Wine Tasting Blog: Yalumba 2011

My latest wine blog submission is a continued result of my exploration of white wines. I grabbed this one in a Kroger because it seemed to be relatively moderately priced, not super cheap and by no means expensive. It was around 16 bucks. I'm quick to grab 9 or 10 dollar bottles since once I break into the double digits it makes me feel like I'm spending a little too much for alcohol on a college budget. BUT this is for education purposes so whatever, This wine is a 2011 Yalumba Chardonnay from South Australia. And according to the labeled it comes from Australia's oldest family owned winery, plus its "unwooded", which spiked my interests.

Here is a quick review of this wine from wine spectator giving it 88 points:

"Fragrant with jasmine and ginger scents, this is a clean, tightly built Chardonnay to serve with cold cracked crab and prawns."


I Could not find many reviews about this wine which was kind of odd to me. But anyway, I sort of like it. In the glass this wine is super light in color, almost completely clear. My usual disclaimer: I do not know white wines. Having said that there was fruitiness in this wines aroma. And this may be my inexperience talking but I could also smell a bit of oak, even though this is an unwooded wine. These scents pretty much carried right over into the taste. The alcohol was virtually undetectable which made the wine go down pretty easy, and fast. It was also super dry which I am not too sure if I'm a huge fan of yet. I know I like reds a bit dryer (if that is possible) but I'm still unsure about this with whites. I also tasted this wine a three different occasions. The day I bought it, the next day, and then a week later. I would say that the only difference between the tastings on these occasions was that the alcohol became much less detectable. I have a feeling this is normal, but it made it more drinkable in my opinion. I probably wouldn't recommend this to a friend though and that's mostly because of the price. I know that 16 bones isn't all that much, but I have a feeling that there are a lot of wines that are just as good if not better than this one, and probably for less.

Wine Film Review: Blood into Wine

Wine Movie Blog: Blood into Wine

            This wine movie blog is about the documentary Blood into Wine. It was aired during class time last week and it was said that the class could then blog about it afterwards. This movie documented the undertakings of Maynard Keenan, the lead singer of Tool, and Eric Glomski. Keenan, although he is the lead singer of a hardcore rock band, has a deep passion for the art of grape growing and wine making. He teamed up with Glomski, who has had prior experience with wine and beer crafting, to open a vineyard and wine making facility. This premise itself is interesting enough for a documentary, but the real interesting aspect that this film entails is that their business is located in Jerome Arizona! It is well known that in that specific region of the country California is the powerhouse of wine production, but these two entrepreneurs decided that the mountainous terrain of Arizona is where they wanted to produce wine.  

            The film follows Keenan and Glomski as they struggle to start the vineyard and then eventually succeed in making quality wines. Much of the movie shows just how difficult it is to successfully grow and harvest grapes and then turn those grapes into wine, especially in a region where wine grapes have not historically been cultivated. It mentioned a few times in the film that the terrain where the vineyard and winery resembles areas of Europe such as Tuscany Italy. While very few wines are produced in Arizona, it seems from the film that the conditions are quite beneficial to growing wine grapes. The climate is warm, dry, and gets little rain which allows them to closely monitor the water that the grapes receive. The local town also likes that grapes are being grown there, since the crop uses very little rain, much less than houses would require if they were on that land instead.

Keenan and Glomski are followed and their undertaking is portrayed in chronological order following the steps involved in the growing, harvesting, and wine making processes. The vineyard that they have established is not overly large in terms of size, but a variety of grapes are grown there, both whites and reds. The wines they produce are also wide in variety, consisting of whites, reds, and both varietals and blends of these grapes for the wines.

            I gained a large amount of wine based knowledge from watching this film. A lot of it revolved around Keenan and his transition from rock singer to wine producer but it did a great job of illustrating what it takes to grow wine grapes and make wine from those grapes. It was very interesting to see the struggles that Keenan and Glomski went through in establishing their vineyard. They had to deal with a plethora of difficulties, even some that most people wouldn’t think of such as wild boars and other animals eating the grapes off of the vines. What was also interesting was seeing their wine production facilities in operation. They showed all of the machines and their uses in making wine and also their mixing of wines in order to obtain desirable tastes found in the blends. Not only did they simply show the machines they used to make wine, but as they did they described, in good detail, what was required to do so. The covered most, if not all, of the processes that grapes go through before becoming wine, including planting the grapes, harvesting the grapes, crushing the grapes, the fermentation processes, and the bottling of the final wine products. Towards the end of the film a highly acclaimed wine critic from Wine Enthusiast visited their wine production facility in order to sample their wines and had very positive things to say about them. It would seem that a critic such as this may be hesitant to do this since Arizona is not a classic wine grower, but it was quite the contrary. Keenan also did, and probably still does do a lot of promoting of his wines. As one would think, he gets a lot of rock fans taking interests in his wines since they know him well from his rocking days.

