Friday, April 5, 2013

Tasting - Ruta 22 Malbec


Name: Ruta 22 Malbec
Variety: Malbec
Region: Patagonia
Country: Argentina
Price: $7.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Stout and dense from the beginning, with blackberry and violet aromas. Despite being a bold and dark Malbec, this is fresh and composed, with sweet blackberry and cassis flavors. Good on the finish, with candied fruit and caramel sweetness.

My Review: This was the wine of the day that I was looking forward too.  A nice Malbec from Argentina.  The smell had some nice hints of red cherry that was enjoyable.  The taste was much sweeter than I was expecting.  It was similar to a candied cherry but not like a maraschino cherry (yuck!).  It was slight tannins and the finish was very light.  Overall, it was good but quite a light drink for a Malbec.  Definitely drink it with chicken or salmon and it would definitely be a hit.

Tasting - Château Serres Sainte Lucie Corbières


Name: Château Serres Sainte Lucie Corbières
Variety: GSM
Region: Corbières
Country: France
Price: $4.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Superb dark garnet color with a few reflections of dark orange. Intense nose of ripe fruits, spices, and roasted coffee. The palate is rounded and full, with silky matured tannins and hints of vanilla. This wine is rich and powerful with layers of tannins.

My Review: Finally we got into the reds for the day.  This one is a pretty standard wine from France with a GSM blend.  The smell was interesting in that it smelled like flower pollen.  You know when you get a bouquet for something special and you stick your nose right into the flowers and you get the pollen on your nose, that’s what it smelled like.  It also has a spice component but a spice that is normally associated with a sweet dish like cinnamon or cardamom.  The smell was very intriguing.  The taste was a nice full body with nice tannins on the finish.  The spice was very nice addition to the taste because it wasn’t over powering or bitty.  But in the end, it was good but not my favorite.

Tasting - Cresta Azul


Name: Cresta Azul
Variety: Moscatel, Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel-lo
Region: North Coast
Country: Spain
Year: NV

Price: $5.95
Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Peach, orange cream and vanilla flavors mingle in this softly bubbly white. Off-dry, but with crisp acidity and a clean finish.

My Review: this is the third of the three rose’s we were tasting today.  And this was the first one of the bunch that actually smelled sweet! It had hints of peaches to the nose after you got through the sweetness.  The taste from there was very simple.  It was balanced with the acidity in it but it was pretty one dimensional.  Overall, I enjoyed it but I think a taste was enough.

Tasting - Veleta Tempranillo Rosado


Name: Veleta Tempranillo Rosado
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Granada
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $3.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Fresh in flavor and crisp in texture, this dry rosé offers berry, tart cherry and light herbal flavors, with firm acidity and a clean finish. Focused and juicy.

My Review: The second rose on the wine tasting today but this one we know is a Tempranillo so was definitely excited about it.  The smell was very light and almost undetectable for anything in it.  I finally got some cherry hints after swirling it for a while but overall just very light.  The taste was very surprising based on the smell!  It was a light flavor but it was kind of complex in the taste.  It started off light but as you let it sit on your tongue it grew in flavor.  It was like it was tempting you to try more of it just so you can figure out what is hiding behind the lightness.  I would say that this rose was the most enjoyable of the bunch because it was closer to a red wine that either a rose or white wine.

Tasting - Veleta Brut Vino Espumoso Rosado


Name: Veleta Brut Vino Espumoso Rosado
Variety: Tempranillo (think?)
Region: South Central
Country: Spain
Year: NV
Price: $3.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Rosésalmon with copper reflections. Slow rising fine bubble that forms "lace" and "rosary". In the nose is complex and elegant with red fruit, citric, exotic, fresh flowers, and notes of dry fruits and dry flowers. Fresh, gentle, and alive. Perfectly integrated "perlage" with serious and subtle flavors of dry fruits, pomegranate and lemonade. Long lasting scent of flowers and herbs.

My Review: The first of many rose wines on the day.  First thing I noticed was that it wasn’t really a rose as it was a brown color.  Very odd and looked like someone mixed in some pulverized wood into it!  The smell was even weirder (just like that word).  It almost smelled like someone put a copper wine under my nose and I was sniffing that.  And then as I smelled it more it starting to smell like I drove by a dead skunk in the middle of the night.  (There are always dead skunks in my town so it’s a pretty common smell).  The taste didn’t really improve this wine either.  It was very light but it was very floral with some herby hints to it.  It was just a very odd wine that I was not enjoying.  A good wine to taste just for fun but wouldn’t suggest actually drinking it.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Dinner - Blue Apron, Salem VA


As another part of my class, I am required (sounds terrible right) to do some wine dinner’s.  What we mean by that is basically we are to have at minimum 3 bottles of wine paired with three different dishes.  So for my first wine dinner, I decided to do a date night with my other half and go to the Blue Apron.  The Blue Apron is about 30 minutes from me but is probably the best quality restaurant in the area!  They serve American style cuisine in a very traditional looking restaurant.  It had the original brick walls still there with the old creaky wooden planted floors but it was dressed up with well-done accents of dry wall and crown molding to give it a very homey feel.  First impression was definitely a hole in the wall style (only could seat 40 people at once) but felt very exclusive for being there.
So we had a reservation for 5:30 for the two of us.  Surprisingly enough, we were not the only one’s there.  There was another table that had a couple at it and another table with the parents and their one son.  Anyway, we sat down and the adventure started.  First thing we did was tell our waitress, Christine (I think), that we were with this wine class.  Christine was familiar with it and said that she would go ahead and pick out wine pairings for our dinner as we went along.  She would just pour a flat (not a full glass but less than a tasting) and leave us the bottle so we could take pictures and write down what we needed.  For warned, she knew what she was doing!

