Tasting: Kris Heart Rosso

Name - Kris Heart Rosso
Variety - Merlot Blend
Region - Chianti Region
Country - Italy
Year - 2009
Price - $10.99

Wine Review - This wine is garnet in color with intense aromas of dense blackberries, spicy currants and leather.  Ripe fruit flavors are balanced by lively acidity, making this an excellent wine to enjoy with food.

Personal Review - I was expecting to hate this wine simply because I tend to enjoy more white wines; however, I was pleasantly surprised!  It was not as dry as red wines, which I attributed to it being a blend.  It was a little fruity, but a minor dry after taste.  I would drink it again if it was offered to me, but I would choose other wines over this.

Food - Food was not served at the Gourmet Pantry with this tasting, so I am unsure how it would pair.

Tasting: Les Petits Roucas Sauvignon Blanc

Name - Les Petits Roucas Sauvignon Blanc
Variety - Sauvignon Blanc
Region - Vin de Pays
Country - France
Year - 2013
Price - $10.99

Wine Review -  Mellow aromas of fresh cut citrus and green melon with just a hint of grass. Then big and fruity flavors of melon, apple and lime course across your palate with bright acids and juicy freshness.  Round and easy in the middle for effortless sipping but then clean and zippy at the end.

Personal Review - I really enjoyed this wine!  It was herbal but not completely overpowering.  I think I liked it so much because it was fresh and on the lighter side.  I tasted more of a lemon citrus than a lime or melon citrus.

Food - The wine tasting at the Gourmet Pantry did not offer food; however the man conducting the tasting said it would pair well with healthier foods such as grilled chicken, fish or salad.

Geography of Wine Intro Blog

Hi everyone, and welcome to the first post of my blog for Dr. Boyer’s Geography of Wine course.  Growing up, I always noticed that my parents would drink a glass of wine or two every single night with dinner, so it was always around.  There weren’t alcoholics or anything, but they always drink enough to take the edge off of their day.  In Summer 2013, my parents began offering me a glass of wine with dinner each night as long as I promised not to drive anywhere or if we didn’t have guests over that evening.  I often would take a sip; however, I did not always like what they were having.  But I did make sure to try everything!

As I began drinking wine more and more that summer, I realized that I tended to enjoy whites over reds – specifically Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay.  About a year and a half later from that summer, I have found myself following in the footsteps of my parents and enjoying a glass or two of pinot grigio about two to three times a week.  But I haven't expanded my pallet to far from white wines (or wines that cost over $12).

This past summer though was the first time that I realized that wine paired well would foods.  I previously was very skeptical about how pairing your food with the correct wine would make the wine taste that much better.  But then I had shrimp fried rice paired with a red wine, and it wasn’t great.  But when I tried it with more of a beefy type food about five minutes later, the wine tasted much better.  And that is when I realized how little I knew about wine, and how much I wanted to learn.  Therefor, I signed up for this course, and I am ready to learn more.

This semester, I am most looking forward how to properly and politely attend a wine tasting and not look like the poor college student that I am.  I have never been to a winery, so I am really excited that I now have an excuse to go because I get class credit for it!  I also really want to learn what wines pair best with certain types of foods.  Now that I am on the verge of graduating, I think it’s time I become an adult and step away from the Barefoot brand wines that I tend to buy (even though they are ridiculously cheap!).  And with that comes my next goal – I really want to expand my pallet.  So here's to a wine-derful semester!