Tasting - "Santola Vinho Verde Loureiro And Pederna"

Name: Santola
Varietal: Vinho Verde Loureiro And PedernaRegion: Vinho Verde

Country: Portugal

Year: Non Vintage

Price: $8

Critic Review:

"Soft and creamy although with just the right vinho verde bite, this is a crisp and clean wine, boasting light pear and pink grapefruit flavors.  Off dry and very fresh."

My Review:

This wine smelled like grape juice and lemons. Strong citrus flavors were present in the taste of this wine. Its taste reminded me a little of Sprite. This wine also had a fizzy taste to it, yet it wasn't carbonated, which was an interesting attribute. I did not taste this wine with food. 

Tasting - "Terranoble Chardonnay"

Name: Terranoble
Varietal: ChardonnayRegion: Central Valley

Country: Chile

Year: 2014

Price: $9

Critic Review:

"This chardonnay offers a wine with an attractive color and lovely aromas, such as ripe pear and pineapple, mixed with butter and vanilla notes.  It is a fresh style of white wine, with medium persistence in mouth.  Ideal as an aperitif." 

My Review: 

This wine smelled of citrus flavors, such as oranges, and it also had a bit of a honey aroma to it as well. The wine tasted like oranges, or maybe a pineapple juice. I really enjoyed this wine. I did not taste this wine with food. 

Tasting - "Terranoble Cabernet Sauvignon"

Name:  Terranoble
Varietal: Cabernet SauvignonRegion: Central Valley

Country: Chile

Year: 2013

Price – $9

Critic Review:

"This cabernet sauvignon offers an intense and deep color and lovely aromas of red fruit, pepper, and tobacco.  It has smooth tannins, very freshness and rich fruit, which gives the wine a good balance. Pair with barbecued beef ribs, grilled sea bass, or spaghetti alla bolognese."

My Review:

This wine had a rich, dark red color. It smelled of plums and had a peppery, smokey aftertaste. This wine was slightly bitter. I did not taste this wine with food. 

Tasting - "Oasis Del Cuyo"

Name:  oasis del cuyo
Varietal:  malbecRegion: mendoza

Country: argentina

Year: non vintage

Price: $12

Critic Review:

"Deep ruby color.  appealing red fruit nose with hints of tobacco.  medium bodied with a smooth and lush mouth-feel.  finishes with lasting flavors.  excellent choice for a young and fruity everyday wine.  enjoy as an aperitif or with meats and pasta dishes."

My Review:

This wine had a dark, rich red color. It smelled strongly of pepper with a hint of a prosciutto smell. It had a very earthy taste with tobacco flavors. I did not taste this wine with food. 

Tasting - "Gelisi Antonio"

Name: Gelisi Antonio
Varietal: Sangue Di Guida
Region: Sangue

Country: Italy

Year: 2015

Price: $13

Critic Review:

"A blend of 60% croatina, 30% barbera, and 10% uva rarathe wine shows candied black raspberry and plum fruit mixes with balsamic and coca powder accents in this frizzante red, with light tannins, a creamy mousse, and enough acidity for balance."

My Review: 

This wine had a very sweet smell resembling grape juice and strawberry flavors. It tasted exactly like strawberries and had a bubbly tang to it. Its taste reminded me a bit of concentrated strawberry jelly, and was way too sugary for my liking. I did not taste this wine with food. 

Wine and Cheese Pairing

  

Today my friend Samantha and I visited WhiteBarrel Winery in Christiansburg. Before we started the pairing, we tasted several wines so that we could order wines that we hadn't tried before and ones that we enjoyed. We tried five wines: Chardonnay, Bin 127, Bin 997, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. I did not enjoy the Cabernet Franc at all because it had a very strong, displeasing peppery spice to it, and left a lingering taste of tobacco in my mouth. The three wines I chose for this pairing were the Chardonnay, Bin 127 and  Bin 997.

Notes on the Wines:
Chardonnay
This chardonnay was incredibly refreshing, and my favorite wine that we tasted. I tasted vanilla and crisp pear and melon flavors. This wine was the perfect balance of sweet and bitter.

Bin 127
This wine tasted and smelled strongly of mangos. It had an orange coloring to it and was very sweet, but not overwhelmingly sweet to the palette.

Bin 997
This wine tasted of raspberries and strawberries. My friend Samantha insisted that I try this because it is her favorite wine at this vineyard, I really enjoyed the sweet, fruity qualities of this wine.

The Pairing:
I ordered a plate of cheese, meats and bruschetta while we were here. The local cheeses were called: Mountaineer, Appalachia and Grayson. The mountaineer cheese tasted similiar to cheddar, the Appalachia cheese reminded me of a brie taste and the Grayson tasted like a colby cheese.

I definitely noticed that when tasting the wine with any cheese, it made the wine have a moldier taste. The Appalachia cheese brought out a peppery taste in the chardonnay that I had not tasted before the pairing. The sweeter wines, Bin 127 and Bin 997, were not as sweet when paired with with the the Appalachia cheese. The Mountaineer definitely complimented every wine, I felt as if it heightened the crispness of each wines. Lastly the Grayson clashed with Bin 997, leaving a strange, lingering earthy taste in my mouth. The pairing was a really interesting experience because I had no idea that cheese could change the flavors of wine. It was definitely a great, sunny day to experience a wine pairing at WhiteBarrel!

Tasting - "Manoir du Carra Beaujolais Nouveau Gamay"

Name - Manoir du Carra Beaujolais Nouveau Gamay 2014
Variety - Beaujolais Nouveau
Region - Beaujolais
Country - France
Year - 2014
Price - $12.00, Sale - $4.95

Wine Store Review - Vintage Cellar
"A pretty, floral wine, with a rose petal note underscoring the rich pomegranate and sweet plum flavors. The fresh acidity is balanced, and a light spice note lingers on the finish."

My Review:
This wine smelled of plums and blackberries. It had a bit of a peppery kick in the aftertaste. I tasted a strong presence of blackberries. I did not particularly enjoy the dryness and flavors in this wine. I did not taste this wine with food.