Tasting: Specially Selected Rioja Reserva

Name: 2018 Specially Selected Rioja Reserva

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: Rioja, Spain

Country: Spain

Year: 2018

Price: $8.99

Winery Review: This wine has been made with handpicked Tempranillo grapes from our best vineyards in Rioja. A well-balanced wine with red fruit flavors, hints of black current and cherry and aromas of vanilla and oak from 30 months of barrel aging. 

Vivino Rating: 3.8 stars

Wine Folly: Pg. 175: Tempranillo. This popular Spanish wine has common tasting notes of cherry, dried fig, cedar, tobacco, and dill. This wine is relatively high in tannic structure, acidity, alcohol, and body. It is very low on sweetness. It is meant to be decanted for over an hour before consuming.

My Review: I thought this was okay. I had a good Tempranillo a couple of weeks ago during the wine dinner, and I really liked that one! This one had main tasting notes of black currant, cherry, oak, and vanilla. I thought that it was very aromatic, but it did not have a lot of mouth feel. It was lacking in tannic and acidic structure so it left a lot to be desired. I thought the bouquet on the nose and the very initial taste if the wine was really good, but again I wish it was more tannic or something to really pack the punch. Overall I give it a meh, but I give it bonus points for the unique cage-like packaging.

Wine Tasting Night! Morgan and Me!

Tasting: Landkastel Riesling

Name: 2023 Landkastel Riesling

Variety: Riesling

Region: Mosel, Germany

Country: Germany

Year: 2023

Price: $6.99

Winery Review: This exquisite, well balanced Riesling has a fruity bouquet with flavors of apricot and peach.

Vivino Rating: 3.9 stars

Wine Folly: Pg. 158: Riesling. This aromatic white wine ranging in style from bone-dry to very sweet. Main characteristics for Rieslings are high in acidity and low in tannic components. This wine is also varying in sweetness levels, low in body and lower in alcohol content, as it is 9.5% alcohol. Main tasting notes for a typical Riesling is lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine, and petroleum. 

My Review: I thought this wine was awesome! The first Riesling that we tried earlier in the semester was not very good, so I was a little skeptical at first. This wine had notes of white peach and apricot, with no floral flavors. I thought that it was super easy to drink, with just the right amount of sweetness and a light acidity. Would recommend! 

Wine Tasting! Morgan and Me!

Drink This Now: #1

This is my first lesson from the Drink this Now! textbook, and I enjoyed this one. I decided to do the first lesson in the textbook, and i used a Merlot because that is what I had. I still tried to follow the lesson as close as I could! Below is the description of the wine that I used for this lesson:

Name: Flora & Stone Merlot

Variety: Merlot

Region: Hopland, CA

Country: USA

Year: 2018

Price: $7.99

Winery Review: An invitation to indulge, this merlot is a tapestry of dark fruit with a sumptuous toasted oak finish. It is composed of grapes from select California vineyards, whose diverse landscapes create a mosaic in the glass. From this unique tangle of flora, stone and sky comes a velvety red with plush tannins backed by notes of black plum, cherry, and clove.

Vivino Rating: 3.5 stars

Wine Folly: Pg. 131: Merlot is known for its black cherry flavors with a smoky or chocolaty finish. It is high in alcohol and body, and is also high in acids and tannins. Merlot is a low-sweetness wine. The main tasting notes on most bottles of Merlot is cherry, plum, chocolate, dried herbs, and vanilla.

During the First Tasting (3/20/2025): The first time I tasted this wine was on Thursday, and I did not decant it in any way. I really enjoyed this wine. From tasting the wine alone, I picked up on plum, black cherry, clove, and dried herb notes. I noted that it was tannic and acidic, but not too much. When I tasted it with the cheese and meat that I picked up, I noticed that the goat cheese overpowered the berry flavors of the wine. I did not think that the cheese and wine that I picked up was supposed to be paired together, as they did not compliment each other too well, but I still enjoyed them separately. 

