Beringer Main & Vine White Zinfandel

 Name: Beringer Main & Vine White Zinfandel

Variety: Zinfandel

Region: Sonoma, CA

Country: USA

Year: 2022

Price: $9.48

Wine review: “Overall, this wine makes for a good summer sipper.  It definitely needs to be served chilled and you’ll find that recommendation on the bottle.  The relatively lower alcohol content also makes it a better sipper.  Pair this with a cookout on the grill and beach volleyball!  A good starter wine for a younger legal aged wine consumer.”

Wine Folly: It has a high alcohol content. It is ideal with spicy foods to bring out the cinnamon of the wine. It tastes like blackberry, strawberry, peach, cinnamon, sweet tobacco (pg. 636).

My Review: We forgot to refrigerate it ahead of time, so tried it room temperature. It has a dark, pink color.  As my friend would say, “It looks like watered down blood.”  It smells like cinnamon, apple, berries, possibly a lighter one like raspberry or strawberry. It tastes mostly of berry. The strawberry is prominent with some raspberry. It has slight cinnamon at end. It is high alcohol but nicely balanced we really liked this one. It was very enjoyable. I would give it a 7/10.

Beringer Main & Vine Red Moscato

Name: Beringer Main & Vine Red Moscato 

Variety: Muscat/Muscadine, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah

Region: Sonoma, California

Country: USA

Year: 2022

Price: $12.99

Wine review: This innovative blend from Beringer is the perfect harmony of Moscato, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. It brings together the vivid aromas and flavors of the Moscato grape with the classic red berry characteristics of Zinfandel and ripe black cherry flavors of Petite Sirah.

Wine Folly: A red zinfandel has hints of blackberry, strawberry, peach, cinnamon, and sweet tobacco (pg. 636). Muscat of Alexandria tastes like mandarin orange, honey, lychee, peach skin, white flowers (pg. 313).  Petite Sirah tastes like sugar plum, blueberry, dark chocolate, black pepper, and black tea. It has high alcohol, body, and tannin (page 338).

My Review: A very light red and has a similar coloring to the White Zinfandel we drank on the same night.It smells like plum, dark chocolate, blackberry, honey, and peach. I get the blackberry the most with honey for sweetness. It also smells like a little bit of black tea for bitterness. It tastes mainly like blackberry. It also has hints of honey and black tea, which gives bitterness. It has taste of a red but the body of a white. It is good, not my favorite thing I have ever drank, but would rate it a 6/10.

Drink This Now: Lesson 4

    This past weekend my friends and I decided to do a second Drink This Now lesson.  We were comparing an unoaked and an oaked Chardonnay.  When I think of a white wine my mind always goes to Chardonnay because it is what my mom always drinks, so I was excited to do this lesson.

    The first thing we did was get an unoaked and oaked Chardonnay.  We could not find the specific wines, so we talked to Dennis at ghetto Kroger and he offered us a few cheap wines.  Our oaked Chardonnay came from a box called Bota Mini Chardonnay.  The unoaked Chardonnay was Mer Soleil Chardonnay.  Below is the information and pictures of the wine bottles.

OAKED CHARDONNAY

Name: Bota Mini Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Manteca, CA

Country: USA

Year: Unknown

Price: $4.49

Wine review: Bota's creamy Chardonnay is characterized by aromatics of toasty oak and tropical fruit, yielding to a body of creme brulee, green apple, and honeysuckle. Soft and inviting, this wine is a match for a Caesar salad or pan-seared halibut- ideally suited for a sense dinner on the patio.

Wine Folly: Page 233 of Wine Folly says that California chardonnays are often much riper, with ripe apple and tropical fruit flavors. Oak aging and malolactic fermentation gives these wines a buttery, creamy texture with flavors of nutmeg and baking spices. Tasting notes: yellow apple, pineapple, lemon zest, pie crust, nutmeg. 

UNOAKED CHARDONNAY

Name: Mer Soleil Silver

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Monterey County, California

Country: USA

Year: 2020

Price: $20

Wine Review: “Fresh from start to finish, Mer Soleil Silver is a pure expression of Chardonnay, produced from the ideal coastal conditions of Monterey County, California. Never seeing the inside of an oak barrel, it is fermented and aged in a combination of stainless steel and small concrete tanks imported from Burgundy, France. This wine features scents of creamy citrus and a distinct minerality that evokes wet granite encountered on a hike. Silver is round and layered on the palate, with vibrant acidity and depth.”

