Wine Tasting #9: Paris, France!!

I traveled far and wide for a glass of a French wine and was not disappointed. I don't know if it was the wine, view of the Eiffel Tower, or the smell of french air, but I really enjoyed my glass. I wish I was there writing this as we speak, but unfortunately, all good times must come to an end. 

This bottle of wine was 30 euros and was paired with a buttery Bolognese pasta. The full name of it is "Côtes-du-Rhône AOC, Pure Garrigue." It is a red wine made from Grenache grapes and was full of lighter flavors like strawberry, cherry, and a little linger of red plum. It gave me a little goosebump shiver from the first taste, but I warmed up to it. It had hints of sweet red velvet when smelling, and was smooth and slick when tasting. It was an interesting pairing with the buttery, red sauce, meat flavor of the pasta, dimming some of the fruit flavors and leaving tannins. 

Reviews online report of it being dry, medium body, with a nice spice. 

Drink This Now Blog: Aging

2019 Piemonte Barbera ($9.99) from Piemont, Italy!

Steps of the Drink this Now Lesson: 

1. Open and try the wine immediately, noting the color, aroma, body and taste. 

2. Wait two hours for the wine to "open up" to allow oxygen to get in and try it again noting any differences you noticed. 

3. Try the wine with cheese. Take a hunk of the cheese, chew, and sip the wine noting any changes in taste. Next. eat a piece of meat like pepperoni and do the same. 

4. Save a bit overnight and try it again without food. 

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Similar to the example blog post, I could not find the wines on the list and decided to get a newer version of the Piemonte Barbera shown. This wine was made in the Bricco de Tati wineary in Piedmonte, Italy (Northern) with grapes harvested in 2019 and was about $9.99. 

Review from online: "An old world wine from Italy, red hue, transparent and dry, this is medium bodied, hard with high tannins and acid...flavors of blackberry and plum with a long finish of allspice."

The first taste of this wine was sweet. It was a bit under room temperature, cool, and smooth. It had a dark red color, but not black dark -- just deep red dark.  I tasted light raspberry, cherry, a bit of acidity, and light tannins. In terms of aroma, it was a bit spicy and had hints of black cherry. 

Two hours later....there are physical minerals at the bottom of the glass. I also noticed the color became a light ruby red color. The fruits were still present in the aroma, but it was more oak and vanilla coated. When tasting, more cranberry juice flavors were brought out along with tart strawberry jam. I enjoy the taste two hours later and two hours before. 

For my food pairings, I decided to try this with asiago cheese and pepperoni's. I took a bite of the cheese, chewed a little, and noted the flavors. For this combination, I feel the cheese made the wine silky and smooth with a sweet flavor that lowered the tannins and acidity. The cheese was savory and without any spice. Doing the same with the pepperoni, this combination of flavors in my mouth was spicy, smokey, and peppery. 

Leaving the bottle out on the counter overnight made these flavors develop interestingly, in a good way. By allowing oxygen to work through the bottle, it lost some of its fresh taste and aromas. It became more jammy with hints of tobacco and increased spice. I preferred the sweetness and fruit notes when it was first opened, but I'm sure many would disagree. 

This assignment was different from the others and more experimental about the science behind wine. I don't pay much attention to the pairings or how specific cheeses, meat flavors, or oxidation levels can affect the flavor of wine. 

Wine Tasting #8: Apothic Red Original Blend

I bet you can't guess what this blog is about! Unless you said another Apothic...then you'd be correct. I just feel like I have to give them all a shot to find my true favorite -- clearly I can't get enough. For this tasting, I tried the Apothic Original Blend from 2022 which cost about $9.99. Another California wine, in a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Zinfandel. 

This smelled more coffee-like compared to the Apothic Crush from earlier this week. It was more oaky, maybe a hazelnut, cinnamon, vanilla coffee blend; a nice dark red cup of coffee. It had a little kick of spice upon the first taste with a wood-burn flavor. I also noticed a little black plum tartness, black currant, and some pine. I think it was pretty good and I would rate it about a 7.8/10, not an 8 but not a 7. I still think the Apothic Cab. Sauv. is taking the award according to my tastebuds. I'm finding I prefer wines that aren't as smokey or oaky, smokey oaky! 

Review online: "Great wine for a very reasonable price. A delicious, affordable red blend. The smooth character of the berry and vanilla adds a delicate sweetness that is very pleasing. A favorite label!" 

I am pickin' up what they're puttin' down with this one. I get it!

Wine Tasting #7: Apothic Crush Blend

Crafted with Modesto, California grapes in 2022, this cost about $8.99 from Kroger. In this blend, it brings characteristics from dark and ripe fruits in Sirah, ripe raspberry in Zinfandel, and dark berries in Pinot Noir. 

After my research about Deb who makes (my favorite) Apothist wines, I just had to try another one. I may be biased, but I think this lady knows what she's doing, Contrary to the Cabernet, this Apothic Crush: Smooth Red Wine blend was more mocha tasting. I could totally taste the cherry, plummy, jammy dark raspberry-like fruits, and a little caramel to finish them off. It also smelled a bit like cinnamon and black, dark cherry. It does make the sides of the mouth water a bit which I learned was a sign of the pallet begging to be mixed with food -- but wine is food! In the future, I hope to pair it with a cheese or event a chocolate dessert like a brownie, or cake. But if we're being honest, I would drink it with anything! 9/10. 

