Tasting- Bartenura

Name:  Bartenura

Variety:  Moscato

Region:  Pavia

Country:  Italy

Year:  2010

Price:  $4.95

VC review:  The inviting apricot preserves, honey, butter, and roasted almond aromas of this semi-sparkler pull you right in. It's on the sweet side, with stone-fruit flavors kept alive by decent acidity. The palate bubbles and tingles and maintains its balance. Fine as an aperitif or with dessert.

My notes:  This is a super sweet wine, especially after having the spicy dry Tempranillo right before it.  Although it is very sweet and tastes of berries and citrus, it still manages to be refreshing and crisp, due to its bubbles.  I usually don't like super sweet Moscato, but I would drink this again, probably in the summertime.  

Food:  n/a 

Tasting- Finca del Castillo

Name:  Finca del Castillo

Variety:  Tempranillo

Region:  La Mancha

Country:  Spain

Year:  2011

Price:  $4.95

VC Review:  Rooty, spicy and baked on the nose, with aromas that lean towards raisin. The palate is more gritty and acidic, with raisin, cola, and spice flavors. Darkens up on the finish, which is long and peppery, with adequate juiciness and a final note of tomato.

My notes:  This wine was very mysterious to me.  I could only really put words to the smokiness and spiciness of the bouquet and taste, but it was hard to identify the other flavors.  Because it was so mysterious and cheap, my roommate and I both bought a bottle so maybe after drinking 2 bottles we will figure it out.  I'll keep you posted.

Food:  n/a

Tasting- Georges Duboeuf

Name:  Georges Duboeuf

Variety:  Beaujolais Nouveau

Region:  Beaujolais

Country:  France

Year:  2012

Price:  $3.95

VC review:  Bright and tangy, offering a classic banana note on the nose, with flavors of raspberry, wild strawberry and light spice. Modest finish.

My notes:  The nose offers a tropical paradise of bananas and pineapple, but the taste is not overwhelmingly sweet.  It is one of the lightest reds I've ever encountered.  It is definitely tart and has a fruity finish, but no where near what I was expecting after smelling it.  

Food:  n/a

Tasting- Mars and Venus

Name:  Mars and Venus

Variety:  Chardonnay

Region:  Central Valley

Country:  Chile

Year:  2011

Price:  $5.95

VC Review:  A very nice value Chardonnay that comfortably over-delivers vs. its modest price tag. No oak here, just bushels of clean, crisp, Chardonnay apple and stone fruit with a hint of caramelized

pineapple.  Juicy and clean, this is a mid-weight white that's just perfect for parties or weeknight sipping.

My notes:  The color is very pale yellow with hints of green.  I am not a Chardonnay person at all, but I didn't mind this one.  It was dry, but crisp and not too acidic.  I didn't detect much fruit with this one, but I would say this is my favorite Chardonnay that I've tried.  

Food:  n/a

Tasting- La Cappuccina

Name:  La Cappucina

Variety:  Soave

Region:  Veneto

Country:  Italy

Year:  2011

Price:  $7.95

VC review:  Bright straw yellow in color. Delicate on the nose, with notes of flowers and almonds. Dry, well-structured and delicately fruity, with hints of bitter almonds on the finish that is typical of

Garganega-based wines.

My notes:  It is very yellow in color and the bouquet is floral and fruity.  But the sweet bouquet does not translate into taste.  It is very light, crisp, and smooth.  I can definitely get some of the almond flavor noted above.  I wish I had known a little more about wine back when I was traveling around Venice, Verona, and Vicenza because I probably had many Garganega-based wines like this.  

Food:  n/a

Tasting- Alamos

Name:  Alamos

Variety:  Malbec

Region:  Mendoza

Country:  Argentina

Year:  2011

Price:  $7.47 ($22 dollars at Boudreaux's) 

Total wine review:  The nose offers bright black cherry aromas with light floral notes and a touch of toast. The mouthfeel is full and rich, with ripe, concentrated cassis and black raspberry fruit flavors interwoven with a touch of chocolate and sweet spice from light oak aging.