Wine Folly: From pg. 233, unoaked Chardonnay typically has higher acidity.  It is much more ripe, often with apple and tropical fruit flavor.  It has flavors of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, and butter.

    First we tried both Chardonnays warm. I found the oaked is more yellow/orange color to me. I smelled wood and lees and it had a slight barrel scent, possibly butter. The unoaked smelled sweeter than the oaked. The unoaked is more acidic and sweet and fruity when tasting warm. My friends and I went back and forth a few times between smelling and tasting the wines a few times before chilling it.

    Next we wrote down our observations and waited for the wines to chill.  Then, went on to sniff, swirl, and taste the now chilled wines.

   

    When chilled the unoaked smells like a fig.  The oaked Chardonnay does not smell much different compared to when it was warm.  When cold, the oaked had a slight honeydew smell.  Oaked tasted honeydew, apple, caramel flavoring, and some sort of lees. The unoaked Chardonnay tasted more acidic, with more apple and pineapple.  Both were good, we found that that both were very easy to drink and neither were strong.  Both tasted very light.

    Overall the lesson was very enjoyable to taste the difference between oaked and unoaked Chardonnay. We never realized that there are not that many unoaked Chardonnays to buy until this lesson. I personally liked the unoaked better, but would drink either. I would recommend either wine to people as well.  A classic Chardonnay is I feel a staple for wine, so I am happy to report I can taste a difference between the two.  Here are some pictures of the bottles, glasses, and my friends trying the wines and having a wonderful night while we watched the newest season of Love Island UK.

Tasting - Sonoma-Cutter Chardonnay

Name: Sonoma-Cutter Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Russian River Ranches, Sonoma County, CA

Country: USA

Year: 2021 

Price: $20.97

Wine Review: “Flavors of lemon, apple, pear, pineapple and cantaloupe - the full array of Sonoma's cornucopia of fruit, join a nutty, spicy, lightly oak profile that stakes out a unique territory sure to please those who love Chardonnay.”

Wine Folly: Page 233 of the wine folly says that California chardonnays are often much riper, with ripe apple and tropical fruit flavors. Oak aging and malolactic fermentation gives these wines a buttery, creamy texture with flavors of nutmeg and baking spices. Tasting notes: yellow apple, pineapple, lemon zest, pie crust, nutmeg.

My review: It smells like a fresh vegetable and oaky. When tasting, I taste apple, lemon, and oak. It is very smooth and easy to drink on its own. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. My parents got us taking the wine class this as a little nicer wine that we would not buy, so we forgot to take a photo of us with the bottle, so we went to Kroger to take the photo, but I promise we had a glass before going to dinner.

Tasting - Morenita Cream Sherry

 Name: Morenita Cream Sherry

Variety: Sherry Blend is a convenient, collective name for the three grape varieties used to make Sherry in Jerez, southwestern Spain. They are Palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel de Alejandría (Muscat of Alexandria).

Region: Jerez De La Frontera

Country: Spain

Year: Unknown 

Price: $15.49 but adult beverage consultant Dennis at ghetto Kroger gave it to my friend Hannah S. for $9.99

Wine review: 

Wine Enthusiast 90: Smooth and sweet, like a cream Sherry is supposed to be. On the nose, this one easily shifts from ripe apricot and peach fruit to nuts and saline. The palate starts with a blast of coffee and mocha and then folds in brown sugar and spice. Sweet, long and generous, with accents of cinnamon, clove and mild chocolate.

Wine Folly: Page 388 of the wine folly says that sweet styles of sherry made of Pedro Ximenez are the sweetest style, that are deep brown-colored, with fig and date flavors. While those made with Moscatel have an aromatic style featuring caramel flavors. The general notes of sherry are jackfruit, saline, preserved lemon, brazil nut, and almond. They are paired well with smoked, fried, or grilled fish, vegetables, and barbecue. Cream sherry like the one I bought are paired well with gooey cheeses. 