From Online Reviews: "Very smooth and very mild. Does not have a strong aftertaste and is very pleasant. It has a hint of floral and a medley of grape." 

Wine Dinner #1: Salad, Red Sauce Pasta, Dessert

This assignment made me feel like a chef. Three meals with THREE WINES?! A dream. But there was a downside to this....I did not like the wines I chose, you'll find out why soon. If you've been keeping up to date with my blogs, you'd find I am fond of Cabernet Sauvignon, but for this assignment, I wanted to try some new, special ones. 

                                                                (What we're working with) 

First Course: A Traditional Greek Salad with a Tangy, Citrus Dressi

Wine + Review: Josh Chardonnay 2023 (California), $7.99 half bottle (split)

I honestly though that half bottles of wine were cheaper, but I was at Gucci Kroger so maybe that made a difference. This wine was good for a white, since I normally don't reach for them anymore. It had a sweet, fruity aroma and didn't burn my nose after my sniff and swirl. I chilled it in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving it and I enjoyed it's coolness. It had a slight mango taste, but I mostly noticed green apple. It was slightly acidic but not enough to make my mouth water. 

Pairing Review: I enjoyed this pairing. It was fresh, and I felt the green apple tartness matched the lemon and red wine vinegar in the dressing. It balanced out enough to cancel out these flavors and bring out the oregano seasoning and tomato. 

Second Course: Bolognese Meat Sauce Pasta 

Wine + Review: Zinfandel 2022, $9.99 (California)

This is a wine I am not confident in purchasing again, but I would try it again once my pallet has developed more. Maybe if I made a different sauce, a cream sauce per chance, or one that was not as sweet as this one, it would've been better. I don't think I am a fan of pepper flavor in wine, so I will stick to dark fruits and a little sweetness. This wine was very leathery with tobacco, licorice, and spice. 

Pairing Review: My goal of this pairing was to match the red meat sauce with bold fruitiness and a pepper finish to bring out the sweetness of the sauce, but it honestly clashed....hard. This was not a pairing I could recommend or have again, 3/10. I felt that the sweetness and pepper finish of the wine burned in my throat and not in a good, high tannins, acidity way. 

Third Course: Milk Chocolate Covered Strawberries 

Wine: Ruffino Prosecco (no year provided), $8.99 Split (Northeastern Italy)

This sparking wine was good in my opinion. This one also smelled like green apple and hints of pineapple. It had good tannins, light acidity and tartness on the sides of the mouth. It was crisp, clean, and also had a little peach flavor. 

Paring Review: This was my first time pairing a dessert and a wine, let alone a sparkling wine (I think this was my mistake). I enjoyed the flavors together, but did not like the bubbles paired with it. I didn't taste much of the richness in the chocolate but thought it brought out the fresh and sweetness of the strawberries. 

Let's EAT!

Wine Tasting #6: Apothic Cabernet Sauvignon

 Not an interesting green screen background to set the scene for this one, even though it's my favorite wine to date. It is affordable, smooth, and reliable. I've bought a couple bottles of this one and really do enjoy it. It cost about $9.99 and is another California (E.J. Gallo) Cabernet Sauvignon from 2022.  

It has a slight chocolate aroma with hints of vanilla. I feel it is more fruity than a few other reds I have tried, with low acidity. It has the sweetness of a date and smells of blackberries and raspberries peek through a bit. I also tasted pomegranate upon the first sip. The tannins are low and it doesn't make my mouth feel like a desert and the sides of my mouth don't water when I drink it. I do agree with the back of the bottle that writes about it's jammy flavor - I would totally spread this on a piece of toast. 

Research online taught me a couple of things: made by winemaker Deb Juergenson, she seeks to carry European traditions starting with naming this wine. She was inspired by the word "Apotheca," a place where wine was blended in 13th century Europe which I found interesting. Others who have tried the wine write about Vanilla aromas, a silky texture, and gumdrop spice with caramel flavors. These additional descriptors are consistent with my opinions and will rate this awesome wine a 9/10. 

Wine Tasting #5: Biltmore Estate Merlot

This was a different wine compared to the others I've tried in my blogs before - it's a Merlot! I have enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon hybrids lately, but this one was tasty too. It cost about $16.99 and the grapes were grown in Asheville, NC where the Biltmore Estate is located (pictured behind me). I have actually visited it, and unfortunately at the time, I was not of age to do one of their decadent wine tastings. 

First impressions were strong - literally strong. After swirling to oxidize the wine and get the minerals around the glass, the aroma was felt in the back of my throat, almost like a tingle. It had a sweeter smell, pomegranate I would say. When tasting, I felt it had low tannins as it did not dry out my mouth. The grapes were harvested in 2022, and were possibly aged in a oak barrel based on its oakey taste. I personally paired it with salmon, fajita peppers, and sweet potatoes and surprisingly, the wine enhanced the spice in each piece of the meal. 

Reviews note its aromas of black cherry, cocoa powder, and leather with a dry body and medium finish suggesting strawberry preservatives. I would have this wine again! I enjoy the Biltmore, their wines, and history! 9/10 rating from me.