My notes:  I get a cherry, raspberry smell from this wine with a little spice.  The taste is tannic and it definitely puckers my mouth, but although it is dry, it is also smooth.  I detect some possible cedar in its finish.  I would definitely drink this wine again.  

Food:  I did not eat with this wine, but after drinking some, I really craved a chocolate dessert.  But I didn't give in.  

Tasting- Bulletin Place

Wine Wednesdays are freaking fantastic at Boudreaux's.  Not only are all bottles of wine half off, but they have great cajun food.  This is the bottle my neighbor Ryan and I split (that is also Ryan flipping off the camera in the photo...we may have gotten a tad drunk)

Name:  Bulletin Place
Variety:  Shiraz
Region:  Sydney
Country:  Australia
Year:  2011
Price:  $8.95 (selling for $22 dollars at Boudreaux's) 
Wine & Spirits review:  An homage to the Sydney wine shop and restaurant of Len Evans, the late, great international impresario of Australian wine, Bulletin Place is a spicy shiraz with bright blueberry flavors. It’s juicy, warm and peppery, a red to serve with grilled lamb kabobs. 87 Points
My notes:  The bouquet is very peppery with not much else coming through.  I notice at first taste a berry/currant note.  The wine has an acidic finish.  I did not detect much mid palate.  I was surprised to find out it was a 87 point wine, as I would probably not order it again, but perhaps I just don't like Shiraz as much as I thought. 
Food:  I ate a fried shrimp po boy and homemade potato salad with this wine.  The food made the wine taste more like berries, but it also heightened the acidic finish.  

Tasting- Colle Pino

My friend Grace (who is also in this class) brought this nice bottle over to a lasagna dinner at my house.  Red wine and lasagna is now my favorite thing ever.

Name:  Colle Pino

Type:  Merlot (50%) & Sangiovese (50%)

Region:  Tuscany

Country:  Italy

Year:  2010

Price:  $8.95

Bottlenotes review:  Ruby-red in color, young but intense. Fresh, fruit forward bouquet with intense red currant, raspberry and plum notes. Full fruit flavors with soft, sweet tannins.
My notes:  It smells of raspberry and blackberry, with hints of oak.  It begins tannic with a little bit of sweet currant flavor, but has an acidic finish.  
Food:  After eating lasagna, the wine now tastes much fruitier and goes down much smoother

Tasting- Opera Prima

Name:  Opera Prima

Variety:  Sweet Red

Region:  La Mancha

Country:  Spain

Year:  2010

Price:  $4.95

VC review:  Doesn’t try to hide its warm-climate terroir, with a soft texture framing jammy-sweet black raspberry, cherry, red currant, root beer and sweet tea. Drink now.

My notes:  This was quite possibly the sweetest wine I have ever had.  It tasted like pomegranate juice with notes of blackberries and cherries too.  It was very syrupy and viscous.  Most definitely a dessert wine that I would not drink more than a shot of.  

Food:  n/a

Tasting- Montes Alpha

Name:  Montes Alpha

Variety:  Syrah

Region:  Colchagua Valley

Country:  Chile

Year:  2009

Price:  $7.95

VC review:  Blackberry and cola aromas are cool and collected. The palate has weight and texture to accompany berry, mint, herb and peppery flavors. Turns more herbal and roasted as it unwinds. Pepper and

spice lead the finish. 

My notes:  This wine was definitely very aromatic.  I smelled berries immediately.  For me, this tasted a lot like the cabernet sauvignons I have tried as it was tannic and coated my mouth.  I really enjoyed this wine and one of my friends actually bought a bottle.  We enjoyed some later that night over a lively game of Settlers of Catan.  Yeah I'm a nerd.    

