Tasting - Terre dei Savoia Dolcetta d' Alba

Name: Terre die Savoia
Variety: Dolcetto d' Alba
Region: Piedmont
Country: Italy
Year: 2011
Price: $20
Location: Vintage Cellar
Review: "A good wine from Piedmont. Fruity in nose, with some minerality and also flowers. Very smooth tannins, medium body and end. 2011, time to drink it." - Erley Santos, Vivino

My Review: Surprisingly subtle and quiet for a red wine, with definite fruit and flowery flavors... I still can't get over the bloody red-wine mouth feel. Although the taste was fine, for some reason the body texture is a little too much for me, I was glad this tasting was in the middle of the flight.

Tasting - Terra Minei Ribiero

Name: Tierra Minei
Variety: Treixadura
Region:  Ribiero
Country: Spain
Year: 2015
Price: $17
Location: Vintage Cellar
Review: "Very reduced in principle. Air and a little patience displayed by surprise, red fruit aromas. It is very acidic at the end and I like its potential and its pleasant bitterness that fills the entire palette" - Harley, 2015

My Review: A very subtle wine, with delicate flavors. Acidic, but not too strong that it kills the more subtle fruit flavors. I think this would pair very nicely with a bold, strongly-flavored meal... but there's really only one way to find out.

Tasting - J&P Matheus Sauvignon Blanc

Name: J&P Matheus
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Piesport
Country: Germany
Year: 2015
Price: $17
Location: Vintage Cellar
Review: "The wine is freshly and lively with tropical fruits aromas, a hint of citrus and ripe vineyard peach flavors.  It has a multilayered structure with a refreshing acidity with mineral notes." - Vintage Cellar Review

My Review: A round and fruity beginning decaying into a lingering acidic finish. Despite the disappointing end, the aftertaste was surprisingly warm and delightful, so an okay wine with good memories. Would probably go well with a subtle meal like fish or vegetables, but still not my #1 choice for the pairing.

Tasting - Hartley & Gibson's Cream Sherry

Name: Hartley & Gibson's
Variety: Cream Sherry
Region: Jerez Xeres Sherry
Country: Spain
Year: 2016
Price: A gift (listed at $12/bottle)
Review: "A sweet sherry for everyday use. With a typical mushroomy aroma, this amber-colored confection is sweet and easy to drink. There is a gentle nuttiness in the aftertaste, sort of like the flavor of roasted almonds... a pleasant after-dinner drink from a classic wine region." - Liquor Outlet Wine Cellars, 2015

My Review: I tried this wine at the house of a friend of mine who is a huge fan of Sherry... I can see why she liked it, it has an intense maple/caramel taste that feels very soft in the mouth, but I really didn't like it. If it isn't evident by now, I'm not a huge fan of sweet, desserty wines and this is no exception. I think this would taste amazing in a cake or a hot spiced winter drink, but not alone.

Tasting - Prophecy Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Prophecy
Variety: Pino Grigio
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2016
Price: $12
Review: "Pinot Grigio offers the best of the high altitude delle Venezie region. Flavors of light citrus, tropical fruit and mineral notes offer a crisp, refreshment and are complemented by delicate floral aromas." - Prophecy, 2016

My Review: I'm incredibly disappointed in this wine. I bought it because of the gorgeous bottle, as one does, and served it with a homemade chicken pesto, which I felt was a perfect pairing... if the wine was any good. It's incredibly sour, and otherwise tasteless, the way poorly-made cheap wines usually are. I'm disappointed, water nymph: I figured your wine was going to be delicious. Last time I judge a wine by it's label... for now.

