The first wine that we are going to talk about this week is a Riesling from Oregon - Oregon is known for its cool climate, which will make grapes a lot sweeter than a warmer climate - and that law definitely holds true in this wine. I first tried it at Boudreaux's in Blacksburg, toward the beginning of the semester, and it quickly became one of my favorites. Rieslings are fresh, and crisp, and usually have really fruity and florally aromas. When I tasted the wine, it tasted like really ripe apples, and unfortunately like grapefruit - and I HATE the taste of grapefruit. I've been wanting to find a wine that tastes like oranges...but I haven't gotten that lucky just yet. :)
2. Gallo Family Vineyards, Moscato
Keeping with the trend of sweet white wines, our next wine features the Moscato grape. This wine actually had a little bit of a sparkle to it, which was pretty nice. It was very sweet with a lot of lush fruity aromas, like a peace or an apricot - both of which were pretty agreeable to my palate. Everything that you need to know about Moscato, most people believe, is that it is a sweet dessert wine. But it's actually pretty lenient to seafood dishes, too, in my opinion. Later in my posts I'll talk about having a similar wine with craw fish at Boudreaux's, which was delicious. :) This Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato though really tasted a lot like honey - it was just that sweet. At 12% alcohol and only $9.95, this one was definitely one of my favorite Kroger purchases.
3. Chandon California Brut Classic, Methode Traditionnelle
Wine Enthusiast gave this bad boy 90 points. Really? I have no idea why - yeah, it's a nice champagne, but that's so high for something that tastes pretty bland!! According to the website, Chandon Brut Classic consistently displays apple and pear flavors and aromas with a hint of spice that leads to a soft, dry finish. To ensure the continuity of style and quality that has made Chandon one of America’s classic sparkling wines, our Brut Classic is blended with ten to twenty percent Reserve wines from prior harvests. I don't know why it's blended with so many things, but I definitely think that it takes away from the tastiness of it. Luckily, this was a steal at the grocery store, as it was on sale for only 12 dollars - and with a 14 percent alcohol yield, I was pretty sold on it - it helped us have a good time. But, really - it wasn't that great of a champagne. Don Perignon still needs to be tasted...I wonder if he'd do any better :) ...
4. Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling, 2010, from Columbia Valley
Columbia Valley makes a triumphant return - just like the Cabernet Sauvignon that I tried last week. I didn't like this wine anymore than I did the previous one either. At 11 percent alcohol, apparently the 2010 vintage was especially difficult - the cooler weather grapes made them sweeter, unlike the previous year apparently. I thought that the taste of this wine would go well with chicken - especially a chicken dish, maybe breaded, with a lot of garlic. A pretty tasty Riesling if you ask me!
5. Cupcake Vineyards, 2010 Central Coast Chardonnay
So when I heard about Cupcake Vineyards, I was like "wow, that's kind of cool, these wines will probably be pretty sweet! And I like sweet wine...but lo and behold, it's just name of the Vineyard, and doesn't really have anything to do with the actual wine. The crisp and vibrant flavors in the Chardonnay that I tried from them were nice - the initial impression, of the 13.3% alcohol by volume wine, was fruity, but the end impression was very buttery. The creamy and toasty flavors made it seem like it would go especially well with creme brulee. I haven't ever tried wine with such a sugary concoction, but if I ever did, this would be the one I chose. I think it's unusual, because most people think of Riesling or Moscato when they think of dessert, but I think this Chardonnay is pretty appropriate, as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment