Wine Tasting Madria Sangria

Name: Madria Sangria
Variety: 
Region: California
Country: US
Year: NV
Price: $8.95

Winery review:  Madria Sangria Trandicional offers a flavorful blend of ruby-red wine and hints of orange, lemon, and lime. And true to the traditional Spainish style, this Sangria has just the right amount of sweetness and refreshment. It pairs perfectly with family and friends, laughter, and a delicious meal.  

My review: This wine smelled like plum and cherries. It smelled very sweet with hints of citrus. The initial taste of the wine was sweet and very flavorful. It was like a citrus punch bowl stirring my mouth. After it settled a bit I tasted orange. It seemed like there was an orange peel in my mouth, just lingering there. I enjoyed drinking this wine. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Tasting Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone

Name: Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone
Variety: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2010
Price: $14.95

Winery review:  Displays loads of ripe flavors. It is very concentrated for a Cotes du Rhone, and is actually an amazing wine. Classic garrigue, black cherry liqueur, lavender, licorice, and spice box are all present in this full bodied, intense, and rich Cotes du Rhone. This is a sensational effort to drink over the next 4-5 years, although it might last even longer. 

My review: This wine smelled like plums mixed with cherries. But not the good kind. It reminded me of smelling cherry flavored medicine. I could even smell the bitterness. This wine was balanced, which surprised me since the smell was so strong. It was very tart, bitter, and dry. I could taste some roots in the wine as well. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Tasting Lobetia Tempranillo

Name: Lobetia Tempranillo
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: La Mancha,
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $10.95

Winery review:  Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the varietal and the terroir to stand cut cleanly. It shows a nice cherry color with a violet shade because of its youth. Red berries and cherries on the nose. On the palate it is fresh, slightly astringent,, and harmonious with a long finish. 

My review: This wine smelled strongly of cherries. The initial taste was cherry but then after a while I got a strong medicine like taste. It seemed like I was trying to swallow a pill but it got stuck in my mouth and I could just taste it the entire time. The wine was also really dry and really bitter. It was hard for me to enjoy this wine. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Tasting Lobetia Chardonnay

Name: Lobetia Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay 
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $10.95

Winery review:  Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the varietal and the terroir to stand out cleanly. Clean, bright color with a greenish-yellow tone. On the nose, exotic fruits like pineapple. Full flavored, fresh, with good acidity in the mouth, it finishes with tropical fruits. 

My review: When I first smelled this wine it reminded me of a Chinese pork dish called Rou Song. Like the dish it was sweet with a hint of pork flavor. I also picked up on a little bit of vanilla mixed in with metal. The wine was really unbalanced for me. It was acidic and really bitter. There was a tart and spicy taste to it as well. It is probably one of the most difficult white wines I've ever tasted but also one of the most interesting smells. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Tasting Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele

Name: Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele
Variety: Pinot Grigio 
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: NV
Price: $7.95

Winery review:  Name after the famous restaurant in Italy. This is their house white wine. Coppery color from extended skin contact, round and rich texture with juicy melon aromas and flavors with a sweet fennel note on the ultra smooth finish. 

My review: The wine smelled had an initial smell of flowers and then it turned into a more citric smell with a hint of apples. The wine tasted really tart. But then after swirling it around a bit you can taste some green apples mixed with some lemons. It was a good balance of flavors. 
 
I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Dinner Baked Tilapia and Stuffed Zucchini

On Sunday, April 21, 2013, Oscar, Joan, and I made our own dinner wine pairing once again. The recipes and pairings were thanks to the Shutter Homes wine and food pairings Pinterest account. This week we decided to make baked Tilapia with veggies, stuffed zucchinis, and Gouda cheese with a french baguette. We paired these foods with a Red Wood Creek 2011 Sauvignon Blanc. We were able to get the Red Wood on sale for only $5.95 at Krogers which was such a good deal but we weren't sure about the taste.

