Tasting- "Opera Prima Sparkling Moscato"

Name: Opera Prima Sparkling Moscato
Variety: N/A
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: N/A
Price: $6.95, on sale from $15

Winery Review: Flowery and sweet smelling, then round and fairly smooth in the mouth. The bubbles and flavor package of tropical fruits galore is pleasant and shouldn’t offend anyone. Finishes clean and easy. A mango boat of flavor.

My Review: This a bubbly champagne type wine. It smelled like strawberry soda. It tasted a lot like soda and it was very champagney. The color was a little pink and it had a mild taste. The color was probably red from mixing with my other drinks. This was my favorite of the 5 I tried.

Tasting- "Foxhollow Chardonnay"

Name: Foxhollow Chardonnay
Variety: N/A
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $5.95

Winery Review: This Chardonnay’s aromas of tropical pineapple, crisp green apple and citrus are supported by underlying nuances of vanilla. The finish is smooth and creamy yet balanced with enough acidity to accentuate the vibrant fruit flavors with a hint of orange blossoms.

My Review: This was a white wine. This was a lot sweeter then the Frascati wine I tried. It tasted a lot more sugary. It was definitely less bitter with not nasty after taste. It was a lot more tasty.

Tasting- "Foxhollow Cabernet"

Name: Foxhollow Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: N/A
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $5.95

Winery Review: Rich and supple with juicy plum, blackberry and chocolate flavors and a pleasant sense of sweetness backed up by good acidity and moderate tannins. Offers early complexity and charm with real richness and depth.
 
My Review: This wine was almost a purple color. It tasted a lot like cherries and raspberries. This was a red wine and it was not as water as most of the red wines I've had. This was a lot sweeter.

Tasting- "Fontana Candida Frascati"

Name: Fontana Candida Frascati
Variety: 60% Malvasia Bianca di Candia, 30% Trebbiano and 10% Malvasia del Lazio
Region: Frascati
Country: Italy
Year:
Price: $5.95

Winery Review: This Frascati, made from grapes grown in volcanic soils near Rome and cold filtered, is a pale straw gold. On the nose it offers light-as-a-zephyr lemon and a hint of grass. On the tongue it is ultra crisp and delightfully flinty, its lemon and clementine flavors as smooth as old silk. At the end of a nice clean finish a dab of ripe pear takes a bow.

My Review: This wine was a white wine and tasted very sweet and fruity at first. It then had a very bitter and nasty after taste. It also smelled a little bit like champagne but did not taste that good.

Tasting- "Chicken and Turkey"

Name: Chicken and Turkey Cotes du Rhone
Variety: 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Carignan
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: N/A
Price: $5.95

Winery Review: Deep red garnet color with purple highlighs, Intense nose of morello cherry, tobacco and liquorice. Good structure on the palate with lots of fruits and a long fruity and spicy finish. A true delight.

My Review: This wine tasted a little like chocolate. It was a red wine that was actually not as watery as the other red wines I have tried. This wine was actually a lot sweeter. It also tasted like berries.

Tasting- "Chateau Malescasse"

Name: Chateau Malescasse
Variety: N/A
Region: Gironde
Country: France
Year: 2010
Price: N/A


Winery Review: This wine review was not provided by the winery.

My Review: This wine was very strong. It has a bright red color that almost looked like blood. I thought it has a really bitter taste. So far I think I am a fan of the white wines.

Tasting- "Masseria Surani Puglia Ares Red"

Name: Masseria Surani Puglia Ares Red

Variety: N/A

Region: Puglia

Country: Italy

Year: 2012

Price: $12.95

Winery Review: Intense ruby red color. Red fruits, black-cherry on the nose. Sapid, balanced acidity, soft tannins, medium-bodied. Rich first courses, red and roasted meats.

My Review: This had a very dark red color. It smelled like nail polish. This was also watery and did not really have any taste to it. I still liked all the other white wines I tried compared to this one. I wish it had more of a taste.

Tasting- "Mundo deYunter"

Name: Mundo deYunter
Variety: N/A
Country: Spain
Year: 2012
Price: N/A

Winery Review: N/A

My Review: This was the first red wine I tried during the tasting. I definitely liked the white wines more then this. It smelled like grapes and it was from Spain. It did not have a strong taste compared to the smell and it was kind of watery. It was a little dry and warm. I personally did not like it.

Tasting- "Dog Point Vineyard"

Name: Dog Point

 Variety: Bouquet

Country: New Zealand 

Year: 2014

Price: $19.95

Winery Review: Distinctive varietal character, ripe tropical fruits, melon, lemongrass, citrus. Soft textured palate, purity of fruit, intense flavor, balanced refreshing acidity. Food match: white meats, pale cheeses, seafood especially scallops and oysters

My Review: This was a new 2014 vintage. It was a white wine and had a deeper smell then the Telmo wine. It also had a grassy scent to it but a lot stronger. It was not as bitter as Telmo and I thought it was more tasty.

Tasting- "Telmo Basa 2013"

Name: Basa Blanco 2013
Variety: 85% Verdejo, 3% Sauvignon Blanc and 12% Viura
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $12.95

Winery Review: Dusty aromas of unripe melon and apple are pyrazinic. A bit of spritz greets you on the palate, while flavors of green citrus run heavy and pithy.

My Review: This was a white wine that smelled very sweet. It also had a grassy scent to it which was interesting. The taste was not what I expected. It was a little fruity and I thought it was very strong. This was my very out of the five I tried this week.

First Wine Blog Assignment

I have not had a lot of experience with wine so far. My parents drink a lot of wine and collect it but I never got interested in it. I know my dad enjoys red wine and always falls asleep after drinking it. My Mom prefers white wine. 

I have had a lot of Sangria in Puerto Rico and bought some on my own. I have also bought some wine for a cruise I went on during Spring Break last year. I forgot the name of the wine but it was a red wine and tasty. I also like making my own wine out of Welch's Grape Juice and even Juicy Juice. I buy my own wine yeast, sugar, welch's juice and mix it all together and then put a stopper on top so it doesn't explode, wait a few weeks and I have my own homemade wine. It is very strong and tastes like juice.

I hope to learn more about what makes up wine and how to describe a certain wine. I guess I would like to develop a wine vocabulary to impress people. I would also like to learn about the different kinds of wine and what tastes good.