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

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

Tasting - Dr. Loosen Riesling

Riesling label

Name: Dr. Loosen Riesling

Variety: Riesling

Region: Mosel

Country: Germany

Year: 2021

Price: $11

Online Tasting Notes: "Dr. Loosen L. Bros Riesling 2021 is a white wine with delicate fruity aromas on the nose with notes of citrus, apricot, and mineral nuances. The palate is smooth and refreshing." [Decantalo.com]

Wine Folly Notes: I smelled and tasted the apple and citrus and understand the beeswax note since it was quite sweet, but I absolutely did not get any hint of petroleum. I did not pair this wine with any of the suggested meats, but will certainly look to try some in the future as I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: This week, my group tried both this Riesling and a Piemonte blend (coming to the blog next week) while enjoying the film Somm: Into the Bottle. On the nose, I picked up distinct apple and citrus aromas, leaning toward an orange zest as the origin of the citrus. Wine Folly cites lime in a typical Riesling, so I was probably off there. On first taste, I noted the apple and citrus flavors with a hint of raspberry. This bottle is also quite sweet. My friend brought a pack of Monterey jack and colby cheese cubes, so naturally we all tried the wine with both. The colby and Riesling was a decent, neutral pairing, but the Monterey jack held back the wine's sweetness and helped the other flavors to shine.

Our tasting group this week

Tasting - Magistrate Merlot

Merlot label

Name: Magistrate Merlot

Variety: Merlot

Region: Paso Robles, California

Country: USA

Year: 2020

Price: $12

Label Tasting Notes: "Decadent flavors of ripe cherry and rich chocolate are accented by nuances of vanilla and spice. A delicate fruit acidity integrated with the natural sweetness of exceptional grapes yields an iconic Merlot of complexity and elegance."

Wine Folly Notes: I got the cherry, and this bottle is from a warmer region in California, so although it was dry, it was also quite fruity. I did not get any chocolate, vanilla, or plum notes. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: I tried this wine with some friends at the same time as the Tortoise Creek Zinfandel a few weeks ago. I found that it had a light, fruity smell, but a much fuller body with higher tannins than the Zinfandel. I tasted some cherry, but not much else.

I did not pair this with food.

Our tasting group

Wine and Cheese Pairing #1

For our first cheese pairing, we chose a variety of cheeses with different characteristics and paired wines with them as seen online. 

Our selections

Ava Grace Sauvignon
Blanc (2021)

We chose to pair goat cheese with Ava Grace Sauvignon Blanc. By itself, the wine was acidic with a grapefruit taste. It was pleasant by itself, but much better with the goat cheese. The cheese's sweetness augmented the wine; both were extremely good when taken together.

Free Reign Rose

Next, we paired Havarti with Free Reign Rose. I cannot find which varieties were in this particular Rose. By itself, the Rose was well-balanced with some hints of berries, maybe raspberry or strawberry, The Havarti brought out the wine's full, bolder flavor and I did not discern any specific changes to the flavor other than it turned out to be a great pairing.

Cook's California
Champagne

We ended with a classic pairing of sparkling wine and brie. We are broke college students, so we couldn't go for true Champagne but settled for California Champagne. The wine had a pear aroma and tasted of apple and citrus, although my group had a small argument over whether the citrus flavor was from orange or lemon. The creaminess of the brie worked well with the wine, but there was nothing special to report from this pairing. We also tried the wine with the goat cheese and found that its sweetness also added a lot, and I liked this pairing better than the brie.

Our wine and cheese group (taken a few nights later)

Drink this Now Blog #1

For our first Drink This Now lesson experience, my group chose to follow lesson 1. This lesson had us choose a fairly big and bold red wine to see how it changes between opening and sitting for a couple of hours. We also tried the wine with cheese and meat (separately) to see how food can affect the wine, and vice versa.

Arbos Sangiovese
(2019)

Step 1: Drink this now! This step was fairly straightforward: open the wine and drink it, then jot down some notes. One of my tasting groupmates chose the wine and pairings for this lesson, and he chose well! He got an Arbos Sangiovese (2019) from Tuscany, Italy. At about $14/bottle, it turned out to be a solid choice for the lesson (as I will explain over the next few steps). Upon pouring a glass, I did a standard "sniff and swirl" and got notes of raspberry or cherry with oak, suggesting the wine was aged in a barrel. On initial tasting, I noted high tannins and a very bold and oaky flavor.

