Tasting: William Fevre La Mision

Name: William Fevre La Mision
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Maipo Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2016
Price: $9.95/ 750 mL

Critic Review: This La Misión Chardonnay is very fruity and highlights notes of pear, white peach, and a hint of smoke which is very characteristic of some vines from the Maipo Valley. It is very fresh and round in the mouth and has developed aromas of toasted bread and butter.

My Review: I'm getting something vegetable from this, but I can't quite place it. I get hints of pear and some of the smoke. To me this is dry and could use food, but I didn't dislike it.

Tasting: Mont Pellier

Name: Mont Pellier

Variety: Viognier

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2015

Price: $15/ 750 mL

Critic Review: 

With abundant aromas of honey-suckle, stone fruit, apricot and tropical fruit, our Viognier finishes crisp and clean with hints of vanilla and fruit that is pleasantly balanced.

My Review: I get a lot of apple, some bright/ stone fruit and citrus from this. It is very refreshing but I feel like it could use food.

Tasting: Paranoia Red Wine Blend

Name: Paranoia Red Wine Blend

Variety: Red Blend

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2016

Price: $9.99/ 750 mL

Critic Review:
Bold flavors of black cherry, boysenberry jam, mild oakiness, cedar. Medium body, cassis black cherry integrated oak tannins and flavors, black pepper, faint echo of black tea on the finish.

My Review: To me, this wine is smooth and buttery with hints of vegetables on the nose and at the end. It isn't begging me for food but food would be good with it. I feel like a simple meat and potatoes meal would be great. I did enjoy this with a soft pretzel with yellow mustard. It didn't necessarily match but it didn't clash. I wouldn't avoid it in the future. I think the buttery notes go well with the breadyness of the pretzel and the mustard balances it out like it does with the pretzel.

Tasting: Dark Horse Chardonnay

Name: Dark Horse Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2017

Price: $6.99/ 750 mL (on sale)

Critic Review:

Displaying rich flavors of baked apple and pear, layered with toasted oak, this Chardonnay exhibits notes of caramel and brown spice with a smooth, lingering finish.

My Review: I wanted another smooth, creamy, and buttery chardonnay and luckily I got one. I could smell the butter, some apples, and a hint of caramel with a simple swirl. The first sip greeted me with some apple notes, a ton of butter, and a nice creamy finish. The caramel flavor came out more with later sips, and by the end the caramel was super prevalent with the creamy finish. After reading the label and reviews, I'm picking up on what must be the "toasted oak" flavor. It is perfect without food.

Tasting: Bellini Chianti

Name: Bellini Chianti

Variety: Chianti

Region: Tuscany

Country: Italy

Year: 2016

Price: $6.99/ 375 mL

Critic Review: Winery Direct

This is a high quality Chianti at an everyday price. This small, family owned producer packs plenty of flavor in this one-- dried cherry, plum, and a hint of vanilla. A medium-bodied, well structured wine with superb balance and subtle woodsy notes in the bouquet.

My Review:

This one smells and tastes like dark fruit. I feel like other than that, it has a very distinct "wine" taste. To me, this is a dry wine with a medium body that begs for food. I had this one with grilled chicken, roasted broccoli, and couscous. It was very good, the Italian seasoning seemed to work well with the wine, and the roasted garlic couscous allowed the wine to shine without overpowering it. The meal satisfied the strong desire for food this wine had but I think it would be better with some pasta and a creamy red sauce.

Tasting: Crazy Legs Hoppy Red Blend

Name: Crazy Legs Hoppy Red Blend

Variety: Red Blend

Region: King City, California

Country: USA

Year: No year

Price: $3.99/ 375mL

Critic Review: Winery Direct

Let's get CRAZY...well we already did for you! Plum and cherry are accompanied by hops that are infused into this revolutionary Red Blend. That's right we said HOPS! This is no ordinary Red Blend. Packed full of flavor and perfectly packable for you to take on your next crazy adventure!

My Review:

This is another canned wine, and one that I'm actually really into. You can smell the hops right away, along with some dark fruits. It's a little sweet, which provides a good balance to the hops. When I drink it, I get the hops and dark fruit, but also a strong sense of jasmine, like the tea. There's also some honeysuckle in there. My mom and I chilled it some because of the hops, but as it warmed up in the glass the jasmine aromas and flavors came out more. We did not have it with food, and I don't think it really needs it. I really like this and would for sure drink it again, especially at the price it is at. I think this would be another good one for the beach, like the Oceans Away I reviewed. Is there a can correlation?

