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.