Tasting - Bella Sera Moscato

Name: Bella Sera
Variety: Moscato
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2015
Price: $8
Review: "A sweet, light-bodied wine, our Bella Sera Moscato envelops the nose with aromas of juicy nectarine and peach, followed by sweet and refreshing flavors of ripe peach and apricot. Its delicious marriage of fruit and crispness make this Moscato and ideal partner for spicy dishes and fruit-based desserts." - Bella Sera Winetaster Review, 2015

My Review: This wine is sweet with a capitol S... and yet somehow still can't shake that acidic "cheap wine" taste. It has these initial beautiful notes of summer fruits that takes a nose dive if you don't eat something soon after. I... don't think I'd have this wine again (but I did end up finishing the bottle after a particularly hard project, so it couldn't have been that bad)

Tasting - Chateau Morrisette Our Dog Blue

Name: Chateau Morrisette
Variety: Our Dog Blue, Table Wine
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2015
Price: $12
Review: "Delicate floral aromas. Smooth Finish." - Bottle Notes, 2015
"This popular white wine is a semi-sweet Reisling-Teraminette blend using Vidal Blanc for added depth. Aromas of melons, citrus fruits, apricots, and delicate flowers highlight the soft finish of this soothing wine." - Winemakers Notes, 2015

My Review: This wine is... pretty dang stupendous. Only really tasting a wide variety of table whites can you start to tell the difference between good and bad. The notes are fruity without being too sweet, citrusy without being acidic, and surprisingly soft on the palette for the depth of flavor. In addition to being local, this is now my go-to wine of choice for upcoming dinner parties and events.

Tasting - Chateau Morrisette Blackberry Wine

Name: Chateau Morrisette
Variety: Orchard Series, Blackberry
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2015
Price: A gift (listed at $12/bottle)
Review: "Imagine, thick and dark blackberry pie with vibrant aromas that fill the glass to the brim. Literally no different than having a mouthful of ripe blackberries right from the basket." - Winemaker Notes, 2015

My Review: Delightfully, although not painfully, sweet with flavors of apple and, of course, blackberry. I'm usually turned off by fruit (non-grape) wines because of their intense sweetness but the tartness of the blackberry helped greatly to balance out the flavors... it's essentially glorified fruit juice (but not in a bad way.) I paired it with the sunniest winter day we had, my heat turned up to high, and a nice movie.

Tasting - Hero & Villain Chardonnay

Name: Hero & Villain
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2015
Price: $12
Review: "Can you imagine a story without both? This wine is inspired by that classic scenario. It is authentic and pure, yet complex and a bit mysterious. By their nature, heroes and villains clash, but on occasion they join forces for the greater good. This wine is a perfect example." - back of the Bottle, 2015

My Review: You're gonna have to ignore the ugly picture before I give you the context. I wanted to post this wine first because it taught me the importance of pairings in the worst of ways. I brought this wine to a girls night (it was on sale and I'm not picky) and we all hated the flavor: it was sour and acidic and downright unpleasant. A week later when I was finishing off the bottle, I was shocked to find I liked it. It's a good balance of sweet and sour, and a surprisingly complex flavor for the $11 I payed for it.

I figured out, only now, that the reason I hated this wine was because I tried some right after a sip of sweet-as-can-be Blackberry wine, which made Hero & Villain taste sour in comparison.

I've learned early, wine is no game.

Let's Make Pour Decisions

Howdy folks! It's me, your friendly neighborhood booze-ologist... okay, that's a partial lie, but I'll take any excuse to drink that doesn't involve me leaving the house.

I'm going to come clean up front, however... I'm not much of a wine buff. If this were Geography of Liquor, I would be difficult to top without finding a true expert. Need to know what's good and bad vodka? I got you. You want to like whiskey but can't stand it's sting? You're a coward, but I got you. Heck, want to know the best bottom-shelf brands? I've been there brother, I got you.

But wine is... let's face it, sophisticated. I, the broke-ass college student, only drink wine on special occasions or when I'm home for the holidays. That said, I'm not completely uneducated. I have started to develop a palette after going on wine tastings for my 21st birthday (and even more after my younger sister turned 16 and could DD), and I've been known to partake of a bottle when someone else brings it. I can vaguely recognize the basics of flavors - dry, sweet, etc... - but that's honestly about it.

I like white wine... but couldn't tell you the specific kinds besides Sparkling Wine (because, you know, bubbles) if you really asked, and I'm not a huge fan of red wine. Something about the texture (and maybe the color alike) feels like sucking on a bloody wound... but that might be just me.

That said, by the end of this course I'd love to find a Red Wine that doesn't feel like blood and be able to confidently bring a bottle to a party and know it's not going to be awful. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Here's to a wine-derful semester,
Megan "In My Fuckin' Kitchen" Ganley