Tasting - Montes Alpha Syrah

Name: Montes Alpha Syrah
Variety: Syrah
Region: D.O. Colchangua Valley
Country: Chili
Year: 2009
Price: $7.95, normally $30

Winery Review: It spent 12 months in French Oak. The aromas receive a pleasant lift from the Viognier component in addition to notes of meat, game, lavender, and blueberry. Rich layered and long, this Syrah will evolve.

My Review: I found a slight acidic aroma along with red grape and blueberry. On the palate this wine is light, yet full bodied. It is parching to drink, but also leaves you feeling warm. There are light fruit notes, with a smooth finish.

Tasting - Domaine de Nizas Rose

Name: Domaine de Nizas Rose
Variety: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre
Region: Languedoc
Country: France
Year: 2010
Price: $4.95, normally $20

Winery Review: A lush and lively wine with an appealing soft rose color and violet hints. Its bouquet develops intense aromas of delicate peony, raspberry, clementine and violet candy notes. The palate is smooth and well balanced with a lingering finish. Vibrant, crisp, and dry.

My Review: This Rose has a light cherry aroma, with hints of raspberry. It was very  light and smooth, almost buttery, with metallic hints. The wine has good length, and does not have overpowering flavor. I did not find this wine to be dry, but rather slightly sweet.

Tasting - Yellow Tail Reserve Pinot Grigio

Name: Yellow Tail Reserve Pinot Grigio
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: South Eastern Australia
Country: Australia
Year: 2010
Price: $6.95, normally $20

Winery Review: Delightfully fresh, zesty, and elegant. This wine has lifted aromas of citrus fruits with delicate notes of pear, apple, and lime. It is light bodied.

My Review: Pleasant aroma with hints of white grape, strawberry, and lime. The taste of this wine is very light, and slightly sweet. Though the wine is supposed to be "zesty" I think it might be a little too much so due to the vintage. I fear that the wine is starting to become more acidic than it is intended to be.

First Tasting - Blackstone Winemakers Select Red Blend and Crane Lake Moscato

Friday, January 25th I wake up to the surprise of snow! After getting lunch, my cell phone notifies me of a VT Alert: Campus will close at 1pm. SNOW DAY!! What better to do on a snow day than get some wine and work on some tasting notes.

My roommate and I walk to the store and each purchase a bottle of wine for our first tasting notes for the semester. I purchased a red wine, while my roommate purchased a white. My notes on the wines are as follows:
Name: Blackstone Winemaker's Select Red Blend

Variety: Red Blend (44% Merlot, 42% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah)
Region: Central Coast, California
Country: United States
Year: 2009
Price: $11.99

Winery Review: Our 2009 Blackstone Winemaker's Select Red Blend is full of ripe flavors and soft round textures with nice, mature length.The wine is a delicious blend of Merlot which contributes pretty blackberry, cherry, and strawberry flavors. The Syrah adds dark color and black cherry with cracked black pepper aromas and flavors, and the Petite Syrah contributes inky color, deep black raspberry flavors, and a mature tannin structure for palate weight. Oak aging contributes smoky overtones, nice rich vanilla flavors, and smooth weight.

My Review: This wine has aromas of chocolate, raspberry, and plum. When tasting it I noticed that the wine was very mild in its weight, and went down like water at times. None of the flavors came on too strong, yet they were subtly noticeable in the background. This Red Blend was not a dry wine, but also was not sweet. The flavor had a nice length to them, and actually came a little late in the tasting.Overall the wine was mild and slightly fruity, it went down easily. This red would probably go well with most dinner entrees as it would be a good compliment and not overpower the food you are eating. It was my first blended wine that I know of, and I would definitely have this one again.

Name: Crane Lake Moscato

Variety: Moscato
Region:California
Country: United States
Year: 2012
Price: $6.00

Winery Review: This sweet wine is light in color with floral aromas including notes of orange blossom, jasmine and honeysuckle. Flavors include peach, melon, and spice.

My Review: This wine demonstrates aromas of apple, vinegar, and white grape juice. The flavor is very sweet and fruity. The apple and white grape are noticeable on the palate. It is not acidic, but does have a light tingle on your tongue. I would say that this wine is probably best used as a dessert wine because of its sweetness.
 

 

Getting to Know My Wine Experience

Hello all! This entry marks my first blog, as well as the beginning of my wine tasting career. Though I am currently a college student with ample alcohol experience, I have very limited wine experience. I do consider myself somewhat of a beer aficionado, but have not quite developed a taste for sipping liquor and spirits.

My first beer was an Amstel Light, a respectable first beer. I have gotten more diversified with my experiences with beer over the last four years. My favorite right now would have to be Nagra Modelo. A full bodied beer that is not overly hoppy or bitter. I also enjoy many wheat beers and seasonal beers. The addition of a pumpkin spice or an allspice in the fall, or a brown cinnamon sugar in the winter can help the taste of a beer fit the weather. I have not yet developed a taste for Indian Pale Ales, as they are too bitter for me. I do understand that many of the best beers are strong like IPA's, and look forward to developing a taste for them.

It took several years for me to develop a taste for wine. My Mom has a glass of wine with dinner almost every night, so I had tried some of hers when I was relatively young. I did not like the taste of her wine, especially since she had (and still has) a very developed palate for wine. Many of her wines are dry reds and whites, while I prefer a sweet fruity wine at this stage. Currently I only drink about 1 or two bottles  of wine per month.

My first true wine tasting was in the fall of 2012 when I went to Chateau Morrisette with my Mom. I was nervous to try the red wines that were on the tasting list because I tend to not like reds. Once we were there, I found many of the wines to be very light and not too dry. This was perfect for me. To my surprise my two favorite wines on that trip were both reds: the 2010 Chambourcin and 2009 Merlot.

I have always had a desire to understand wines. I have wanted to know how to taste them, how to describe the taste, and how to buy other wines based on what I know about what I like to drink. This blog is the first of many that will soon delve into more wine tasting experience as it happens. I plan to do weekly tastings, and describe the wines as best I can, while also developing my palate. Thanks for reading!