Tasting: Salem Fork Sweet Blush

 Salem Fork Sweet Blush

-Grapes: Merlot, 100%

-Country: United States

-Region: Shelton Vineyards, North Carolina

-Vintage: 2019

-Price: $14

-Critic Review: "Abundant grapefruit aroma surround the sweet strawberry and raspberry flavors… like a slightly tart, hard candy. This refreshing picnic and summer “sipping” wine will temper fried foods, salty snacks and will pair wonderfully with simple cheese and crackers."

-Wine Folly Tasting Notes: "The Primary Aromas are in the Citrus and Flower categories (pg.30). Rose (blush) wines are best paired with cured meat, white meat, and salty cheese (pg.60-61). Common Merlot tasting notes are black cherry, sweet cherry, blueberry, and chocolate (pg.132)."

-My Review: The color is similar to a medium to deep copper in Wine Folly. The primary aromas I detected were grapefruit, citrus, and table grapes. The primary taste was a slight grapefruit. There were also notes of a light buttery taste. The wine was light bodied, low in tannins, a short finish, and slightly tart. What stood out (or what didn't) is that the wine was not complex and overall uninteresting. I've had cheaper wines than this that have been far more interesting on the palette. What descriptors we could come up with were difficult to find.       

Critical Reviews:

https://sheltonvineyards.com/salem-fork-blush

Tasting: La Vieille Ferme Rose

La Vieille Ferme Rose

-Grapes: Blend, unknown

-Country: France

-Region: Southern Rhone

-Vintage: 2019

-Price: $11

-Critic Review: "Silky and juicy, with clean flavors of strawberry and soft spice. Made by the Perrin family, it’s a nicely crafted wine at a ridiculous price."

-Wine Folly Tasting Notes: "The Primary Aromas are in the Citrus and Flower categories (pg.30). Rose wines are best paired with cured meat, white meat, and salty cheese (pg.60-61). The other side of the Rhone is when its made as Rose. This is the specialty of Provence and Southern France. The blend often includes some Rolle to add bright acidity and crunchy bitterness to help liven up the blend. Notes of strawberry, honeydew melon, pink peppercorn, celery, and orange peel (pg.157)."  

-My Review: The color is similar to a Pale Salmon in Wine Folly. The primary aromas I detected were lemon, flowers, and a slight note of strawberry. The primary taste was a tart lemon zest. There were also notes of red fruit, perhaps strawberry. The combination was almost like a light, tart strawberry. This wine is light bodied, with a medium to long finish. It has a decent balance of sweetness and acidity. The acidic component is slightly greater, creating a slight tart sensation. This Rose is overall easy to drink and refreshing.   

Critical Reviews:

https://www.wine.com/product/la-vieille-ferme-rose-2019/602305?state=CA&s=GoogleBase_CSE_602305_PSNEW21_type_Wine_RosWine_Ros_423&region_id=000030&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Google_Shopping_Smart_Wine&showpromo=true&promo=PSNEW21&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3duCBhCAARIsAJeFyPXu8z7D2sBVBXLWV2G3rrwFb_yL9d5y5BRFrrMnwbuxyOmW6PDsp6oaArAdEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#

Tasting: El Pensador ("The Thinker") Tempranillo. (A Syrah Wine)

 

El Pensador Tempranillo

-Grapes: Tempranillo

-Country: Spain

-Region: Campo De Borja, Aragon

-Vintage: 2019

-Price: $8

-Critic Review: "A bright ruby color with some slight staining of the glass, this Tempranillo offers juicy red plum and ripe cranberry with a pink peppercorn and slight Sichuan spiciness. The finish has a slight, drying tannin that would make it pair well with slow roasted pork. (89/100)"

-Wine Folly Tasting Notes: "The Primary Aromas are in the Black Fruit category (in my opinion) and the critic review would be in the Red Fruit category (pg.30). Syrah is a rich, powerful, and sometimes meaty red wine that originated in the Rhone Valley of France. Darker meats and exotic spices bring out the fruit notes of Syrah. Try it with lamb shawarma, gyros, Asian five-spice pork, and Indian tandoori. Notes of blueberry, plum, milk chocolate, tobacco, and green peppercorn (pg. 172)."  

-My Review: The color is similar to a Deep Purple in Wine Folly. The primary aromas that I get are blackberry and spice (perhaps pepper or peppercorn), and a hint of strawberry. It also smells acidic. Upon tasting the wine, the primary flavor is the spices. There are also notes of blackberry and even blueberry. I did not taste strawberry or cherry. It has medium acidity, a short to medium finish, and is not overly bitter. This is the first non-sweet wine that I would personally say is very "drinkable". I drank this Syrah with chicken and spaghetti with red sauce.   

