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

Tasting - Busy Bee Moscato

Busy Bee Moscato

Name: Rinaldi Asti Spumanti Busy Bee Moscato

Variety: Moscato (Muscat Blanc)

Region: Piedmont

Country: Italy

Year: NV

Price: $8

Online Notes: "Straw yellow color, fruity with hints of apple, peach and mint." [Petite Cellars]

Wine Folly Notes: I got strong notes of honeysuckle and maybe pear, but not really anything else. I also noted the extremely light body and low tannins. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: My first impression of this wine was the unusual yellow/golden color - it caught me off guard at first since most white wines I've tried were a much paler yellow. It had an apple aroma with other hints I couldn't quite place. The taste absolutely blew me away - a burst of honey, caramel, melon, and apple. Overall, it was a very sweet wine but tasted fantastic. I will certainly be buying this again.

I did not try this wine with food.

Our tasting group

Wine and Cheese Pairing #2

This week, my group tried some new wine and cheese pairings. We didn't look for specific pairings like last time, instead just getting a plate of cheeses and three wines we wanted to try. The cheese plate can be seen below. We tried the wines with muenster, sharp cheddar, and gruyere - we did not try them with the pepper jack since we thought it probably wouldn't go well with anything.

Our selections of wine and cheese

Mille Prosecco

This cute bottle of prosecco presented a light apple and citrus aroma and was incredibly light-bodied, but I did not note much taste due to the bubbles.

Muenster: I noted a higher acidity or bite in the wine with the muenster - I did not like this pairing.

Sharp Cheddar: It did not affect the wine very much, they went well together but nothing special.

Gruyere: In my notes, I simply wrote, "It did something, and I liked it." I couldn't place what exactly changed, but it was a little sweeter and lighter.

Josh Chardonnay

This Chardonnay presented a sweet aroma of apple and pear. When trying it by itself, I was disappointed to find that it was much drier and acidic than the aroma let on. It did leave a creamy aftertaste, which I liked.

Muenster: I found that the aftertaste was more creamy - I liked this pairing.

Sharp Cheddar: The wine became much more acidic and the cheese more bitter - not a good pairing, but not the worst.

Gruyere: Not good at all. Not worth trying.

Taylor Port

My group and I were excited to try Port after hearing so much about it throughout the lectures, but we were extremely disappointed with this bottle. It had a rich and sweet cherry aroma, but tasted like cherry NyQuil - not good.

Muenster: It brought out the sugar in the wine, but not in a good way.

Sharp Cheddar: The cheddar became sharper, but the wine was just as bad.

Gruyere: I disliked this pairing the most - it just did not taste good at all, so I swallowed it as quickly as possible because I try not to waste.

Our tasting group!

Drink This Now Blog #2

This week, my group and I completed Drink this Now lesson 5 which had us try a dry and sweet Riesling and compare them against each other and themselves at different temperatures. We chose Dr. L Sweet Riesling (2021) for our sweet drink and Hewitson Gun Metal (2020) for our dry Riesling.

Hewitson Gun Metal dry Riesling (2020)

Dr. L Sweet Riesling (2021)

The first step of the lesson was to pour out a large glass of each bottle and let them sit on the counter to raise the temperature to room temperature. We put both bottles back in the fridge while the glasses sat out to warm.

For the next step, we tried both chilled wines and recorded our impressions. The dry Riesling had an aroma of kerosene and chlorine, with slight floral notes. Its flavors included melon and pear and had a light acidity. The sweet Riesling had a nice, floral aroma and tasted well-balanced with a light tartness and apple flavor.

The last step was to compare the chilled wines to themselves at room temperature, so we brought out the glasses we had been letting warm. The dry Riesling at room temperature seemed more acidic and even drier than it had been chilled. The sweet Riesling at room temperature was more acidic, with a hint of grapefruit.

This lesson showed how the same grape can produce wildly different wines depending on what the viniculturalist wants out of it. It also showed how temperature can change the wine's taste, which affects how we serve wines.

