Tasting - Crane Lake White Zinfandel

Name: Crane Lake 

Variety: White Zinfandel 

Region: California 

Year: 2013

Price: $5.95

Wine Critic Review:

"Light pink wine with floral and tropical aromas: flavors of strawberry, peach and raspberry with a touch of sweetness. This wine is an easy sipping wine that also pairs well with a wide variety of foods ranging from crab cakes or pâté to spicy Asian dishes, glazed ham, and grilled sea bass."

My Review:

This was a pink wine with a very fruity smell. It smelled really sweet and also tasted really sweet. It wasn't overwhelming, but it had the sweetness that goes along with sugary fruits like peaches and strawberries. It also had the acidity that goes along with many fruits. It almost tasted like juice. I think it could go well with spicy dishes because the sweetness might cut the spice.

I tasted this alone without food.

Tasting - Vina Galana Alicante Bouchet

Name: Vina Galana
Variety: Alicante Bouchet
Country: Spain
Year: 2012
Price: $9.95 (regular $15)

Wine Critic Review:
"From the rare Alicante Bouchet, one of the few grapes in the world with red flesh this wine has a plush texture carrying flavors of brandied cherry and chocolate ganache in this round red. Light tannins and gentle acidity impart a lovely, balanced structure."

My Review:
I was not a fan of this wine. It had a very earthy smell, woody almost. I think it was extremely dry. I didn't get the chocolate taste, but I did taste a slight hint of cherry. It mostly had a medicinal, herbal, plant-like taste though. I do think it was a little bit acidic but not overwhelmingly so. I don't like dry wines or cherry, so I will probably not be drinking this wine ever again. 
I tried this wine alone without food.

Tasting - Tonnino Syrah

Name: Tonnino

Variety: Syrah 

Region: Sicily

Country: Italy 

Year: 2013

Price: $7.95 (regular $14)

Wine Critic Review:

"An intense red color. Aromas of violet and blackcurrant enriched by hints of liquorice and black pepper. In the mouth it is full, round, slightly tannic and with a spicy note on the finish."

My Review:

I really did not like this wine. It smelled kind of like medicine, I would say probably because of the licorice smell. I didn't get the floral or violet smell. It definitely had that spicy taste which I think is because of the peppery taste of it. I would say it was definitely tannic and very full bodied. I will not be drinking this again.

I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - Riebeek Cellars Viognier

Name: Riebeek Cellars

Variety: Viognier 

Region: Swartland 

Country: South Africa 

Year: 2015

Price: $7.95 (regular $12)

Wine Critic Review (Washington Post):

"This is a luscious viognier, featuring a deep yellow color, that explodes with juicy peach and honeysuckle flavors. Viognier can easily become flabby, but this one manages to keep its figure within bounds. I recommend this for immediate, lip-smacking enjoyment."

My Review:

This wine smelled fruity, but I also got a hint of a floral smell. I do think that it smelled like honeysuckles! While it had a similar taste to the Rose, it wasn't as intense of a flavor. It was sweet, but not too sweet. I don't agree with the critic that it "exploded" with flavor. It was there, it just wasn't as intense as some other wines I have tried. 

I tried this wine alone without food.

Tasting - Dom Michel Thomas Sancerre Rose

Name: Dom Michel Thomas

Variety: Sancerre Rose 

Region: Loire 

Country: France

Year: 2013

Price: $8.95 (regular $32)

Wine Critic Review (Stephen Tanzer): Score 90

"Bright orange-pink. Lively, mineral-tinged aromas of fresh red berries, orange peel and honeysuckle, with a hint of anise building in the glass. Dry and nervy in the mouth, offering vibrant strawberry and orange pith flavors and a suggestion of rose pastille. The floral element comes back on the finish, which lingers with very good spicy persistence."

My Review:

I could definitely smell the fruity scent described. To me it smelled like raspberries with a hint of peach. It was a very dry wine, while still having that crisp fruity flavor. This surprised me because most really fruity wines I have tried had a much sweeter taste. It was nice to find a wine that is still crisp and fruity while not being overwhelmingly sweet!
I tried this wine alone without food.

Dinner - Homemade (Sweet and Spicy Theme)

Our crackers and cheese that
we ate for our appetizer!

Tonight I decided along with my roommate Charlotte, who is also in this class to do a sweet and spicy themed dinner tasting! We went with wines that we thought would be sweeter and with the exception of our dessert we paired them with spicier foods.

The wine and appetizer
pairing! Gallow Family Vineyards
says it pairs well with fish, poultry,
and seafood!

For our appetizer we decided to do a cheese pairing with our first wine. We went with a new cheese that neither of us had ever tried before. We paired Yancey's Fancy Hot Stuff Buffalo Wing cheese with Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Sea Salt Crackers. The cheese was really spicy. I didn't get a buffalo wing taste, but I did get a slightly more intense flavor than that of a pepper jack cheese. The crackers tasted like sesame and sea salt.

For the appetizer pairing, we chose to taste Gallo Family Chardonnay. By itself it had a very bitter smell. The taste was very zingy and had a bitter finish. It was not as sweet as some other chardonnays I have tried before.

Gallo Family Vineyards
describes their Chardonnay as
a medium bodied, medium
sweetness wine with citrus notes,
a hint of vanilla, and a dash of oak.

Our shrimp stir fry with our
Pink Zebra Riesling!

When paired with the cheese and crackers it had a slightly different flavor. The spice from the cheese really cut the bitterness but it brought out the zing of the flavor. I thought the cheese and crackers also brought out the grape flavor.



For our entree, we decided to have shrimp stir fry. The stir fry had a slightly spicy taste, as we used an asian seasoning packet. It was shrimp, green beans, carrots, celery, and onion.

