Tasting- Cline’s Viognier

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• Name : Cline’s Viognier

• Variety: Vioginer

• Region: Sonoma California 

• Country: US

• Year: 2020

• Price: $12

According to cheapwineratigs.com “Peach aromas are the first thing to strike me on the nose of this wine. It also offers grapefruit, pineapple and floral fragrances. The palate brings juicy peach, lemon and pineapple flavors with enough acidity to give it brightness and a creamy mouthfeel. The finish is fairly long, with lingering peach flavors and a touch of salinity.”

Off the bat this wine was bursting with a floral and honeydew melon scent. According to page 186 of Wine Folly, this wine has rose scents, which I definitely smell. This wine is a bit tangy with a honey taste and creamy finish. Page 186 of Wine Folly also says this wine has honeysuckle flavors which are definitely prominent in this wine, it also says this variety has peach and mango flavors that are not quite as obvious in this wine. This wine also has flavors of tangerine which add to the acidic component of the wine 

Overall this was okay. I tried it because I really liked Vinho Verde, and it definitely was not as tart as a Vinho. It reminded me more of a chardonnay due to its creaminess but I liked how it was okay, like the California chardonnay I tried. I really enjoyed the acidic components of the wine and would like to try it again. 

did not try this wine with food.

Tasting- Casal Garcia's Vinho Verde

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• Name: Casal  Garcia 

• Variety: Trajadura, Loureiro, Pedernã and Azal 

• Region: Vinho Verde

• Country: Portugal 

• Year: non-vintage 

• Price: $8

According to winelibrary.com “Sweet is the name and sweet the taste of this soft wine. However, the crisp acidity typical of Vinho Verde gives the wine a lift. A fine aperitif wine, it's ready to drink now.”

This wine had a floral scent with hints of melon and honey. However, upon tasting it was bursting with acidic lemon-lime flavors that would sting your tongue. It had a bit of a bite to it but went down smoothly. This wine was definitely tart, but not unpleasant. It was light, refreshing and crisp, and absolutely delightful. I agree with the review, that the acidity of the wine certainly balanced the sweetness, making it enjoyable.

Overall, I loved this wine! I have been dying to try a Vinho Verde since I really liked the tart, acidic wines, and this wine did not disappoint. Though it was a sweeter wine the acids make it very enjoyable. According to page 184 of Wine Folly, Vinho Verde contains lemonade flavors, which might be why I enjoyed it so much. I especially loved how the wine was filled with tart lemon lime flavors, but was still very smoother and not super tart. I would definitely purchase this wine again. 

I did not try this wine with food.  

Tasting- Ivory Mist

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• Name: Ivory Mist 

• Variety: Cayuga

• Region Tennessee 

• Country: US 

• Year: 2019

• Price: 18

 

According to the winery’s website, Grinderswitch.com this is

“An off-dry white wine from the Cayuga grape. It's light, refreshing and oh so easy

to drink. We call this our "champagne without the bubbles" and

it's something your book club is gonna love.”

This is a semi sweet wine with subtle apple aromas. It contains crisp and flora notes with a splash of honey. This is a medium bodied, refreshing wine with mild acids. This contains soft pineapple and apple flavors. Like the winery says, I agree that this is a light and refreshing wine. However, I don't think it tastes much like champagne, I think champagnes are drier. According to page 94 of Wine Folly champagnes are creamy and have apple flavors, which this wine certainly has. 

Overall this is a good wine. I personally prefer a less creamy and more acidic white wine, but despite this, it is still refreshing and light. I would not repurchase because I do not think it is worth the price, but I do not regret buying this wine. All in all it was interesting getting to try a cayuga varietal and it was pretty good!

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting- Barefoot Pinto Grigio

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Name: Barefoot Pinot Grigio

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region: California 

Country: US

Year: Non-vintage 

Price: $10

According to Drizzly.com this is a light-bodied wine with a bright finish. It contains floral and citrus aromas and tart green apple flavors with a hint of white peach.

This has been a favorite of mine for a while, mostly because a magnum is only $10! I have also appreciated the green apple and citrus flavors of the wine that makes it rather acidic tasting.Unlike, Drizzly.com I don't really taste the white peach but I can detect the floral flavors, adding to some of the sweetness in the wine.  According to page 149 in Wine Folly, this wine contains lemon zest flavors, which is especially permanent in this wine, as well as raw almond and crushed gravel taste, which I do not taste here.  

Overall, this is a good wine! It is a refreshing, light bodied wine that cheap and enjoyable! I really appreciate the acidic flavors and tartness this wine has to offer, without being too sour. I also love how this wine is bursting with fruity aromas, mostly pears. I love the crisp flavors this wine has to offer, making it a great drink to have after a stressful day!

I did not try this wine with food.

Wine Dinner 2

Up First was A 2020 California Chardonnay paired with a caesar salad. Like most California Chardonnays this was oaky, creamy, and buttery. It had a harsh aftertaste and was not enjoyable by any means. This wine had baked apple aromas along with hints of pineapples, but the flavors were completely oaky, drowning out any pleasant fruit within the wine. This wine was not an ideal pairing for creamy caesar salad, since any richness or creaminess the salad had to offer was diluted by the overbearing wine. When salad was followed by the wine, the creamy dressing and crisp lettuce the flavors were diminished by the wine’s intense creaminess and oak flavors. Overall this was not a good pairing, though it could be because I disliked the wine so much. 

Name: Robert Mondavi Private Selection

Variety:  Chardonnay 

Region: Napa Valley

Country:  US

Year: 2020

Price: $10

Our next course was spaghetti meatballs and chanti. This 2020 Chianti was filled with plum and cherry aromas and tasted just as good as it smelled. This was a light bodied red with mild tannins, low acids, and delicious plum flavors with a hint of cherries. Neither the wine nor the spaghetti and meatballs overpowered each other. The food actually brought out some of the wine’s more fruity flavors. The mild tannins, in the wine, made the food textures and flavors more prominent, like the sweet flavors of the tomato in the pasta sauce. The wine also had hints of pepper which perfectly complemented the mild spices in the sauce. Neither the wine or the dish was too sweet or rich for each other, and together they made for a great meal!

Name: DaVinci 2020 Chianti

Variety:  Sangiovese

Region: Tuscany

Country: Italy 

Year: 2020

Price: $12

Last but not least was another great pairing, of Zinfandel and chocolate covered strawberries! This Zinfandel was bursting with sweet berry aromas such as raspberry. This medium bodied wine was filled with sweet berries, like raspberry and cherry, as well as medium tannins. Alongside the chocolate covered strawberries, this wine only became sweeter and its complexities shined through. Believe it or not, neither of these dishes were too sweet for each other. The richness of the chocolate and the lightness of the strawberries matched this rich, sweet Zinfandel. The tannins in this wine were medium to mild and only enhanced the flavors of the dessert by making the sweet berries seem more juicy and refreshing. Overall this was a great pairing and a great way to end our wine dinner!

Name: 7 Deadly Zins

Variety:  Zinfandel

Region: California 

Country:  US

Year: 2018

Price: $11

Wine and Cheese Pairing

Over spring break my friends and I had a private wine and cheese pairing at Grinder’s Switch Winery in Nashville Tennessee! While there we tried 8 different wines paired with cheese, fruits, and chocolate.

Up first was a 2019 Tennessee ​​Chambourcin paired with pepper Romano cheese. This wine is a dry, smooth, and medium bodied red wine that had plum smells and a hint of vanilla. Upon tasting, the wine was tart and acidic with a plum taste and hints of vanilla. This complemented the salty pepper Romano cheese very nicely. The tartness of the wine balanced out the very salty cheese that was almost too salty to eat alone! Neither the saltiness of the cheese nor the tartness of the wine overpowered each other.  Overall I thought this pairing was great and enjoyed the wine alone. The mild sweetness and tannins make this red wine very enjoyed with or without cheese.

 

Next was a 2020 Vidal Blanc paired with Brie. This wine had a strong citrus aroma filled with grapefruit and tangerine smells. This was a very crisp wine with medium acids and refreshing, orange citrus flavors. This wine with a creamy and fatty Brie cheese made for a nice pairing. Since the wine was refreshing and had mild flavors it did not overpower the brie, and the brie did not overpower the wine. The crispness of the wine lessened some of the fatness of the cheese, and cut some of the creaminess of the brie. While some might not like this, I enjoyed how the wine made the cheese seem lighter and not as rich.

Last but not least was a 2021 Strawberry Rose blend of Chardonnay and concord paired with colby cheese. This had an extremely strong strawberry scent and tasted just like strawberry jelly. It was my least favorite of the wines we tried, since it was just too sweet to finish a glass. Thankfully the buttery colby cheese helped cut some of the sweetness of the wine. However any sweetness in the colby cheese was drowned out by the sweetness of the wine, not allowing us to fully taste all the flavors of the cheese.

Overall this has been one of my favorite experiences! The women who led the tour turned out to be really fun and enjoyed hearing about the class we were taking. She explained her inspirations behind each pairing and a little bit about the climate for grape growing in Nashville. One thing I found interesting was that Tennessee wines are similar to Portuguese wines since they have similar climates. This was a great way to talk about wine with experts and share my new knowledge with my friends!