Tasting - "Butterfly Kiss Moscato"

• Name: Butterfly Kiss
• Variety: Moscato
• Region: Southern Region (Chile) 
• Country: Chile 
• Year: 2012
• Price: Regular Price $13 Sale Price $5.95 
• Shop/wine critic/winery review: Aromas of honeydew and apricot, gently kissed by orange blossom, candied pineapple and a hint of lime zest.
• My review: On the nose it smells as if I am in a large field of flowers of all colors in bloom. There is a wet white grape smell that tastes over after the flowers dance away. The fruits are easy to pick out, as there is a distinct apricot smell. It ends with the sweet smell of peach cobbler. The taste is a sweet slight fizz of a fresh bottle of carbonated water. There is a slight dandelion taste that is surrounded by apricot and melon to give it a nice fruity floral combination. At the finishing taste there is a bright pink grapefruit with sugar coated on it giving it the most pleasant taste of all the wines tried this week. 
• Food Pairing: I did not have any food paired with this wine but it would be great with fruit, desserts, or a light fluffy cake. It is also good to drink without food. 

Tasting - "Purple Paws Zinfandel"

• Name: Purple Paw
• Variety: Zinfandel 
• Region: Lodi California 
• Country: United States of America
• Year: 2012
• Price: Regular Price $15 Sale Price $7.95 
• Shop/wine critic/winery review: It smells like ripe boysenberries and cherries, and tastes generous and broad without being too full bodied. It finishes with more fruit notes and those who love a little spice and smooth tannins will be happy.
• My review: On the nose there is a lot of pepper covering up a fainter smell of berries. The bit of berries that I could note were cherries and currants but it is as if they were coated in pepper and then smelled. There is also an after acidic smell that helps to break up the pepper. On the palate there is a deep oaky taste that hangs around at the end of the taste to give it a nice flavor. The wine is very dry and the pepper on the nose carries over to the taste as well. The pepper mixed with the oak is interesting but not my taste as the tannins hang around a bit to long on the finish. 
• Food Pairing: I did not have any food paired with it but I think it would taste nice with some spicy flavored meats.

Tasting - "Purple Paws Cabernet Sauvignon"

• Name: Purple Paw
• Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon 
• Region: Lodi California 
• Country: United States of America
• Year: Non Vintage, blend of multiple years
• Price: Regular Price $15 Sale Price $7.95 
• Shop/wine critic/winery review: If a Cabernet can be smooth and creamy, this one is. It offers plenty of fruit flavor, smooth tannins that coat the mouth in a good way, plus a plush texture that keeps it from being even a bit harsh. With light body, a soft mouthfeel and lingering finish, there's much to like. 
• My review: On the nose it was hard to identify many individual fruit flavors. I got a huge impression that it was a blended grape juice with maybe apples and blackberries with currents but overall a very Welches grape juice smell. The taste was overwhelmed with blackberries and a light but nice acidic taste on the palate. The sweeter acid taste reminded me of a ginger ale soda taste and there was a nice light heat finish that left me wanting another sip. 
• Food Pairing: I did not have any food with this wine but I would think that it would have gone good with a nice steak and hearty sides.

Tasting - "Rosemount Estate Chardonnay"

• Name: Rosemount Estate
• Variety: Chardonnay 
• Region: South Australia 
• Country: Australia  
• Year: 2013
• Price: Regular Price $10 Sale Price $5.95 
• Shop/wine critic/winery review: This world-renowned wine shows peachy tropical fruit and melon characters on the nose, with a hint of citrus freshness and judicious use of oak. The palate is generous and soft with full, ripe tropical flavors folded into a creamy backdrop that is beautifully structured with a long satisfying finish 
• My review: On the nose there is a distinct lemon juice smell. These is also a fresh kneaded bread dough smell with fresh peaches kneaded into it. Along with a floral aroma that is very faint in the background. On the palate there is a lot of heat throughout the whole thing. There is a sour patch kid flavor up front and by the end of the taste I am reminded of whisky. I did not taste many fruit flavors only heat and sourness and a very faint floral weedy taste. 
• Food Pairing: I did not have any food with this wine, although I think it would have helped the taste be less strong.

