First Wine Tasting

Convincing my friends to go try free wine was not difficult to do. We piled in the car and arrived at the Vintage Cellar where they were eager to serve us a few wines. 

Name: Domaine Massiac

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Minervois

Country: France

Year: 2011

Price: $13.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Viticulture in the Languedoc is often characterized by over cropping and concomitant dilute wines with little or no character, varietal or otherwise. Such is not the case with the superb Sauvignon Blanc that renders a rich varietal character in combination with a sense of place that can only be described as "south of France." The wine is perfect on its own as an aperitif or for seafood or shellfish dishes of any kind be they appetizer or main course, sure to please. 

My Review: I found this Sauvignon Blanc to be very dry and acidic. I enjoyed it but I found the taste difficult to describe. I can see how it'd be good as an aperitif.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Name: Badia Corti

Variety: Classico Abboccato

Region: Umbria

Country: Italy

Year: 2011

Price: $9.95

Vintage Cellar Review: The "abboccato" in the name means the wine is just off-dry, of about the same sweetness as the Vouvray we featured recently. But the Italian word "abbocare" mean "to bite," so we've also go a a nice bright crispness on the finish. The grape here is principally Trebbiano, Italy's most widely planted (and sometimes uninteresting) white grape. Here it is enriched with Malvasia Blanca, giving it a luscious fruit and flowers redolence that makes it most refreshing.

My Review: This tasted similar to the Sauvignon Blanc we tried first, but a bit fruitier. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's sweeter though. I still was not able to tell what flavors are incorporated but I would drink this wine again.

I tasted this on its own with no food. 

Name: Dom Chene

Variety: Chardonnay 

Region: Macon Villages

Country: France

Year: 2011

Price: $14.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Richly textured, wine delivering broad orchard fruit and peach skin flavors supported by vibrant lime acidity and stony mineral notes. This is a ripe, rich, wine that's very seductive from the first but with fantastic vibrancy on the finish and lingering flavors of yellow apple and limestone. A fine young Burgandy that will delight fans of New World unwooded Chardonnay, too!

My Review: I would describe this wine as acidic and fruity. After I read the store's review, I started to taste the peach though that may have been only because I read it. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Name: Dom de Mirail

Variety: Cab/Merlot Rose

Region: Gascony

Country: France

Year: 2011

Price: $5.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Wow, that's some Rose! There is a fresh, crisp character to this light rose. It is eye-watering in its refreshing character, with balancing acidity, smoothing out the edges with a touch of caramel. 

My Review: This one was my favorite! I am still finding it difficult to assign words to the taste but it was fruity and sweeter than they others. My friends said they could taste the caramel that the store review mentioned. I bought a bottle so I'm looking forward to trying it again!

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Name: Chateau Massiac

Variety: 75% Syrah and 25% Carignan 
Region: Minervois

Country: France

Year: 2008

Price: $17.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Chateau Massiac's red wine is a blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Carignan. The vines are grown in rocky clay-limestone soil, a geologic composition common to the estate. It is dark in color and rich when young, with dominant flavors of blackcurrant. These primary fruit aromas give way to herb/garrigue characteristics as the wine opens

My Review: I loved the smell of this wine. The taste was well balanced and I really enjoyed it. This is definitely something I would try again. 

I tasted this on its own with no food. 

Pre-Class Reflection

I believe I pretend to know more about wine than I actually do. Throughout this post, please remember that there is a high chance of inaccuracy and that I don't actually know what I'm talking about.

I remember the first time I tried red wine: I was 15, thought it was gross, put ice in it, and chugged it. In my defense, I was in Puerto Rico and the wine was hot, not room temperature. Coincidentally, this happens to be the same day I decided I hate red wine.

I've grown up a lot since then. When it's time to make a decision, I usually go with sauvignon blanc (which I spelt correctly the first time, so that's something) since it's on the drier side, but I like most whites. This may or may not be because I don't know enough about them to smell and taste all the flavors correctly. Although I prefer white wine, I've also explored some reds. I attribute this mostly to my love of food and my attempt to pair wine with it at restaurants. Red with red meat, white with chicken and fish, right? That's the extent of my knowledge about food and wine pairing. This aspect of the class is something I'm really looking forward to. I also hope to learn a bit about how to cook with wine.

Although I've never been wine tasting in the states, I've done a few tastings in New Zealand and I tried a few wines during my visits in France and Spain. Looking back, I wasn't able to describe the wine more than using the adjectives good, bad, dry, sweet, or fruity. I hope this changes after this semester so I can appreciate wine in a more sophisticated way.