During the Second Tasting (3/23/2025): I tried this wine again on Sunday, after leaving the cork off of the bottle of three days. This decanted the wine and I noticed that most of the flavors were the same, but I noticed the clove flavor was slightly stronger than it was before. The tannins and acids within the wine were definitely softer and were not as strong as the first time I tried this wine. Overall, I liked the second time that I tried the wine better because it was less harsh and was easier to drink. I also tasted the wine with the same foods that i tried it with the first time and I thought the pairing and flavors were pretty much the same. 

Tasting: Noble Vines 181 Merlot

Name: 2022 Noble Vines 181 Merlot

Variety: Merlot

Region: Lodi, CA

Country: USA

Year: 2022

Price: $8.99

Winery Review: Noble Vines 181 Merlot displays the traits that earned this vine stock its noble reputation: A luxurious, smooth wine with notes of black cherry and vanilla. Pair with rich roasts, cheesy pastas and barbecued ribs.

Vivino Rating: 3.5 stars

Wine Folly: Pg. 131: Merlot is known for its black cherry flavors with a smoky or chocolaty finish. It is high in alcohol and body, and is also high in acids and tannins. Merlot is a low-sweetness wine. The main tasting notes on most bottles of Merlot is cherry, plum, chocolate, dried herbs, and vanilla.

My Review: This Merlot is great! I enjoyed it without food, but I think it would be excellent paired with a food such as pork. During the sniff and swirl, we picked up on cherry, smoke, cedar, and dried herb notes. During the tasting, I immediately picked up on the cherry, smoke, and cedar notes. I like the way the wine feels fruity and lighter compared to bolder red wines, but the acids and tannins stay strong and bold. I am learning that I really like Merlot! I would say that I liked the blueberry Merlot that I tried earlier in the semester, but this one was also good and I would drink it again!

Tasting Night! Morgan and Me!

Tasting: Bonterra Chardonnay

Name: 2022 Bonterra Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Mendocino County, CA

Country: USA

Year: 2022

Price: $10.99

Winery Review: Bonterra believes in organic farming to produce the purest, most flavorful fruit and ensure a healthy habitat for birds and wildlife surrounding our vineyards. Our chardonnay is filled with green apple, pear, and citrus flavors with hints of toasted oak.

Vivino Rating: 3.7 stars

Wine Folly: Pg. 96: Chardonnay is one of the world's most popular grapes and is made in a variety of styles. Chardonnay is higher in alcohol and body, it is also lower in tannins and sweetness. The main tasting notes in most Chardonnays are yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, and butter.

My Review: I really liked this Chardonnay. I picked up on tasting notes of pear, green apple, and pineapple. This wine smelled exactly like it tasted, which was nice! I noted that the wine was very acidic and was dry, which I liked. We tasted a Merlot from Bonterra earlier in the semester, and I am learning that I really like this brand. I think the organic grapes are delicious and this Bonterra make their wines really well.

Tasting Night! Morgan and Me.

Wine Dinner #1

Welcome to my blog for the first wine and dinner pairing that I have done so far this semester! This week is Spring Break, so I invited my entire family over to participate in the wine and dinner pairing experience! Pictured is my grandparents, parents, aunt, uncle, and cousins! There were 6 of us drinking the wine and my younger cousins enjoyed different soda pairings with the meal! I enjoyed showing my family the Wine Folly book that has been my guide through this class, and discussing different topics surrounding wine. The main theme of this dinner was Italian. 

Pairing #1: Appetizer - Mini Charcuterie Board and Andre Spumante California Sparkling Wine

This pairing is a classic. The typical cheese and cracker board consisted of Garlic and Herb Goat Cheese, 3 Chili Gouda Cheese, Ritz crackers, and salami rolls. This Andre Sparkling Wine is one of my favorites. The white peach and honey notes are very refreshing on the palate and I always enjoy this wine because it is not super bubbly, but just enough. I don't think this sparkling wine is too sweet or too dry, it has nice features of both. It's $7.99 price point is tough to beat for a sparkling wine as well! I thought that the wine and cheese board didn't particularly add or subtract anything from each other, and were fine together. One didn't particularly overpower the other. 

