Tasting - La Marca Prosecco

Name: La Marca Prosecco

Region: Prosecco, Italy
Country: Italy
Variety: 100% Glera
Year: Unknown
Price: $14.99

Winery review: Enjoy the refreshing, aromatic style and delicate palate of La Marca Prosecco. The liquid sparkles with lively bubbles and features a pale, gold color. Aromas of citrus and honeysuckle blossoms and a crisp, clean palate bring notes of green apple, juicy peach and ripe lemon, framed by hints of minerality. The end result? A light and refreshing finish with a delectable hint of sweetness (https://www.lamarcaprosecco.com/prosecco.html?icn=hp&ici=favorite).

Wine Folly: Proseccos come from Northern Italy. The primary flavors are green apple, honeydew, pear, lager, and cream. They're typically medium-dry, have a light body, medium-high acidity, and should be served cold and undecanted. They pair well with cured meats, almonds, and fresh Asian cuisine. This particular bottle was extra dry. I found the flavor profile particularly interesting; "lager" was not a term I ever expected to be associated with beer, but Wine Folly explained that it's because of the "freshly made" taste and yeast aromas. The more you know! (https://winefolly.com/wines/prosecco/)

My review: I've had this wine before mixed with orange juice and its dry nature compliments the sweet juice very well. This was my first time having more than a sip of the wine alone. I enjoyed it! This was the first time I tried to place flavors before reading the description and I accurately tasted the honeysuckle, citrus, and peach. As soon as I read the green apple, I knew that was the missing flavor! It's certainly the strongest flavor and I'm hoping I'll be able to place it next time it's in a wine. I love the flavors in most sparkling wines, but not the bubbles themselves. I let this wine sit for a bit and then came back to it and was able to enjoy it more with some of the bubbles out of the way. This prosecco is definitely an easy go-to for a sparkling option!

Tasting - Clos du Bois Pinot Grigio

Name: Clos du Bois Pinot Grigio
Region: Modesto, California
Country: USA
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Year: 2022
Price: $9.99

Winery review: Our 2022 Clos du Bois Pinot Grigio is a bright white wine with a refreshing mouthfeel. Silvery straw in color, this wine opens with aromas of Meyer lemon, ripe pear and honey. The palate features pear, honeydew melon and white peaches and notes of citrus zest. The finish is clean with accents of stone fruit (www.closdubois.com).

Wine Folly: Pinot Grigio (pinot gris) are high in acidity, don't need to be decanted, and should be served cold. The main flavors are white peach, lemon zest, cantaloupe, raw almond, and crushed gravel. They can range in sweetness and pair well with white meats, seafood, and fruity food (pg 149).

My review: I bought this wine because of the promise of white peach, one of my favorite flavors -- and it delivered! The peach settles in as the initial acidity leaves your mouth. It's pleasant and sweeter than I expected. The body is also slightly heavier than I anticipated. It might just be the acidity, but I taste some lemon during the transition from acidity to peach. The melon appears just as the final flavor begins to fade. I don't taste any almonds, grapefruit, or gravel(?!), but I notice some orange, which, again, could just be the citrus fooling me. 

Tasting - Josh Cellars Rosé

Name: Josh Cellars Rosé
Region: California
Country: USA
Variety: Blend (Barerba, Muscat blanc)
Year: 2022
Price: $11.99

Winery review: Crisp, light-bodied, refreshing, and bursting with bright citrus, our Rosé is a warm, summer sunset in a bottle. On the nose, expect fresh strawberries, white flowers, and stone fruits. In the glass, you’ll taste citrus, white peach, and strawberries. Pairs well with fresh summer berries, grilled shrimp, and ceviche. (joshcellars.com)

Wine Folly: Barbera grapes are dry and have a high acidity, medium-full body, and have cherry, blackberry, and black pepper flavors (pg 79). Muscat blanc grapes are off-dry, with a light body. They have orange, lemon, pear, and honeysuckle flavors (pg 138). 

My review: This has been my go-to wine for over a year. It's refreshing, fruity, and smooth. I usually drink it with seafood, pasta, or ice cream. The blend of the full-bodied and light-bodied grapes is perfectly executed, creating a rich flavor but light mouthfeel. I taste the pear and citrus the strongest with honeysuckle lingering after.

Tasting - Meiomi Pinot Noir

Name: Meiomi California Pinot Noir Red Wine
Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Region: Acampo, California 
Country: USA
Year: 2021
Price: $21.99
Winery review: From the dense fog and brilliant sun, to the high winds, cool coastal air, and diverse terrain, the California coast presents many challenges. And yet it's still one of the best winegrowing areas for producing world-class Pinot Noir. Each of the vineyards chosen for this wine offers the best expression of its respective appellation, carefully blended to achieve balance, complexity, and richness of flavor. (meiomi.com)
Wine Folly: (pg 150) at first, I smelled just “wine,” but with further tasting, smelling, and discussion, I began to notice the cherry, cranberry, and plumb tones. Cranberry was the strongest on my nose, with cherry being the strongest flavor and plumb bringing up the rear. As mentioned in the book, it has a light body, which made it surprisingly refreshing to drink. (pg 288) This was was certainly “fruit forward,” a pleasant surprise! 
My review: I was nervous to start with a red wine, but I was taken aback by this one! I initially tried it alone and the cherry and other fruity flavors balanced the intimidating red wine-ness. It was very light on my palate and easy to drink. Next, I paired it with a classic Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty. The rich chocolate brought out a hidden raspberry undertone and richer, deeper flavors all around. 

My Life Through Wine

My very first exposure to wine was through the religious lens. At the ripe age of five, I learned that, at church, the adult grape juice was for kids too, thanks to transubstantiation. In 2nd grade, I learned that the adult grape juice was the body, blood, soul and divinity of GOD! I couldn’t wait to partake. But it was DISGUSTING. I was heartbroken to not like the taste of god, but at least bread god was edible. For the next decade, wine was around me but I steered clear. Then, I stopped looking at anything through the religious lens and my world opened up.
I was eager to try everything I had been restricted from before, but not wine; wine was yucky. I was once offered red wine with dinner and I obliged. Let’s just say, any time I have red wine now, I’m reminded by witnesses of my wholehearted statement, “That’s poison!” I then had a brief moscato phase, followed by chardonnay, then sake (does that count here?). I’ve been firmly in a Josh rosé phase for at least a year now.
This semester, I’d like to learn to like at least some red wines. I’m also excited to learn the language of wine. I’m marrying into a wine loving family, so I’d love to be able to participate more fully when we go to wineries. Join me on this blog as I explore the world of wine! Here's to a semester of expanding my palate and (hopefully) embracing red wines! 

(this is me, if you didn't know)