Dinner - Pizza

It's time for our second wine dinner! This week, we made some bold and unusual pairings: mac and cheese with Moscato, pizza with a red blend, and chocolate ice cream with Pinot Noir. 

Mac and Cheese with
Poquito Moscato

We paired our appetizer/side dish with a cute bottle of Poquito Moscato. It had a very slight apple and pear aroma, and I definitely tasted the pear when trying it by itself. The wine was very light and sweet with just the right amount of bubbles. The mac and cheese made the wine slightly sweeter and enhanced its pear flavors, as well as bringing out more fruity flavors I couldn't quite place.

Pizza with Sirpasso Toscano

We paired our main course, pepperoni pizza, with a bottle of Sirpasso Toscano. It had a strong oak aroma with slight cherry and plum notes. By itself, the oak and cherry shone through with a surprisingly light body and slight sweetness. When taken with the pizza, the wine became much more acidic which made for a kind of "bite" that I did not enjoy.

Chocolate Ice Cream with Psyche Pinot Noir

We finished our meal with a surprising pairing of Pinot Noir and chocolate ice cream. This bottle of Pinot Noir had an extremely strong oak and cherry aroma. By itself, it had those same flavors with a hint of pepper or some other spice. I really enjoyed pairing it with the ice cream - it brought out more of the wine's cherry flavor, and since the ice cream melts, it became like a chocolatey wine in my mouth.

Our wine dinner group!

Tasting - Odd Lot Red Blend

Odd Lot label

Name: Odd Lot Red Blend

Variety: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Syrah

Region: Monterey, California

Country: USA

Year: 2020

Price: $15

Winemaker Notes: "The 2020 vintage is packed with aromas of elderberry, plum and black cherry with notes of vanilla and mocha. The medium-bodied palate unfolds with soft tannins that make it eminently drinkable and a gorgeous black fruit finish that makes it entirely delectable." [Scheid Vineyards]

Wine Folly Notes: I picked up on the blueberry, black cherry, and maybe black currants. I also noted the high tannins and full body which certainly contributed to the dryness. [WineFolly.com: Cab Sauv and Syrah]

My Notes: Before trying this wine, I got to use my new wine kit

gifted by my girlfriend, including a foil cutter, automatic corkscrew, and aerating pourer, seen in the video. The wine smelled sweet, with a berry scent. My nose betrayed me, though, because the wine was very dry with high acidity and only a slight sweetness. The berry aroma did come to fruition with a cherry and blackberry taste.

I tried this wine with a delicious steak dinner prepared by my friend, as seen below. When taken together, the steak brought out a smoky taste from the wine. This was my first time trying the famed steak and red wine pairing, and I will certainly be trying it again!

We forgot to take a picture with the bottle, but here is
our dinner spread!

Tasting - Cantine Castelvecchio Piemonte Rosso

Piemonte Label

Name: Cantine Castelvecchio Piemonte Rosso

Variety: Blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dalcetto

Region: Piedmont

Country: Italy

Year: NV

Price: $9

Online Tasting Notes: "Ruby red in color, in time develops garnet tones. It has an intense and mature aroma, full body with a fresh taste of red berries. It has a pleasant “fresh” wine nose, which becomes ethereal while aging  A wine with fresh fruit taste and great character that ages well." [TheWineCabinet.com]

Wine Folly Notes: Wine Folly doesn't have this blend specifically, but it does have notes on Nebbiolo, which is the prominent variety in this blend. I got the raspberry aroma and high astringency, although not as high as the article describes. The blend may have weakened the astringency. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: On the nose, I noted raspberry and an earthy smell. My friends also noted something like acetone, which I got but wasn't sure if it was something a little more...sophisticated. I tasted oak and vanilla, so I'd guess this blend was aged in an oak barrel. My group tried this wine with Monterey Jack and Colby cubes. The Monterey Jack pairing didn't do much for me, but the Colby's sharpness brought down the tannins and matches well with the oaky/vanilla taste of the wine.

Our tasting group