For the meal part of dinner, that was much more complicated.  The restaurant has daily specials and their regular menu, and both of those you can have an appetizer, a small plate, or a regular plate to eat for dinner.  Having never been there, I had no idea how to choose.  Christine recommended that we do three small plates (for those of us who are indecisive).  Since she sounded just like me, I decided to go with the three small plates while my other half went for an appetizer and a regular plate.  With my meal, Christine decide to break it up into three courses so that I could have a wine paired with each meal and they went from lightest fair to heaviest fair, which was kind of hard since I basically went down the seafood for my dinner.  And with my other half, she would bring his appetizer when she brought my second course and then we would be eating at the same time.

We started the night off with some Italian Prosecco by Tocco to cheer’s to.  The smell was very nice with a full nose of pears and then hints of mango and papaya.  The color was a warm golden tone and of course looked so pretty with its bubbles!  The taste was a great way to start the night.  It was definitely very good and light on the tongue and refreshing.  It had a nice balance between the sweetness and acidity with the bubbles.  

Once we finished with the cheers round, we put our food order in and within a few minutes they came out with my first round of food.  I had chosen, based on Christine’s suggestion, a Blackened Rare Hamachi.  A Hamachi is sometimes referred to as Yellow Tail, a very light and good fish.  It was served over a bed of asparagus and red potatoes with mandarins as a final touch.  As paired with wine, Christine brought me a
2012 Crois Torrontes from Argentina.  (The way I did the pairing was by first tasting the wine, then the food and then tasting them together.)  The wine smelled mostly like plum with some earthy undertones.  It was a very light in color and definitely a light wine to pair with the Hamachi.  The taste of the wine was quite interesting.  It started out as if it was going to be sweet when it first hit your tongue but dried right out.  It seemed to have a fuller body but had a very light finish.  It had some floral tones to which I wasn’t too much of a fan of but it was definitely a nice wine.  The Hamachi was some of the best fish I had had in a very long time.  I am very picky about my fish (have spent years catching some of my own) so I can be very judgmental.  It did have some fishy undertones to it but with the sauce you could barely even taste it.  The best part of this fish was the true blackened and rare part, the outside was literally seared so it was warm but the inside was still cold!  Now for the pairing part.  The pairing went very well together and the fish actually brought out the acidity in the wine.  I think it made the wine more refreshing and when you had them together they brought out the best in each other.

Now we went onto round two.  This is where food came out for both of us.  I had ordered the Spinach and
Radicchio Salad with a grapefruit vinaigrette and goat cheese.  Very light fair but the combination of the vinaigrette and the goat cheese was amazing.  My other half ordered the Potato-Leek Soup, which was very interesting.  It was a potato puree soup with bacon in it and some smoked paprika on top.  It was interesting and a heavier soup than I expected.  The wine paired with it was a 2009 Pinot Blanc from Oregon.  The smell was very similar to a Chardonnay but had only a few hints of oak on it and of course some toasted barrel with it too.  The taste of this wine was definitely more full bodied than I expected with a nice back bone to it.  It was a little more acidic and had a citrus bite like a perfectly ripe granny smith apple.  Due to the lightness of the food, I wouldn’t say that they helped or hurt each other but were a good break in the meal.

For the third round, it was time for the heart of the meal.  I had ordered a small plate of a crab cake with orzo and my other half ordered the pork chops with a cabernet reductions sauce and toasted vermicelli.  What was great about this part of the meal was that Christine actually brought us two different wines to go with our very different choices in meals.  She brought me another white, an Austrian that I had never had before.  It was a 2011 Lois Gruner Veltliner, never had anything like it before.  It was similar
to the first one but much less floral.  It also had more an acidity which suited me very well.  My other half had a Touringa from Portugal by Cabeco de Mocho.  Once again, we had no idea what this was but it was very good.  It was similar to a pinot noir from a lightness side but it tasted like a cross between a Chianti (smoothness) and a Carmenre (spiciness).   Now for the food part, my crab cake was made very true to the Chesapeake Bay style with lump crab meat and no filler.  The crab meat was very fresh and it was fantastic.  The rice on the bottom was good but I would have been just as happen without it.  My other half’s pork chop was quite good, it was a little sweet with both the sauce and the vermicelli but it was very good.  For the pairing part, my wine pretty much became a pallet cleanser between the meal and my other half’s wine was a great addition to his meal.  I think his wine offset some of the sweetness and made the pork even better.  So far, my food wins but I think the Touringa was the best wine I had had in a while.

We originally were going to do dessert but ended up not having time.  My other half had a friend coming in so we had to get back to host him.  Lucky for us, Christine was understanding and let us finish our meal with a dessert wine.  She brought both a Porto from Portugal and Sauternes from France.  I have had port before but this was really good.  It did not taste like cough syrup!  It reminded me of maple syrup but had a very hot feeling from the alcohol.  The finish was much lighter than I thought it was going to be and was pleasantly surprised.  The Sauternes was definitely my favorite of the two.  It was much lighter and not as thick as the port and it really finished off my white wine binge of the night!  In the end, it was a wonderful finished to a romantic night.

Overall, I was very impressed with this whole experience.  I love the restaurant because they made you feel at home.  The staff there was very pleasant and wanted you to enjoy your time there.  And trust me, you spent a lot of time there.  We easily spent 1.5 hours there and if I had it my way it would have been over two.  And the best part is the staff there knew that because they only take reservations but they space the reservations at minimum 2 hours apart so the whole time we were there, no one was waiting to get to a table.  Which meant you never felt rushed.  The other amazing thing that my other half noticed is that food was only brought out when you were ready for it.  The servers and table runners were attentive and made sure that the service the whole time was impeccable.  In addition, we did get to meet the owner and chef so that made it even better.  I have never been to such a nice restaurant and I was very impressed with having something that nice so close to my school!  So, if you are ever in Salem, VA get a reservation at this restaurant and plan on eating there!  It was a very romantic night and lived up to its ratings!


