Tasting - Simonet Blanc de Blancs, Tierra de Luna Torrontes-Chardonnay, Oxford Landing Viognier, Doural Red Tinto, Estrella Merlot

Tasting #1: Simonet Blanc de Blancs

Varietal: Simonet
Region: N/A
Country: France
Year: No vintage
Price: $7.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "On the nose, there is some bread-yeast and some toast, same on the palate. Great for an everyday bubbly or for mimosas!"

My Review: I didn't have a whole lot to say about this wine. It was light in both flavor and body. Had nice carbonation. I didn't find it very complex or deep in flavor so not much to say here.

Tasting #2: Tierra de Luna Torrontes-Chardonnay

Varietal: Chardonnay

Region: N/A

Country: Argentina

Year: 2009

Price: $7.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "Fresh and crisp, with floral aromas and flavors of quince and pear, this wine is a versatile companion to informal meals, and is excellent as an aperitif." 

My Review: I thought this was nicely oaked and had that distinct chardonnay nose. It was actually a little light in body for a chardonnay which might make it a good summer wine. It was served slightly warm for my taste but not so much that all the flavors were highly pronounced.

Tasting #3: Oxford Landing Viognier

Varietal: Viognier

Region: N/A

Country: Australia

Year: 2009

Price: $7.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "88 points, Wine Spectator. Bright and lively, this white is appealing for its pear, lychee and sweet spice character, which comes together smoothly against a silky texture."

My Review: I am starting to be able to distinguish the smell of a viognier. This wine had the same distinct viognier smell as others. It had a really rich golden color and a dry flavor. It gave off a weird aroma and flavor on the palate. Not sure what it was. This was a little disappointing for me.

Tasting #4: Doural Red Tinto

Varietal: Tinto

Region: N/A

Country: Portugal

Year: 2009 

Price: $8.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "This Portuguese tinto(red) blend exhibits a deep red color with violet hues. The nose is vibrant and fruity. The palate offers notes of spice, cherry, and dark berry supported by good structure. Pairs well with red or game meat, cheeses and fish."

My Review: I'm not a huge fan of the tintos so far. This one seemed like other tintos I've had so far in that it was strong in pepper and cherry flavors. This had really nice vanilla in it, I thought. I actually thought the spice in this one was a little overwhelming and may be better if paired really well.

Tasting #5: Estrella Merlot

Varietal: Merlot

Region: Napa, California

Country: United States

Year: 2009

Price: $5.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "This ruby colored Merlot has raspberry jam aromas with a subtle hint of spice. Layers of vanilla, plum and fig are revealed that linger ever so slightly on the palate."

My Review: Jam flavors really came out in this wine for some reason! It was actually pretty sweet and fruity for me. It wasn't like my other experiences with merlots. It had a nice vanilla hint in it. This was definitely a different merlot!

Tasting - Muscanti Brut, Spanish Vines Sauvignon Blanc, Torrent Bay Chardonnay, Lost Vineyards Vinho de Mesa Tinto, Ebano Ribera del Duero Tempranillo

Tasting #1: Muscanti Brut

Varietal: Moscado
Region: N/A
Country: Spain
Year: No vintage
Price: $7.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "Lemon blossoms, green apple, toast and honeydew melon are front and center in this crisp refreshing Spanish Sparkler. Silky supple with lingering flavors, yet a tingle of citric acid on the finish. A combination of traditional cava grapes but this wine is not made in the traditional methode champenoise (which is required by Spanish law to be called Cava). This is made with the Charmat process so this wine may only be called 'Spanish sparkling wine'."

My Review: This wine definitely smelled like a traditional brut. It had really nice carbonation but bordered on being a little too much fizz. It had a very nice, dry, crisp, melon flavor. I liked it!

Tasting #2: Spanish Vines Sauvignon Blanc

Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: N/A

Country: Spain

Year: 2009

Price: $4.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "85 Points, Wine Enthusiast. Apple and floral notes and then an almost buttery palate with baked apple and citrus flavors."

My Review: This had a very strong alcohol smell that made the nose a little unpleasant. There was another strong smell on the nose, almost like a gasoline smell. It had a nice color but a weird flavor both at the beginning and during the aftertaste. I don't think it was served cool enough to get the appropriate nose and flavor. Not a fan though.

