Tasting - Pennywise Chardonnay

Pennywise

Chardonnay

Napa Valley, California

US

2011

$7

Golden yellow, very clean and clear. Medium viscosity, lots of legs. Smell: Honey, lemon, nectarine, clementine, round (not sharp or acidic). 

Taste: Buttery, not too tangy, round, semi-sweet. Strong finish. The acid doesn’t come through until the finish.

Second smell: Banana, mango, nectarine.

Second taste: metallic finish.

Overall, I like this wine. I would almost liken this wine more to a riesling in terms of the balance between sweet and dry, but there are very strong notes of tropical fruit. This is sweeter than most chardonnays I’ve had and not as sharp or acidic as others. It has the perfect level of sourness, probably due to the relatively low acidity. The buttery mouth feel coats the palate, but at the same time it has a clean, crisp flavor. Does not taste as hot as I would expect at %13.5 ABV. Very good!

Tasting - Rex-Goliath Malbec

Rex-Goliath 

Malbec

Argentina

(No year given)

$6

Light color, medium viscosity. Sharp, citrus, yet earthy nose. I taste avocado and herbs. Initial flavor is savory, not too sweet yet not too dry. The dryness actually remains after the finish, which is not pleasant. Overall, very thin bodied and not too exciting.

Tasting - Hess Select Treo

Hess Select, Treo Winemaker's Blend

Blend of Merlot, Syrah, and Petite Sirah

Napa Valley, California

US

2010

$18-19

The color is... red! Somewhat fuchsia, but not as purple as many red wines I've had. The wine has legs, but is not too viscous. With the first sniff, I get a surprisingly round, earthy smell with a hint of pepper. The first taste is dry and tart, but mellows out with hints of cranberry and citrus. The finish is very round and mellow, but with no prominent flavors...kind of minerally, like duck liver or something. With the second sniff, I get a hint of herbs, possibly rosemary and marjoram. With the second taste I get more fruit and an overall rounder flavor. Overall, it’s a pretty robust wine that is a bit dry for my taste. Given the tartness and peppery taste, it might pair well with red meat.

Second Day:

Most prominently, I smell ammonia. It’s very harsh on the nose. I do still get an oaky aroma and blueberry. The taste is quite harsh and vinegary but some citrus and pineapple flavors come through. Overall, the wine has not improved overnight. The acidity is so overpowering it is almost sour to a point. The finish is a bit bitter, but I get a hint of chocolate and orange zest. It is medium to light-bodied but has a somewhat strong, pleasant finish. After a few sips, the acidity either lightens up or I just get more used to it.. But I am able to really appreciate the other flavors in the wine and the sweetness really comes through.

Wine Time!!!

I currently have a lot of experience with wine...cheap, strong, and sometimes questionable wine... I also have mild experience with better wine. I'll put it this way... if my parents buy it, it's usually not bad, and is many times quite good. If I buy it, I'm mainly looking at the alcohol percentage. Let's be honest, the college student's budget doesn't exactly allow for many options. Which is why this class turns out to be a great excuse to spend money on at least half-way descent wine! I now consider it an educational expense.

I learned to appreciate food from a very early age. My dad is a great cook and has always encouraged me to try new things. Since I started living on my own in college, I have always loved cooking. It is really about taking flavors and creating new things out of them, based on personal taste and intuition. I feel that learning about wine will only help improve my palate and I will become better about noticing subtleties in taste, not only in wine but food as well. I have begun to do that recently with beer. I find it fascinating how different beers from different regions can vary so much, just by how it is brewed, what kinds of hops are used, or even the quality of water in that area. So many micro breweries are popping up all over the place, there's always something new to try.

While I am more of a beer drinker, I do love wine and am very excited to learn more about it. I can generally taste the differences between a variety of stouts, lagers and IPAs, to name a few, and can just sit there analyzing the subtle flavors that each beer has. But when it comes to wine, I haven't the slightest clue how to differentiate between a merlot and a cabernet, or a pinot and a chardonnay. Granted I've had all these types before and loved them, I have never really taken the time to learn about them. I usually just stop at "yep, this wine looks red...we'll go with red." I have been to a few wineries in Virginia and I have always enjoyed tasting their wines. I can usually point out the prominent flavors and the general characteristics or differences in wine, but there is so much more to learn. All I need is a little educational motivation!