Wine Tasting: Miguel Torress Cordillera de los Andes

Name: Miguel Torress Cordillera de los Andes

Variety: 100% Carménère

Region: Cachapoal Valley

Country: Chile

Year: 2018

Price: $21

Online Review: 

From Maipo Valley, Chile, this Cordillera de Los Andes is lush, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with ripe blackberry, dark chocolate, savoury spice, minty and leathery flavours on the palate. Wine grapes are sourced from the foothills of the Andes mountains.

Folly Review: 

pg. 91 Carménère- Wine Folly considered this wine as not very sweet, acidic, or tanin. It considers the flavors to be largely darker fruits like raspberry and black plum but also vanilla and paprika. It describes the wine as herbal which I definitely taste in this wine. 

My Review: 

This wine was less sweet than other wines I have tasted. Much more earthy with that herbal flavor. I do feel like it was fruity with darker fruits, but not necessarily sweet. I enjoyed this wine, it is different than the wines I have taste tested so far. 

I did not pair this wine with any food. 

Wine Tasting: LaMarca Prosecco Rosé

Name: LaMarca Prosecco Rosé

Variety: 89% Glera and 11% Pinot Noir

Region: Vento

Country: Italy

Year: 2021

Price: $16

Online Review: 

Light, refreshing Prosecco Rose. A perfect compliment to a weekend afternoon through sunset! Should be enjoyed by all who appreciate a quality bubbly versus just wine.

Folly Review: 

pg. 155 Prosecco - Wine Folly lists Prosecco as one of the most popular sparkling wines in Italy. It lists green apple, honey dew, and pear as flavors common in Prosecco. It also lists it as fairly sweet and quite acidic which I definitely found in LaMarca Prosecco Rosé. I did not drink it ice cold like Folly recommends but will definitely remember to next time. Folly also considers the Prosecco from this region as basic quality, so I am interested in tasting one of higher quality like from Prosecco Conegliando Valdobbiadene Superiore Rive DOCG. 

My Review: 

This wine smelled and tasted fairly sweet. I thought it was quite acidic as well as quite fruity, though I wasn't able to pinpoint on any one fruit flavor. I also felt like the sparkling aspect made the flavor more sharp. 

                                                                    I did not pair this wine with any food. 

My First Blog

My name is Laura Munoz and I am majoring in political science. I have some experience with wine, though I don't know much. My parents were never very strict about alcohol so they would let me try sips of their drinks, usually wine, every once in a while. They would ask what I thought of it. When I was younger the taste and smell of alcohol was gross to me, and at the time I didn't understand why they would like that. Obviously now I've grown into it more, but still wine has never been a go to alcoholic drink for me. 

My thoughts on wine now are very limited. I don't mind the taste but I usually can't pick apart flavors very well within different wines. Within the last few months I have recognized I don't enjoy tannic wines because it leaves a dry feeling in my mouth. I think I tend to lean towards sweeter wines but I don't mind trying different kinds and I hope to do that with this class. 

In this course I hope to learn more about the different types of wines and have somewhat more of an ability to compare and pick apart the different flavors in different wines. I want to feel comfortable when I order wine, and feel like I know what I am doing. I also want to learn more specifically what my taste is and what I prefer when it comes to wine. 

Wine Tasting: Castello del Poggio Moscato

 Name: Castello del Poggio Moscato Variety

Variety: 100% Moscato

Region: Gambellara, Italy

Country: Italy

Year: 2021

Price: $6

Online Review: 

Perfectly ripe grapes highlight the bright fruit expression of this delightful Moscato, beloved for its notes of fresh Orange Blossom, white peach and honey that lead to a crisp, lingering finish. 

Folly Review: 

pg. 138 Muscat Blanc- Wine Folly lists honeysuckle and pear as strong flavors in the Muscat Blanc, which was very present in the Castello del Poggio Moscato Variety. They also note the acidity from lemon which I believe there is a hint of in this wine. 

My Review: 

This wine was less sweet than the Barefruit Peach Fruitscatto. I still enjoyed it, it felt bright and balanced, but still sweet despite the missing peach flavor. I enjoyed the fruity mix in the wine that gives it flavor. 

I did not pair this wine with any food. 

Wine Tasting: Barefoot Peach Fruitscato

 Name: Barefruit Peach Fruitscato 

Variety: 100% Moscato

Region: Modesto, California 

Country: USA

Year: 2021

Price: $8

Online Review: 

Bursting with all the flavors of perfectly-ripe peaches, Barefoot Peach FRUITSCATO is a sweet way to treat yourself. Fresh from the farm with a bright, crisp finish, it pairs perfectly with everything from artisanal cheeses to delicious desserts.

Wine Folly: 

pg 138 Muscat Blanc- Wine Folly discusses the sweetness that comes with this type of wine, which I definitely tasted. This one happened to be a sparkling wine with peach flavoring, so I did not taste the acidity that comes with it as the peach took over most of the flavor. 

My Review: 

I enjoyed this wine, it was very sweet and the peach really stood out.  The sparkling aspect also made it enjoyable to drink. I would like to try maybe a not flavored version to compare the difference. 

I did not pair this wine with food.