Here are all the pictures of some of the wines we tasted:




Thursday, March 28, 2013

Tasting - Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz


Name: Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: South East
Country: Australia
Year: n/a
Price: $9.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: A relatively light, fresh style of sparkling Shiraz, with berries and hints of chocolate picking up just a touch of sweet vanilla on the finish.

My Review: Hmmmmm, sparkling Shiraz?  Who would have thought right?  Well, I will give these wine tastings one awesome thing, the variety of wine’s they provide for us is awesome!  I was talking to the wine person and she was talking about how they start the semester off with general and well know wines and slowly are working their way into more complex wines as we get better with tasting.  I think if you look through my blog you would definitely be able to see this trend.  Back to wine… so this was different.  First, I got hints of green olives on the nose.  It was like you tasted the red and fruit and then just a hint of olive if you are smelling in the right spot.  Since I liked olives, I was ok so with it but it was odd in a wine.  Once I got over that, I could go onto the taste.  It was only slightly fizzy but was a full on berry flavor.  It reminded me of the non-alcoholic champagne that you have when you are 18 years old on New Year’s.  I think this would have been a good dessert/after dinner drink to share with friends but you have to want sparkling.

Tasting - Montebuena (Tempranillo)


Name: Montebuena
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Ripe cherry and blackcurrant on the nose and in the mouth. Pliant and seamless in texture, with good heft and back-end energy. Finishes smooth and sweet, with fine-grained tannins providing shape and grip. Still on the young side but this wine drinks very well with an hour or so of decanting; it’s an excellent value for Rioja.

My Review: Another one of my favorite wine grapes in the world!  With that being said, I think you can know that my review might be a wee bit bias.  But either way, the smell of this wine definitely threw cherries at you.  It wasn’t the dark, black cherries but almost a nice hint of cherry.  The taste of this wine is where it was at.  It was very smooth to drink and there was not a bite to it!  It was medium body with some complexity to it.  I could feel the heat of the 14% alcohol but it grew on me as I tasted it.  I bought this bottle (as usual) and I can’t wait to enjoy it either by itself or with a nice chicken and pasta dish!

Tasting - Tres Ojos Garnacha


Name: Tres Ojos Garnacha
Variety: Garnacha
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: The wine has a brick red color with a bouquet of red raspberries, spice and white pepper. The palate is incredibly concentrated and rich. The modern styles of Garnacha in Spain are continuously being perceived worldwide as wines of extraordinarily good quality. This wine is fruity, juicy and shows a great depth, ripe tannins, length but yet with wonderful elegance and lightness. Enjoy with sausages, roasted meats, aged cheeses etc.

My Review: The first thing that I smelled on the nose was raspberries.  Full frontal attack of the raspberry bush.  Imagine hiking through the woods and you tripped and fell right into a raspberry bush (without the painful part of it).  I did get some hints of spice on the tail end of the smell but wasn’t too bad of a smell.  The taste of it was not as smooth as I would have liked and it had a bit of a bite on then end.  I think that came from the spice but it wasn’t kick you off your shoes type.  This would taste really good with meat, sausage or even if you made some really spicy taco’s it would really bring this wine up to par.  It was a good wine, nice spice but I would need to eat this with food.

Tasting - Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence


Name: Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence
Variety: Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault
Region: Provence
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Bright salmon pink; typical of the fresh but warm Provence style. Refined and complex on the nose, with summer fruit and floral notes. Dry and crisp, with a delicate flavor and full texture.

My Review: Now to this point in my wine tastings, I have had my fair share of rose wines and have gotten better at not immediately judging them.  So I started this wine off with a clean plate, and since it wasn’t the normal rose grapes, I was intrigued.  The smell was nice with hints of pears and golden delicious apples (didn’t have a lot of acidic smell to it).  The taste really threw me off.  It was extremely light and kind of a weak finish.  It was like you bit into a grape and then immediately spit it back out.  It did finish with more acidity but I was let down.  From three very complex red wines, this rose really left me hanging and disappointed with the complexity.

Tasting - Canyon Road Chardonnay


Name: Canyon Road Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Medium- bodied wine with notes of crisp apple and ripe citrus fruit with a hint of cinnamon spice. Delicious complement to grilled chicken, lighter pasta dishes or mild cheeses.

My Review: Oh Chardonnay, we run into each other again.  Another California Chardonnay too.  You know what that means??  Usually the oak flavors will hit you like a 18 wheeler.  With that being said this one was no tan 18 wheeler, it was more like a shopping cart with bumpers.  It has a nice fruity smell to, with hints of pear that I could pick out.  But the taste is what really took my by surprise.  It was a true medium body white wine, which never happens, with full flavor.  It wasn’t some wimpy Pinot Grigio but a complex version of a chardonnay grape.  It was a little bit more towards the semi-sweet side which wasn’t too bad except they forgot to balance it out.  I don’t mind the sweetness but it needed some acidity badly.  Without that, it didn’t seem refreshing to me and even though it was a good taste, the finish just didn’t do it for me.  I enjoyed the body but needed a little more acidity and then it would have been a winner.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Spring Break Re-Cap

                A week off from school usually means boring and relaxing at the same time for me.  But things spring break was a little different!  Well first off I had five full days of activities plan so it was finally not boring.  The first Sunday I was home, I went did some rock climbing at Sport Rock around the corner from me.  I did an awesome upside down route which I didn’t quite finish but was totally awesome!!  Then Monday, I helped my future Sister-in-law with making little tiny boxes for her wedding in about 3 months now (EXCITING).  While the box folding wasn’t that fun, it was great to see her and talk about life in general.  So with those two days already gone, I finally got into the hard part of my week.  The first interview I had on Tuesday was plan awful.  Why?  Well let’s just say I felt really dumb in the room surrounded by the people I was being interview alongside with.  But hey, it was good practice so that totally counts right??  Then Wednesday interview went much better but was still kind of so-so.  The shop was cool, the people were cool, the area was ok, but it was far away from school which is where my other half is staying after graduation so that was a little bit of a turn off.  Then onto Thursday interview…. IT WENT AMAZING.  I was really impressed with the people, the company and the interview style.  It was the first interview that I thought was challenging and actually tested me.  The only downside of it would be that my job for the first year ish would be to write proposals.  Yea, not so sure about that one since my writing isn’t exactly professional (just read this paragraph!).  We shall see if I get an interview but not going to stress and continue to look around.
                Now for the part you want to hear about… THE WINE I DRANK.  Well the first wine I had was a St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon.  It was definitely tasty and smooth and well just yummy.  I didn’t take notes on it because I just wanted to drink and my mom was asking me all sorts of wine questions that I have learned from this class so filling her in on that.  Then, my dad brought my mom and I a surprise… a 2004 Opus One.  WOAH nelly was that different!  I did do a wine review here but it covers my whole experience with this wine.  The final highlight of my week was the picture you see here.  Yes that is 7 wines drank in one night by about 7 people.  It was my mom’s birthday and so we had a little get together of everyone!  There was my brother and his fiancé, my other brother and his girlfriend, my mom and dad and then me.  Let’s just say I come from a long line of wine lovers!  If you would like to read the story, click here and I will tell you about it and give some reviews on the wine.  Obviously they got better as time went on!
                Once I got back to school on Friday, I did some shopping and got an AMAZING surprise from my other half.  He got me a Pandora bracelet with two beads on it!!  He totally surprised me and I was not expecting it at all.   I give him a lot of credit, even though I give him a hard time a lot (especially if one of us I out of town), there is no one else I would rather be with!!  We then did some usual wine tastings at the Vintage Cellar (this one was very good) and went to a local winery.  And by winery I mean they have a little tasting room in downtown so we went there to test it out.  We actually quite liked there wines and once it gets nicer I think I will drag the other half to their winery about 30 minutes away (then I will blog on that).  Then Sunday hit and now it is back to the final push of school work before graduation!

Drink Up
~R.V.!

Mom's Epic Birthday Bash

So my mother's birthday was last Wednesday when I happened to be home for spring break.  Since I was home, my mom decided that she wanted to have a little bit of a birthday dinner (totally fair).  Well it ended up that both my brothers, fiancé and girlfriend, came over to join my dad, mom and I for dinner.  And if the picture from the next morning doesn't give it away, my family loves to drink wine!  In my description of each wine, I will start by the wine I had first in the night and work my way to the end of the night!



(1)  I started with the Palette Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.  This definitely a pretty standard cab but was very smooth and very nice.  It was actually a great wine to start with because it was not spicy and the tannins were very night.  While it good, I wouldn’t say it was very complex in flavor but a great way to start off the night.  I did drink this wine with some cheese, crackers and cream cheese with pepper jelly.  I wouldn’t say it changed the flavor of the wine, it just mellowed it out.
(2)  I think I then moved onto the Cheateau St. Jean.  Another very nice, smooth bottle of cabernet sauvignon.  It went well with a dinner of ham and mashed potatoes and asparagus.  It was pretty stand but definitely of higher quality than the one before.
(3)  I did try a taste of the zin before it got emptied but it just wasn’t my style.  A little spicy but was full bodied.  I wouldn’t say it was bad it just wasn’t my favorite.
(4)  Now we get into the wine I was really excited to try.  My brother girlfriend bought it as a present for my mom and it is actually a Grand Cru from Rhone.  Being from Rhone it was also the standard GSM blend but it was a 2009 so I got really excited.  I tried a glass at the end of dinner (probably not the best idea) but man was it good.  It was full bodied with a hint of spice on the nose.  It was also very tannic but was just such a well-made wine.  I mean it was smooth and full bodied and pretty much just AWESOME.  If you find this wine (I don’t know how much it is) you should definitely take a crack at it
(5)  The last wine I had of the night was the 14 Hands cab (again).  Once again, it was very good and smooth and a relatively standard cab.  It was definitely the best of the bunch hands down but I only had a taste since it was so late in the night (and by late I mean 9pm and I had an interview the next morning)

Now that you got the whole she-bang on the wine party, I did find some interesting notes while writing this.  One, I think my parents like cabernet sauvignon.  Two, I think my parents like wine from California.  Three, we drink like fish but have the best time ever as a family!  Once again, happy birthday to my mom and hope you enjoyed this read!

~R.V.



Tasting - Opus One 2004


Name: Opus One
Variety: Bordeaux Blend
Region: Napa Valley, CA
Country: USA
Year: 2004
Price: Don’t want to know (>$200 at least)

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review:  NOTE – This wine review was done in 2007, it is 2013 now
Good full ruby. Roasted black raspberry, blackberry, spicecake, licorice, minerals and nutty oak on the nose. Denser than the 2005 and a step up in intensity but nicely light on its feet. There's lovely sweetness to the black fruit and licorice flavors. Finishes with big but sweet tannins and a lingering minerality. This makes the 2005 seem a bit dry by comparison. Bottled in July of 2006, for the first time without being fined. (I continue to find the '03 too herbal, lean and dry to recommend. The '02 in March was less herbal and minty than my sample two years ago but still high-toned, truffley and a bit vegetal, with a note of black olive and a rather chunky texture. This rather backward wine needs time but I find it disappointing in the context of the vintage, rating 87+?. The wild, distinctly Old World 2001, on the other hand, was wonderfully dense, sweet and lush without coming across as heavy, showing complex notes of cassis, graphite, spicecake, leather and game; lovely inner-mouth perfume; and an explosive finish featuring fine-grained, suave tannins that reach the front teeth. This very sexy and showy wine, rated 91 in Issue 118   
     
My Review/Experience: So this is going to be a little different than the other wine reviews I have done.  I am going to tell you about my evening with Opus and not just want it tastes like!

