Tasting - Bota Brick Chardonnay

Name:  Bota Brick Chardonnay
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $11.50

Winery review:
Bota Box Chardonnay offers aromas of bright citrus, ripe melon and warm toasty oak, followed by vibrant flavors of zesty lemon, apple and graham cracker. This wine is medium-bodied, balanced and provides a rich, juicy finish.


My review:
I was pleasantly surprised by this wine because it had a very strong smell so I expected it to be dry and taste very bitter. Fortunately, it had a light flatter taste, and a fruity and very strong aromas. It also had an incredibly light fruity aftertaste which I enjoyed. I would definitely have this wine again.

Food or no food:
I didn't have this wine with food.

Tasting - Alvear Pedro Ximénez

Name:  Alvear Pedro Ximénez
Variety: 100% Pedro Ximénez
Region: Montilla-Moriles, Spain
Country: USA
Year: 1927
Price: $25

Winery review:
Deep mahogany tints: appealing nectar with a bold vinosity and traces of chocolate and prunes; very fragrant with a pleasant fruitiness. Raisiny in the mouth, silky smooth in texture. Light bodied sweet wine, plenty of character.


My review:
This wine has bold, strong, slap you in the face aromas of raisins and sugar. It has a very sweet and fairly smooth taste. I very much enjoy its strong sweet aftertaste. I kept wanting to drink this wine and was disappointed that I couldn't taste what it was like paired with something sharp and strong to cut through its flavors because it was so smooth and sweet.

Food or no food:
Unfortunately, I didn't have this wine with food.

Tasting - Bay Bridge Moscato

Name: Bay Bridge Moscato
Variety: 100% Moscato
Region: San Francisco, California
Country: United States
Year: 2013
Price: $2.99

Winery review:
There’s nothing particularly complex about this juicy, sweet Moscato, but it shows fine purity and lots of flavor.  Like cotton candy in a glass, it starts off with a floral topnote and finishes with enough acidity to keep you coming back for more.  Platinum award winner at the 2014 San Diego International Wine Competition.
88 Michael Franz Apr 29, 2014

My review:
I liked this wine because it automatically hits you with sweetness. It has a clean/smooth/apple-like aroma. It has a very light and pretty fruity taste. The aftertaste is also pretty light and gently sweet. This wine was not very acidic or strong, so I thought it was pretty good.

Food or no food:
I did not have this wine with food.

Tasting - Naked Grape Pinot Grigio

Name: Naked Grape Pinot Grigio
Variety: 100% pinot grigio
Region: Modesta, California
Country: United States
Year: 2013
Price: $6.99

Winery review:
Where the Chardonnay’s fruit flavors really held its own without the oak, and the Pinot Noir shined with the stainless steel fermentation, the Pinot Grigio tasted almost too light. There’s little fruit, a bit of sweetness, but nothing to hold it all together. The result is a wine that tastes a bit unrefined and uninteresting. A splash in a used American oak barrel would have probably done this some good, but that’s against the brand’s concept.
The Naked Grape Pinot Grigio
Description: Light and uninteresting, too naked.
Score: 82/100

My review:
I did not like this wine very much at all. It tastes like sour, rotten pears. As odd as it sounds, I think this wine smells like the color green. I think the sour aromas of this wine are too strong and they feel pinchy in my nose. It has rustic earthy tastes, and a horrible sour aftertaste.

Food or no food:
I did not have this wine with food.

Tasting - Barefoot Riesling

Name: Barefoot Riesling
Variety: 100% Riesling
Region: Modesta, California
Country: USA
Year: 2008
Price: $8.49

Winery review:
This wine is really great. Strikes a good balance between dry and sweet. It has a bit of fruitiness to it. It goes great with spicy food. I like to pair it with spicy Thai food. It brings cooling balance to the meal. The only reason it isn't five stars is that I prefer a semi-dry Riesling or slightly drier than this wine. This wine is a good crowd pleaser if you have guests who prefer both dry and sweet. It should appeal to both sides. - K. F. - Jan. 15, 2017, 6:25 p.m.


My review:
This wine had light flavors that didn't smack you in the face. I liked that it was not very strong and that it had a smooth after taste. It reminded me of flowers. I drank it chilled which complimented the wine very well because it made it taste like sweet air in my mouth because it was so light.

Food or no food:
I didn't have this wine with food.

My First Blog Assignment

My personal experience with wine is not that extensive so far. I have had very dry white wine because that’s what my roommate likes, and I really didn’t like it. I have had sips of red wine which I liked much better since it was fruitier (and the reds were less dry so I might have favored them because of that and not the fruitiness). I have had a rose and I don’t really remember what it tasted like but I remember that it tasted better than my roommate’s dry white (anything and everything tastes better than that)! I’ve had champagne at new years and didn’t hate it, but I had it with sweet chocolate truffles which made the champagne taste bitterer than it was supposed to. I think if I had champagne with something that it was supposed to be paired with, then it would taste better.

I don’t drink wine that much. I am more exposed to hard ciders and mixed drinks (sissy, I know). But I have a more sensitive taste so I like things that aren’t too bitter or dry. I would have drunken more sweet/fruity wines (because I know I’d enjoy those), but I haven’t known how to find wines that will be sweet enough, fruity enough, not too dry (or not dry at all if that’s possible), what to pair the wine with to make both the food and the wine taste better, etc. So I just never got into wine since I didn’t understand it.

This brings me to what I want to learn. I want to know everything I can know. I used to work in a winery as a cashier when I was a teenager so I am familiar with a lot of wine terminology, but I understand none of it. I want to know enough about wines to walk into a store and pick a bottle of wine that I know I’ll enjoy. I want to know the quality difference(s) between a bottle of wine that’s $10 and a bottle that’s $60. I want to know what food I have at home to make dinner and be able to get a wine that will pair with the food to make one cohesive meal. I think that this course can help me accomplish these things if I pay enough attention.