Tasting - Montebuena Rioja

Name: Montebuena
Variety: 100% Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95
Winery Review: "(100% Tempranillo, raised entirely in American oak): Vivid ruby. Ripe cherry and blackcurrant on the nose and in the mouth. Pliant and seamless in texture, with good heft and back-end energy. Finishes smooth and sweet, with fine-grained tannins providing shape and grip. Still on the young side but this wine drinks very well with an hour or so of decanting; it's an excellent value for Rioja."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (September 2012), 90 ptsMy Review: On the nose, the wine was acidic with hints of blackberry and cranberry, with slight floral scents. The wine tasted rubbery, which overwhelmed my palate, along with slight flavor of cranberry. The wine was very tannic and made my mouth dry. I did not have this wine with any food. I did not enjoy this wine at all and would definitely not buy it.

Tasting - Delaroche Cotes du Rhone

Name: Delaroche Cotes du Rhone
Variety: 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre 
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95
Winery Review: "This semi-opaque ruby, custom cuvée of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre is made specifically for Fran Kysela. It exhibits very fresh, ripe dark red fruit with very good palate weight and depth and ends with rich fruit notes. Made from organically grown grapes. Incredible value!"
- I-WineReview (December 2013), 90 pts.My Review: This wine smelled like dark berries, such as black cherries, blackberries and cranberries with a tinge of mint at the end. The taste was different than what I had expected from the smell, with a light, crisp apple flavor and a tannic sensation in the aftertaste. I did not have this wine with any food, but I loved it and would definitely purchase it!

Tasting - Maipe Torrontes

Name: Maipe Torrontes
Variety: Torrontes
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95
Shop Review: Spring-like nose of fresh white peaches, pears, green apple, green melon and hints of jasmine and rose petals. On the palate, it has a beautiful structure and acidity along with fruit flavors and plenty of body.  Well balanced, this wine displays a pleasant freshness with citrus notes and a long finish. Best enjoyed in its youth either by itself, or as a wonderful partner with smoked meats, mild to medium-strong cheeses, seafood and a great partner for spicy food as well.
My Review: The nose of this wine was light, but a little darker than the last, with peachy and citrus-y aromas. It also smelled floral, with hints of rose petal. The wine was orange-flavored, slightly citrus-y and was a little dry. The wine was really light, thin and crisp, and could easily be paired with appetizers or desserts as well. I liked this wine but not enough to purchase it. I did not have this wine with any food.

Tasting - Cortenova Pinot Grigio

Name: Cortenova Pinot Grigio
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Venezie
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $7.95
Shop Review: Brilliant straw color with emerald reflections. Fresh and floral bouquet with a hint of pears, apricots and bananas. Fresh and inviting with bright fruit and an easy drinking style with a pleasing hint of almonds in the finish. Pairs well with seafood dishes, risottos with scampi,spaghetti with clams, sole in white wine. Perfect also as an aperitif.
My Review: The nose of this wine was of peaches and crisp apples. The wine tasted dry and acidic with hints of fruit and was very sweet, almost like candy corn, in the mid-palate. I really liked this wine and would definitely purchase it to have with dessert or salad. I also did not have this wine with any food.

Tasting - Woodbridge Merlot

Name: Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi
Variety: Merlot
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $5.99
Winery Review: Our Merlot has luscious aromas of blackberries and cherries, complemented by flavors of ripe plum with a smooth finish.
My Review: The aromas were pungent as soon as I opened the bottle. Before I even swirled the wine in my glass and sniffed it, I could smell aromas of cranberry, plum, and dark cherry. After swirling and sniffing, I smelled all of these aromas along with hints of pepper. The wine tasted hot and dry - my mouth was literally on fire after the first sip! It also tasted a little flinty and rubbery. I kept trying to taste the fruit flavors I smelled, but I was unsuccessful in doing so. I did not like this wine, and I did not have it with any food. It was much too harsh, dry, aggressive, and hot for my taste.