            In terms of recommendations, I would absolutely recommend this film to a friend and I would probably go ahead and watch it again with them. It was a very entertaining combination of wine knowledge as well as comedy provided by Keenan and his rather interesting personality. It was very cool to see a person go from practically no knowledge of wine production, and take his love for wine drive him to be a successful wine producer. Keenan is not just a rich celebrity figure who just bought a vineyard and had people run it for him. He is actually out there days on end digging in the dirt, planting grape vines, harvesting grapes, and making the wine himself. It was just really cool to watch all of this and really easy to relate to a person like Keenan which all made this movie an effective and entertaining film to watch. 

Wine Tasting Blog: Line 39 Sauvignon Blanc

This entry is based on my continuing trials of white wines in order to expand my horizons on this color of wine. As I mentioned in my previous blog entry I do not have much experience with tasting white wines, but  I liked the wine in that entry, so here goes number two. This one came recommended by my white-wine-loving girlfriend, and she knows some things, so I gave it a shot. It is a Sauvignon Blanc by Line 39 from Lake County California, 2011. I got it for about $10, so I don't start breaking the bank on wines that I don't know much about yet, seemed like a good idea at the time.

Here is a short review of the wine from wine enthusiast:

Line 39 is a consistently solid name in Lake County Sauvignon Blanc. The 2011 delivers an aromatically inviting, grassy, New Zealand-style wine, with layers of citrus and grapefruit.

Score: 85. —Virginia Boone, December 31, 2012. 

So my second white wine trial did not prove to be as successful as the first to the extent of my beginner knowledge. At first smell, I could not really tell what I was sniffing. It was definitely a citrus smell, and the first thing that came to mind was apricots. This could be completely wrong, but if I had to imagine what apricots smelled like, it'd be like this. The taste was certainly sweet as first but that, as well as any other taste, was over whelmed with acidity. Neither of these tastes for too strong overall, but I'd describe the finish as somewhat tart. The was not a bad tasting experience at all, especially with the price being what it was (I have yet to splurge for any too expensive wines either, so I don't have much room for comparison). I actually paired this wine with Gorgonzola and sun-dried tomatoes  which were alright themselves, but the wine accentuated the taste of the tomatoes pretty noticeably. If I could choose a different food to pair this specific wine with, I would probably go for something seafood based, like scallops or even sushi. So this novice wine drinker would probably recommend it to a friend, again, it's cheap, and enjoyable.

Wine Tasting Blog: Cupcake Pinot Grigio

This input into my wine blog is a result of my girlfriend's affinity for white wines. I have not tried very many white wines, and finally decided to get a low priced white for tasting. I have had this brand of wine in the past, and while it isn't expensive, it was relatively good, which is why I chose it. It is a 2011 Cupcake Vineyards Pinot Grigio. It comes from a northern wine-producing vineyard in Italy. I bought it for about $9 bucks from Kroger and brought it to my girlfriends place so that she could help me in the wine tasting process. Here is a quick review of the wine from cellartracker.com:

Everything from Cupcake tastes good. Was somewhat sceptical about their Pinot Grigio, and was glad to be proven wrong. This wine has enough depth and character to almost pass for a Sauvignon Blanc. Greenish gold color. The nose is a little closed, definitely showing some lemon and lime with a touch of greeness. Very nice job with the acid, which does not overpower the fruit, leaving everything nicely balanced. The citrus, lemon pear fruit is farly subdued. There is a shale type minerality. Good mouthfeel. Refreshing finish.

