Wine Tasting 4: Winemakers Selection Classic Series Pinot Noir

 

Name: Andrian Fog Oppenlander Vineyard Mendocino County Pinot Noir
Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Region:  California (James foster - Winemaker)
Country: USA
Year: 2020
Price: $ 12.99(friend bought)

Wine Tasting Review:  Garnet color. Aromas and flavors of cocoa powder, canned cherries, and raspberry with a velvety, lively, dry medium body and an interesting, medium-length finish with impressions of chocolate raspberry nougat, milk chocolate, green herbs, and vitamin c tablet with a suggestion of oak flavor. A ripe and juicy Pinot Noir with tangy tannins and fresh acid.(https://www.tastings.com/Wine-Review/Winemakers-Selection-2020-Classic-Series-Pinot-Noir-California-USA-12-04-2022.aspx)

Wine Folly: I did get the fruity tastes as well as a little sweeter almost cocoa like taste(like chocolate). Didn't get any traces of earthiness and spice that they mentioned. Also did not do the decanting for 30 mins that they recommended. Something to try next time.(https://winefolly.com/grapes/pinot-noir/)

My review: It was cheap but flavorful. The juxtaposition of fruity cherries and raspberry flavors with almost chocolate like undertone was very interesting. It was not too alcoholic but there was a sense of fresh acidity. I'm not sure if that fresh acidity is what the reviews considered the vitamin c tablet taste(oddly specific).

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Wine Tasting 3 - Apothic Pinot Noir

Name: Apothic Pinot Noir
Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Region: Lodi-Delta region in California
Country: USA
Year: 2020
Price: $11.99

Shop review: A flavorful Pinot Noir with rich, smooth layers of dark fruit character and an intriguingly lighter-bodied style. Apothic Pinot Noir offers notes of ripe raspberry and black cherry, with a touch of caramel and vanilla from the oak. Long and lingering on the finish, this is a bright red wine with endless possibilities. It’s a perfect pairing for an interesting night in with friends or perhaps to savor alongside a date night dinner - (Apothic.com)

Wine Folly: I got the fruity tastes such as raspberry and grape as well as some secondary tastes such as vanilla and oak. Wine folly was correct about it being very fruity. Interestingly they mentioned that some Pinot Noirs from California have a coca-cola secondary taste(https://winefolly.com/grapes/pinot-noir/)

My review: It was great! Had a good amount of acidity and felt smooth to drink but rich in flavor. The fruity taste of raspberry and grape was tasty and I certainly enjoyed this for the price.
I tasted this on its own with no food.

WINE DINNER BLOG 1

Steak and Mushrooms with Shiraz

This week I decided to try out this new Australian Yellow tail Shiraz that I bought from food lion(it apparently won a lot of awards). The note below it mentioned it having a very fruity taste and pairing well with red meat. So I bought some Ribeye as well as made sides of mushrooms,toasted dinner rolls and carrots.

Yellow tail Shiraz is quoted by shopwinedirect for having "impressive spice, liquorice and black currant aromas". It has a lower tannin content but is very fruity. Pairing it with red meat with lots of fat such as ribeye seemed ideal and was a combination suggested at food lion's wine section.

The wine certainly elevated my meal. The fruity punch of the wine along with its subtle hints of vanilla and raspberry helped bring out the rich flavour of the meat. In particular I felt that it played in very well with the ribeye's fat content. The mushrooms as well seemed to pair well as it didn't let the savory tastes overwhelm my palate. Most importantly the wine helped balance the rich,saucy and meaty taste of the steak and mushrooms and after every sip of the wine my palate was cleansed with a juicy natural taste that made the next bite of steak ever so tasty. Essentially the acidity and fruity nature of the wine cut through the ruch dense meat and its sauce.The sweetness of the wine and the savory of the meat and mushrooms were an amazing juxtaposition of flavors. On another note, the carrots also tasted extra flavorful with the wine. I threw carrots in there as a last minute veggie but the fresh carrots were complemented by the fruity punch of the wine. Tasting the fresh carrots after a sip of wine made me feel as though I was tasting the juiciest and most aromatic carrots. In many ways I think the carrots were imparted some flavor by the wine.

Overall this was a super exciting meal and I cannot wait to try another wine dinner soon.

Mandatory Blog Post

I'm fairly inexperienced with Wine. I have really only had it at weddings or at special dinners. However, did go to a Wine tasting in Greece which was really cool but that was 9 years ago. I am definitely looking forward to another wine tasting as part of this course. 

One thing that I assumed earlier was that wine tasted mainly of grapes so I thought it wasn't that interesting of a drink. It was only later that I realized that Wine can have so many complex tastes. In many ways this course will teach me the complexities of taste that different kinds of wines offer and I am super excited to learn about that.

That being said I do like white wines though. Chardonnays and champagnes are usually pretty great though I've only really had them at weddings. I find them less bitter than red wines and many are less alcoholic as well. Regarding the specific wines I really do not
know much , as I usually used to just differentiate wines by whether it was red or white and didn't bother too much about the grape variety and the region it came from.

Lastly, Here's a pic of me below!