Step 2: Let it sit, then try it again. More specifically, let it sit for two hours and try it again. We actually did this step last since our group could only schedule about two hours to try this lesson, so my observations may be slightly skewed, but I found that the wine was sweeter with a mild burst of new flavors due to some of the tannins falling away. I could not put a label on any of the flavors, but I really enjoyed the wine after letting it sit.

Sangiovese with Parmesan
and salami

Step 3: Try it with a hard Italian cheese. My groupmate chose to pair the wine with Parmesan, so we sliced up a wedge of it and each took turns trying it with the Sangiovese. I found that the high fat in the cheese offset the acids in the wine, bringing out more of the fruitiness despite not allowing the wine to sit for long.

Step 4: Try it with meat. My groupmate got a pack of various salamis to try with the wine, and I'm not sure which salami I picked up, but I really liked how the slight spice brought out some of the wine's sweetness.

Step 5: Let it sit for several more hours, then try it again. Unfortunately, we did not have time to see this step through to completion. As stated earlier, we only had about two hours to work through the lesson, so we could only do the first four steps.

This lesson certainly highlighted how pairing food and wine can change the feel and taste of both, especially for a bolder red wine. It also demonstrated why bolder red wines should be allowed to sit for a few hours.

Group picture! (Taken a few days later)

Dinner - Caprese Sandwiches

For our first wine dinner, my group decided to have a nice, light meal with three courses: a cucumber and lettuce salad with Italian vinaigrette, Caprese sandwiches, and lemon bars as dessert. This was actually supposed to be a lunch, but we had a scheduling snafu after buying all the ingredients, so we ended up having it for dinner in the end!

Our dinner! Featuring a salad,
Caprese sandwiches, lemon bars,
and three delicious wines!

  

Franciscan Estate
Sauvignon Blanc
(2021)

Starting with the first course, we paired a Franciscan Estate Sauvignon Blanc (2021). It had light apple and lime aromas and tasted well-balanced with a clear lime or citrus on the tongue.

We didn't note anything special when paired with the salad, but we liked how the light wine complemented the vinaigrette. It was a fairly neutral pairing but worked well.

Kim Crawford
Rose (2021)

Next, we paired the Caprese sandwiched with a dry Rose from New Zealand. Online sources pin the Rose blend as containing white Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Chardonnay. By itself, I noted a watermelon aroma with a light and sweet finish including a berry taste and a dry aftertaste. The sandwich's salty pesto and acidic tomato brought out the wine's true flavor and actually made the wine sweeter. The food benefitted from the pairing as well, finding its flavor amidst the wine's dry finish.

Hess Select
Chardonnay
(2019)

Finally, we paired a delightful Chardonnay with lemon bars for dessert. I smelled citrus and some berries and tasted the citrus, oak, and vanilla listed on the wine's label. With the lemon bar, both the dish and the wine brought out each other's acid, causing a bit more sour mouthfeel. However, I kind of liked it and felt it was a neutral pairing.

Our wine dinner group!

Tasting - Roscato Rosé Dolce

Rosé label

Name: Roscato Rosé Dolce

Variety: Blend of Pinot Noir, Croatina, and Taroldego

Region: Northern Italy

Country: Italy

Year: NV

Price: $12

Label Tasting Notes: "This charming wine exalts fresh notes of strawberry and raspberry combined with a touch of sweetness."

Wine Folly Notes: This bottle certainly had the strawberry, as noted on the label, and maybe a little bit of honeydew. I didn't get any of the other flavors, and certainly not the citrus zest as this was more of a dessert wine. This is a blended rosé, as opposed to a bled rosé, and I really liked the variety of notes present. [WineFolly.com]

My Notes: I bought this wine for Valentine's Day to pair with dessert. After a nice dinner, we had some friends over (one friend pictured below with us), and make cookies and brownies to pair with the wine. By itself, I tasted the strawberry and definitely felt the sweetness, but the desserts brought out more of the sweetness and flavor of the wine.

Our tasting group