Pink Zebra describes this wine
as bursting with ripe peach
and floral notes. They say it is
delightfully crisp with a hint
of sweetness! It is a 2013 wine!

We paired our shrimp stir fry with Pink Zebra Riesling. By itself it had a very tangy taste. It had a sweet floral smell almost like roses. The taste included a hint of peach. I also really like that the color goes along with the smell and taste, a peachy colored wine. I think I might have a new favorite wine.

Paired with the stir fry, the food brought out the sweet flavor. The food also really brought out the peachy flavor. I think the slightly spicy taste of the Asian inspired stir fry went well with the sweet fruity notes of the Riesling.

Our dessert and wine pairing!
Franzia describes this as a
medium bodied, sweet wine.
They say it is a refreshing red with
flavors of citrus fruit and just
the right amount of sweetness.
They say it pairs well with BBQ!

For our dessert, we decided to have yogurt topped with fresh fruit. I chose a peach yogurt I put fresh blackberries on top. We paired this with Franzia Fruity Red Sangria.

By itself the wine was far from my favorite. It had almost a fruity candy like chapstick smell with a hint of coconut. I also did not like the taste. This wine tasted like cough syrup, or black cherry cough drops with a coconut aftertaste.

When paired with the dessert, the yogurt makes the wine taste really acidic. I think it was a combination of the acidic fruity notes of the wine with the acid from the blackberries. It actually was so strong that it almost made me feel like my mouth was burning.

Overall, I'd say it was a fun experience. It was fun to cook with my roommate, and we really enjoyed experimenting and trying the new wines and foods. And I even found a new wine I love!

Tasting - Crane Lake Gewürtztraminer

Name:Crane Lake 
Variety: Gewürtztraminer
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $5.95

Wine Critic Review:
Slightly high-toned notions of rose petal mingle with lemon on nose and palate of this lightly sweet, richly textured yet balanced Gewürtztraminer. This is not as heady as you may expect and will be a treat with spicy Asian dishes. Lychee and rose petal make another very fetching appearance on the finish.

My Review:
This wine smelled like a garden to me. It had all of the aromas you would smell, sweet floral scents mixed with hints of what almost smelled like grass and leaves. This wine had an extremely sweet taste, yet not overwhelmingly so like you would get with a moscato. I don't see it being good with spicy food or Asian food as the critic mentioned, but I could see drinking it with something like fish or chicken. It did have a slight lemon taste, which helped to cut the sweetness a little bit, but it definitely had that sweet taste that went along with the floral scents of it. I think this is a wine I will definitely try again.
I tried this wine without food.

Tasting - Codirosso Chianti

Name: Codirosso
Variety: Chianti Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita
Region: Tuscany
Country: Italy
Year: 2014
Price: $7.95 (regular $13)

Wine Critic Review: 
Ruby red color with purple reflections. Intense vinous bouquet with hints of violets and dark cherry fruit. The flavor is full of ripe fruit and a hint of spice. It is well balanced and dry. The finish is persistent and satisfying.

My Review:
This wine had a very earthy smell. To me it kind of smelled like trees. It also kind of smelled like medicine. I definitely smelled hints of cherry, and to me it smelled like a mixture of cherry cough syrup and what you would smell in a forest. I think it had a very light flavor, and is actually the first red wine I have tried that I have actually enjoyed. While it was dry, it was still very light, which I think is why I liked it. Most red wines are too heavy for me. 
I tried this wine alone without food.

Tasting - Indwe Pinotage

Name: Indwe 
Variety: Pinotage
Region: Western Cape Coastal Region
Country: South Africa
Year: 2013
Price: $5.95 (regular $12)

Wine Critic Review - Robert Parker (Drink now 2016): 
A disclaimer: I have never cared much for Pinotage, the indigenous South African grape variety, but this 2013 Pinotage from Indwe, named after the country's national bird, the blue crane, comes across like a light Pinot Noir. Subtle notes of cherries, spice and forest floor are followed by a round, light to medium-bodied, pure, seductive, well-crafted wine.

My Review:
This wine had a sort of sour smell. I think it was the cherry hints in the aroma. When I tasted it I definitely got the cherry taste, but it also tasted pretty bitter to me. It was a really dry wine, part of the reason I am not usually a fan of red wines. I thought this wine had a really warm finish. I also got a hint of sort of a coffee like taste, which didn't help with the bitterness. 
I had this wine without food.

Tasting - Palacio de Bornos Verdejo

Name: Palacio de Bornos Winery 
Variety: Verdejo
Region: Rueda
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $5.95 (regular $12)

Wine Enthusiast Review: (89 points) Zesty and clean, with pure grapefruit and passion fruit aromas. It's charged up but perfectly balanced, with bright, focused citrus and pineapple flavors. Lemon acidity keeps the finish rolling, then throw in some chive and fresh greens and you have a spot-on Verdejo.

My Review: I smelled a very earthy yet floral aroma with this wine, but with that, there was a slightly bitter smell. I though this wine was slightly sweet and extremely acidic. I could definitely taste the acid from the hints of citrus. It had a very crisp taste. While it did have that slightly sweet, fruity flavor, it was still semi-dry.  I think anyone who likes fruitier wines would love this.

I tried it on its own without food. 

Tasting - Tonnino Grillo

Name: Tonnino Azienda Vitivinicola
Variety: Grillo
Region: Sicily
Country: Italy
Year: 2014
Price: $7.95 (regular $14)

Wine Spectator Review:
Fruit-forward and tangy, this light-bodied, snappy white offers flavors of guava, apricot, candied grapefruit zest and stone. Drink now. 20,000 cases made.

My Review:
This wine smelled very sweet and fruity. I found the wine to have a very crisp taste, although it tasted slightly bitter at the end. It was a very light wine that I think would pair well with a lighter meal. 
I tried this wine on its own without food.