Critical Reviews:

https://www.ultimate-beverage.com/ultimate-wine-challenge-UWC/2019-wine-results/El-Pensador-Tempranillo-2018-Campo-de-Borja/

Tasting: Oliver Winery Sweet Red Lime

 

Oliver Winery Sweet Red Lime

-Grapes: Concord, Red blend

-Country: United States

-Region: Indiana

-Vintage: 2020

-Price: $12

-Critic Review: "Fresh, pure lime extract adds a fun finish to the bright, classic Concord flavor of Soft Red." "Vacation in a glass! I love Oliver’s soft red and soft white wines but Oliver’s soft red lime is amazing!!!! I love a sweet wine then add lime to it and WOW, I added limes to the regular soft red now I had lime to the soft red lime and it’s like pop rockets exploding in my mouth"

-Wine Folly Tasting Notes: The Primary Aromas are in the Red Fruit and Citrus categories (pg.30). Concord Grapes are "...the most planted grape in New York and used for juices and flavoring". "There might be nothing better than a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of Concord grape wine. Together they make a PB&J". Notes of grape, plum sauce, musk, potting soil, and cumin (pg.102).  

-My Review: The color is similar to a Deep Pink in Wine Folly. Upon smelling the wine I get notes of brown sugar and Welch's grape juice. The wine tastes almost exactly like grape juice with a citrus/lime twist. The lime is not overpowering, more like lime peel or lime zest instead of lime juice. It accents the wine nicely with a sweet citrus flavor. I also get notes of green table grapes. You cannot taste the alcohol, there is almost no burning quality (11%). It is low in tannins, light to medium bodied, and has a short finish. This is not a complex wine, but it is well balanced and very refreshing and drinkable. We drank this wine chilled and also with some ice. We did not pair this wine with food.  

Critical Reviews:

https://drizly.com/wine/red-wine/concord/oliver-soft-red-lime/p88533

Wine model: Eric Reynolds

Wine and Cheese Pairing 1

Wine and Cheese Pairing Part One

Wines

• 14 Hands Hot to Trot Smooth Red Blend, Columbia Valley, 2016
• DaVinci Chianti, Vinci, 2019 
• Coast Road Collection Pinot Grigio, California, 2019

Cheeses

• Mild Cheddar
• Colby Jack
• Gouda

Wine Tasting Notes Without Pairing

• Chianti: Not fruity, high in tannins which leaves a dry feeling in my mouth, maybe slight notes of plum but not getting much of anything. 
• Red Blend: Notes of black cherry, fruitier than the Chianti, lower in tannins so its not as dry.
• Pinot Grigio: Not too sweet or acidic because it has a short finish, notes of lemon or lemongrass 

Wine Tasting Notes With Pairing

• Chianti with
• Gouda: muted the flavors of the cheese (the Gouda was strong/funky by itself) but the wine remained the same.
• Mild Cheddar: blended better, the flavors did not conflict with each other but I also would not say either one was enhanced. I guess the presence of any cheese enhanced it in a way because I was not detecting many flavors from the wine by itself. 
• Colby Jack: the wine actually popped more, something about the cheese made the plum notes more apparent.
• Red Blend with
• Gouda: the funkiness of the Gouda was actually enhanced by the wine.
• Mild Cheddar: the cheese was overpowered by the wine, I did not get the cheese only the black cherry notes of the wine
• Colby Jack: blended well with the Colby Jack, I would say flavors of both either remained or were slightly enhanced. 
• Pinot Grigio with
• Gouda: definitely overpowers the wine, with the short finish of the wine and the strong funkiness of the Gouda the cheese is really the only thing I got. 
• Mild Cheddar: this pairs well because it is a milder cheese, the flavors of both are in harmony
•  Colby Jack: this also pairs well however you may say the Colby Jack is brought out a little more than the wine, but certainly not overpowering.  

Tasting: Chateau Morrisette Red Mountain Laurel

 

Chateau Morrisette Red Mountain Laurel

-Grapes: Blend of native Virginia grapes

-Country: United States

-Region: Floyd County, Virginia

-Vintage: 2020

-Price: $9

-Critic Review: A sweet red that tastes like grape juice. Avery light wine that would be good for those that don't like a strong alcohol content. Apple wine-like. Sweet, cherry, crisp, aromatic finish, best paired with chocolate desserts.

-Wine Folly Tasting Notes: The Primary Aromas are in the Red Fruit category (pg.30). It is a dessert wine, which is best paired with buttery cheeses, blue cheese, and sweet desserts (pg.60). Going off of similar dessert wines, there are major notes of cherry, black plum, and apple. Virginia is on the "frontier" of U.S. wine (pg. 284). As with most American wines, it is very fruit forward and sweet.   

-My Review: The color is similar to Deep Pink in Wine Folly. It smells like table grapes and maybe slightly Apple. Surprisingly do not smell a lot of red fruit. Upon tasting, Cherry and Apple is the primary flavor. It essentially tastes like a cider. It is very sweet and not complex. The flavor does not last long on the tongue. It is very juicy and cidery. It is a very light body wine. It is not bad, however I do not think I would go back to this wine often. I probably need to drink this with something like Chocolate cake. I drank this cold and without food. 

Critical Reviews:

https://www.vivino.com/IT/en/chateau-morrisette-sweet-red-mountain-laurel/w/1403161

https://www.thedogs.com/product/Red-Mountain-Laurel1

 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: