Tasting - Weinkeller Erbach Flonheimer Adelberg Silvaner

Name: Weinkeller Erbarch Flonheimer Adelberg Silvaner
Variety: 100% Silvaner
Region: Rheinhessen
Country: Germany
Year: 2010
Price: $18

Winery Review: “The fruity, mouthwatering wine has a nice acidity-sugar balance and comes from the so called 'Rheinhessen-Switzerland', the heartland of Rheinhessen. It has a floral bouquet and is full of lemon zest, hint of passion fruit, and smells like yellow fruit, lemon-grass and green tea, all wrapped around a pleasant creaminess and a semi-dry profile. The finish is zippy and refreshing. Perfect for party on the deck as it comes in a liter bottle!”

My Review: I enjoyed this wine very much. The initial smell was very flowery and fruity. After tasting, the flavor was similar to Champagne, very light and fruity. There was hints of pear and lemon throughout and it finished very light. 

I did not have this wine with food. 

Tasting - Montebuena Rioja

Name: Montebuena Rioja
Variety: 100% Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95

Winery Review: "(100% Tempranillo, raised entirely in American oak): Vivid ruby. 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." - 90

My Review: This wine was lighter than the Cotes du Rhone but it had a very woody flavor. The tannins came through at the finish and was very dry. It was also still to bitter for my taste and I did not get that sweet finish that the winery review describes. 

I did not have this wine with food. 

Tasting - Delaroche Cotes du Rhone

Name:  Delaroche Cotes du Rhone
Variety: 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95


Winery Review: "This semi-opaque ruby, custom cuvée of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre is made specifically for Fran Kysela. It exhibits very fresh, ripe dark red fruit with very good palate weight and depth and ends with rich fruit notes. Made from organically grown grapes. Incredible value!" - 90

My Review: This wine had a very tart smell and had some heat in the flavor. It was very mild for a red wine, however it was bit too dry and bitter for my taste. It was better than expected but the red fruit flavor did not come out as much as I would have liked.

I did not have this wine with food.

Tasting - Maipe Torrontes

Name: Maipe Torrontes
Variety: 100% Torrentes
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2013
Price: $7.95

Winery Review: Spring-like nose of fresh white peaches, pears, green apple, green melon and hints of jasmine and rose petals. On the palate, it has a beautiful structure and acidity along with fruit flavors and plenty of body.  Well balanced, this wine displays a pleasant freshness with citrus notes and a long finish. Best enjoyed in its youth either by itself, or as a wonderful partner with smoked meats, mild to medium-strong cheeses, seafood and a great partner for spicy food as well.

My Review: This wine had a very pungent flower smell, it smelled like a floral shop. This wine had hints of pear in the flavor and had a more acidic finish than the Pinot Grigio. It was also much drier than the Pinot Grigio which I did not like. 

I did not have this wine with food.  

Tasting - Cortenova Pinot Grigio 2012

Name: Cortenova Pinot Grigio
Variety: 100% Pinot Grigio
Region: Venezie
Country: Italy 
Year: 2012
Price: $7.95

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 finish. Pairs well with seafood dishes, risottos with scampi,spaghetti with clams, sole in white wine. Perfect also as an aperitif.

My Review: This wine had a fairly flowery smell. It was a very light wine which I enjoyed and had a warm finish. Despite being a dry wine, I did not find this wine to be too dry and there were nice flavors of pear and apple.  

I did not have this wine with food. 

Tasting - Trentadue Old Patch Red

I forgot to take a picture of the bottle.

 Name: Trentadue Old Patch Red Lot 36
Variety: 85% Zinfandel and 15% Petite Sirah
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2011
Price: $13.95

Winery Review: This field-style blend of Petite Sirah and Zinfandel is super-jammy, with jellied flavors of raspberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries and loganberries. It's a fun, fairly complicated wine that finishes dry and tannic. - 86

My Review: I did not find this wine to be as jammy as described. There were hints of berry flavors but were overpowered by the bitter aftertaste. It also had a warm texture to it that I did not enjoy. It does however, finish dry.

I did not have this wine with food.

Tasting - Domaine de La Guicharde Cotes du Rhone

I forgot to take a picture of the bottle
at the tasting. The wine sampled was a 2011
Cotes Du Rhone. 

Name: Domaine de la Guicharde Cotes du Rhone
Variety: 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah
Region: Rhone
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $14.95

Winery Review: Very bright and exuberant, offering lots of violet, anise and blackberry aromas and flavors, with a good lacing of firm cherry pit keeping this honest through the finish. - 88

My Review: I found this wine very bitter. I did not get the blackberry taste but there was some hint of cherry throughout. This white wine was heavier than expected and not as smooth.

Tasting - Foris Gewurztraminer

I forgot to take a picture of the bottle at the tasting.
The 2012 version was tasted. 

Name: Foris Gewurztraminer
Variety: 100% Gewurztraminer
Region: Rogue Valley, Oregon
Country: United States
Year: 2012
Price: 14.95

Winery Review: Labeled dry and tasting very much so, this clean, floral-scented Gewurztraminer has a pleasingly dusty aspect; rose petals with a thin veneer of incense. Long and Complex. - 90

My Review: The critic review was fairly accurate. It had a very flower smell to it with a light grass smell as well. The flavor was similar to the smell and had a rosy flavor. It was very dry and had a somewhat acidic aftertaste.

I did not have this wine with food.

Tasting - GR-174 Casa Gran del Siurana

I forgot to take a picture of the bottle at the tasting. 

Name: GR-174 Casa Gran Del Siurana
Variety: Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Priorat
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $17.95

Winery Review: The 2011 GR-174 was tasted from barrel and was due for bottling the following week. It has a more extravagant bouquet than the 2010 with kirsch, blood orange and blueberry. The palate is full-bodied with a sweet entry. It is very extravagant with precocious red fruits and a smudge of alcohol towards the finish. It is a bit of a hedonist, but one that comes at a decent price. Drink now. - 89

My Review: This wine was a lot lighter than I was expecting. I was expecting a heavy bitterness and dry finish but the wine was surprisingly smooth. There were also hints of berry flavor such as raspberry. Normally red wines are too heavy for my taste but this red was smoother and lighter than expected.

I did not have this wine with food.

Tasting - Babich Sauvignon Blanc

I forgot to take a picture of the bottle at the tasting.

Name: Babich Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2012
Price: $14.95

Winery Review: A juicy white, with bright acidity and lean lemon, lime and green apple flavors. A note of fresh thyme graces the finish. Drink now.

My Review: This wine had a very light, fruity taste. Apple was a prominent taste in this wine. Very smooth wine with not much of a bitter taste.

I tasted this on its own without food. 

My Wine Experience

Up until this point, I have not had too much experience with drinking wine. I have only had wine a few times and mostly with meals. Drinking the wine with food helped the wine taste better than it did on its own.  I have also had wine on its own a few times and did not enjoy it as much. To me, it seemed like the wine was strong when I drank it without food.

From the wines I have tried, I do not like heavy wines that have a high alcohol percentage. I prefer the lighter wines that have more of a fruit taste in them.  Since I have not tried a large variety of wines, it is hard to say whether I prefer red or white wine, but from those I have tried, I prefer the whites due to the lighter taste.

There are a few things that I would like to learn in this class. The first is to gain knowledge into the different types of wines so that I can recognize different wines that I see and have an idea of the taste I should expect. This will help me to determine whether or not I might like a particular wine. The second is to hopefully acquire a  taste for wine since I have never really liked wine before. The third would be to learn about pairing food and wine. Lastly, I want to learn more about wine so that if I am out traveling and am offered wine, I will be able to decide what would be best for me.