Tasting - Sutter Home Sweet Red

Name: Sutter Home Sweet Red
Variety: Red Blend
Region: California
Country: USA
Price: $6
ABV: 12.5

Winery's Notes: The perfect blend of our trusted favorites, this wine gives you its all, with the perfect combination of bright, creamy and lush flavors. Not too formal, with just the right amount of whimsy, it will surprise you with how balanced the fresh cherries and juicy peaches can be in one pour.

My Notes: The nose was composed of a sweet fruit, primarily apple. The Taste was very sweet, almost overwhelmingly sweet. Only flavor that came through was strong fruit flavors. This wine was almost too sweet for me so I give it a 2.5/5, but would probably be enjoyed by anyone who really likes super sweet wines.

Tasting - Chateau Morrisette Sweet Muscadine

Name: Chateau Morrisette Sweet Muscadine
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
ABV: 10.5%
Price: $9

Winery's Notes: Aroma: Fruity. Palate: Effervescent, light, sweet. Finish: Crisp, refreshing. Southern Muscadine grape, unique flavor.

My Notes:  The nose was sweet with sweet berry fruits. The taste was overwhelmingly sweet but still somewhat crisp. The primary flavors that came through were blueberry and grape. The wine was a little too sweet for me so I give it a 2.5/5. People who really enjoy sweet wines will love this wine.

Tasting - Jacob's Creek Shiraz

Name: Jacob's Creek Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: South East Australia
Country: Australia
ABV: 13.2%
Price: $6
Vintage: 2011

Winemaker's Notes: Displaying aromas of spicy red and black fruits, with hints of chocolate and well-handled cedary oak.
The palate is medium-bodied with  vibrant fruit flavors and a spicy, liquorice-like edge, reflecting the cooler 2011 vintage. It has an attractive sweet mid-palate and soft, silky Shiraz tannins through to a long, satisfying finish.

My Notes:  The nose was semi-sweet with a toasted oak and berry-fruit components coming through. The taste was primarly black cherry. Full bodied, the wine was smooth with a buttery finish. I give it a 3/5.

Tasting - Clos du Bois 2012 Chardonnay

Name: 2012 Clos du Bois Chardonnay North Coast
Region: California
Country: USA
Vintage: 2012
Price: $12
ABV: 13.5%

Winemaker's Notes: This wine has a brilliant silver straw yellow hue. Intense aromas of apple blossom, ripe pear, and sweet lemon drop are complimented by toasty oak, spice and cream. The silky texture of the wine is overlaid with bright and juicy flavors of rich ripe apple and pear finishing in a long fresh aftertaste.

My Notes: The nose was sweet with apple being the overwhelming component. The taste was sweet apple with hints of other tree-fruits such as pears. Full bodied with the finish being strongly oaked and buttery. I give it a 3.5/5. 

Tasting - Matthew Fox Cabernet Sauvignon

 Name: Matthew Fox Cabernet Sauvignon
 Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
 Region: California
 Country: USA
 Price: $4.50
 ABV: 12%

 Winemaker's Review (From label): This Cabernet Sauvignon presents aromas of red raspberry and toasted oak. The wine is remarkably smooth with red fruit and vanilla flavors that linger through a pleasing finish.

My Notes: The nose was very pleasing, slightly sweet with a berry component coming through. The taste was mediocre. Had some slight fruit flavors coming through with a toasted oak finish. For the money though, this was a good wine and a wine that I will purchase again just to see if it is consistent. 

Wine Dinner - Italian Theme (Food)

For this weekend's wine dinner I decided to come up with an Italian themed dinner, even though I didn't really have any experience with cooking Italian. For an appetizer I decided to make a mozzarella stuffed arancini (rice ball), for the main course I made a Cajun shrimp Alfredo, and for dessert I made tiramisu cupcakes. All of the wines that I bought for the night were under $10, which I thought was pretty great because I ended up enjoying each of them.