Tasting #3: Torrent Bay Chardonnay

Varietal: Chardonnay

Region: Torrent Bay

Country: New Zealand

Year: 2009

Price: $6.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "Fleshy, melony aromas cuddle some fresh oak. The palate has decent acidity so there's freshness along with weight, resiny oak flavors, lemon and green apple."

My Review: I wasn't very fond of the aromas coming off this wine. However, once I tried it it had a nice buttery, oaky, smooth body and flavor. I didn't think it was stand-out for me but it definitely had some distinct flavors that I couldn't quite pick out.

Tasting #4: Lost Vineyards Vinho de Mesa Tinto

Varietal: Tinto

Region: N/A

Country: Portugal

Year: No vintage

Price: $3.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "Pours a light garnet color with a nice crisp zest, with aromas of cranberries and orange peel on the nose. Drinks smooth with a briary of mild cherries, wild strawberries and raspberries along with a note of rhubarb. Pairs particularly well with wild game and heavy fish such as salmon."

My Review: This wine had some nice vanilla and cherry notes and a very overwhelming pepper flavor. It had a semi-smooth mouthfeel and a medium body. Not bad for being $3.95, especially if you like peppery wines.

Tasting #5: Ebano Ribera del Duero Tempranillo

Varietal: Tempranillo

Region: N/A

Country: Spain

Year: 2007

Price: $7.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "87 Points, Robert Parker. The 2007 Ebano 6 is 100% Tempranillo aged 4 months in French oak. Dark ruby red color, it displays a pleasant bouquet of cedar, spice box, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. Medium- to full- bodied on the palate with savory flavors and plenty of spice,this racy, vibrant Tempranillo has enough structure to drink well over the next 5-6 years and is a very good value."

My Review: This wine smelled like a cabernet sauvignon to me (which I love)! It was very dry and smooth with a little currant flavor. It was a little tart for me but I think that may be alleviated by perhaps letting this wine breathe for a bit.

Dinner - Blue Apron Restaurant & Red Rooster Bar

So I celebrated my three-year anniversary with my boyfriend, Chris, last Wednesday and we both saw it as the perfect opportunity to try out The Blue Apron Restaurant and Red rooster Bar. Unfortunately, it was raining the night we went so we were unable to get a picture of the outside of the restaurant (but it wasn't that exciting on the outside anyway). The restaurant was situated in downtown Salem which is a small town. The seating area in the restaurant was tiny but very nicely decorated.

Roses Chris gave me

We decided to have the pan-seared scallops small plate as an appetizer to share and I got the Mahi Mahi, while Chris got the Swordfish as our main courses. We paired our meals with the D'arenburg The Hermit Crab Viognier. Having tasted the wine prior to our dinner and talking with our waitress, we decided that the viognier would pair perfectly with our fish.

We both thought the wine was chilled perfectly (not too cold or too warm) and came in a holding container that was also from the D'arenburg vineyard, which was pretty neat. It has a lovely golden yellow color, similar to that of chardonnay, as you can see from the picture. It is medium to full bodied but is very crisp in my opinion. It almost has a buttery finish. Very nice and strong fruit smells like maybe melon? It is definitely becoming one of my favorite white wines. Although this wine is probably a little heavier than whites usually paired with fish, we wanted to see how it would pair since we are so fond of the wine.

Mmmm, scallops

The scallop dish was fantasticly rich. This is, by far, the most rich in flavor scallop dish I have ever had. The scallops were pan-seared and sliced into thirds (they were HUGE) and split among the two of us. They lay on top of a potato puree with caramelized onions and a smoky sauce. Watercress lay on top of the ensemble, but I passed on them since I am not fond of their flavor. The entire combination was awesome! The scallops were perfectly tender and buttery and the onions provided a great sweetness. The smoky sauce was a bit over-the-top for my palate because I think smoke can overpower the flavors of food. However, what I thought was interesting was that the wine really tamed down that smoky flavor. Man! This was a great pair! I could have eaten the scallops large plate with the wine for dinner and been set! So delicious!

My Mahi-Mahi was, of course, fantastic as well. It was pan-seared and served on top of some sort of potato something-or-other. The fish was perfectly flaky with a lovely butter sauce. I actually think the wine was a little too heavy for this dish. Mahi-mahi is such a light flavor fish that the viognier was actually too bold for it. A white bordeaux or sauvignon blanc may have paired a little better with it.