Tasting: Prototype Chardonnay

Name: Prototype Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2017
Price: $6.99/ 750 mL

Critic Review:  Winery Direct
A rich Chardonnay that is full of honey, butter and melon on the palate. Notes of vanilla, caramel and white flowers add layers of complexity to create a perfect balance of flavor.

My Review: I know what they mean by buttery now. This wine is so smooth and easy to drink. Somehow this is my first "oakey" chardonnay, and I love it. It was creamy and smooth and clearly buttery. There was an element that I had trouble describing but I'm relating to melons after reading what Total Wine had out to accompany the wine. I could also sense some of the honey and caramel, but they did not make the wine too sweet. I would wager to say the wine is relatively balanced, because nothing stood out to me as being too much. The wine is rich and easy to drink without food, which is how I enjoyed it. It was great slightly chilled and in double walled wine tumblers in a hot tub.

Tasting: Oceans Away Sparkling Pineapple Wine

Name: Oceans Away Sparkling Pineapple Wine
Variety: Sparkling Fruit Wine
Region: McMinnville, Oregon,
Country: USA
Year: No year
Price: $4.99/ 375mL

Critic Review: Winery Direct
You'll instantly be transported to the tropical, sandy beaches of Hawaii with this exciting sparkler. Pineapple aromas jump out of the glass and on the palate, with nuances of mango and coconut. Medium bodied with crisp bubbles, this is the perfect warm weather refresher.

My Review: There is an immediate smack of pineapple when you take the first sniff. It smells tangy, and the grapes come through. On tasting it, I found more pineapple, but also some unidentifiable light berry, some citrus, and mango. This reminds me a lot of a pineapple beer I've had in that it's pineapple first but you can feel the true nature of the beverage laying underneath. I could tell this was a sparkling white wine underneath. It was almost like a pineapple mimosa that you would want to enjoy after an afternoon swim rather than at brunch. The feeling that comes from pineapple when you eat it (the tang and instant identification of any mouth cuts) is just heightened by the bubbles present. This does not make it unpleasant, but it defines the experience. I expected it to be sweet, because it comes from a can and boasts pineapple, but it's more dry than anything. I did not try this with food, but I feel like it would be good with grilled chicken and pineapple chunks over rice on a beach in Hawaii.

To address the can: I drank this out of a glass and did not particularly notice that it came out of a can. It did not taste particularly metallic, and I do not think that the can ruined the experience. It's for sure an interesting way to drink wine, but not to be dismissed.

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my wine experience thus far. As a freshly 22 year old, I have had a year to experiment with wine, but it didn't necessarily start there.

When I was in high school, I worked at a little farm to table restaurant in my hometown. My bosses were formally trained in cooking and knew a lot about wine to match. I was hardly able to understand what was going on with the pairings, but I was encouraged to start to pick up on information and "swirl and sniff" to start learning. A few sips here and there let me know that I liked wine, but without the ability to really try I didn't really internalize much information. I know enough from those days to be familiar with the basics: some naming practices and grape varieties, general tastes, and how to serve. I want to finally learn everything my coworkers were trying to teach me a while ago. I also got to work weddings at a few wineries and vineyards in Loudoun County, which made me more comfortable with the environment. I can't wait to really wine tour a little next time I go home, and carry my new knowledge with me.

My family is full of beer drinkers, but at holidays we drink wine. The smell of a nice full bodied red or magnum from Costco brings back memories of Christmas and my Aunt Keri's laugh. Most of the family prefers reds, but I broke the tradition when I realized I liked whites and rosés. This realization came partially from the sips I was given at the bistro and my tastes developed with my ability to try more when I turned 21. My mom is exploring wine more now that I can try new things with her. She seems to be a big Cabernet Sauvignon fan, which I like (especially when she buys it), but I'm looking to expand and try different varieties more with this class.

One of the things I tried back at the restaurant and loved from the first sip was a Vinho Verde. I can't remember the name of the exact one I tried, but that sip started a love affair. The ones I've tried (admittedly very few) are delightfully tart and slightly effervescent. The thought of my favorite (Broadbent Vinho Verde Rosé) makes my mouth water. I've got a new one from the Vintage Cellar that's just waiting to be opened for some tasting notes.

I'm taking the Plaid Avenger's advice from the Wine IQ videos and drinking wine while learning. I'm currently working on a Kirkland Pinot Grigio from California which has proven to be very refreshing. (Hopefully as I try more wines I come up with more ways to describe things.)

This is me, with this beautiful red blend with an even more beautiful name:

 

This class is at the perfect time. Not to make it too dark, but my Grandad left us this past year. He loved wine. I have a strong image of him holding a glass of red wine in his hand (not just at holidays like the rest of the family). I want to learn more about this thing that he loved and I'm starting to harbor a love for. Cheers, Grandad!