Le Poesie Cabernet Sauvignon

Le Poesie
Cabernet Sauvignon
Veneto
2011
8 US Dollars

*no description online

I also had this wine in Venice, Italy. I did not particularly like this wine because I thought that the makers tried to push too many flavors into the wine and that it was overwhelming.

I had the wine with the seafood pasta and thought that the kind of wine went well but the fact that I didn't like the wine overshadowed that.

Collio Pinot Grigio

Collio
La Reata
Pinot Grigio
Collio Goriziano DOC
2012
10 US Dollars

On the palate, the wine has crisp acidity and a smooth and pleasant finish.  A rich and fruity Pinot Grigio, with bursting fruit flavors and toasty notes.

I actually got a lot of lemon through this wine.  This was a wine that I had with dinner in Venice, Italy. According to my notes the taste was a little bitter going down but still had a buttery finish.

I had this wine with a seafood pasta and it paired perfectly.

La Brunesca Primitivo Rosato

La Brunesca
Primitive Rosato
Puglia
8 US dollars

*could not find description online

The first thing I noticed about this wine was the color. I was surprised to see such an orange and pink color in the bottle.  I thought the tastes was interesting, because I could taste some of the orange and zest coming through the wine.

I had this wine with pasta and creme sauce and I thought that it paired really well because it was a little more light on the tongue.

Fattoria Poggio Alloro Vino Biologico

Fattoria Poggio Alloro
Vino Biologico
Vernaccia di San Gimignano
2012
25 US Dollars

*the are not producing the wine currently so I was not able to find a description

This wine was another one of the wines that I tasted while I studied abroad.  Again we were at a farm in Tuscany, Italy in the San Gimignano region.  This wine was light and crisp with an after taste of sweet flowers.  In my description in my journal I wrote that it was one of my favorite wines I had tasted on my whole trip as well (which is saying a lot because I had a lot of wine!)

We drank this wine with the pasta as well and I would have thought the wine paired better with a white sauce instead of the red sauce that we were eating.

Fattoria Poggio Alloro Chianti

Fattoria Poggio Alloro
Chianti
San Gimignano
2012
20 US dollars

Grape blend: Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino and Ciliegiolo
Vinification: soaking on the skins with repeated repassing of must over the grape dregs, alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats and maturation in the bottle
Broad and elegant with pleasant odors of red fruit, cherry, blackcurrant and raspberry with final flowery notes of sweet violets.

This was a wine that I tasted on my wine tour in Tuscany, Italy.  It was a sweet wine that did not have any bite. I enjoyed that I could very much taste the hints of cherry in the wine and even thought it was black cherry.

We had the wine with pasta and bread, and it paired very well with the red sauce on the pasta.

Barefoot Sweet White

Barefoot
Sweet White
Pinot Grigio and Moscato Combined
California
$5.75

It seems Pinot Grigio and Moscato get along swimmingly. This blend is fruity, lively and light-bodied, starting with notes of peach and tangerine and finishing on a sweet note—just like every day should

My opinion: This was another very very sweet wine but I actually liked that I could taste some of the flavor coming through.  I got a lot of pear from the wine and even some tangerine it seemed.

I did not have this wine with food.

Yellow Tail Moscato

Yellow Tail
Moscato
$5.75

Bright fruit flavors of freshly crushed grapes, peach and passion fruit with a refreshing finish.

A sweet white with tropical fruit flavors and a lil fizz for an extra kick.

Moscato is a great easy drinking wine. Its tropical fruit and lil fizzy flavor is a welcome friend at the end of a long day at the office.

My opinion: This was my favorite wine before I studied abroad, I enjoyed how sweet it was and that it almost tasted like grape juice.  However, now that my taste has become more mature I cannot stand drinking this wine anymore!

I drank the wine with chocolate and it was a lot of sweet to handle.  You need to have a real sweet tooth with this wine!

Barefoot White Zinfandel

Barefoot
White Zinfandel
California
$5.75

Southern flavors like Georgia peach, sun-ripened strawberries, succulent pears and (even further south) pineapple create perfection

My review: The wine had no flavor at all and was a really light wine.  Even though it was so light I could taste a lot of the alcohol coming through and I really did not like it.

I had the wine with steak and mashed potatoes and I think that a red wine would have gone much better with that.

Manfred Breit Riesling

Manfred Breit
Piesporter Goldtropchen
Riesling Spatlese
2012 Mosel
$18.95

The late harvested Spatlese wines are medium bodied but still very flowery, with good aging potential.  This Goldtropfchen Spatlese is very fresh with a nice tropical fruit flavor balanced with the acidity.  This wine has good potential for aging at least 8 years.

My opinion: This was definitely a sweet wine.  I thought there was a lot of flavors in the wine, and almost too many flavors going on for my taste. It was a good wine to pair with a lighter meal I thought.  Fish or maybe a good chicken.