Our Wine For the Night

 Cooking was for the most part a breeze compared to last time, though the arancini gave me the most trouble. The rice was insanely sticky due to the egg/Parmesan mixture that was added to it. The pasta was quick and simple and ended up being super good. My girlfriend actually stepped in and made the cupcakes for me which really was a huge time saver.

Making the Arancini

Cupcakes Fresh Out Of The Oven

First up we had the arancini paired with the Ruffino Orvieto Classico 2012, which I thought paired OK, not really greatly but not badly either.

Starting with the Appetizer

Next up was the main entree for the night, a Cajun shrimp Alfredo (which I accidentally made a bit too spicy) which was paired with the Seaglass 2012 Sauvignon Blanc. I thought this was definitely the best pairing out of the entire night.

The Extra-Spicy Shrimp Alfredo

 For dessert I was originally going to make an actual Tiramisu; however, they are pretty time intensive having to make and set up, so I decided the next best thing was a tiramisu cupcake that my girlfriend had found a recipe for online. We paired this with ChocolateRogue Sweet Red Blend, which ended up being my least favorite pairing of the night. Overall it was a very fun night with my friends with some amazing food. My complete reviews are below.

The Delicious Tiramisu Cupcakes

(Side Note: My prices may be slightly off since my receipt was destroyed while cooking dinner, but I believe these prices are close to being correct)

Ruffino Orvieto Classico 2012 $8.50 12% ABV

Wine Maker's Notes: The taste is lightly sweet and smooth thanks to the balance between structure, acidity and fruity notes. The aftertaste is long and fragrant, with neat hits of fresh almond due to the chalky soil of the Orvieto production area.

My Notes: The nose had a very sweet floral component, with some apple undertones. The taste was mildly acidic, semi-sweet with strong green apple taste with some generic concord grape flavors as well.

Notes W/ Food: The sweetness of the wine came through more when paired with the cheese of the rice ball. The acidity was strong enough to really cut through some of the thickness of the ball and ended up being more of a smooth sweet wine.

Seaglass 2012 Santa Barbara County Sauvignon Blanc $9.99 13% ABV

Winemaker's Notes: Our Sauvignon Blanc has pronounced aromas of lemon, lime, grapefruit and fresh cut grass. On the palate, this distinctive California Sauvignon Blanc is clean and crisp with gooseberry and tangerine notes and a slight trace of minerality. The acidity is mouthwatering and zingy and is followed by a lightly tart finish. SeaGlass Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect companion to
oysters and light seafood pastas.

My Notes: The nose was really lacking for this wine in my opinion, with it mostly comprised of a strong acidity. The taste was strongly acidic with some citrus fruit flavors. Very smooth and sweet up front with a tannic aftertaste.

Notes W/ Food: This was a great pairing. The strong acidity really cut through the creamy Alfredo and helped to cut down on the spice. No real flavor changes were noticed in my opinion, but it was a great pairing.

ChocolateRouge Sweet Red Blend $9.50 12.5% ABV

Winemaker's Notes: Deliciously different, ChocolatRouge Sweet Red is a luscious blend of fine red wine and rich chocolate flavors reminiscent of chocolate-dipped red berries with a soft velvety finish.

My Notes: The nose was insanely sweet with overwhelming chocolate, like opening a hershey's bar and smelling it. The taste was super sweet with chocolate being the dominant taste. There were some red-wine undertones that really reminded me of a typical red-blend table wine.

Notes W/ Food: This was the weakest pairing of the night in my opinion. The wine didn't pair well at all, and really brought out the red-wine flavors which would have been OK if it was an enjoyable red-blend flavors, but for me it was not.