Tasting - Dancing Bull

Name: Dancing Bull
Variety: Merlot
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $9.49
Winery Review: Our Merlot has flavors of jammy dark cherry, plum and blackberry with hints of vanilla that make it a versatile food wine. The perfect pairing for pizza.
My Review: The weight of this wine was pretty light and watery for a red wine. I decided to purchase this wine because the bottle said it pairs well with pizza, which is what I was having for dinner. First, I tried the wine without pizza. I could not distinguish any flavor in the wine except grape flavor. It basically tasted like any other cheap, bitter red wine I have ever had. I tried the wine again with my pizza, and the flavor wine did not change. I thought this wine was sub-par and will probably not buy it again. It is bearable, but not quite worth its price.

Tasting - Sprinkle Chardonnay

Name: Sprinkle
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $7.32
Winery Critic: Golden in color with aromas of ripe apples and tropical fruit, Sprinkle Chardonnay can be enjoyed as it is, with your favorite salad, or with tart desserts like iced lemon cake.
My Review: The chardonnay initially smelled crisp, refreshing, and fruity with hints of pear, banana, and apple. After sniffing the wine again, I smelled hints of honey. The chardonnay tasted fruity with a hint of honey with some slight bitterness. It's weight is also light and watery. I enjoyed my wine with one of the sugar cookies pictured above. I think the cookie may have made the wine seem a little less bitter initially, allowing me to hone-in on the fruity flavors. After I finished my cookie, I tried the wine a few more times. Each time I took a sip, the wine got more and more bitter-tasting. I also currently have a cold, which may have prevented me from tasting the pineapple flavor. I did enjoy the wine and can see how it would pair nicely with a fruit salad or tart desserts. I am interested to see how it tastes with these suggested food items.

Welcome to My Wine Blog!

Hello everyone! My name is Courtney Cisarik and I am taking Geography of Wine at Virginia Tech as a fun elective to wrap-up my last semester of college. I do not know much about wine, but I have had decent exposure to a lot of cheap dessert wines, specifically port, as well as red wines at college and during the holidays. What really sparked my interest in wine and motivated me to take this course is that my boyfriend's dad, Mr. Rider, collects wine for a hobby. He has a giant wine cellar in his basement that is about the size of a small bedroom that is filled with wine from all over the world, varying in age. Every time I visit my boyfriend's parents, Mr. Rider asks about what we are drinking at school and if we ever drink wine. So far, I have been able to contribute little to these conversations, mostly because I prefer liquor over wine. By the end of the semester, I would love to be able to carry on an in-depth conversation about wine.

So far, all I know is that I enjoy most dessert wines because I have a sweet tooth. I also do not like wine that is super dry or bitter. I never developed much of a taste for alcohol prior to college because my parents did not drink, and I did not party in high-school. However, my father recently started drinking red wine in moderation to raise his HDL cholesterol levels (the "good" cholesterol). Unfortunately, since my parents both do not drink often, they have not learned what kinds of red wine they enjoy. Every time they go to the grocery store to get more, they just randomly select a bottle, and usually do not like it. Whenever I come home, they tell me to pick a wine out to have at dinner because they figure I know a lot more about alcohol than them. After completing this course, I would love to be able to help them out by learning about what types of wine I like. If I discover I enjoy particular kinds, they probably will as well.

I have tried wine in two very different situations: during a family dinner (usually Christmas or Thanksgiving) and at a college parties just to get drunk. One glass of wine usually makes me feel pretty warm, but does not affect me too badly. However, I have a guaranteed hangover the next day if I exceed two glasses of wine in a sitting, no matter how much water I drink before and afterwards. I think part of my hesitation to try new wines has to do with the consequences of the hangover. I am hoping I am not too horribly affected by the wine tastings this semester! Maybe I will be able to work up a bit of a stronger tolerance.