Tasting - Kirkland Asolo Prosecco

 

Name: Kirkland Asolo Prosecco DOCG Extra Dry
Variety: Gerla

Region: Veneto

Country: Italy

Year: unknown

Price: $6.99

Winery review: “From time estate vineyards in the historic Veneto regions, Kirkland Signature Asolo-Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G comes to life with the best grapes cultivated with passion in a magnificent territory close to the Italian Alps. A typical and always contemporary Italian sparkling wine, suitable for all occasions. SALUTE!” (Bottle)

Wine Folly: Proseccos tend to be dry, light-bodied, have medium-high acidity, and no tannins. They include flavors like green apple, honeydew, pear, lager, and dream. They're best served chilled and not decanted. They pair well with cured meats, almonds, and sushi (https://winefolly.com/wines/prosecco/).

My review: I tried this chilled, first alone and then with orange juice. For something extra dry, this was much sweeter than I expected! It smells fruity, like pears and apples. It’s very light and — I’m beginning to think this is a “me” problem — overly bubbly. Once I let it sit for a few minutes, some of the bubbles had dissipated and I was able to get more flavors. The apple scent carries through to the taste, but there’s a slight sour hint with it. I’m going with green apple. As a mimosa, it’s a little too sweet, but the strong bubbles keep it from getting lost in the orange juice. This may become my go-to mimosa wine! 

ft. the wine dinner's recycling

Wine Dinner 2

Wine Dinner 2

Dishes: Crispy honey chicken, fried rice, lemon bar

Wines: Hedgeline Pinot Noir, Columbia Crest Chardonnay, Gabbiano Chianti

In attendance: Laura, Skyllar, Alex

Moments before pours and scoops began

Wine, chicken, rice, lemon bar, and friends; what could make a better Friday night? Alex supplied the dinner, Skyllar the dessert, and Laura (me!) the wine. Promptly at 7, Alex defended the stairs from his apartment and arrived for dinner. We immediately opened all the bottles and pulled out plates to dig in. Having learned from last time, we took a systematic approach to trying all the combinations.

Columbia Chest Chardonnay

First up was the Chardonnay for me. It tasted like apple, lemon, and oak. When paired with the fried rice, there was no distinguishable difference to my untrained palate. However, with the crispy honey chicken, the wine became very smooth and the chicken’s spices were more defined. 

Hedgeline Pinot Noir

Next up was the Pinot Noir. Alone, it was dry, tannic, and more acidic than other reds I’ve tried. There was a hint of raspberry and cherry, which complimented the honey in the chicken but was balanced by the dryness to bring out deeper flavors that were previously covered by the honey. The chicken had a slight spice I didn’t notice before. Next, I tried it with the rice and, rather predictably, found no detectable change to either. 

 

Gambiano Chianti

Finally, the Chianti. It smelled floral and was very tannic. It didn’t end up pairing well with dinner. The rice somehow brought out the alcohol and the chicken seemed to cancel out everything but the tannins. I was disappointed in these pairings, but the wine alone was lovely and it redeemed itself with dessert! (Spoilers)

Lemon Bar! (heavy on the lemon)

The lemon bar looked a little funky and we weren’t sure if that was what it was supposed to look like or not. It ended up being VERY lemony and it took a few bites to get used to it. With the Chardonnay, it was lemon on lemon. The sourness was highlighted, followed by a moment of very sweetness, closed out by such sourness that it made you pucker. If I loved sour, this would be a good pairing. But I don’t; I tolerate it. As such, this pairing was my least favorite of the night. Next, the Pinot Noir with the lemon bar seemed to cancel out. Neither had much flavor. The Chianti was the strongest dessert pairing. It helped sweeten the sour lemon and made the pastry crust the star of the show. 

