Tasting - Just Bee Chardonnay

Name: Just Bee Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2020

Price: $10

Vintage Cellar Notes: "...ferment [the grapes] in a unique blend of oak barrels to create rich honey and floral flavors."

Wine Folly Notes: I got the butter and vanilla notes, but not any of the other flavors. This wine was much more on the sweet side, certainly not dry. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: My girlfriend and I liked the wine tasting at Vintage Cellar so much the last time that we went to try more wines. I'm starting with the second wine in the flight since it was probably the most unique - beyond the special fermentation process mentioned above, Just Bee supports bee conservation efforts and uses completely sustainable packaging. On the nose, I got strong hints of oak or vanilla with honey. The taste did not disappoint with strong honey and floral flavors and an oaky aftertaste. I really enjoyed this wine and will probably seek it out in the future.

I did not try this wine with food.

My girlfriend and I at the Vintage Cellar wine tasting (feat. Randall)

Tasting - Ricco Blueberry

Ricco Blueberry

Name: Ricco Blueberry

Variety: Moscato

Region: Piedmont

Country: Italy

Year: NV

Price: $10

Vintage Cellar Notes: "It is full of flavor, yet soft and deliciously sweet. This sweet Italian red wine pairs well with fresh fruit and fruit tarts, chicken, charcuterie, and seafood."

Wine Folly Notes: This wine is obviously made from a dessert variety of muscat. I certainly got the strong residual sugar that would most likely come from drying the grapes to concentrate the sugar. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: This was the last wine in our tasting at Vintage Cellar on March 30, and my notes were quite simple: "blueberry." This wine smelled like blueberry, tasted like blueberry, and almost looked like blueberry juice. I also got some hints of pie (...blueberry pie) in the aroma. Overall, it was a very sweet wine that I'd definitely recommend by itself or with an equally sweet dessert.

I did not try this wine with food.

My tasting group feat. Randall

Tasting - Pioneiro Vinho Tinto

Pioneiro 2020

Name: Pioneiro Vinho Regional Peninsula de Setubal Tinto

Variety: Castelao

Region: Setubal Peninsula

Country: Portugal

Year: 2020

Price: $10

Vintage Cellar Notes: "It serves up a wild array of dark berry, cherry, baked plum, and blackberry fruit jumping out of the glass and flowing over your palate here. The sweet spice, earth, and prickly acidity reminds you a bit of a good Duery Valley red."

Wine Folly Notes: I recognized darker berries in the aroma, which may have been the red currants mentioned in Wine Folly, as well as plum. When tasting, I noted light spices and an earthy note, which probably both came from the dried meat and mocha primary flavors. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: Continuing with our tastings at Vintage Cellar, we started to get into slightly bolder reds with this delightful Pioneiro Vinho Tinto. I caught strong whiffs of darker berries, blackberry, and plum. When tasting, I noted light spices, earthy flavors, cherry, and medium-high acidity.

I did not try this wine with food.

Our tasting group, featuring Randall from Vintage Cellar

Tasting - Padrillos Pinot Noir

Padrillos Pinot Noir 2018

Name: Padrillos Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2018

Price: $10

Vintage Cellar Notes: "Bouquet of raspberries, cherries, strawberries, plum, violets, and coconut. The palate follows suit and is medium bodied with great balance and a decent finish, a hint of oak."

Wine Folly Notes: I got strong hints of raspberry and cherry on the nose, but only raspberry when tasting. I definitely agree with the medium body and low tannins. We also had it slightly chilled, as recommended. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: For our third wine at the Vintage Cellar tasting, we started venturing into red wines. We started with a classic, medium-bodied red: Pinot Noir. I immediately caught the familiar aromas of raspberry and cherry with a bit of oak or vanilla. Upon tasting, I was able to pick out the raspberry and slight oaky flavors with some plum, but not the cherry. I also noted medium body and low tannins, which is typical for a lighter red such as Pinot Noir.

I did not try this wine with food.

Our tasting group (feat. Randall from Vintage Cellar)

Tasting - Flor de Anon Rosado

Flor de Anon Rosado

Name: Flor de Anon Rosado

Variety: Grenache

Region: Campo de Borja, Aragon

Country: Spain

Year: 2021

Price: $8

Online Notes: "A strawberry-pink rosé wine with light bluish tones. A complex nose in which fresh red fruits such as strawberry and cherry are prevalent, with an elegant aroma of violets and roses. Full-bodied, flavoursome, fresh and very wellbalanced in the mouth. Full of nuances in mid-palate, with a lengthy aftertaste in which the fruit and delicate floral aromas return." [Bodegas Ainzon]

Wine Folly Notes: This wine was more of a medium-light body as opposed to a medium-full, probably because it is a Grenache rose instead of full red. I got strong hints of strawberry in the aroma, but not so much in the taste, and didn't note any of the other primary flavors listed. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: The aroma had strong hints of strawberry and oak, which came through with a creamy and rich aftertaste. I got hints of cherry, but strangely no strawberry despite the strong aroma. Overall, this was a refreshing, semisweet wine with a medium-light body.

I did not try this wine with food.

My wine-tasting group with special guest, Sommelier Randall!

Tasting - Gatao Vinho Verde

This week, my wine-tasting group went to the Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA for a free wine tasting! We had the opportunity to try five wines, so I will detail my experience with each over the next few weeks!

Gatao Vinho Verde

Name: Gatao Vinho Verde

Variety: Blend of Avesso, Loureiro, Trajadura, Pederna, Azal

Region: Minho/Vinho Verde

Country: Portugal

Year: NV

Price: $9

Online Notes: "Clear, light yellow. Slightly fizzy. Young and fruity. Delicate and smooth, fresh and fruity. It is medium-dry wine to be drunk young." [PortugalVineyards.com]

Wine Folly Notes: We had a white-style Vinho Verde that certainly had the touch of spritz mentioned. I got the lightness and apple, but none of the other primary flavors. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: This wine had a delicate aroma accented by hints of melon and pear. The pear indeed came through in the taste, along with notes of apple and honey. Overall, this is a light, sweet wine that can be enjoyed by itself or with a light meal. From the 5-wine tasting, this was one of the two wines that my girlfriend bought for both of us to share later.

I did not try this wine with food.

My group at our wine tasting, with a
special appearance by Sommelier Randall!

Tasting - Bitch Grenache

Bitch Grenache

Name: Bitch Grenache

Variety: Grenache

Region: Aragon

Country: Spain

Year: 2020

Price: $14

Online Notes: "Dark cherry and raspberry aromas are underpinned with spicy, peppery notes with hints of anise. Displays extraordinary natural acid balance, even at elevated ripeness levels. Conveys vibrant, juicy fruit with a very soft, sweet-fruited palate structure." [TotalWine.com]

Wine Folly Notes: I got notes of plum and leather, but none of
the other primary flavors mentioned. I also noted the medium body and slight sweetness. Wine Folly recommends serving at 60-68 F, so I tried slightly chilling it before trying it but left it in the fridge too long so it was cooler than it probably should have been. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: I was excited to try this wine since online reviews were positive and mentioned slight sweetness and medium body. However, I was disappointed with the level of sweetness when trying it as it did not meet my expectations, which might've been because I tried the extremely sweet Busy Bee Moscato before this one. I noted cherry and blackberry aromas, but couldn't place specific tastes beyond the medium body and primary flavors mentioned on Wine Folly.

Bitch Grenache back label

Our tasting group