My Review: It is a very brown color and was a surprise when it was poured into the glass.  The sherry had a very strong smell of butterscotch and burned the nose hairs when sniffing from the glass.  It had a sweeter scent from the bottle. We served at room temperature.  It tasted of raisin, bourbon barrel, prune, butterscotch and cream.  It tastes like nutmeg as well.  I had a tiny sip and honestly could not drink anymore of it. We decided that it would pair well with a very sweet rich dessert, but was not for us on its own. Honestly, probably the worst drink I have had in this class.

Wine Dinner at Zeppoli's

    My parents came to town February 11, so of course that Saturday night I had to take them to a dinner so that my friends and I could boast so far what we had learned in this class.  I also dragged my graduated roommate out.  In all, we had six people at dinner at Zeppoli's to learn everything we could.

    When we arrived we told our waitress, Morgan, that we were in Geography of Wine and she was very excited to help.  We prefaced that really only my dad likes red wine, so preferably we would like 2 bottles of white wine and one bottle of red.  Hannah S., Gabby, and I had bites of each other meals and sips of the wine that were paired together to try three different pairings.

    My friend, Hannah S., in the class was ordering pasta primavera, so Morgan recommended a white wine, either Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.  We decided to "pair" the Sauvignon Blanc with the pasta primavera.  

Cost: $18.99

Grape: Sauvignon Blanc

Origin: Chateau Souverain, California, USA

Year: 2019

Description: "Dried leaves and honeydew melon on the nose. Honeydew melon and a slight grapefruit finish on the palate. Medium body, medium acidity. Pleasant enough and drinkable."

Smell: When smelling the wine it gave off citrus lemon notes, peaches, and a lighter flower, like geranium or rose. It was much lighter than the Pinot Grigio and had a greenish tint.

Taste: When tasting the wine I got pear, peach, molasses/honey, and possibly a little lemon. All around a very good wine, everyone enjoyed it.

With food: When tasting with the food the Sauvignon Blanc got more bitter. It tasted strongly of lemon. The food is buttery so the citrus notes become more prominent. I enjoyed the pairing because it made the pasta not as heavy as a dish.

Below are pictures of the label, food, and Hannah S. enjoying her meal...

    Then my friend Gabby, who is also in the class ordered the gnocchi pollo pomodoro.  Morgan also suggested a white wine to pair with this, so we paired Pinot Grigio with the gnocchi.

Cost: $18.99

Grape: Pinot Grigio

Origin: Belmondo, Italy

Year: 2018

Description: "Very pale color, almost none. On the nose: apple, grass, and something sweet and citrusy like pineapple. Off-dry. Fruit forward; Disappears a bit quickly. Overall, pretty good."

Smell: I smell floral with slight lemon. I smell apple. It has a pretty strong scent of acidity. It is a darker white than the Sauvignon Blanc.

Taste: I taste apple on first sip. I get lemon. I feel that there is butterscotch from how smooth it is. Overall very enjoyable and easy to drink, recommend to anyone who drinks any white. This is the wine that my mom and roommate drank the most of.

With food: The wine brings out butter in sauce. The food takes out the fruity citrus note from the wine, but brings out the smooth butterscotch flavor.

Below are pictures of the label, food, and Gabby enjoying her meal...

    Then I had the three-cheese ravioli with a marinara sauce.  Morgan suggested a light red, so we got a Malbec because that is one of my dad's favorite reds.

Cost: $39.99

Grape: Malbec

Origin: Mendoza, Argentina

Year: 2018

Description: "Dark ruby color. Earth, red fruits on the nose. Leather, oak dark red fruits berries on the palate with spice. Well balanced tannins."

Smell: I smell cherry, raspberry, licorice. It smells spicy, possibly a clove. It has a slight spicy feeling of the resinous. It is dark red. Not see through at all.

Taste: It does not have as much spice on the taste. It tastes fresh when drinking and was not bad at all. Tastes like cherry. It feels like lighter body, very balanced. My dad really liked it as well and ended up taking the rest of the bottle back to Virginia Beach with him to finish.

With food: The Malbec still had bite at beginning, but softens at the end. You get the spice more than anything else, and the berry tastes decreases. I almost enjoyed it more on it own or with the margherita pizza appetizer.

Below are photos of the label, my food, and myself...

