virtually nothing about. Even before Boyer's lecture videos I knew wine was an important topic to have some knowledge about when it comes to business, celebrations, being a somewhat educated person in my 20's, etc. I think it is important to be able to hold your own in these settings when it comes to talking about and drinking wine. Right or wrong, it shows some level of sophistication.

    My personal experiences with wine probably started with drinking on New Year's Eves. So I guess that would be cheap Champagne or some sort of sparkling wine. For my taste, that is not a great place to start. I do not typically like Champagne. I think it is usually too sweet or too much acidity and I do not like the overall flavor in general. Plus it will give you a sizeable headache. It is also very possible that I just have never had good Champagne. This is not to say that I do not like sweet wines, because I very much prefer them. Just not too sweet. I think I like sweet reds and Rose the most. From what I can tell that would not be regarded as "quality" wines but I do not really know. I have had more bitter wines at things like Christmas dinners but I have not really grown a taste for them. I also like Sangria but I'm not sure that counts. I mostly get in the mood for wine when eating Italian food. If I am going to be drinking alcohol, I will almost always choose beer or liquor but I would like to broaden my horizons.

    The main outcome I want from taking this class is to get a deeper understanding of my own taste so I know what I like to order at restaurants and things like that. I also want to learn wine etiquette. The "sniff and swirl", how to hold the glass, wine tasting, reading labels, the correct glassware and temperature, etc. so it looks like I know what I'm doing in social settings.  

A picture of me not broadening my horizons:

   

Tasting: L’Isola dei Profumi Rosso

 

L'Isola dei Profumi Rosso

-Grapes: Blend. "Indigenous" grapes from Sicily

-Country: Italy

-Region: Sicily

-Vintage: 2018

-Price: $10

-Critic Review: Notes of cranberry, pepper, thyme, slate, cherry, and blackberry. Dark cherry forward, dry without being punishing.

-Wine Folly Tasting Notes: The Primary Aromas are in the Vegetable/Herbal, Spice, and Earth categories (pg.31). Red wines are best paired with strong marinades, red meat, and white meat. (pg.61). This has an IGP/IGT classification, which is the majority of Italian wine classifications (pg. 253). Going off of wines that are similar to this Sicilian Rosso, there are major notes of white pepper, black cherry, plum, smoke, and herbs. Southern Italy/ the islands have a warm climate that is conducive for red grapes and produces wines with bold, fruit forward flavors with high alcohol (pg. 260).  

-My Review: I can actually see the legs with this wine. I would say this is a "Medium Purple" color. There is some spice to the smell, very peppery. Maybe some earth notes as well. You can definitely taste the Mediterranean spices in this wine. I do not know the tasting profile of many different kinds of spices but I would describe it as savory and little peppery but not overpowering. Also kind of earthy. It is bitter but not too bad. I actually drank this wine cold which I know is a mistake and I will not be doing that anymore with these kinds of reds. It is not very acidic. It is medium to full bodied. I did not find it as fruity as some of the reviews online. I do get some blackberry too, maybe even olives. I drank this without food. I think this particular wine would have greatly benefitted from being paired with red meat or red pasta sauce.

Critical Reviews:

https://www.vivino.com/IT/en/alcesti-l-isola-dei-profumi-rosso/w/6825576

Tasting: Toschi Vineyards Pink Moscato

 

Tosche Vineyards Pink Moscato

-Grapes: Muscat Canelli

-Country: United States

-Region: Madera, California. Inland Valleys (Wine Folly)

-Vintage: 2018

-Price: $10

-Critic Review: Delightfully sweet with an elegant scent of honeyed apricots and white peaches. The wine is well balanced with a lingering finish of sweet and creamy fuzzy peach and honeydew melon flavors. Our Pink Moscato is 11.8% alc.

-Wine Folly Tasting Notes: The Primary Aromas are in the Tree Fruit/Melon category (pg.30). Rose wines are best paired with cured meat and white meat (pg.61). Going off of wines that are similar to Pink Moscato, there are major notes of apricot, honey, honeydew, and lemon. The Inland Valleys of California are characterized by a very wide variety of wines but not necessarily quality.  

-My Review: The color is similar to Pale Salmon in Wine Folly. I definitely smell the peach and maybe a little pear. It smells sweet. Upon tasting it, I do not get the peach as much, but more so the pear and maybe some apricot. It is not as sweet as you might expect, with not a very long aftertaste which is nice because really sweet wines almost have a sweet “bite” at the end which this does not have. On the Wine Folly scale from "Bone Dry" to "Very Sweet" I would put it at "Sweet". As a result this is a very refreshing and drinkable wine. It is also is not very acidic. I drank this without food.

Critical Reviews:

https://www.vivino.com/IT/en/toschi-pink-moscato/w/2281800

https://www.woodberrywine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/toschi-pink-moscato-1.pdf