Angove Zibibbo Sparkling Moscato

Name: Angove Zibibbo Sparkling Moscato
Variety: 100% Muscat

Region: South Australia

Country: Australia

Year: N/A

Price: Regular Price -- $15, Sale Price -- $7.95

Winery Review:  This is a tasty and generous Moscato that opens with plush aromas of honey, peach syrup, white flower and fragrant exotic fruit. There's a nice sensation of fullness and creaminess in the mouth tha tis backed by the foamy efferves scene of this sparkling dessert wine.
My review: The smell of the wine was fruity and sweet. The wine tasted like honey and was extremely soft/creamy, which made it a refreshing and enjoyable wine. I, also, liked that the taste was vibrant but not too overwhelming for my taste buds. This was my favorite wine! 

Food Pairing: None

Fetzer Malbec

Name: Fetzer Malbec

Variety: 100% Malbec

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina 

Year: 2011

Price: Regular Price -- $15, Sale Price -- $7.95

Winery Review: "Delicious Malbec is 100% from Mendoza, Argentina. It has a vibrant red color with violet tones. Subtle and delicious aromas with an intense mixture of red fruits, plum and cherry jam. On the palate it’s juicy and has intense wood-like tannins that make it a rustic, yet versatile wine. Long finish." 

 My review: I am going to start off by saying that I didn't enjoy this wine. It has a strong smell to it centering around raspberry and blackberry, which made me think I was really going to like it. However, the taste was very strong and the flavor hit my tongue instantly. The flavor was a little too much for me and I didn't enjoy the combination of cherry and blackberry taste that I got. Also, the taste lingered and I didn't enjoy that either.
Food Pairing: None

Tres Ojos Garnacha

Name: Tres Ojos Garnacha 

Variety: 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre 

Region: Calatayud

Country: Spain 

Year: 2011

Price: $6.95

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!"
My review: The wine smelt like grapes, blackberries, and cherries. The wine tasted like many of the fruits I had smelled and was very flavorful. It, also, tasted a little bitter and the taste lingered. I liked the wine and thought it had an interesting taste for a red wine.

Food Pairing: None

The Royal Old Vines Chenin Blanc

Name: The Royal Old Vines Chenin Blanc 

Variety: 100% Chenin Blanc

Region: Western Cape

Country: South Africa 

Year: 2012

Price: $7.95

Winery Review: "One of the greatest buys I have tasted this year is this under $10, 100% Chenin Blanc from the Western Cape. A super flowery-scented nose includes notions of ripe honeydew melons and pears. This medium-weight, fresh, fruity, crisp, dry, textbook Chenin Blanc will provide immense pleasure over the next 12 months."
My review: This wine had a sweeter smell than taste. The wine smelt of fruit, specifically honeydew, and what I believe to be lavender. The taste of the wine was smooth and not overwhelming, but also not as sweet as I thought it was going to be.
Food Pairing: None

Norton Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Norton Sauvignon Blanc 

Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina 

Year: 2012

Price: Regular -- $12, sale -- $5.95

Winery Review: "Aromas of pithy citrus and pineapple are decent but unrefined, while flavors of tangerine and pineapple are tropical, zesty and what they are. This is nothing more than a fresh, simple, citrusy white to sip on the patio."
My review: The wine had a light smell centering around a citrus scent. The wine tasted like tropical fruits, such as pineapple and melon. I liked this wine a lot specifically because it had a light refreshing taste. There was not very much of an after taste for this wine. Overall, I really liked this wine.