The chef, the pastry chef, and the wine buyer

I probably won’t be buying three bottles for one dinner for three people again any time soon, but I’ll keep in mind the surprising ways some of these wines paired. Maybe I’ll pull out a bite of leftovers more often to see how it is with my wine. Or maybe I’ll see how my leftover wine goes with my freshly cooked dinner. 

The aftermath

Tasting - Riunite Lambrusco

Name: Reunite Lambrusco
Variety: Region: Campegine

Country: Italy

Year: unknown

Price: $9.99

Winery review: Lambrusco is a true symbol of northern Italy. It’s an ancient wine made from a grape variety that has been unique to the Emilia region since before the Roman empire. Made in a frizzante style, it is a lightly sparkling, fruit-forward wine with some floral notes. Its lush, crisp, and semi-sweet taste makes it the perfect crowd-pleaser at parties and go-to for intimate moments of joy and delight (https://www.riunite.com/our-wines/).

Wine Folly: Lambrusco is a red grape from the vitas labrusca family. They have flavors like strawberry, blackberry, rhubarb, hibiscus, and potting soil. They tend to be dry, medium-light bodied, medium tannins, and medium-high acidity. They’re best served chilled and pair well with pizza and burgers (https://winefolly.com/wines/lambrusco/). 

My review: The light fizz to this wine and very fruity, sweet flavor remind me of a fizzy juice more than a wine. It’s only 8% ABV, so that shouldn’t come as a shock. There’s not much aroma, but the flavors are bold. It’s similar to cranberry juice (not the concentrate stuff, the real stuff) from the flavor to the consistency and right down to the tannic component. Actually, now that it’s flat and a bit warm, you could probably pass this off as cranberry juice to me. Now that cranberry is in my head, I can’t taste anything else. Maybe general red fruits? Not bad, but if I wanted something this sweet, I’d drink an Izzy. Not much use having this be alcoholic when it’s so low and unbalanced. I can’t think of a single situation I would buy this bottle for. Maybe introducing someone to wine for the first time? That seems criminal though. Start with a Moscato like the rest of us. 

Tasting - Effingham Reseve

Name: Effingham Reserve
Variety: red blend, unable to find exact blend for this vintage, 2020 is, in order of most to least, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc. 

Region: Broad Run, VA

Country: USA

Year: 2019

Price: $49

Winery review: This historic property is humbling to know in so many ways. Five years in the marking, we honor Effingham with its first Reserve wine. A blend of the state’s best vineyards and varieties, aged in Virginia oak for well over a year, this win was made to respect and be respected… past, present, and future (bottle).

Wine Folly: Assuming this Reserve is similar to the 2020 vintage, the primary varietal is Cabernet Sauvignon, which is known for flavors like black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices, and graphite. It’s dry, very full bodied, has medium-high tannins, and medium-high acidity. It’s best served decanted for an hour and just slightly below room temperature (https://winefolly.com/grapes/cabernet-sauvignon/).

The next most dominant grape is Tannat, which I hadn’t previously heard of. It’s a strong antioxidant among wine grape and has flavors like black currant, plum, licorice, smoke, and cardamom. It’s dry, very full bodied, high in tannins, and has medium acidity. It’s also best served decanted for an hour and slightly below room temperature (https://winefolly.com/grapes/tannat/). 

My review: I said I was going to get into reds and here we are, sipping a very bold, full bodied, and tannic red. And I like it! I’ve been working on this bottle for three nights and it’s finally time to sit down and analyze it. The cherry from the two dominant varietals comes through on first sniff. There’s another smell that I can’t place, but I’m starting to suspect may be black currant, something I’ve never had but frequently see described in the reds where there’s a smell or flavor I’m unfamiliar with. My first sip tonight was intensely buttery, something I hadn’t noticed other nights. In subsequent sips, I began to notice plumb, spices, and a slight smokiness. I wish I had more bottles of this so I could see how the tannins settle over time.