The recipes I used for dinner tonight are here:

Arancini: http://mymansbelly.com/2010/01/04/arincini-di-riso-ushering-in-the-new-year/

Shrimp Alfredo: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peppered-Shrimp-Alfredo/Detail.aspx?evt19=1
(Don't use as much cayenne as the recipe calls for, it'll be inedible for most people)

Tiramisu Cupcakes: http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/recipes/tiramisu-cupcakes-/

Dinner - Homemade (No Theme)

This week my roommate and I decided to do a wine and food pairing. Thinking up the menu was basically almost just whatever decided to come to my head. I was in charge of the food, he was in charge of the wine, and I think it came down to a pretty great night. After selecting the menu for the night, I went to the store for food supplies and he went to the Vintage Cellar for some wine pairing recommendations.

The Menu for the night was:
Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls with Rubus Arlanza Old Vine Tempranillo 2011
Grilled Angus Hamburgers with 2010 Gotham Shiraz
Double Fudge Brownies with 2011 Notaviva Vinyards "Gitano" Chambourcin

I was set to work in the kitchen, being the only attendee who I actually trusted to do anything more than burn the entire kitchen to a crisp. Boiling chicken for the spring rolls and cooking some bacon to top the burgers.

Boiling Chicken With My Grill Plate Ready

Bacon Always Improves a Meal

 After about a hour (of me cooking and everyone else drinking.) dinner was ready to be served.

Dinner On the Table With the Wines

For the most part, the first two courses paired well. I was much more impressed with the buffalo chicken and Tempranillo pairing than the burger, but I'll go into details below. After dinner, dessert (or the main course as some would say) was ready.

The Brownies Were Basically Annihilated After Cooling

Dinner was a great success, but now for the specifics of the night, the wines!

Rubus Arlanza Old Vine Tempranillo 2011

Their Description: 
Sight: Dark cherry red with violet hues.
Nose: Subtle aromas of forest fruits, characteristic of Tempranillo grapes, on a light backdrop of hints of vanilla from wood ageing.
Mouth: Full of fruity aromas in the mouth, with a smooth, honest passage.

My Description:
Nose: Overwhelmingly Cherry,  Oakish components in the background.
Taste: Full bodied, strong tannins, dry finish, berry, concord grape, and a grassy/earthy/dirt taste as well.
                                          Taste W/ Food: Again, it was paired with the buffalo chicken spring rolls,          which I thought it did greatly. The dryness cut through the spice really well and almost left it with a slightly sweet aftertaste when compared to drinking it by itself.
 

2010 Gotham Shiraz

 Their Description: 
Deep dense dark and brooding in colour with a stunning rim of purple/red in the glass! The nose is rich ripe plums and loads of primary spices including fennel, black pepper, with mocha and coffee highlights. The palate has superb velvet tannins and incredible soft finish length. The wine is big and rich, yet elegant and silky

My Description:
Nose: Little warm, sweet berry, and oak.
Taste: Slightly Tannic, slightly warm, sweet, dark fruit.
Taste W/ Food: I thought it really didn't show any new characteristics, but it may have been the fact that I really didn't care for this wine at all. There was something with the taste that truly made me dislike this wine.

2011 Notaviva Vinyards "Gitano" Chambourcin

Their Description:
Exotic and sweet, our "Gitano" Chambourcin after dinner wine pays homage to the music of the nomadic Romani people. Let the distinct sounds of the phrygian dominant mode fill your ears as the scents of wildflowers, spice and black cherries leap from the glass. Best paired with starry nights, bonfires and fast Gypsy music.

My Description:
 Nose: Super Sweet, flowers, buttery, blueberry, berry.
Taste: Medium Body, super smooth, raspberry, blueberry, sweet. I was very Impressed with this wine.
Taste W/ Food: I thought this wine paired extremely well with the brownies, the smoothness really went well alongside the fudge brownie and overall the taste reminded me of eating a very good chocolate covered raspberry or berry-type fruit.

Again, overall it was a great night even though one of the wines really didn't click for me. My favorite of the night was definitely the Chambourcin and I believe the Tempranillo was my favorite wine and food pairing of the night. It was a wonderful experience and I had a great time with my friends as well.