     Let’s start from the beginning… My dad had come home from an RV (like motor home) trip from Florida.  Now he brought one of his friends along on the trip down so he didn’t have to do it by himself.  For my dad’s friend, his contribution to the trip is to bring some very nice wine.  Apparently he has some sweet wine collection (that I haven’t seen… yet) and loves to share it with fellow wine drinkers (cross your fingers).  The two of them had a 2003 Opus One but didn’t have time to drink the 2004.  So my dad ended up bringing it home with him.  When he got back, he decided to be an awesome dad and open with just him, my mom and me at the house!  Only way to spend the evening with the parents.
     First, I know the label on this bottle looks destroyed but it still gets the point across.  The first thing I noticed while opening it was the foil lose, which mean it hadn’t leaked around the cork which isn’t a good or bad sign it just meant it could still breath.  The problem came when I tried to actually pull out the cork.  With a not so good crock screw, I managed to break it the first time (such a newbie).  I got it out the second time but when I looked at it I saw that it was VERY dry and hence it cracked.  Just an interesting note, maybe reflective of how old it is.  Right as I opened this bottle, I went ahead and took a sip.  The first thing I noticed was the color.  It was a true ruby red with dark tones from all the skins.  When I smelled the wine I got hints of blackberry, slight spice and actually got hints of cedar on it.  This lent its hands to the earthy, mineral tones of the wine.  The taste was very, very smooth and had a wonderful mid-pallet.  It had a little hint of spice right after you swallowed it but faded as you let it sit.  It was complex with heavy tannins but just fantastic.  The finish was very strong and you could definitely feel the 14.5% alcohol still going on.
     We then let it sit for about 45 minutes in the bottle just to let it breathe.  We then all had a glass at dinner which consisted of three cheese tortellini, Italian sausage and garlic bread.  The taste did open up after this time but I think it tasted best right after having some of the tortellini.  The cheese took away the tannins in the wine and really let you with just the fruit complexity.  It really just took the edge off the wine.  As I got into the third small glass (taking my time with it), I started to really notice the alcohol.  While I was impressed that I didn’t get the ‘burning’ sensation in my mouth (sign of a very good winemaker), I did start to feel it down my throat.  Felt like you just came in from skiing and are having hot chocolate and you feel it warming you up from the inside out that was how the alcohol hit. 
         After we finished dinner, I poured myself the final glass (sad).  I took a couple sips but I decided that it just needed more time to breathe.  I left it out for at least another hour and wow.  It totally opened up, it smoothed out, the alcohol started to evaporate off, and it just got better.  Those last couple sips were just amazing.  After I finished it, while sad I did learn something.  A wine like that needs to decant, for a couple of hours.  Even though it was aged for 9 years, it could have sat in a decanter for another 3 that day and it would have been amazing.  After a wine like that, you really start to realize why wine can be so expensive.

     I know this was pretty long but I hope you learned something about it!  Maybe one day you will get this chance to try either an Opus One, or just one of the high quality wines out there.  A final shout out to my dad’s friend, Don, for buying this bottle and saving it for us to enjoy!  Thanks for being a wino!

Tasting - Domain de Grange de Payan

Name: Domain de Grange de Payan
Variety: GSM
Region: Cotes Du Rhone
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Intensely spicy and precise, with lively red berry flavors and a hint of black pepper. The Grenache, which makes up the majority of the wine, is deeper and more powerful, offering cherry and black raspberry qualities lifted by zesty minerality.

My Review: This was the wine that I was looking forward to the most out of the bunch.  I have started to grow a fan of this region in France and since the majority of these wines are more on the expensive side, I thought this could be a good deal.  The smell has some hints of spice to it but was also very light.  The color of the wine was much clearer compared to others I have had so was quite intrigued.  The taste starts off with a strong kick but lightens up immediately.  It finished with a nice hint of spice, almost like a friendly spice not a kick in your mouth spice.  It was also much smoother than the rest of the bunch that I tasted so was very happy with the outcome.  It was definitely the best of the bunch (probably not a great comparison).

Tasting - Tinto Figaro


Name: Tinto Figaro
Variety: Garnacha
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2009
Price: $6.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Figaro is 100% Garnacha, made from a selection of the best grapes grown in the oldest vineyards. While not truly an “oaked wine”, a short stay in oak barrels provides a nice spicy flavor boost. Bright violet. Dark berry and cherry aromas show a jammy aspect. Supple and gently sweet, with good lift to its black raspberry and boysenberry flavors. Smooth and broad on the finish, leaving behind a hint of spiciness. Extremely easy to drink and an excellent value

My Review: The smell of this wine had hints of dark cherry to it.  It went along with the color of it, a nice deep red color.  For some reason, at the end of the sniff, I kept getting hints of something sweet.  I couldn’t put my nose on it but I think it was the jam aspect of the wine.  The taste had a hint of spice to it with some oak showing through on the mid-pallet.  The spice on it was more of a biting not enjoyable spice so was not too much of a fan of it.  It was another ok wine for the price.

Tasting - Maipe Malbec Rose


Name: Maipe Malbec Rose
Variety: Malbec
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2011
Price: $7.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Intense pink color with violet hints. Fresh red fruit bouquet, strawberry and cherry flavors, balanced acidity, dry and lingering finish. Excellent with tuna or green salad, pasta, spicy Asian dishes.

