Tasting - J Vineyards Pinot Gris

Name: J Vineyards Pinot Gris

Variety: 100% Pinot Gris 

Region: California 

Country: United States

Year: 2021

Price: $19

Wine Critic Review: A fragrant nose of jasmine, fresh flowers and fresh pineapple. Medium-bodied. Fresh and crisp on the palate. Pleasantly straightforward. Drink now (James Suckling).

Wine Folly: pg 149: In addition to what was tasted in the last blog featuring a Pinot Grigio, this wine is high in acidity and varies in sweetness. It deserves to be chilled before drinking for the best taste. 

My Review: This wine had a strong pear smell with a hint of floral. The pear also came out in the taste, alongside the acidity and a lime taste to it. I tasted the zest that the wine folly speaks of, but once again the other things listed weren't tasted or smelled.

Would I Buy Again?: I certainly tasted the quality difference between this wine and the last one I tried, but the price difference means I would still probably get the cheaper one mostly. However, I would buy this wine again. 

Tasting - Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages

Name: Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages

Variety: 100% Gamay 

Region: Beaujolais, Burgundy

Country: France

Year: 2021

Price: $15

Wine Critic Review: Louis Jadot wines celebrate this diversity, reflecting these all important natural differences of soil, aspect and climate. Character: A classic fruity Gamay with real depth enhanced by the granite soil. Succulent fruit and soft tannins have been created by the traditional fermentation methods." for me a lovely drop (Wraggy's Craft Beer Reviews).

Wine Folly: pg 113: A fruity, floral, and sometimes earthy light-bodied red that is the main variety planted in Beaujolais. It is quite acidic with hints of pomegranate, blackberry bramble, violet, potting soil, and banana. A large part of gamay is grown in France. 

My Review: When doing the sniff and swirl, I smelled hints of black cherry with a slight spice to it. The taste of it was soft, with that hint of spice making its way into the taste too. I also slightly tasted strawberry in it, rather than black cherry. While whites are still my favorite, red wines are surely growing on me the more I taste.

Would I Buy Again?: I would buy this wine again, especially with a steak dinner. For $15, it is hard to go wrong. 

Tasting - Gaetano D'Aquino Pinot Grigio

Name: Gaetano D'Aquino Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio

Variety: 100% Pinot Grigio 

Region: Tretino-alto Adigge, Trevenezie

Country: Italy

Year: 2022

Price: $9

Wine Critic Review: There is a refreshing crispness, and some genuine, explicit fruit flavors way beyond what we expect from an ultra value priced wine. Also, there is none of what I refer to as "artificial" leesy, lanolin type flavors. The nose has peach and lemon. The palate is crisp and defined sweet tart lemon with peach, pear, and lemon. Very crisp. Long, food friendly acidic finish. Great for the price

Wine Folly: pg 149: Pinot Grigio is a pink grape mutation of Pinot Noir, with zesty white wines that range from being dry to plainly sweet. Pairs well with white meats, seafood, and food with a fruit element. Pinot Grigio has tastes of white peach, lemon zest, cantalope, raw almond, and crushed gravel. 

pg 251: Northern Italy produces most of Italy's Pinot Grigio, with their wines characteristically having a subtle tart fruit taste and high acidity. 

My Review: The perfect way to kick off the wine blog's was with a white wine. At only $9, there shouldn't be too much expected. Though, I thought it was pretty good and it paired well with the chicken I had for dinner. It was slightly sweet and quite dry, which is a feature that I enjoy in wine. I can't speak to the crushed gravel taste mentioned above (I've never tried crushed gravel before), but I certainly tasted the acidity associated with the lemon zest, and the fruity flavors of the white peach. I didn't get as much the cantaloupe or raw almond, but certainly doesn't seem too far off. 

Would I Buy Again?: Saying this is my first blog, my taste perception of wine will likely change over time. But for $9, I would certainly buy this wine again. 

Blog #1: Introduction

 

My name is Clayton and welcome to my blog! These next ten weeks or so I hope to enlighten you with my reviews of wine; if not you, at least enlighten myself. Why is that? Well, I have little experience with wine.

I have certainly had wine before, but my understanding of it is quite slim. I mostly drink wine when I am out at a fancy restaurant with my parents (which isn't often because fancy restaurants are expensive). I always knew that there was white wine and red wine, but to be honest, I don't really know much more than that. I do know that I prefer white over red, but just recently red has grown on me so I'll be sure to try more red wine. Beer was and still is my first alcoholic drink of choice, but wine has certainly overtaken liquor in the race for being my favorite alcohol. The way that it pairs with food is unlike no other, and I also hope to explore the best wine-food combinations in the coming weeks. 

By the end of this course, I want to be a regular wine drinker. A regular wine drinker that knows the differences between different wines beyond it being either white or red. I want to be able to go to the store and pick the right wine based simply off the dinner I am having that night. It mostly won't be an every night thing but who knows? Maybe by the end of this course, I will have a glass or two every night just because the variety and taste are so good. Let's hope the first taste of wine starts this blog on the right path!