I did not drink this wine with food.

Oliver Hill

Oliver Hill
Red Silk
Shiraz 2012
McLaren Vale
$19.95

91 pts Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate. Full-bodied and packed with concentrated blackberry preserve and menthol flavors, it has a good backbone of medium to firm rounded tannins.

My opinion: I absolutely loved this wine.  I could taste a lot of the blackberry and the flavor was really strong.  Had a little too much bite for my tasted but I enjoyed that I could sense some of the oak coming through too.

Picket Fence Cabernet Sauvignon

Picket Fence
Alexander Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
2012
$16.95

Classic Sonoma Cabernet characteristics of cassis, green olive and hints of chocolate, French Oak aging contributes vanilla, clove and hazelnut aromas which create a unique foil for the robust blackberry and raspberry fruit flavors leading to a round, flavorful finish.  Pair with aged and semi-hard cheeses, or try lamb with a dry rub of rosemary, shallots and fruit olive oil.

My review: To me there was nothing unique about this wine that stood out to me and made me truly remember it.  I remember thinking that there was a little too much going on in the wine for me.

I did not pair it with food.

Anciano Tempranillo

Anciano
Gran Reserva
Tempranillo
Valdepenas
2004
$13.95

Anciano wines are matured for years in cellars stacked floor to ceiling with oak barrels.  This slow, controlled maturation guarantees the perfect balance between ripe fruit and mellow oak character.  Great things come with age!

My review: I tasted this wine right after the Pinot Noir that I liked so much, so I was not as impressed by this wine.  When the review says mellow, it meant mellow.  I could almost have this distinct taste of alcohol which I really didn't like because it meant that the wine did not go down very easy for me.

I did not have it with food.

Picket Fence Pinot Noir

Picket Fence
Russian River
Pinot Noir
2012
$16.95

Aromas of brandy-macerated red cherries, bay laurel, duck fat, forest floor, toasty baking spices and warm vanilla.  The chewy red and black fruits come through in the mouth with layers of fine tannins and just a whisper of smoldering French oak.  A delicious finish ends this wine on a lush note of creme brulee topped with plum compote. (92 points Wilfred Wong)

My review: I absolutely LOVE THIS WINE. I loved it so much I bought a bottle for myself.  When I first smelled the wine I would smell this kind of campfire smell that must have come from the French oak. It to me was a very musky kind of wine, and while at first smell you think it would be heavy, it had a lot of flavor but still felt light to me on my tongue.  I give it two huge thumbs up!

I did not have it with food but I plan on splitting the bottle with a friend and some chocolate in the near future.

Picket Fence Russian River

Picket Fence
Russian River
2013
Chardonnay
$14.95

Picket Fence Chardonnay is classic Russian River. Citrus blossom, hints of ripe stone fruit, creme brulee, and a bright balanced acidity.  Lightly toasted french oak enhances the structure and spice, coalescing into a round juicy wine with an attractive lingering finish.

My review: Quite frankly I thought that the wine tasted as close to water as you could get.  I could tell hints of fruit but for the most part there was nothing to the wine.

I did not have it with food.

Casas del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc

Casas del Bosque
Sauvignon Blanc
Casablanca
Chilie
2013
$12.95

Energetic, precise lemon and pear qualities, with floral, herbal and mineral accents adding complexity (90 pts, Steven Tanzer)

My review: For a white wine there was a surprising amount of flavor to it.  I enjoyed that I could taste a lot of the pear in the wine, and that it went down very smooth.  It was definitely a wine I could see myself buying.

I did not have it with food.

My Introduction!

     My experience with wine is one that stretches back more years then it should.  Growing up in an Italian household, my family always had bottles of wine stacked in the corner of our kitchen on our wine rack, and it was common for my parents to always have a glass of wine with dinner.  A sip here and there when I was younger, but I absolutely hated wine.

That was until I studied abroad in Lugano, Switzerland.

     My junior year here at Virginia Tech I received the unique opportunity to spend almost an entire semester in Switzerland, right on top of the Italian border. Aka where the wine was cheaper then the fresh water.  Throughout that trip I tried wines from all across Italy, Switzerland and France.  Normally at restaurants we would ask the waiters to choose their favorite wine and give it to us.

     The best experience I had with wine abroad was on my wine tour in Tuscany, it was there that I figured out I like red wine a lot more then white wine.  We got to try two different kinds of reds, a white and a dessert wine.  I wish that I took better notes and remembered exactly what kinds of wine they were, but I guess I was less educated then!

     That is where what I hope to get out of the class comes into play.  I hope to gain a better knowledge of kinds of wine so that once I drink a kind of wine I can not only recognize it again, but remember what kind it was.  Already from the class and one wine tasting I have learned how much I like Pinot Noir.

     I am excited about the class, and I cannot wait to gain such a good understanding that I can go home and sound more educated with my parents when I drink wine!