Tasting- Cupcake: Pinot Grigio

 

This is Cupcake:

Grape Variety: Pinot Grigio (Pinot Noir Mutation; Pink Grape)

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: California

Vintage: 2022

Price: $10.99 at Kroger

This Pinot Grigio was shared with my boyfriend on the same night that we tried another white wine (Chardonnay). They were very different, and it was nice to have such a stark comparison. 

Wine Folly: (Page 149): According to wine folly, this wine has flavors of white peach, lemon zest, cantaloupe, raw almond, and crushed gravel. 

My Review:

Personally, this wine was not my favorite. It was SO sweet. It instantly smelled sweet, and it tasted equally as sweet on the palette. I was really struggling to pick up any distinctive flavors with this wine because I just found it overwhelmingly sweet. I really wish I had this wine before the other wine I had this night, I feel like the dry wine really canceled out all the flavors of this sweeter wine. 

Critic Review: 

"Straw color. Aromas and flavors of vanilla icing, peach puree, honeydew, and lime with a medium body and a medium finish that exhibits accents of tart pear, lime, yellow apple, and honeydew."

Tasting-Bogle: California Chardonnay

 

This is Bogle:

Grape Variety: Chardonnay

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: California

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $12.99 at Kroger

This Chardonnay was shared between my boyfriend and I, who I am slowly converting into a wine connoisseur. 

Wine Folly: (Chardonnay Page 96 & 97): According to Wine Folly, Chardonnays are known for their flavors consisting of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, and butter. 

My Review:

This wine was DELICIOUS! I really think this might be my favorite wine I have tried this semester so far. Initially, the wine instantly smelled like pears and green apple. And the taste transferred right onto the palette. It was tarte right off the bat and punched you in the back of the mouth. It was not overwhelming at all; it softened quite quickly and left a buttery aftertaste on the tongue. Wine Folly hit the nail on the head with their interpretation of Chardonnays. 

Critic Review:

"Extremely over-ripe fruits mix with lots of new oak notes in this full-bodied Chard: green apple, pear, yellow peach, banana, pineapple, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla." 

Tasting-Acronym: Cabernet Sauvignon

 

This is Acronym: 

Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Country of Origin: United States    

Region of Origin: California

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $7.99

This Cab was again shared between my friends and I during our weekly wine nights. This was a nice comparison to the red wine blend that we also had that night. 

Wine Folly: (Cabernet Sauvignon Page 88-89): According to Wine Folly Cabernet Sauvignon gives off flavors of cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices, and graphite. 

My Review: This wine was another delicious out! It hits you in the back of the cheeks but settles after it's been open for a bit. When I smelled this wine, I instantly got the notes of blackberry/black currant. But when I went to taste this wine, I thought it tasted so much like prune juice and as this wine sat and opened up, I really got the notes of cinnamon. It was a very interesting combination of flavors, and I really enjoyed it. 

Critic Review: "This easy drinking Cabernet has flavors of blackberry jam and toast, wrapped into firm tannins. It won't improve with age so drink up with a juicy burger." 

Tasting-Kings of Prohibition: Red Blend

 

This is Kings of Prohibition:

Grape Variety: Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz

Country of Origin: Australia

Region of Origin: Southeastern Australia 

Vintage: No Vintage on Bottle

Price: $10.99-$12.00 online ($17 dollars at local food lion)

This wine was shared between me and a few friends during our weekly wine nights (we are all taking the class together)!

The thing that made me pick up this wine was two things:

1) It was from Australia & 2) It claims to be aged in old whiskey barrels during its aging process. 

Wine Folly (Shiraz/Shyra Page 172-173): According to Wine Folly Shiraz also known as Shyra, is the most popular grape planted in Australia despite the fact it is originally from the Rhone Valley of France. Shiraz grapes are known to give off notes of blueberry, plum, milk chocolate, tobacco, and green peppercorn. 

Wine Folly (Cabernet Sauvignon Page 88): According to Wine Folly Cabernet Sauvignon gives off flavors of cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices, and graphite. 