Pairing #2: Dinner - Lasagna with Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread with 2017 Enate Tempranillo

I think I speak for everyone at the table when I say that this was excellent. I really enjoyed the lasagna, salad, and garlic bread with the wine. This $9.99 2017 Enate Somontano Tempranillo paired great with the food. I liked how the wine was not super tannic but was acidic, and complimented the tomato sauce in the lasagna very well. Main tasting notes that we picked up on included cherry, cedar, tomato, and fig. I found this wine to be pretty complex, and I feel like I picked up on something new every time I tried it. 

Pairing #3: Dessert - Cherry and Cheese Filled Danishes with Chocolate Shop Wine

This pairing was just... bad. Actually, the Danishes were great, the wine was awful! I am back at home in MD, and there are no specialty wine stores near me, so I headed to the liquor store which did not have a huge selection of dessert wines. My Mom and I picked this out and were totally fooled by the label claiming "natural chocolate flavors". I should have known this would be no good after looking at the bottle and seeing it has no vintage, no region, no real title, and no grape variety. I overall would not drink this again. It smelled and tasted so fake. The cherry and chocolate notes were very strong and not very pleasant to me. I could only take one sip and could not drink it with the dessert because it was not good at all!

Overall, we had a great time. I enjoyed catching up with my family again, and I hope everyone learned something new during the tasting!

Tasting: Meiomi Pinot Noir

Name: 2023 Meiomi Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: Napa, CA

Country: USA

Year: 2023

Price: $12.99

Winery Review: Meiomi, meaning "coast", truly symbolizes the origin of Pinot Noir, which embodies the characters of California's most notable wine growing regions. Carefully blended to achieve balance, complexity, and richness of flavor.

Vivino Rating: 3.7 stars

Wine Folly: Pg. 150 Pinot Noir is a lighter red wine that is higher in acid and lower in tannins. The most common tasting notes in Pinot Noir are cherry, raspberry, clove, mushroom, and vanilla. Wine Folly also includes specific tasting notes for different regions that Pinot Noir typically comes from. Main tasting notes from Pinot Noir from California include raspberry sauce, plum, gun smoke, vanilla, and allspice.

My Review: I thought this Pinot Noir was okay. I am not a super huge Pinot Noir fan, and this one shocked me on the bouquet. My first impressions of this wine is that it was extremely earthy smelling and a bit off-putting. I continued to smell the wine and picked up on chocolate and plum scents as well. During the tasting, I noticed that the wine was not acidic or tannic really at all, and the main notes were plum, blackberry, mushroom, and clove. I would not drink this wine again, but I am definitely willing to try out more Pinot Noirs.

Wine Tasting Night! Morgan and Me!

Tasting: Lamarca Prosecco

Name: Lamarca Prosecco DOC Sparkling Wine

Variety: Prosecco

Region: Treviso, Italy

Country: Italy

Year: Unknown, No vintages on most sparkling wines.

Price: $24.99

Winery Review: Crafted in the heart of Italy, La Marca Prosecco sparkling with lively effervescence. Blossoming notes of honeysuckle and citrus are complemented by hints of crisp green apple, juicy peach, and ripe lemon.

Vivino Rating: 3.8 stars

Wine Folly: Pg. 155 Prosecco is higher in acids and low in tannic components and body. This is Italy's most popular sparkling wine and is meant to be very refreshing. Main tasting notes for prosecco are: green apple, honeydew, pear, lager, and cream.

My Review: I really enjoyed this sparkling wine! I think that most sparkling wine is delicious and enjoyable and this one did not disappoint. It was pretty acidic, and definitely had that green apple bite! I was also getting some pear and lemon notes as well. Overall, I thought this was great and would drink it again! Next time, I would want to try something with a little bit of sweetness. This one was bone-dry.

Wine Tasting Night! Morgan and Me!