Tasting-Purple Paws Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Name: Purple Paws Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Lodi, California

Country: USA

Year: 2012
Price: $12.99


Winery Review: A heavy wine, and the heaviest among the Purple Paws collection. Contain classic notes of California Cabernet Sauvignon. Tastes of cloves, olives, and oak with a fruity finish.


My Review: This is a very dry and heavy wine. The oak and clove tastes were apparent overall very smoky compared to the other wines tasted. At the end I was overcome with tastes of dark cherry. This wine was a little too smoky for my taste, but in general a good and full bodied wine. I believe if this wine was paired with steak it would be very complemented. 

Food?:  I did not pair with food. 

Tasting- Rosemount Estate Chardonnay

Name:  Rosemount Estate Diamond Label Chardonnay
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: South Eastern Australia

Country: Australia

Year: 2013
Price: $10


Winery Review: Refreshing and crisp with scents of fresh peaches, lemon zest. and toasted almonds. The tastes of peach, nectarine, melon, followed by lemon zest evident from the smell are noticed in the palate as well. Once the fruity tastes settles, a hint of toasted almond leaves a rounded finish. The peak drinking time is from 2013 to 2016


My Review: I enjoyed this wine very much and decided to buy a bottle! Compared with other wines tasted, both the smell and taste were smooth and mild. I could not quite pin point the peachy aromas, but bright juicy fruit scents are evident. The almond taste at the end left a balanced and long lasting taste. I am excited to enjoy the bottle!


Food? I did not taste this wine with food, however pairing suggestions are creamy dishes such as risotto and soup.

   When people ask me what my drink is, wine has always been my day 1 answer. I am that girl with bagged wine on a lanyard around her neck at most football tailgates. I have progressively acquired tastes for beer and liquor since turning 21, but before, I assumed all beer would embody the taste of Busch or Natural Light, so wine was really the only option. My grandmother is a 1st generation German and has been drinking wine since she was 13, so naturally, her mission in grandmotherhood was to acquaint her grandchildren to tastes of the grape. However, with my mom self diagnosing her allergy to wine and always preferring beer, I suppose one could say I grew up in a blended family of alcohol preference. But to this day, I pray that I will never acquire my mom's wine "allergy".
     I live less than half a mile from La Grange Winery in Haymarket Virginia, and on occasion I enjoy sneaking in to their Wine of the Month Club tastings. I have always enjoyed white wine, but I more recently have acquired a taste for reds especially during the fall and winter. A couple of years ago, I thought sweet wines like Moscato and Rose were the best thing to ever happen just like most other basic teenage girls, but then I finally equated those wines to spins and awful sugar headaches, so now I only occasionally enjoy them as the dessert wine purpose they serve. I would have to say one of my more favorite wines is White Zinfandel with my weird guilty pleasure being anything Franzia or boxed/bagged wine related.
    This past summer I studied abroad in Spain and made sure to get my daily dose of Sangria, Tinto de Verano, or various other reds. After trying wines popular to other cultures, I decided I wanted to broaden my taste and knowledge in wine and take Geography of Wine! I expect this class to be one of my most intriguing and interactive classes in all of college, despite being an online course. One thing I am excited for this semester is learning what wines pair best with certain foods. One thing I do know is that CVS Yellow Tail Pinot Noir pairs really well with grilled cheese during this Snowpocalypse 2016.