My Review: Personally, I REALLY liked this wine. I would get it again. When smelling this wine, I instantly got sweeter notes of Caramel. To me this made a lot of sense due to the aging being done in whiskey barrels, I tend to get caramel from whiskey, so the comparison made sense. When I tasted this wine, I was hit with cherry and oak instantly. It also hit me in the back of the mouth and made me pucker a touch. But it wasn't super aggressive and faded quite quickly. I really enjoyed it, plus the bottle is gorgeous. 

Critic Review: "The Kings of Prohibition Red Blend opens with super ripe black cherry, plum, and raspberry fruit on the nose along with spice, licorice, and touches of chocolate. Tasting reveals similar flavors to the nose, primarily lots of really ripe juicy fruit. Its slightly sweet but quite smooth and overall, a pretty nice blend."

Tasting-Bonterra: Merlot

 

This is Bonterra:

Grape Variety: Merlot

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: California

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $15.99 at Kroger

My Boyfriend and I tried this wine a day after we had tried the Cabernet Sauvignon. This time we did not pair this wine with any food, just simply tasted this one. 

Wine Folly (Page 131-132) General Merlot: When tasting this wine, I definitely got the notes of chocolate and cherry that Wine Folly talks about, I could even smell the notes of chocolate prior to tasting this wine. However, I did not really get any notes of plums, herbs, or vanilla. This wine was much sweeter in comparison to the Cabernet Sauvignon that we had tasted previously. The levels of tannins were obviously lower, still dry on the finish but not as punchy as the cabernet. 

Wine Folly (Page 292) California Merlot: Like mentioned, I definitely got the cherry notes in this wine, but for a California Merlot, I did not get any graphite, wood, or cedar elements like Wine Folly mentioned. However, I did notice that the tannins in this wine were much softer and smoother. 

My Review: Again, I am not a huge fan of red wines (this class is changing my mind on that actually). But again, this wine proved me wrong. It was delicious! Instantly I could smell the stronger notes of cherry and chocolate, and it was the first thing I noticed when I tasted this wine. As it sat, I thought the chocolate came through much stronger than the cherry. I also noticed that once I reached the end of my pour, there was sediment in the bottom on my glass! I had just watched a wine IQ video explaining sediment so it was really cool to understand that the tannins in this wine had softened and dissolved over time, and you could tell the tannins had done this as well. Overall 10/10. 

Wine Critic Review: 

"A simple Merlot that combines fresh and dried fruits of prune, raisin, blackberry and blueberry along with assertive oak. In the mix is 2% Petite Sirah, 3% Rubired and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon."

Tasting- Intermingle: Cabernet Sauvignon

 

This is Intermingle:

Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: California

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $6.99 at Aldi

My Boyfriend and I tried this bottle together and paired it with steak and roasted vegetables for dinner. 

Wine Folly (Page 88-89): Cabernet Sauvignon In General

Before even tasting this wine, I could smell the notes of cherry and wood (bottle said oak/wine folly said cedar). When tasting this wine, I could really taste the cherry and blackcurrant/blackberry. I did not get any notes of graphite or baking spices.

 Wine Folly (Page 288): California Cabernet Sauvignon:

                                                              I definitely got the notes of black fruit and the                                                                     tannins, but I did not get any notes of earthiness or tobacco at all. 

Wine Critic Review: 

"Tasting reveals a basic, drinkable Cab, that's slightly sweet. With a smooth mouthfeel, it's easy to drink even if it's not terribly exciting. At $7, however, it's good enough for the price.

It ends bit grippy and with decent length on the mostly dry finish. It was similar on day 2."

My Review: As someone who has never been a huge fan of red wines, I REALLY enjoyed this one! Super fruity right off the bat with notes of cherry and blackberry and hitting you at the end with softer notes of wood and even vanilla! I chilled this wine for roughly 45 minutes, and I let it open up for roughly around and hour before having a second tasting. This is where I really noticed the vanilla and oak coming through the wine. It definitely has a higher tannin level, dry in the mouth but doesn't completely take you away with it! It paired very well with grilled steak and roasted veggies. This wine brought out the smoky flavors of the steak and complemented the spices really well on the vegetables!