Butterfly Kiss Moscato 2012

Name:  Butterfly Kiss
Variety: Moscato
Year: 2012
Country: Chile
Region: N/A
Price: $13
Wine Critic Review: "Aromas of honeydew and apricot, gently kissed by orange blossom, candied pineapple and a hint of lime zest."
My review: I tasted this Moscato after the Reds and it was a refreshingly light taste.  It smelled a little bit like perfume and had hints of floral. This wine was quite sweet and I would have wanted to taste more of it.  I didn't love it, but it was an average tasting Moscato.

This wine was not consumed with food.

Purple Paws Zinfandel 2012

Name: Purple Paws
Variety: Zinfadel
Year: 2012
Country: California
Region: Central Valley, California
Price: $15
Wine Critic Review: "It smells like ripe boysenberries and cherries, and tastes generous and broad without being too full bodied. It finishes with more fruit notes and those who love a little spice and smooth tannins will be happy."                    -Vintage Cellar
My review: 
This wine also had a lighter purple/red color. The fruit flavors were a little stronger and spicier.  I could taste some hints of earthy flavors.  I could smell and taste a little bit more of the alcohol in this wine compared to the other wines at the tasting.  I did not like the spicy finish and preferred the Cabernet Sauvignon to this Zinfandel.  This wine was a favorite for my roommates, but I did not enjoy this wine that much and did not want to try anymore than what was given to me at the tasting.

This wine was not consumed with food.

Purple Paws Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Purple Paws
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Year: Non vintage
Country: California
Region: Central Valley, California
Price: $15
Wine Critic Review: "If a Cabernet can be smooth and creamy, this one is. It offers plenty of fruit flavor, smooth tannins that coat the mouth in a good way, plus a plush texture that keeps it from being even a bit harsh. With light body, a soft mouthfeel and lingering finish, there’s much to like." -Vintage Cellar
My review: This wine had a dark purple color with hints of pink.  It had a very interesting smell of berries, more specifically raspberries or blackberries.  It was a fairly full-bodied wine with several strong flavors and it was not too sweet. It had a good finish that made me want to try more.  I ended up purchasing this bottle and tried it with food a couple hours later.  When eaten with grilled chicken and cheesy broccoli, the flavors of the wine were a little weaker, and seemed a little more dry, but I still enjoyed it. 

Rosemount Chardonnay 2015

Name: Rosemount
Variety: Chardonnay
Year: 2015
Country: Australia
Region: South Australia
Price: $10
Wine Critic Review: "This world-renowned wine shows peachy tropical fruit and melon characters on the nose, with a hint of citrus freshness and judicious use of oak. The palate is generous and soft with full, ripe tropical flavors folded into a creamy backdrop that is beautifully structured with a long satisfying finish."
- Vintage Cellar
My review: A fairly clear yellow colored wine. I did recognized the melon smell to this wine.  I tasted a mixed fruit blend and there was an almost bitter tannin finish.  It was very dry and I did not like this Chardonnay that much.   

This wine was not consumed with food.

La Lejania Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Thursday, January 28th, 2016

Today, was the first wine tasting of the semester at the Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg  I arrived in the late afternoon after classes and although there was a line, I had a great experience and even left with an on-sale bottle that we tried (Purple Paw's Cabernet Sauvignon)!

Name: La Lejania
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Year: 2015
Country: Chile
Region: Central Valley, Chile
Price: $10
Wine Critic Review:  "A light, refreshing, balanced sparkling wine with fruit flavors and aromas of citrus, pear and peaches, followed by a nuance of spice.  Enjoy this sparkling wine as an aperitif, or with salads and spicy dishes, especially those using citrus fruit. For dessert this wine pairs well with fresh berries or a fruit tart." -Vintage Cellar
My review: This wine had a floral smell.  It was a light wine with hints of peach and citrus flavors.  I also could pull out the taste of grapefruit.  I would not mind drinking this one again maybe with a piece of apple pie. It was a little too sweet for me to purchase, but with the right food pairings I think it would be good to try again.

This wine was not consumed with food.

Welcome to my Wine Experience...Past, Present, and Future

Wine is something that I have become increasing interested in over the past four years.  Since Freshman year of college, I have spent my summers in France pursuing internships, study, and research.  Most of my wine experiences have come from my experience in France, as wine is always the beverage of choice for the French.  The role that wine plays within French culture is another aspect that I have found interesting.  I am double major in Finance and International Studies with a minor in French for Business.  I have studied French culture as well as seen first hand the large role that wine plays in France and the rest of the world.  Before college, I always saw wine as a more sophisticated drink and something that I was not that interested in trying.  I had a couple sips from my mother's glass, but I was not immediately a fan.  When I embarked for my first trip to France, I started being a little bit more adventurous.  I wanted to fit in and act like the locals so I started to drink wine and I started to enjoy drinking wine.  Often, I would go grocery shopping with a friend and simply get the same bottle that they were getting as long as it was less than 10 euros.  I tried a lot of wines during my travels in Europe the past three summers, but I still do not feel anywhere close to knowledgeable about wine.  

As a college student, I couldn't afford much or rather I chose to buy two or three 3euro bottles of wine versus one better quality wine for a higher price.  I would buy bottles in the medium range for a college kid 8-12euros only when I was bringing a wine as a gift for someone's birthday or job celebration.  I have a problem with remembering what is what.  I am terrible with remembering names and can only recognize a handful of labels of my top low price French wines.  I think the reason for this is the fact that I have never been taught differences between different wines and varieties, and I also did not know where to start looking and learning.  I have also had some great wines at dinner parties and work events while abroad, but again, I couldn't tell you what I tasted.  I spent two months working in Dijon, where I met a group of Californians enrolled in a wine study abroad course where they traveled throughout the Burgundy region and up to Alsace and into Germany and Italy.  I did partake in a couple of their wine tasting assignments without the paperwork and tried to ask some questions.  I had some very interesting conversations with locals in the Dijon area and realized that the cultural component to wine is significant.  I was told that every good frenchman knows what wine to buy for each occasion and what to pair with it.  This may have been a way for a couple guys to show off their skills to the one American girl in the place, but they did have some valid comments and the pairings tasted great.  I also took away another piece of knowledge from the Burgundy region. I discovered what cassis is and learned great ways to use la crème de cassis in particular wines.  I visited le Cassissium, the cassis museum in Nuits Saint Georges, with a couple of German students and took a tour in French (in which I am almost fluent) about the processes and la degustation.  I also brought back a couple bottles of la crème de cassis in my luggage that I had received as departure gifts from the office that I worked in that summer.   I have drank wine in mostly social situations, but on occasion I will drink a glass with dinner.  I have had wine in a more formal work setting as well.

Outside of France, I typically drink white or rosé and at times red.  I generally like sweeter wines, but I have had some drier reds that I liked as well.  I am taking this class in order to feel more comfortable around wine and to actually absorb this basic knowledge of wine that I should have learned years ago.  Although wine is not readily acknowledged as a "need-to-know" in American culture, I know that a greater knowledge of wine will help me as I develop my career in business.  I also want to go back to France to work within a couple years of graduation and I know it is essential not to be perceived as a naive, uncultured American. I am looking forward to developing my tastes further and to actually remember types of wine that I like and typically dislike.  I also want to work personally to focus on trying some more French wines through assignments in the course.  I can't wait to delve deeper into the amazing geography of wine with Virginia Tech's Professor John Boyer guiding the way!



See the Cassis museum here! http://www.cassissium.fr