Food: n/a

Tasting- Coreto Tinto

Name:  Coreto

Variety:  Tinto

Region:  Lisbon

Country:  Portugal

Year:  2010

Price:  $6.95

VC review:  Despite its light touch, this is fruity and full, with its blackberry fruit dominating the warm spice note and acidity. Soft tannins keep the wine together.

My notes:  This wine was medium-bodied and I could definitely taste some spice more than fruit.  It is fairly dry and reminds me of a lot of red table wines I encountered in Europe throughout Portugal and Spain.  

Food:  n/a

Tasting- Maipe

Name:  Maipe

Variety:  Sauvignon Blanc

Region:  Mendoza

Country:  Argentina

Year:  2011

Price:  $7.95

VC review:  Yellow color with green hints. Expressive wine, fresh, very aromatic. This Sauvignon Blanc displays grapefruit flavors, with hints of melon and honey. It finishes with bracing acidity and fresh

mouth feels that make it a terrific aperitif and an excellent accompaniment to virtually all seafood, especially shellfish.

My notes:  This wine tasted drier than the Vinho Verde, but still went down pretty smoothly.  After I tasted it, my mouth felt a little puckered from the acidic finish.  I had never tried a Sauvignon Blanc before and I would definitely try one again based on this one.

Food:  n/a  

Tasting- Encostas do Lima

So last Thursday (Jan. 24th), my good friend and colleague, Grace, and I had lunch at Lefty's Main Street Grille (highly recommended) and then went to the Vintage Cellar for the "value wine" tasting.  I have in fact been into the store before and thought it was precious, but I had not been to a tasting here before.  So my tasting notes are probably not too detailed or correct for that matter, but hey I did try.  Here is the first wine I tried (and bought a bottle of...)

Name:  Encostas do Lima

Variety:  Vinho Verde

Region:  Ponte de Lima

Country:  Portugal

Year:  2010

Price:  $4.95 (whaaa!!!)

VC review:  Pale golden silver color, bright floral aromas of peaches, raspberry and honeysuckle with a soft, dry-yet-fruity medium body and a crisp, tart citrus and talc accented finish. A delightful sipper that is

sure to please.

My notes:  This wine is very tart, fruity, and sharp.  I almost immediately liked it, which really caught me off guard because I usually don't like sweeter fruity wines.  But I believe it was this crispness of this wine and its effervescent quality (it had a small amount of bubbles which I learned later was because of the greenness of the grape and the quick bottling process of the wine), that made it so refreshing that I just had to buy it (and the price was ridiculous).  What a way to start off my semester!  

Food:  n/a

The Story of Wine and I

Hello people of the interweb!  My name is Shannon and I am a first-time blogger.  It is most fitting that my first time blogging about anything in the world is about booze.  This blog is for the Geography of Wine class at Virginia Tech.

I have not always been into wine.  Like most college freshmen, I found myself at parties with kegs of Natural Light and shots of Burnetts vodka (flavored if I was lucky).  A few events in my college years have led me to actually really begin to love wine.  First, I began to wait tables in the summers and had to remember an extensive wine list and some of their characteristics.  This began to peak my interest.  Secondly, I quickly realized a box of Franzia was basically the best deal if you are going for alcohol content versus dollars spent.  So I began to like cheap, sweet wines like white zinfandels and reislings and "sweet reds" and "sunset blush" (whatever that means).  They tasted like juice and they got me drunk.  But it wasn't until I went to Europe in the fall of my fourth year with my architecture program that I began to like red wine.  Over there, wine is literally cheaper than still water.  Every restaurant made a house wine and it often times was just served to you without being asked.  So after a hazy three months spent traveling in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and Italy, I came home with a love for red wine and an expectation that it was to be served with every meal.  My parents were less than enthused.  But I still have so much to learn about this wonderful beverage, so I will be doing tastings every week of any wines I can get my hands on.  See you soon!

Drinking wine with some of my favorite people in Bilbao, Spain