Overall this was really fun for my friends and family.  We hope to do it again in April.  It was great to show those not in the class what we had learned and fun to pull out the wine wheel at Zeppoli's.  Here are a few more photos of what else was ordered and our table.

 

left to right: Gabby, Hannah S., my roommate, and my parents

Drink This Now: Lesson 5

My friends and I did lesson 5 from "Drink This Now".  It was honestly a very enjoyable learning experience because I have always wondered if chilling wine makes a big difference in your experience with wine.  Needless to say it does, and now I will show you how.

The wines we drank and the information around them are listed below.  We had to get a dry Riesling, which is the Hewitson Riesling from Australia, and a sweet Riesling, Schmitt Sohne Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Spätlese from Germany.

Name: Hewitson Riesling

Variety: Riesling

Region: Eden Valley

Country: Australia

Year: 2020

Price: $12.99

Wine Review: Pale straw with green tinges. Citrus, especially lime, predominates the flavor profile while carrying the trademark minerality that Gun Metal is renowned for. Petals, minerals and talc. The palate is delicate, refined and intense, with a firm, dry finish and lingering aftertaste. Citrus, mineral and powder-dry finish.

Wine Folly: Page 362 says that Rieslings should have notes of lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine, and petroleum. They pair well with spicy Indian and Asian foods as well as duck, pork, bacon, shrimp, and crab.  This was suggested by a worker, as a drier Riesling because Vintage Cellar did not have any of the other Rieslings listed in the category.

Name: Schmitt Sohne Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Spätlese

Variety: Riesling and Muller-Thurgau

Region: Mosel

Country: Germany

Year: 2020

Price: $11.95

Wine Review: This fully-ripened Riesling from around the village of Piesport, located at the river Mosel, has highly extracted fruit flavors of apricots and peaches coupled with enough acidity to give it a firm and juicy mouth feel. Excellent by itself or to complement soft blue vein cheeses, richer style food with sauces and oriental dishes.

Wine Folly: Page 362 says that Rieslings should have notes of lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine, and petroleum. They pair well with spicy Indian and Asian foods as well as duck, pork, bacon, shrimp, and crab.

    There are a few steps to this lesson, and they are separated below.

Step 1:

First, we poured a glass of each of the wines that were room temperature and set them aside.  Then, we chilled the wine for about an hour and a half while I went to class.  

Step 2: 

We tasted the chilled, dry wine from Australia then the chilled, sweet wine from Germany.  The dry wine is darker in color, it is slightly more yellow than the sweet wine.  The taste observations are listed below:

Chilled Dry: Upon the first sniff I smell slightly metallic and green apple.  It tastes different than a normal Riesling does to me.  It tastes a little of citrus, probably a grapefruit.  It also does have an apple taste and makes my mouth water.  

Chilled Sweet: It definitely smells sweeter.  More florals come from this wine.  It is more honeyed too and maybe geranium.  I like this one better.  Definitely get like a soft floral taste.  This wine does not really make my mouth water at all.  It is very light and very enjoyable.

Step 3: 

Overall the drier wine was again darker, more yellow. Now we will taste the differences between the warm and cold of each wine.

Warm Dry: It is not as strong as the smell from the chilled dry.  I still get the same hints of metallic and apple.  It doesn't smell as tart.  It is much more bitter, this is probably the acids being more pronounced. 

Cold Dry: It does not feel as bitter now.  I can still taste the apple, but I feel there is less metal to this than the warm.

Warm Sweet: Lighter color, same as the cold.  All I really smell here is the sweetness, a little honeyed.  I do not get much floral smells from it like I did the cold.  it was subtle.  It is much softer on the palette when sipping.  The flavors are much harder to taste.  It is almost like water going down the throat.

Cold Sweet: I get more of the florals in cold sweet compared to the warm sweet.  It is a little harsher on the palette if you will.

Step 4: 

When tasting you could tell they were the same wine, but with different flavors.  It was very surprising how much the dry Riesling tasted different compared to the sweet.  The sweet Riesling is what I think of as a typical Riesling.  I much preferred the sweeter Riesling, but I would drink the dry Riesling, over some other wines I have had.  My friends and I also did a wine and cheese pairing the same night, so please enjoy the pictures of all the wine and glasses we had out on my little coffee table, while we watched Love Island (the USA version).