- Mike Kopanski, cellartracker.com

So since this was my first REAL tasting of white wine where I actually looked for flavors and aromas, I did not expect to get much out of it due to my lack of experience. But I actually had a revelation! I did the swirl, smell, and taste routine, and when asked what I tasted I replied "pears...and lemons". When I said that my girlfriends responded with "did you read the label?" But I hadn't! I had actually sensed these fruits in the wine, and I can honestly say that I have not been able to do this as fast or as sure in any other wines that I have blogged about so far! So either I had a stroke of white wine beginners luck, or I am actually getting the hang of this tasting thing. Furthermore, since the wine is called Cupcake (and I got my girlfriend cupcakes for valentine's day), I sampled this wine with cupcakes and they went very well together. I don't know if these wines are often paired with desserts, but the chocolate flavors and fruitiness of the wine went together pretty nicely. In any case I would certainly recommend this wine to a friend, unless they specialize in whites, then maybe it could be a bit cheap for their taste. 

Wine Tasting Blog: Gabbiano 2011

My latest wine tasting blog post is a result of my Dad's repeated quotes of Hannibal Lecter's affinity for Chianti and some favre beans. This is my first experience with Chianti and this particular one is a Gabbiano 2011. It was made in the Tuscany region of Italy and cost around $17. Here is a quick review from Prestige Wine & Spirits:

"Ruby tending to light garnet. Lovely aromas of ripe cherry lifted by a note of iris. Focused cherry and plum flavors are brightened by persistent notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Though not a powerhouse, this well-structured wine possesses a smooth texture and considerable finesse."

-Prestige Wine & Spirits

This wine seems pretty light in color compared to the reds that I have seen before. And in terms of initial smells, it is rather lacking. It has a light musty smell to it for sure. That is pretty much the only thing I am able to detect off the bat, just a musty alcohol smell. The taste is also showing the same characteristics. It comes off as very dry, musty, and alcoholic. The more I taste it, the smoother it gets which is proving to be pretty enjoyable. And once it settles there actually seems to be a light fruity taste. It may just be mental after reading reviews, but I think I do taste a bit of plum towards the end of each taste. After letting the wine breathe a bit the alcohol did fade away enough to where the dark fruit taste comes out. I did not pair this wine with any sort of food, but I could actually see it going well with favre beans, so maybe my Dad does know what he is talking about. As far as wines go, this one is pretty smooth and enjoyable. But as far as Chianti goes, I think my personal preferences lay elsewhere. I could certainly see a Chianti drinker liking this wine, and would recommend it to them for sure.

Wine Tasting Blog: Lucky Duck

For my second wine that I decided to sample for this blog, I decided to go as cheap as I possibly could, because I just felt too spoiled getting bought a 16 dollar bottle of wine for my first blog post...classic college student. As I was perusing the the options that our local Walmart had to offer, I ran across this wine, Lucky Duck. I would not normally reach for a wine of this price, but I only had a few remaining dollars from my parents most recent allowance, and I desperately needed dryer sheets, so the last $3.97 went towards this wine. It is a Tempranillo wine hailing from Spain, I later found that this is one of Spain's more popular types of wine...Tempranillo, not Lucky Duck specifically.  Oddly enough the bottle did not have a vintage on the label anywhere to be found. I guess 4 bucks doesn't buy you that much information.

Here is an excerpt of a review of Lucky Duck Tempranillo:

"The wine itself was a dark garnet color in the glass, and the aromas of dark cherry were pretty in your face.  That cherry and some berry carried into the palate in what was a very bright, fruit forward wine, but also very clearly a Tempranillo.  With a dinner of beef stew that the wife had been cooking all day it was a nice bright note against the heartiness of the meal.

If you’re looking for a quality Tempranillo that really shows off all that the grape has to offer, look elsewhere.  If you’re looking for a cheap bottle of wine that’s different than the usual varietals you see on the shelves, than you should absolutely give this one a whirl.  I mean, what do you really have to lose beyond the four bucks?"

-thegoodwineguru.com


My personal review of this wine is pretty divided. It is mostly divided between the senses of smell and taste. We all know that most of the taste is in what you smell, but this wine in particular seemed to be good to one sense and not so good to the other. I got kind of excited as I opened the bottle and took my first smell. It smelled very fruity and there was absolutely a distinct cherry smell that arose immediately. Also after some investigation I found a nature-grassy smell that followed the cherry. So that was the sense the wine was good to. As far as tasting, I found the wine relatively unpleasant. No matter how I let the wine breathe or swirled it around, the alcohol was always a bit overwhelming. Nevertheless, I had paired this wine with a Japanese style meal of steak and vegetables which actually went pretty nicely together. But once the steak was gone I figured there was nothing left for me to do but incorporate the remaining wine into my Friday night pregame and give up on trying to enjoy it. So my final word on Lucky Duck Tempranillo is a no-go, unless you aren't really looking for great taste and only have a few daneros. But I did get something positive out of the experience, and that is that I'd like to try more Tempranillo because I could see a good one being quite enjoyable.