My Review: So first thing to note on this wine is that it actually not sweet.  I got some sweetness on the nose that was a little hidden but it was not really even semi-sweet by my standards.  The smell of this was cherry, but more like red cherries so not very strong.  In the taste, it had a little more flavor than the Cortenova before it but was still very light.  It almost seemed to me to have a single flavor profile so was a little bit boring. It was fine but nothing to write home about (or really to write on the blog about)


Tasting - Cortenova Pinot Grigio


Name: Cortenova Pinot Grigio
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $7.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Brilliant straw color with emerald reflections. Fresh and floral bouquet with a hint of pears, apricots and bananas. Fresh and inviting with bright fruit and an easy drinking style with a pleasing hint of almonds in the aftertaste. Pairs well with seafood dishes, risottos with scampi, spaghetti with clams, sole in white wine  Perfect also as an aperitif

My Review: The smell on this wine was nice.  It had hints of granny smith apples (nice bit to it) and pears.  But the taste really didn’t live up to it.  It was almost crisp but not quite there.  It was very plain but was very light.  I would say it was a very good base wine, something that might be good as accompaniment to something else.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Ode to Spring and Very Good Wine

Good Morning to you!  I think mother nature is finally telling us that spring is coming to.  Ya know what that means... RUNNING OUTSIDE!  Yay for me :)

Well this week starts the week of spring break for me from college.  Unfortunately for me, it will be pretty darn boring.  Doing some rock climbing here and there, maybe getting out on the bike and of course getting into my running grove.  But other than that I am hanging out at home with the family.  I do have some plans for the week.  A craft day with my future sister-in-law and maybe some shopping (since shopping at school sucks).  The highlight of my week will be three job interviews that I am so lucky to have been chosen for.  Each on is an on-site interview that will take approximately 4 hours each so they are all scheduled on different days!  They are all very different in their own ways but I am very excited to be getting this chance.  Wish me luck out there and cross you fingers I can come away with a couple of job offers.

For the wine notes of the day, the wine reviews following this post are on VERY good wines. If you are looking for a wine to impress that isn't too much money, definitely look through the following 5 and you will find a couple of winners.  In addition, since I am at home I will be drinking some very good wines with the parents so look for some reviews throughout the week of some good wines!  I hope you have been enjoying the reviews and getting you expand your knowledge and pallet (like I have been able to).

2 months until I graduate and remember to Drink Up and Run!

~R.V.

Wine Tasting - Nobel Vine 337 Cabernet Sauvignon


Name: 337 Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Lodi, CA
Country: USA
Year: 2010
Price: $14.99

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: The 2010 vintage exhibits appealing aromas of black cherry, ripe currant and lightly roasted coffee. Supple tannins and balanced acidity support core flavors of black cherry and blackberry intertwined with sweet herbs and accents of black pepper spice.  Link to Review

My Review: And now back to the good old US of A for some traditional California wine.  This wine comes from the Lodi region of California meaning it has got to be good!  Especially since it comes from the ‘noble cabernet vines for France’ (as quoted by the label on the back of the bottle).  The smell of this wine was black cherry with hints of spice.  It was not a very complex smell but a warm smell.  The taste of this wine was just gorgeous.  It was very smooth and this was the first time in a while that I really noticed a good mid-pallet.  The hint of spice was there but it wasn’t over powering.  This wine was great to drink by itself but having it with food would only improve the already delightful flavor.

Wine Tasting - Noval Black Port


Name: Noval Black Port
Region: Douro Valley
Country: Portugal
Year: N/A
Price: $17.99

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Quinta do Noval Black Port is dark ruby in color with enticing aromas of black raspberry and lilacs. Rich and full-bodied, it offers bright acidity against flavors of black cherry, black raspberry, plum and chocolate. It tantalizes the palate on the lingering finish. Link to Review

My Review: From listening to the sommelier who chose this port, they crafted this wine to cater to the younger pallet and can be sipped by the glass full.  With that being said, I definitely became more interested in tasting this port.  The smell was very traditional port with hints of chocolate overcome but alcohol.  The taste was fine to put it nicely.  I just can’t get past the cough syrup taste that come with port.  It was definitely a dark cherry flavor but I am just not a fan of port and this didn’t change my mind about it.

Wine Tasting - Guigel Cote Du Rhone Rouge


Name: Guigel Cote Du Rhone Rouge
Variety: GSM Blend
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2009
Price: $14.99

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Robert Parker 89 Points; There are 3.5 million bottles of the 2009 Cotes du Rhone red, which represents an amazing value. A blend of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre, it comes primarily from the Plan de Dieu (Plain of God), which is situated northeast of Chateauneuf du Pape. This tank-aged, deep ruby/purple-colored, concentrated, fleshy, medium to full-bodied, supple offering reveals plenty of pepper, kirsch and black currant fruit intermixed with a notion of flowers. It is meant to be consumed during its first 2-3 years of life although I have tasted 10-year-old bottles that are still holding together. Link to review

My Review: Now this is a great example of a wine that I imagine coming from the Rhone Valley.  It was a deep ruby color when poured into your glass.  The smell on the nose has a slight bit more spice than the Mencia but had some nice blackberry (or maybe it was black currant) hints to it.  The taste was just wonderful.  It was very smooth with light tannins and a full body.  The finish was a nice 30-45 seconds long that just hung around like a wonderful dessert that you don’t want to lose the flavor of.  Overall it was very good and a great red from the Rhone Valley.

Wine Tasting - Flavium Mencia Bierzo


Name: Vinos de Arganza Flavium Mencia Bierzo
Variety: Mencia
Region: Bierzo (NW corner of Castilla y Leon)
Country: Spain
Year: 2008
Price: $11.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Robert Park – 90 Points; this 2008  Flavium Premium Mencia spent 20 months in French and American oak.  Opulent, Rich and lengthy, it has the balance to drink well for 6-8 years but at the asking price most consumers will want to grab some for immediate gratification. Link to Review

My Review: Like most of you who are reading this, I had never heard of this region or this type of grape.  For me it was officially a chance to explore this wine to see what it is all about, and with a 90 point rating why not?  The smell on this wine had a slight spice with heavy hints of dark cherry.  It had a nice rich and deep dark color to it that made it very enjoyable before even getting to the taste!  The test was full bodied and only a slight hint of spice.  I really enjoyed this and even as I tasted it, it got better and better.  My boyfriend put it very well; “this is the less burley cousin of the Carmenere”.  But if you get a chance to drink some of this wine, DO IT, you will not be let down!

