Tasting - L'Hallali Gigondas Grande Reserve

Name: L'Hallali Gigondas Grande Reserve
Variety: Blended
Region: Gigondas
Country: France
Year: 2012
Price: $22.95

Winery review: Decanted, tasted double blind. Not a very dark red, distinctly violet. A fairly restrained nose of blackberries that got a bit more expressive with air, a bit of vanilla, bit not much tannins. Put with food and watch what happens. Quite nice.

My review: This wine had a very peppery taste to it. This taste overshadowed everything else for me. It was just okay in my opinion but I would like to try it again with food and see how it compliments it. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Dom La Grand Ribe Cotes du Rhone

Name: Dom La Grand Ribe Cotes du Rhone
Variety: Blended
Region: Rhone
Country: France
Year: 2009
Price: $14.95

Winery review: 

My review: Not a fan. This wine did not do it for me. Not sure what it was supposed to taste like because the winery review is all in French. I thought the French were supposed to be good at making wine (unlike most things they do). Although the other two wines I've had from France were okay so 2 out of 3 isn't a horrible score for them.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Telmo Rodriguez Rueda Basa

Name: Telmo Rodriguez Rueda Basa
Variety: 85% Verdejo, 3% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Viura
Region: Spain
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $12.95

Winery review: 85% Verdejo, 3% Sauvignon Blanc and 12% Viura, Dusty aromas of unripe melon and apple are pyrazinic. A bit of spritz greets you on the palate, while flavors of green citrus run heavy and pithy.

My review: I enjoyed this wine. It didn't stand out like the Dog Point I previously reviewed but it was a solid wine that I would try again. I honestly wasn't sure how to describe it other than citrus flavors. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Dog Point Vinyards Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Dog Point Vinyards Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: New Zealand
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2014
Price: $19.95

Winery review: Bouquet: Distinctive varietal character; ripe tropical fruits, melon, lemongrass, citrus. Soft Textured palate, purity of fruit, intense flavor, balanced refreshing acidity. Food match: White meats, pale cheeses, seafood especially scallops and oysters. 

My review: This wine was definitely my favorite of the wines I had at the tasting. I tasted the fruity citrus flavor as described by the winery review. It was soft and the balance of the alcohol was really good. This wine gets two thumbs up from me.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Rivarose Brut Sparkling

Name: Rivarose Brut Sparkilng
Variety: Syrah and Cinsault
Region: Provence
Country: France
Year: 1909
Price: $13.95

Winery review: Unexpectedly delicious. Never had Provence Sparkling until now, and this was an excellent wine, clearly reminiscent of Provence Rosé, but with the addition of toasted bread and yeast.

My review: I really enjoyed this wine. It was very bubbly and honestly made me feel happy. Not sure how to accurately describe it but I would recommend it. I never had sparkling wine before and this was the first wine I have had in a while so it was a great way to start my wine tasting experience. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

My Wine Experience Thus Far

Welcome to my wine blog! To start things off I am going to tell you my experience and knowledge of wine.

... Its zero...

Before this semester I have tried a total of two wines. No idea which ones or what they tasted like but one was white and one was red. That was the extent of the description I could give you at the time except that I didn't like the red one very much. After a week in Professor Boyer's Geography of wine class I more than quadrupled the amount of wine I have tried!

This class has really motivated me to get out there and explore the world of wine. Plus I know where to find all the free alcohol now. This past weekend alone I tried 8 new wines and 6 of them were free! The other two were provided by my brother so I guess those were free too, well for me at least. Keep an eye out in later blogs for more information on those and future wines I try (of which there will be many).

I can't wait to see what Professor Boyer has in store for us this semester. I for one hope to learn as much as I possibly can about wine. I would definitely like to know how to describe all those wines I tasted. The descriptions that were given to me by the host all sounded like a foreign language. I felt pretty out of place there among the more veteran wine tasters. By the end of this semester I want to feel like I belong in the wine world and even speak the language.