Chris's Swordfish

Chris and I after dinner

We finished our meal with a couple french press coffees and we split a homemade cheesecake, which was seriously the best cheesecake I've had in awhile. The coffee was also rockin'! A very nice older gentleman noticed we were taking pictures and celebrating an event so he offered to take a picture of the two of us together. He was very sweet!

The restaurant got two BIG thumbs up in our books!! A little pricey but definitely well-worth the price and most certainly worth the 45 minute drive, especially for a special occasion! We are definitely thinking of going back here before the end of the semester. Great place!

Dinner - Wine Party

Me prepping the wines and glasses for the party

Wine & Food Tasting Party


My dad has reminisced about the fancy wine parties he and my mom used to have before they had six kids and has been saying he wants to have one for a couple years now. Being in this class gave us the perfect opportunity to throw jointly throw such an event. We invited several of our close friends and family, Chris and I organized the wine and food selections, my parents offered their house, and we split the bill. Here is how things turned out...


We decided to go with three reds and three white wines, each of a different varietal.

                                         Red Wines:

Anciano Tempranillo, 2001

Region & Country: Valdepenas, Spain

Price: $10.95

Muirwood Pinot Noir, 2009

Region & Country: Monterey, California, United States

Price: $16.99

Medalla Real Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008

Region & Country: Maipo Valley, Chile

Price: $14.99

White Wines:

D'Arenburg The Hermit Crab Viognier, 2009

Region & Country: McLaren Vale, Australia

Price: $13.99

Tratoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele Pinot Grigio, 2010

Region & Country: Murano, Venice

Price: $7.95

Nobillo Icon Sauvignon Blanc, 2009

Region & Country: Marlborough, New Zealand

                                                                                      Price: $14.99

We also chose a wide variety of foods to go with the wines - goat cheese, brie, parmesan, smoked gouda, taleggio cheese, water crackers, wheat crackers, butter crackers, dark, milk and vanilla bean white chocolates, steamed asparagus, pears, avocado, green and red seedless grapes, crostini, black and green olives, plain white italian bread, seasoned olive oils for dipping, and grape tomatoes. We also supplied drinking water for those wanting to clean their palate in between wines.

The table filled with food

Each guest was given a tasting sheet that Chris and I created. A copy of that sheet is shown below. We intentionally left out any ratings of the wine, the price, and the varietal so as not to bias anyone's thoughts.
*PIC*

We began with the whites. Each glass was adorned with a wine charm. I used a standard shot glass to fill each glass with the wines. Each guest was instructed to grab a glass, remember the charm attached, taste the wine and write notes, and then (when they were finished) rinse the glass using our pitcher of water and "dump bucket," and set the glass back on the table for the next wine. Once everyone's glasses were back on the sideboard, I poured the next wine.

The first round of white wine. If you look closely you can see the little wine charms on the bottom of the glasses.

After we finished the three white wines, I gathered everyone to discuss the items left off the sheet and talk a little about the wines. The same was done after the three reds were finished being tasted.

The glasses used for the red wines

The glasses used for the white wines

I found that the most interesting part of the whole experience was hearing how each person's palate reacted to the wines and the foods eaten with them. Some people really liked one wine, while others thought it was their least favorite. Some people thought parmesan cheese went well with the cabernet sauvignon, while others thought the brie tasted better with it. It was very fascinating. Rather than go into full detail about other people (this is my blog after all), I will give the brief notes I took on each wine. Since I was trying to play hostess at the same time, I did not get the chance to write a lot for each tasting.

Wine #1: D'Arenburg Viognier 

Smooth, medium bodied, melons flavors maybe, not a lot of heat, nicely balanced, very tasty, my favorite

Wine #2: Italian Pinot Grigio

Fruity, can smell the alcohol on the nose very strongly, nice, very light, pale yellow color, would probably go really well with fish, tasted really smooth and creamy with the brie

Wine #3: Nobillo Icon Sauvignon Blanc

Smells really weird but can't quite figure out what it smells like, I thought it smelled a little like asparagus, not as well balanced - more heat, lighter body, my least favorite one

Wine #4: Tempranillo

Tasted a lot like a Chianti to me, strong cherry and currant flavors, a little peppery, smooth mouthfeel, really liked this one, tasted really yummy with the milk chocolate and cheeses

Wine #5: Pinot Noir

Very thin looking, looks almost liked dyed water, lighter body, a lot of heat came across on this one, not much depth of flavor, tasted very "thin", eating parmesan with it helped it out

Wine #6: Cabernet Sauvignon

Tart flavor for a cabernet, strong tannins, slight hint of tobacco came across, tasted great with the brie (made it taste much smoother), wasn't very impressed

We opened the three reds in the morning to allow some oxygen into them, then we decanted them about 4 hours prior to the start of the party. Considering this, I was very surprised at how aggressive they each tasted. I wonder how much more aggressive they would be if we hadn't let them breathe!