Wine Tasting - Guigal Cotes Du Rhone Blanc


Name: Guigal Cotes Du Rhone Blanc
Variety: Blend of 55% Viognier, 20% Roussane, 10% Clairette, 10% Marsanne, 5% Bourboulenc
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $15.95

Shop/wine critic/Winery Review: Robert Parker – 89 Points; Bursting with honeysuckle and tropical fruit characteristics, the 2011 Cotes Du Rhone Blanc offers terrific value.  It is meant to be consumed during its first several years of life. Link to Review

My Review: This white had a very nice warm gold color to it when it was first poured.  I was very intrigued by this because it is very unusual to get a white wine from the Rhone Valley since their conditions are suited very well for red grapes.  The smell had hints of floral tones to but smell nice and fruity like a blanc should.  The taste of this white was much sweeter than I thought it would be.  It was a nice sweet and not over powering that balanced nicely with the acidity that they left it with.  Overall, a very well crafted wine but you have to be in the mood for this slightly sweet wine.  Just a side note, I was looking up information on this wine and it is 13.5% alcohol and I give the wine makers credit because I didn’t taste it at all!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Wine Film Review - Blood Into Wine

                Hello to all my blog readers out there!  I wanted to pass on some knowledge to you about the wine FILM industry.  Yes, one exists despite what you may think.  There are actually a lot of movies about wine, whether it be a drama or a documentary, these movies are a great way to learn about wine.  The wine movie that I watched the other day was called Blood Into Wine.  If you have any interest in watching this movie or would just like to know what it is about, read on my friends for what follows this is my first every movie review.  (Disclaimer: I am not a professional at this so remember to take everything I say with a grain of salt.  Much appreciated)

                In this day and age, everyone who is anyone is trying to get into the wine business.  Some just want to get rich, others actually want to become a wine maker, while others just want to own one because they have enough money to.  Take for example Walt Disney’s granddaughter, she owns a winery in Napa Valley.  With that thought, why am I not surprised that a piercing and tattoo covered singer from the band Tool decided to start a vineyard?  Well I do give him credit he doesn’t look like he is going to be singing on stage at any point in this movie.  He has some very interesting t-shirts that he wears but that’s just getting nit-picky.  In the end, he is just a wine maker trying to make his own wine.
                This documentary starts off with a mock interview.  You see two guys sitting in chairs who have made a show called “Focus on Interesting Things”.  Well let’s just say you have to have a very good sense of humor to get this part.  Basically anytime you see their segment, which pops up randomly throughout the whole movie, they are interviewing Maynard and ragging on his wine.  They think wine is ‘disgusting’ and ‘tastes terrible’ and they pretty much hate on Maynard’s wine.  Why this is in there, I really have absolutely NO idea.  I didn’t find it funny or amusing.  But back to the movie…
                This movie tastes place in Arizona in the Verde Valley.  The closest town is Jerome, it used to be a ghost town until these vintners came out and took to the land.  While you might be saying, there is no water in Arizona, the conditions in this area are relatively close to what you would find in any sort of foothills.  Maynard’s vineyard, named Caduceus, is built into the side of the Black Hills in Arizona.  The documentary starts off by looking into Maynard’s past and trying to figure out what got him to this point.  They talk about why he wanted to get into wine and why he chose Arizona.  This is where you meet the co-conspirator of Maynard, Eric Glomski.  Eric’s past is actually in wine making and he spent years around the country learning how to grow and make wine.  When Maynard and Eric meet, they hit it off and learned that they shared this love of wine.  While Eric had never started his own vineyard, he decided that this would be a great opportunity to start it head first.  From there, the documentary talks about what goes into make this wine.  It talks about all the problems they have been having in this type of area, both climates and outside problems.  The documentary also goes to meet other vintners in the area and talks to them about what makes this valley special.  During this segment, the documentary does emphasis the spiritual settings of the Verde Valley.  You see and listen to many different spiritual leaders who talk about why the land is special and that these people are actually happy to see grapes being grown here.  As the movie progresses, it travels into the wine making area of the vineyard.  This is where Eric’s specialty comes in.  Eric then talks about what types of grapes they are growing and of course how they are making the wine.  You seem them fermenting the grapes, aging them in barrels and most interestingly, you get to watch them mix the wines.  During this time period, the makers of the documentary go and contact Jim Suckling from the Wine Spectator Magazine to come and do a tasting of Maynard and Eric’s wine.  Now I won’t spoil the ending (in case you want to watch this) but you see the three of them tasting the Arizona wines and I will just say that they all weren’t bad.  In between watching the wine process, you get to follow Eric and Maynard traveling through the southwest United States promoting their wine.  You watch as many die-hard Maynard fans come to get his bottle of wine signed just to see him up close.  It is an opportunity to watch as the face of wine drinks change from the rich and famous to just about anyone with the blink of an eye.  In the end, you watch as two men with a vision are starting to change the face of wine making.
                Obviously the focus of this movie should be on wine making, right?  Or should it be on Maynard?  Or should it focus on the Arizona wine industry?  Well this movie decides to try and cover all three questions, none very well.  The whole time I was watching this movie I could not determine what point the makers were trying to get across.  At first you thought they were going to glorify the Arizona wine industry, but they only had a few glimpses of that.  Then you thought they were going to talk all about Maynard, which they did but Maynard is SO boring on camera that if they had made the whole movie about him I would have gotten bored very quickly.  Then they touched, very lightly, on the wine making process that Eric does.  I understand that he probably wants to keep some information secret but there is barely a lick on how they make their wines.  I would say the best part of this movie was listening to the issues that they have faced growing in Arizona.  They faced issues with their water rights.  It took them a long time to convince the town to allow them to divert some water flow from the Verde River to their winery to water the plants.  Well once they got the plants to grow, they ran into a lot of issues faced by the species in the area.  They talk about how the bugs would get on the plants and get the fruit so they had to cover them in netting.  They said they woke up one day and half of their Sangiovese grapes disappear and they figured out that a pack of hogs had found their way in and eaten all the grapes!  And since they are just learning, they have had to replant their grape fields numerous times due to losing vines in the cold winters.  This is a perfect example of just how different it is to grow grapes in this area.
                There were two other parts of this movie that are worth mentioning.  First off, the soil around the Verde valley is very rocky and obviously very dry.  This has both good and back impacts on the grapes.  It gives them a more earth taste and the dryness can help the grapes to not get water logged or have to worry about mold.  What is very interesting of this landscape is that it is reminiscent of the landscape of vineyards in Italy.  I would say that is a pretty large complement despite the difference in climate.  The other interesting part is that documentary really goes in and is able to portray how much of winemaking is tied to the people involved.  You see that Maynard names the first wine they make after his mother, a woman that he idolizes.  You watch as all those involved give not only their money but their time and love into growing the grapes and selling this wine.  It is worth saying that this movie does a great job at showing how much wine making is a love and an art.
                Now let me focus on just the wine that is covered in this movie.  This movie was filmed mostly from the vineyards itself.  This could be out in the field, in the surrounding area or in the cellars.  You get to see them planting vines at the beginning of the season all the way through until they make the wine at the end of the year.  At Caduceus they grow Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay for white and for reds they grow Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sirah, Nebbiolo and I think both a Merlot and Tempranillo.  This is solely going off the wines on their website.  From a wine making point of view, you do see them ‘punching down the cap’ and bottling their own wine.  I thought it was very interesting to watch them bottle their own wine because normally most small vineyards will pay for someone else to do it.  Watching them bottle shows the commitment and the dedication they have to their winery.  They also show a private wine tasting where the main comment they make is that the wine very young.  This says to me says that they are making very full body and tannic reds from their grapes.  Now this previous statement may not make too much sense to some beginner wine drinkers, but if you take a class on wine you will learn that the best way to age a wine is to make it fuller and increase the tannins in it.  This is a simple cause and effect relationship.  The movie also gives some insight into how Eric is making this wine.  You actually get to see him and a few others mixing different types of wine together to get a blend.  It is interesting to actually see it on camera because wine is not just thrown together but it is a science to getting it right.  You see him doing calculations and trying to get the exact concentrations of wine.  While I love blended wine, it was very cool to watch a vintner do it on camera.  Finally, if I didn’t know how important smell was to wine you might miss a very interesting comment Eric makes.  He talks about how in just the past 10 years his nose has gotten so sensitive to smells that it’s actually hard for him to be in public places sometimes.  His nose has been trained to pick up smells that are so faint that even the person wearing it might miss it.  He talks about if someone washed their hair that morning with a certain shampoo, he could smell it on them.  If they had a faint perfume on he could tell when they walked in the room.  These simple comments just show to me how important the nose is to wine tasting.  While this movie had a tendency to be all over the place, there were some true wine facts to gather from it.
                