Stuffed Zucchini

Gouda Cheese

Baked Tilapia with Veggies

Redwood Creek Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Zesty notes of lemon and grapefruit are balanced with refreshing hints of green herbs and melon

The first thing I did for this dinner was try the cheese by itself. Why? Because I've never had Gouda before and I was curious as to how it tasted. The particular Gouda we got was really smoked. You could really taste the smokiness of the cheese. It seemed like I was eating it straight from wood. Right after that I tried the cheese with the baguette. This made the cheese a little milder. Then I tried the wine by itself. The wine was very tart and it made my lips pucker. You could really taste the lemon in this wine but I really enjoyed it. Trying the cheese with baguette and wine together however was just amazing. The wine made the cheese milder and sweeter so it seemed like I was at an outdoor campfire. The cheese was creamy and delicious! I loved how the cheese tasted with the wine. 

Bread and Cheese Platter

Trying the wine with the zucchini was pretty good as well. It made the zucchini sweeter and more flavorful. I felt like it really brought out more zucchini flavor than I have ever tasted. It brought I notes that I didn't even know existed in a zucchini. 

Plate of food

The wine with the fish was really good as well. It made the fish seem fresher and more flavorful. I really enjoyed this food pairing! I finished 2 glasses of wine because I loved how they tasted together so every bite of food I took, I took a sip of wine without fail. It was just too good to not eat together. Overall I think this tasting was absolutely amazing! I would want to make this meal again in the future! 

Joan Taking a picture of the dinner

Joan and Oscar

Wine Tasting Ksana Bonarda

Name: Ksana Bonarda
Variety: Bonarda 
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2008
Price: $9.95

Winery review:  The bouquet is floral and lightly jammy, with berry aromas and a savory note or two. To the uninitiated, this is a great introduction to Bonarda. Finishes solid. Very sweet, berry smell with some rooty undertones. Kind of dry, makes your lips pucker. 

My review: The wine smelled of dark cherries mixed with a bit of root. It made the wine smell a bit bitter. The wine was bitter with a hint of sweetness but it wasn't a good balance. It was also dry which made the wine worse for me. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Tasting Concannon Shiraz

Name: Concannon Shiraz 
Variety: Shiraz
Region: Central Coast, California
Country: US 
Year: 2008
Price: $7.95

Winery review: This is an extremely rich, full-bodied wine with a dark fruit core. Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cassis and dark cherry are followed by more berry fruits and chocolate and mocha on the palate. 

My review: This wine smelled of sweet plums and berries. It tasted of dark chocolate mixed with cherry. There was a spicy ting at the tip of my tongue. It was quite an interesting wine to taste. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Tasting Chandon Sweet Cuvee

Name: Chandon Sweet Cuvee
Variety: Cuvee
Region: California
Country: US 
Year: NV
Price: $9.95

Winery review:  This wine is an innovative sparkling wine style revealing vibrant stone fruit and floral aromas with rich, luscious mouth feel. This wine enlivens the senses and sparks spontaneous moments, complementing your passion for a good life. 

My review: This wine was difficult to smell because it was hard to make out all the flavors. There was so much going on I couldn't tell what smells were going on in my nose, but I could smell a hint of sweetness. The wine was sweet but also a little bitter with a fruity mix. It was a good balance wine. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Tasting Black Ridge White Zinfandel

Name: Black Ridge White Zinfandel 
Variety: Zinefandel 
Region: California
Country: US 
Year: NV
Price: $3.95

Winery review:  This fruit forward White Zinfandel displays fresh aromas and crisp flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. It is incredibly food friendly and will pair well with burgers, sandwiches, fruit salad, and more

My review: This wine smelled fruity with a mix of a lot of raspberry dominance. This wine was really refreshing and crisp. It was also semi-sweet and very fruity. I really liked this wine. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Tasting Wilson Daniels Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Wilson Daniels Sauvignon Blanc 
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Central Coast, California
Country: US 
Year: 2010
Price: $7.95

Winery review:  Orange blossom and citrus permeate the aromas. Alluring flavors or orange and grapefruit dominate the palate. Bright acidity balances the plush mouth feel, resulting in a clean finish. 