Overall, I think everyone had a good time...

Christopher being silly

My dad posing for his close-up

Shawn (Chris's mom) tasting one of the whites

Marc (Chris's dad) writing his notes

Noreen (neighbor)

My cousins and my dad enjoying the food

My brother is the creeper on the right in the black shirt

Chris talking about the wine

Friends, Jim and Lin, talking with my brother and mom (in purple)

More talking

And some more...

The group being silly

Normal group picture

We will definitely be doing this again! It was a blast!

Tasting - Santola Vinho Verde, Protocolo Blanc, Resonata Nero D'avola, Don Ramon Tinto, Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling

Tasting #1: Santola Vinho Verde

Varietal: Vinho Verde
Region: Not applicable
Country: Portugal
Year: No vintage
Price: $7.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "Soft and creamy, although with just the right Vinho Verde bite, this is a crisp and clean wine, boasting light pear and pink grapefruit flavors. Off dry and very fresh."

My Review: This was my second experience with a vinho verde. It definitely has the same light fruit aromas that the other vinho verde had. The color of this wine was very clear. The first vinho verde I had almost had a slight carbonation to it, while I thought this one didn't have that quality. I'm not sure if that is something characteristic of that varietal or just that particular wine I had. The body was just as light as I expected from the color. It was thin and very crisp. It would be great in the middle of summer. Chris said he thought it tasted like adult Fresca.

Tasting #2: Protocolo Blanc

Varietal: Protocolo

Region: Not applicable

Country: Spain

Year: 2009

Price: $6.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "87 points, Stephan Tanzer. Greenish gold. Subtle aromas of mint, lemon and orange, with a hint of honeysuckle. Dry, understated and focused, offering clean citrus and melon flavors and slow-building sweetness. Finishes dry and brisk, with an echo of lemon. As usual, this is an outstanding value."

My Review: This one smelled just like a chardonnay to me. It had that rich oak and distinct fruit aroma of a chardonnay. However, when I tasted it, it seemed a little light in depth. It wasn't very complex and didn't seem to have a lot of flavor to me. It was dry, which I liked but it was oddly light for its intense nose aromas.

Tasting #3: Resonata Nero D'avola

Varietal: Nero D'avola

Region: Not applicable

Country: Italy

Year: 2010

Price: $6.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "Dense ruby red with violet reflections. Lush and ripe bouquet full of mulberries, blackberries and spice. Harmonious and well-balanced with good berry fruit in a spicy background."

My Review: This one was very nice! It had a very subtle vanilla flavor that hit me first. After that, I tasted cherry and a little tobacco. Dry, well-balanced, and didn't have a lot of heat. We bought two bottles of this one!

Tasting #4: Don Ramon Tinto

Varietal: Tinto 

Region: Not applicable

Country: Spain

Year: 2008

Price: $7.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "75% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo. Aged 3 months in American Oak casks. Ruby red in color, with creamy aromas of earth and cherry. Flavor turns toward deeper and darker black cherry and raspberry on a medium framework. A subtle earthiness underneath the bright fruit adds some depth and complexity."

My Review: This wine had very strong tannins and an interesting flavor. I have never tasted grenache by itself but since I have had tempranillo before, I suspect the odd flavor was from the grenache. It was almost a little bitter. I didn't taste hardly any of the tempranillo, which I suppose makes sense since it only constituted 25% of the wine. This was alright for me.

Tasting #5: Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling

Varietal: Riesling

Region: Not applicable

Country: Germany

Year: 2010

Price: $8.95

"Vintage Cellar" Review: "Flint and mineral notes accent pineapple and lime aromas, while on the palate, the wine shows plenty of ripe, citrusy fruit flavors. Tangy acids on the long finish provide balance."

My Review: The first word that I said and then wrote down about this wine was "whoa." It had a VERY sweet smelling aroma and a VERY strong, odd flavor in it that completely overpowered the wine. Perhaps it was the flint? I'm not sure what it was, but this was absolutely undrinkable for me.