                Now here comes the very opinionated paragraph, my personal review.  For me to be honest, I did not enjoy watching this movie.  It bothered me that the whole time I was guessing where it was going to go next.  I wasn’t sure what the next scene was going to talk about.  I also did not get or like the humor that they put into this movie.  Maynard was so boring I was wondering how he ever became a stage performer.  Eric was very interesting but I would have enjoyed listening to him more than what they gave him.  Writing this review did bring up some interesting facts that they covered in the documentary but they were so few and far between that I suffered through the movie.  While the movie might have been moderate, it did not turn me off from watching to try some Arizona wine.  It did portray that industry in a good light and made me want to find some of their wine just to give it a shot.  Even if that is the best part of it, I would say that that was probably the best they could have gotten out of it.

                If you made it to this part, I hope you learned something from this review and I hope you were able to come to your own decision on whether or not to watch this movie.  To give credit where credit is due, here are some websites that I used for reference:
The actual winery:
Other movie synopsis:

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Making the Best out of Senior Year


Hello there to everyone who is following me or even just glancing at this page every once in a while!  I have been pretty darn adventurous in the last week.  This past Sunday I competed at a freestyle skiing competition up at Snowshoe, WV.  I actually managed to come in first place!!!  With that came a free pair of skis, goggles and $250 to now spend the proper way, ON WINE.   Then reality came hauling back.  I had three tests on Monday and Tuesday all of which went pretty bad but hopefully everyone else did just as badly so maybe I will feel better.  But Monday was my birthday so even though I couldn’t do anything it was an ok day?! 

I would like to tell you about a little experiment I did on Tuesday night (not on purpose actually).  So I was drinking this Beringer Riesling which I gave a pretty good review to.  Now I was snacking on some pretzels before I started drinking this and holy crap!  Did it taste like pure sugar water or what??  I was shocked and almost turned off the bottle of wine it was so sweet.  But me being a poor college kid, I went ahead and kept drinking. Well I had then walked away and started to eat some chocolate covered raisins.  I poured myself another glass and the wine did a complete 360.  It was dry with beautiful flavors coming out and it was shocking because now I loved the wine.  To me it was amazing that something as simple as that could make such a big different. Now I know how important food pairing is with wine!

Finally piece of information before I let you scroll down and see what I have tasted this week… I have a very burnt tongue that I used to taste the wine and so I can’t promise these reviews are going to be accurate to even my standards.  I made some wonderful homemade chicken noodle soup last night for my Honey who is sick as a dog.  And I was so excited to try it that my tongue got the worst of it!  Now the soup was fantastic but my tongue definitely doesn’t like me right now.

Now read on and just for your viewing pleasure only, I hope your wine rack looks like mine (I know you wish you had a ski rack) J


~R.V.