Tasting - "La Lejania Sauvignon Blanc"

• Name: La Lejania
• Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
• Region: Central Valley
• Country: Chile
• Year: 2015
• Price: Regular Price $10 Sale Price $6.95
• Shop/wine critic/winery review: A light, refreshing, balanced sparkling wine with fruit flavors and aromas of citrus, pear and peaches, followed by a nuance of spice. Enjoy this sparkling wine as an aperitif, or with salads and spicy dishes, especially those using citrus fruit. For desert this wine pairs well with fresh berries or a fruit tart 
• My Review: On the nose there is a strong smell of peaches with apricots and apples. Each stands out by itself. A floral bouquet is also on the nose and mixes well with the fruits to give it a very picnic setting. Taste however is much different than the smell. On the first impression there is overwhelming sourness and lemon. The mid pallet has a cooling bit of honey flavor to coat the tongue yet by the time the wine has its final impression there is so much heat I cannot taste anything else. It was hard to identify flavors as the acidity and heat was so overpowering, there was no sparkling carbonation left in the wine when I tasted. I assume the excess acidity was from the lack of carbonation from the wine being open too long. 
• Food Pairing: No food was had with this wine but I wish I had some crackers or bread with it since it has a very burning after heat that hung around on my pallet.

Introductory Wine Post

Wine has been and always will be my drink of choice, from the desperate $2.99 bottle at CVS to the $30 bottle given as a gift. I may in fact just be partial to it because I go to enjoy wine's splendors at a young age. I lived in Moscow Russia while attending middle school. In Russia you start drinking Vodka before you start school, well not really but you get the point, the drinking age was virtually non-existent since it was so dang cold and the alcoholic heat kept you warm enough to survive. On Guy Falks day there was a big festival with fireworks and food in the neighborhood park; all the Americans attended since it was free food after all. It was really cold out, the snow was several feet too many and the workers were passing out steaming hot beverages. At first sip all there was was warmth, cinnamon, sugar and cloves. After that there was a slight burn that didn't seem to be coming from the drink but I guzzled it just the same.  It was the best hot punch that wasn't actually hot punch I had ever had; but in reality it was delicious mulled wine. I had gotten through almost half of my cup before my mom had even touched hers. Finally she took a sip of her cup; it was is about this same point that she swooped in and grabbed mine for herself and veered me towards the hot chocolate table that contained all the bundled up babies, my sister included.

Spain was the next stop on my development of love for wine. A few of our family friends from Russia decided to make a trip to Costa del Sol in the early spring since they got a good rate on renting out a group of houses. Upon arrival there was a large pitcher of red Kool-Aid like drink on the coffee table with fruits floating in it. It was a deep ruby red color that was complemented by the slices or orange, lime and lemon floating around. Sweet and refreshing, I could see myself laying on the beach of the Mediterranean drinking this all day. Yet this was not to be, by the time I finished my glass the pitcher was empty and to my dismay it was not refilled the next day as we all had hoped it might have been.

I finally turned 21 this past August and since then I have been trying each type of wine that I can get my hands on. My favorites are fruity light moscato with dessert and cabernet sauvignon with dinner. I have wanted to like rose wine but not matter which bottle I buy I just cannot seem to appreciate any of the taste no matter what I eat with it. In this class I hope to be able to able to describe the taste of wine in "correct" wine terminology. I would also like to be able to choose a bottle of wine based on the region/grape variety so that when I go to buy a bottle I can have a better knowledge of what to taste. I also want to be able to taste the correct flavor of the wine by knowing how to swirl and smell and identify all the flavors in the wine to I can get a full taste/experience that the wine has to offer. I am really excited to start the class and get my wine on!