Food Pairing: None

Weinkeller Erbach Flonheimer Adelberg Sylvaner

 

Name: Weinkeller Erbach Flonheimer Adelberg Sylvaner

Variety: Sylvaner

Region: Rheinhessen

Country: Germany 

Year: 2010

Price: $4.95

Winery Review: " The fruity, mouthwatering wine has a nice acidity-sugar balance and comes from the so called 'Rheinhessen-Switerland', 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: Wine had a citrus and floral smell, which was very appealing to me. When I tasted the wine I was not disappointed. This wine had a nice taste of lemons and other citrus fruits as well as good sweet after taste. This was my favorite wine and I really enjoyed the overall taste.
Food Pairing: None

Delaroch Cotes du Rhone

 

Name: Delaroche Cotes du Rhone

Variety: 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre

Region: Rhone Valley, France

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!"

- I-WineReview (December 2013), 90 pts.

My review: The wine smelled of a floral/fruity scent and a hint of pepper. After tasting the wine, it was very smooth and I could taste the pepper very clearly. The wine left an after taste of blueberries. For a red wine, I did enjoy the taste of the blueberries, but overall I didn't really like it.  I would not purchase this wine. 

Food Pairing: None

Montebuena Rioja

 

Name: Montebuena Rioja

Variety: 100% Tempranillo

Region: Rioja, Spain

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."

- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (September 2012), 90 pts

My review: The smell of the wine centered around strong oak/peppery smell with a slight hint of berries. Although, I couldn't determine what type of berries, however after tasting the wine, I concluded that what I was smelling and tasting was blackberries. This was probably my least favorite wine because I didn't enjoy the spicy taste. It was too strong and powerful for my liking. 

Food Pairing: None

Maipe Torrontes

Name: Maipe Torrontes

Variety: 100% Torrontes

Region: Mendoza, Argentina

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: The wine provided smells of fruit, such as pears and apples. From all of the sweet smells I had taken in, I was thinking the taste of the wine would be the same. I was clearly mistaken. The wine, while it did have a fruit taste, was also dry and I think that made it taste less appealing to me. 
Food pairing: None

Cortenova Pinto Grigio

Name: Cortenova Pinot Grigio

Variety: 100% Pinto Grigio

Region: Venezie, Italy

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: After swirling the wine around, the wine smelt extremely fruity and I couldn’t figure out what fruit I smelled. After tasting the wine, I realized I smelt and tasted apples. I know the sheets states the wine has hints of pears, apricots, and bananas, but for some reason all I tasted was apples. The wine was smooth and I did enjoy the taste. However, it was not my favorite.
Food Pairing: None 

My experience with wine

For me, personally, I have never been every much of a wine drinker. Most of the settings that I have had wine have been either been at dinner with my friends or at holiday parties with my family. During these times, I have tasted various wines but have never tasted anything great or worth remembering. Also, wine has never been a beverage I actively sought out to drink. But I am finding, as I get older, I want to not only drink wine but also know which wines I prefer. However, every time I go out, I tend to avoid wine because I don’t know any of the wines provided or their taste. I realize that the only way to learn about my favorite and least favorite wines would be to taste them. But out of fear and nervousness of picking the wrong wine, I just choose to avoid the situation as whole.

Therefore, one of the main reasons I took this class was to discover the wines that I dislike and like. Whenever my friends and I go to dinner, everyone knows which wines they like and which ones are their favorite and least favorite. I have no idea which wines I truly prefer. It would be nice to be able to go to dinner and have a stronger understanding of the wines and which ones I would prefer. Also, I think it would interesting to learn about wines from their origins, to the grapes used, to the food that goes good with them.

While I stated earlier I don’t have wine often, I have had wine. The majority of wines that I have tasted have been white wine. I have not really enjoyed any of the red wines I have tasted, which would be all of three. I am not positive why I lean towards white over red, but whenever I do get wine its always white. My mother drinks mostly white as well and tends to stay away from red. So maybe her experiences with wine have influenced my choices with wine. I, also, know that I tend to like sweeter and fruitier wines, usually the dessert wines. But as I stated before I don’t drink wine very often so I find that I don’t truly have a strong understand of what I fully like and dislike. Hopefully, this class will provide me with a better understanding and more confidence when I order wine.