Cwat Im Drinking

The dinner was comprised of three dishes all made at home and shared with my roommates. Though they are not in the class it they certainly helped me make the most of the evening, no one wants to drink alone. To start was a broccoli and cheddar soup with noodles, followed by venison steaks and vegetables, and to finish a personal favorite snack an ice cream sandwich. The wines for the evening were a Robert Mondavi Riesling, Red Diamond Merlot, and a Cigar Box Malbec. It was a blast to talk wine with them and to get their opinions on the tastes and aromas. The first wine to introduce is a Mondavi Riesling a 2014 wine from California. This was my second time trying a Robert Mondavi wine and I was impressed again. The Reisling was not overly sweet, creating a small amount of mouthwatering character. With hints of apple and pear flavors it was a fragrant wine with a bouquet of citrus. We chilled the wine as best we could before hand to allow for optimum taste and drinkability. T...

1000 Stories Zinfandel: Name: 1000 Stories This 2015 California Zinfandel was $15.99 and though it was a little outside my usual price range it was worth it. “Drinkable. A little sweet and high in alcohol. The Bourbon is a major component of the taste. I wonder what it would be like without Bourbon cask?”   This is one of the better wines I’ve had in awhile and the best Zinfandel I've ever tried! It has heavy tannins, a full body, but is not too dry. It has a strong oak a bourbon flavor, but is only slightly bitter.

Pensador Garnacha This 2016 Garnacha from Spain was $9.00 a bottle and was not a wine I will be planning on purchasing again. A reviewer wrote, “Lovely garnet color. Balanced nose thats semi fruit-forward with red fruit and hints of high acidity. Silky to velvetty tannins on palate.” In my opinion, The Pensador smells buttery but tastes spicy. It was a moderately dark red, but isn't tannic at all. It overwhelmingly tasted like black pepper. The bottle was certainly oxidized, so my review favors the negative.

Carnivor Cabernet Sauvignon This 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon was bold in flavor and style. Offering dark berry and fruit flavors as well as some oak. It was smooth to drink for as heavy and thick the wine seemed to be. A wine critic wrote, “It smells like wild blackberries and boysenberries and tastes almost that fruity, while blending in meaty, chocolaty, black peppery flavors that seem to coat the tongue. It is concentrated, bold and stands out from the pack”. This wine furthered my belief that cabernet sauvignon is one of my favorite varietals.

Castle Rock Pinot Noir This 2016 Pinot Noir from California was around $9.00 a bottle. A juicy and fruity wine that was soft on tannins, with light mouth feel on the finish. In the aromas and flavor I was able to pick out berry and cherry flavors. A wine reviewer wrote, “Medium body and an attractive earthy, oaky flavor profile make this wine a little different from the norm and a great value. It has complexity in the red cherry, rhubarb and sweet-spice flavors, and a supple texture with a touch of tannin”.

Bartenura Moscato This Italian wine runs around $10. With prominent notes of lime on the nose as well as some flowers. The flavors were of tropical fruits and possibly some melons. This wine is quite prominent on review boards and I can tell why. It was an easy to drink sweetwine. Reviewers had this to say, “This is one of the BEST Moscato around...if you are looking for a nice sweet wine then pick up a bottle of Bartenura and you will love it".

Bay Bridge Vineyard Pinot Grigio This California wine was an affordable option from Kroger and I drank a glass while I used it for cooking. The wine was light and crisp and tasted faintly of peaches and pears. It received a rating of 3 stars on most wine forums, and I agree with the communities sentiment. It is a great affordable option but definitely not one I will drink regularly. Reviewers wrote either about its great affordability or their disappointment in its taste.

Dark Horse Rose This Rose from Modesta, California was definitely fruit forward. Beth Liston the Dark Horse winemaker made this rose to be a Provence-style to be dry, bright, and crisp. This Rose is made from Grenache, Barbera, Pinot Grigio, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel grapes had was dryer than I expected for a rose. The fruit flavors were forward in addition to the dryness and I was able to pick up on red fruits. A reviewer wrote, “I kind of stumbled on Dark Horse a few months back. Good rose is hard to find especially at a reasonable price. So, when my usual brand was out I tried a bottle of Dark Horse rose. It is great, crisp and dry enough to make you sip again”. I stumbled on the wine the same way this reviewer did, where I wasn’t expecting to get it but its value made it stand out.

Gabbiano Chianti Classico 2015 This was an awesome red and it further solidified sangiovese as my favorite grape. A full bodied red with dark red fruit and berry flavors as well as big tannins. This Tuscan wine paired incredible well with the chicken and pasta I made and had a perfect amount of dryness to compliment the sweetness of the red sauce. I did notice the wine was a little hot and forward with the alcohol amount, perhaps if I had let it breath or age it would have seemed more balanced. A reviewer broke the wine down well saying, ” Ruby red, dark berry aroma, typically sangiovese, dry, medium bodied, fruity flavours, medium tannin, , medium acidity and nice finish.” The wine had an average of 3 stars, however I feel like it deserves a bit more than that.

19 Crimes Red wine This 2016 Blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache from Australia was very berry forward having a jammy taste. I was able to pick out the aromatics of the wine a little more than usual with this wine, namely vanilla and cedar stood out to me. This wine has definitely been making a splash receiving between 4.5 and 4.8 stars on review sites. I agree with these reviews though I usually prefer dryer wines. Reviewers captured the experience of this wine well saying, “This is probably my favorite red wine that I have ever tried and it’s extremely affordable! It’s the perfect mix of a strong flavor with a smooth finish! I have tried almost this whole entire brand of wine.” After this wine I will definitely continue trying their wines.