Tasting - Effingham Viognier

Name: Effingham Viognier

Variety: Viognier

Region: Broad Run, VA

Country: USA

Year: 2020

Price: $34 (est. This vintage is no longer available)

Winery review: Viognier is one of the 3 varietals that we make at all three of our wineries. The biggest challenge for the winemakers is to come up with a different style for each. Effingham’s features flavors of Banana and peach (https://www.effinghammanor.com/our-wines).

Wine Folly: Viognier tends to have flavors like peach, tangerine, mango, honeysuckle, and rose. It’s aromatic dry, full-bodied, and medium-low in acidity. It’s best served chilled and pairs well with scallops, almonds, and delicate meats (https://winefolly.com/grapes/viognier/).

My review: If there’s one thing this course has taught me, it’s that I’m not adept at identifying the aromas of white wines. Having accomplished my goal of getting into red wines, my next goal is to start smelling more than just “white wine” when I smell white wine. However, my weakness prevails for this moment and all I smell is “white wine.” On to taste! Home for Spring Break and with newfound access to an adult wine collection, I asked my partner to open something similar to Riesling. I was in the mood for something light, refreshing, and somewhat dry. He suggested this bottle and he hit two of my cravings. It’s refreshing and dry. However, the full body took me by surprise. The flavors are bold. It’s very fruity with some citrus that hits first followed by peach and orange. The flavor lingers for a long time, making this a great wine to sip with a snack and movie. 

Tasting- The Collection Prosecco

Name: The Collection Prosecco DOC Extra Dry
Variety: Glara
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: unknown
Price: $3.99 (split)
Winery review: The Collection Prosecco offers refreshing flavors of citrus, stone fruit, and green apple with elegant acidity for a crisp, refreshing finish. The perfect sparkling to any occasion. The Collection combines the best of carefully harvested grapes and perfectly balanced wine bringing together a delicate compilation of pure winemaking artistry (https://www.target.com/p/the-collection-prosecco-wine-750ml-bottle/-/A-54659062).
Wine Folly: Proseccos tend to be dry, light-bodied, have medium-high acidity, and no tannins. They include flavors like green apple, honeydew, pear, lager, and dream. They're best served chilled and not decanted. They pair well with cured meats, almonds, and sushi (https://winefolly.com/wines/prosecco/).
My review: Much like the Rosé from this brand, this is a bit over-carbonated, but I was prepared this time. The smell is very mild but crisp. I can smell apples and honeydew. The apples carry through to the flavor with some pear and citrus. It's very dry, which makes it great for mimosas. The carbonation also gets diluted when mixed with orange juice. I wouldn't buy this one again just to drink, but I'd choose it for mimosas again!

Tasting - The Collection Prosecco Rosé

Name: The Collection Prosecco DOC Rosé
Variety: Glera
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: 2022 millesimato
Price: $3.99 (split)
Winery review: The Collection Prosecco Rosé has delicate notes of ripe red berries and rose petals with elegant acidity for a crisp, refreshing finish. With delightful notes of ripe red berries, peach, and rose petals. The Collection combines the best of carefully harvested grapes and perfectly balanced wine bringing together a delicate compilation of pure winemaking artistry (https://www.target.com/p/the-collection-prosecco-ros-233-wine-187ml-bottle/-/A-79234528).
Wine Folly: Proseccos tend to be dry, light-bodied, have medium-high acidity, and no tannins. They include flavors like green apple, honeydew, pear, lager, and dream. They're best served chilled and not decanted. They pair well with cured meats, almonds, and sushi (https://winefolly.com/wines/prosecco/).
My review: I was taken aback by the cap. It was a screwcap shaped like the classic sparkling cork. I've never seen that! It made for very easy opening. The wine smells floral with hints of grapefruit. The first taste reveals nothing more than excessive carbonation. It takes a few sips for your tongue to adjust and start tasting again. It's an extra dry prosecco, but it almost goes too far, bordering on sour. There's a hint of strawberry and crisp apple. Overall, not great, but about what I expected.