My review: The wine smelled of citric melon which I enjoyed. I loved the melon smell the most. The wine tasted of oak and wood. It was also a little semi-sweet, which I enjoyed once again because it added to the flavor. The wine was a little dry but I felt like that was a really good balance to the wine. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Homemade dinner with Chardonnay

On April 14, 2013, Oscar, Joan and I made a home made dinner to pair with Chardonnay. This idea came about because we didn't want to spend so much money on a dinner. So I did the research on the types of wines and what would taste good with a certain type of wine. I found a page on Pinterest that gave a lot of good pairings as well as the recipes for the dishes. Here is the link is anyone wants to use it http://pinterest.com/sutterhome/food-wine-pairing/
The website is specific to Shutter Home wines but I'm sure that any brand would work. So we chose to make baked zucchini chips as the appetizer and the main course was shrimp pasta with tomatoes, lemon, and spinach and this was to be paired with Chardonnay.

Shrimp Angel Hair Pasta with spinach, lemon, and tomato 

Baked Zucchini Chips

The way we decided was by just choosing a wine first and then searching for the best food pairings through the website.  We chose the Canyon Road Chardonnay that we tried at the Vintage cellar because it was a really good Chardonnay when we tried it. 

Canyon Road Chardonnay
California 2011
"This Chardonnay has crisp Fuji apple flavors with slightly sweet aromatics and hints of brown spice and ripe lime in the mid to late palate."

Our meal

We had some difficulty opening the wine at first. Joan was the one that figured out how to open it correctly but Oscar was the one that knew how to pour it correctly. As for me, I just made the dinner :)

Struggling before Joan took the wine

Joan using her skills to open the wine

Oscar being a pro at pouring wine

 Trying the dinner with the wine wasn't that much fun for me this time around. My allergies were acting up really badly and I couldn't taste a lot of the foods. The only things I could really taste were the bitterness, spiciness, and the saltiness of the food and nothing else. Everything just tasted bitter, salty, or spicy. Having it with the Chardonnay only made the food more salty, spicy, and bitter. I ate a semi burnt zucchini chip and it was the most bitter thing I've ever tasted. When I had a semi burnt zucchini chip before it wasn't too bitter but the wine made the flavor come out that much more and it was so disgusting. And then I made the mistake of putting more red flake peppers on my noodles and it made my entire mouth burn and sting after I had the wine. Worst mistake of the night.

The deadly pepper flakes in front of my noodles.

 I wish I could explain more of the taste of the wine and food pairing but I just couldn't taste anything with how my allergies were acting up. Maybe next time around it'll be better.

Wine tasting Caprice de Bastor Lamontagne

Name: Caprice de Bastor Lamontagne 
Variety: 60% Semillon, 36% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Musadelle
Region: Sauternes
Country: France 
Year: 2004
Price: $9.95

Winery review: Very clean, with lemon, mineral and honey aromas that follow through to a medium body. Shows vanilla, apple and melon flavors, with a medium finish. Lightly sweet. 

My review: This wine had a strong lemony vanilla smell. This is one of the sweetest wines I've tasted and I really enjoyed it. It was a citrus sweetness so that made it really refreshing. I loved this wine! 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Tasting Torre Castillo Alegre

Name: Torre Castillo Alegre
Variety: 100% Monastrell
Region: Jumilla
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $9.95

Winery review: 4 months in new American oak barrels. Bright ruby-red. Dried cherry, pipe tobacco and rose aromas, with a hint of wood smoke. Sweet and fleshy on the palate, with blackberry and cherry flavors complimented by licorice and a suggestion of dried herbs. The cherry and smoke notes repeat on the finish

My review: This wine had a very strong tobacco smell. I didn't really even have to swirl it that much and it was already strong. There was also a hint of metal smell to it, which I thought was a bit weird. The wine tasted a little spicy. It seemed like there was a bar-b-Que going on in my mouth. I could taste the wood with a little bit of fruit. It was also a bit dry but it wasn't too bad.  

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Tasting Wilson Daniels

Name: Wilson Daniels Merlot 
Variety: 
Region: Central Coast, California
Country: US 
Year: 2010
Price: $9.95

Winery review:  Made predominantly from Paso Robles grapes, the wine is full bodied and silky yet robust, with aromas of black cherry and plum and a palate of blackberry, raspberry and blueberry jam laced with vanilla and toast.

My review: This wine smelled like fruit seared with a lot of black pepper. It tasted a little spicy with a hint of cherry. The wine was a bit on the dry side and was also tart so it made me cough a few times during the first few sips. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.