Maschio Prosecco Brut This was my first experience with sparkling wines and though I did not particularly enjoy the taste I did enjoy the buzz that came with it. This 2014 from Italy is 100% Glera grapes giving it a light straw yellow color. The bouquet was strong with this wine producing orange and peach notes. The wine was fruit forward, and peach notes were easily discerned with sips. A reviewer wrote, “Excellent flavor. Clean, nice balance between sugar, acid and flavor. Crisp, not at all cloying”. As this was a wine my parents bought it is a prosecco they buy often and I can see why.

Alamos Malbec from Mendoza Argentina This 2016 Vintage was dark purple in color and bright berry flavors and aromas. While drinking this wine I tried to focus on the lighter flavors and picked up on vanilla. It was medium in body with a spicy finish. People on wine blogs seem to enjoy this wine as its overall score is around a 4. One reviewer had this to say about the Malbec, “ Intense and dense red color. In nose a great portfolio of red and dark fruit aromes, subtile leather, dark chocolate and tobacco. Medium body, easy drinking, prolonged and amazing fruity and tobacco aftertaste” I was not able to pick up on the tobacco flavors, but feel as though this red would pair well with meats.

Blackstone Merlot from California This 2016 vintage was $7.00 and had very dark fruit flavors. I was able to pick out berry and plum flavors. Blackstone describes this Merlot as having hints of vanilla and French toast. I enjoyed this wine as it was dry with a smooth finish. A reviewer left the following review on Total Wines, “Wowee! Well this is a well balanced and really nice Merlot that you will be shocked is six freaking bucks.” The best thing this wine brings to the table is its cost. It is balanced and easy to drink for a cheap price.

For our Friday the 23 wine dinner, My roommate Jim and I started with an appetizer of tomato basil soup. This appetizer was followed with chicken parm. with angel hair pasta, as well as beans and potatoes. Three wines were brought to the dinner to pair with the food. These wines were a California Cabernet Sauvignon, a California Savignon Blanc, and California Rose. The Cabernet Sauvignon paired the best out of the wines with the heavy meal that we decided to serve. This dark berried reds paired well with the red sauce smothered the chicken and pasta. This had the opposite effect with the white and rose. These wines seemed to be overpowered by the heartyness. With a lighter sauce over the chicken the Rose by Josh, and the Sauvignon Blanc by CK Mondavi may have been more in balance. The Rose was one of the first roses that I've tasted and I enjoyed it. My only experience coming from ridiculously sweet roses, this dry rose was very good. I was able to pickout hints of citrus.  ...

For our wine and cheese pairing three cheeses were selected to be sampled. First a brie, my favorite of cheeses to be paired with our wines. A fresh mozzarella was selected to be the second cheese, crafted in Wisconsin. The third a classic Colby with a hint of spice. The wines selected were a Riesling from Germany, a Pinot Grigio from Italy, and a sweet red from California. The Riesling by Josef Weinberg and Radiance paired the best with the cheeses as its sweetness played with their favors. As Boyer suggested in a previous lesson the sweet Riesling was paired with the spicy Colby cheese for an unexpected combination. You could tell something was there in the combination, but I was not a particular fan of the Riesling as a whole. The sweetness gave an overpowering taste, making me thing more of grape juice than wine. The Pinot Grigio by Cupcake was a dry white and paired really nicely with the creamy and full cheeses. Mozzarella and this white went very well together as the f...

Sutter Home pink moscato from California for $6.00 Sutter Home describes this wine on their site, “Its bright berry, hint-of-caramel, and vanilla aromas, along with its sweet strawberry, peach, melon, and passion fruit flacors, pair naturally with desserts such as tarts and sumptuous cake.” This wine was too sweet for me but was easy to drink in a socially setting with friends. The berry flavor was able to pick out through the sweetness.

Yellow Tail Pinot Grigio from southeastern Australia for $7.00 Yellowtail describes this wine well as zesty, fresh and easy to drink, and I agree with their description. Drinking the wine it was very fresh and fruity easy to pick out apples and pears. This 2017 was a little dry, and a reviewer said “This can be brought either dry or semi dry. It is very full flavored and also is well mixed with a sprite. Very refreshing and not too dry. It is reasonably priced and you can buy it in most supermarkets”

Yellow Tail Merlot from southeastern Australia for $7.00 Yellowtail describes this wine well as soft, velvety and easy to drink and I agree with their description. It was a decent merlot and I was able to taste darker berries and spices. This 2016 aged enough to be easily drinkable and making me believe merlot may be one of my preferred varietals. A review stated, “absolutely love snagging a bottle of this when I pick up my groceries it tastes so smooth and I love he flavors I can pick from I love relaxing with a glass of wine before bed especially after a long stressful day”

Gallo Family Vineyards sweet apple wine from California for $5.00 The sweet apple wine was incredibly sweet and I did not particularly enjoy it. Gallo family describes the wine as bright, light-bodied with tastes of honey crisp and sweet green apples. The bottle did not have a vintage year Though my friends enjoyed it, I would not get it again. A review said, “It was fine.” I agree with full heartedly with their review.

Sutter Home Sweet Red from California for $6.00 Sutter Home describes this wine on their site, “This inviting wine blend promises you the taste of sun-ripened cherries and juicy peaches all in one pour. Enjoy our sweet red chilled on a warm day, or pair with grilled meats, spicy Asian cuisine, and light cheeses.” This wine was sweet but not over powering and was easy to enjoy with chicken. I was able to pick out cherry flavors while drinking.