Wine Tasting Blog: Josh 2011

The name of my most current wine that was tasted was simply "Josh" and it is a Cabernet Sauvignon. It was made in St. Helena, California which is located on the northern coast. The vintage is 2011 and originally cost $35 but was on sale at Kroger for $14.99 and came recommended by a man working there. I figured that since I am an amateur when it comes to wine tastings that I would heed is recommendation and try it.

Here is a quick review about the wine from Wine Express.

How could I not like a wine named after our Wine Director?!? Actually it's very possible as we taste hundreds of wines trying to find the best ones to bring to our customers. But this one stands out even beyond the name! Lots of supple black fruit with hints of vanilla and spice from oak treatment. For under $15 a true value Cab that comes out of the bottle ready to drink.


My personal review of this wine is relatively parallel with that shown above. As I mentioned earlier, I am an amateur when it comes to tasting wines so I find it rather difficult to locate all of the different tastes in the wine that professionals do. But when I actually sat down and payed attention I was certainly able to sense the dark fruit tastes that this wine possesses. That was really the only taste that stood out to me immediately. As recommended in Geography of Wines I eventually let the wine sit overnight just to see the differences in taste. My second tasting of this wine the next day was better in my opinion. The alcohol did not seem to come off as strong and the fruits really exposed themselves and I enjoyed the tastes much more overall. As both the above review and the bottle label describes, this wine is supposed to have a few more tastes from the oak treatment that it undergoes but my amateur pallet didn't do a very good job at detecting them. I may have been mistaken with the food pairing choices that I tried, but this was hard to avoid since I tried it on super bowl Sunday and only had chips, crackers, and foods of that nature to try, but they definitely did not pair poorly with each other. Overall I would recommend this wine to a friend. I imagine that my further investigations in to the art of wine tasting will prove that there are many other bottles of wine in this price range that are just as good, but as of right now I'll say that this is a good wine for an equally good price. 

My Personal Wine Experiences

As far as my personal experiences with wine, I would say that it runs parallel with most college students. I've had all of the Franzia's and Andre's that most college kids indulge in. And although those wouldn't be my first...or second...or 3rd choice of alcoholic beverage, I'll gladly set aside a night every so often for a good "Tour de Franzia" and obviously a following day for recovery. I'm a die hard bourbon man myself, but there is always a time and a place for wine in my opinion, and those times can range from anywhere to an expensive dinner with the family to sneaking "wine juice boxes" into a movie theater.

My Mom is a wine drinker, not the alcoholic kind, but she's always seemed to want to push me in the wine direction. Because of her I have had my share of expensive wines, even as expensive as a couple hundred dollars on a special occasion such as my 21st birthday. She never condoned under age drinking, but that day made it obvious that she gladly welcomed a newly-of-age wine drinking partner. There was a bottle of 1986 Dom Perignon sitting in our kitchen wine rack for as long as I can remember and that night warranted an opening of that bottle. Since it obviously was not stored properly it could have been straight vinegar for all I knew. But to make it up to me she bought me that same wine to try the next day, which was fantastic to say the least.

After that I grew quite fond of some wines, specifically the reds. I think a good Cabernet Souvignon sets off a nice dinner perfectly. I've had Pinot's, Chardonnay's (Mom's choice of wine), Champagnes, Rose's, and several others that I can't remember off the top of my head, but not necessarily because I drank too much of it. While trying all these wines I could obviously tell that each had its own distinct taste, but never really tried to tell the exact differences between them. In regards to what I would like to learn in this class, I think it would be nice to know what to look for in order to tell the differences between the wines that I sample. It would be pretty chill to know where wines come from, why they're called what they're called, and the regions they hail from. And finally, there are a lot of types of wines out there that I still haven't tried, and I could really use a good reason to spend some of my parents' money at the Vintage Cellar in order to broaden my wine horizons. This class seems to suit that last idea pretty well.