Tasting - Casal Garcia Vinho Verde

Name: Casal Garcia Vinho Verde 

Variety: 100% Trajadura 

Region: Vinho Verde  

Country: Portugal 

Year: 2022

Price: $7

Wine Critic Review: "Very typical Vinho Verde with the green-wine character of tangy and energetic acidity and lots of citrusy fruit. Light and nice. Serve very cold! Drink now."- James Suckling 

Wine Folly: pg 184: A regional wine blend from Portugal offered in white, rosé, and red styles. The most popular style is a low-alcohol, fruity white with a touch of spritz. Touches of lemonade, pink grapefruit, lime zest, yellow apple, and white blossom.

My Review: I got a white peach smell as well as lime from sniffing the wine. The peach and lime carried over into the taste, with the lime adding a tanginess to the wine that was welcomed. It was also quite acidic, a characteristic that I enjoyed. 

Would I Buy Again?: I would most likely buy this wine again. While not my favorite, it's low cost and ease of drinking it makes it an easy wine to buy again.  

Tasting - Shannon Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Shannon Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 

Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon  

Region: Lake County, California   

Country: United States 

Year: 2020

Price: $25

Wine Critic Review: "The 2020 Shannon Ridge High Elevation Cabernet Sauvignon has excellent energy and bites on the palate.  This wine exhibits aromas and flavors of tart red fruits. Enjoy it with an oven-roasted Porchetta." - Wilfred Wong, Wine.com

Wine Folly: pg 88: This is the world's most popular wine, and it's a natural cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. These wines are concentrated and age-worthy. The rich flavor and high tannin content make it a perfect combination to rich grilled meats, peppery sauces, and dishes with high flavor.

My Review: I got a strong scent of raspberry when sniffing this wine, I also got a scent of oak and blackberry. After drinking the wine, my mouth was quite dry. I definitely got a large taste of blackberry, but didn't taste the raspberry as much.

Would I Buy Again?: I would buy it again, especially when it is on sale like when I bought it. 

Tasting - Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc  

Region: Marlborough  

Country: New Zealand  

Year: 2021

Price: $13

Wine Critic Review: "This light straw-colored Sauvignon Blanc from Whitehaven opens with a very nice aromatic citrus bouquet with notes grapefruit and quince with a hint of green apple. The medium body is crisp, clean, and dry with integrated acidity. The flavor profile is a blend of lemon, lime, tangerine, guava, and green apple with notes of saline. The dry and slightly tart finish lingers and fades away nicely. I would recommend pairing this New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with Vietnamese spring rolls." – Joe (member of the Ken's Wine Guide review team)

Wine Folly: pg 165: This wine has a unique taste, with strong herbaceous flavors derived from compounds called methoxypyrazines. Has hints of gooseberry, honeydew, grapefruit, white peach, and passionfruit.   

My Review: This wine had a very floral smell to it, with a peach aroma following it. The peach returned with tasting it, as well as a late hint of cantaloupe that I caught right at the end of tasting this wine. Weirdly enough, I actually thought the wine was relatively sweet, and not dry as it is made out to be.  

Would I Buy Again?: Definitely not. I didn't hate the wine (feel like I won't ever hate a wine), but I certainly didn't enjoy it enough to buy again. 

Tasting - La Crema Chardonnay

Name: La Crema Chardonnay 

Variety: 100% Chardonnay 

Region: Sonoma Coast, California   

Country: United States  

Year: 2021

Price: $13

Wine Critic Review: "Lovely and smooth, with aromas of pineapple, pear and golden apple with a hint of buttery popcorn and warm spice. Full bodied, with medium+ acidity, rich orchard and tropical fruit flavours on the palate with hints of ginger and spice on the finish. Enjoy with pan seared scallops." - Jennifer Havers 

Wine Folly: pg 96: Chardonnay is one of the world's most popular grapes, coming in a wide range of styles from sparkling Blanc de Blancs to rich, creamy white wines aged in oak. Chardonnay pairs best with subtle spices and flavors, and contains hints of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, and butter  

My Review: I got hints of cut grass and pear when sniffing this wine. When tasting it, the wine's acidity and dryness was very apparent. I also got the taste of pear that I had smelled when sniffing it. Wish I had eaten this with a meal, as a dinner with subtle spice would have complimented this perfectly and I think elevate the wine.

Would I Buy Again?: As of now, no. I didn't enjoy it enough to warrant spending $13 (which was for the half bottle). However, as I stated, if I had it with a good dinner that could be enough for me to buy it again. 

Tasting - Broadbent Vinho Verde

Name: Broadbent Vinho Verde 

Variety: 50% Loureiro , 40% Trajadura , 10% Perderna 

Region: Vinho Verde 

Country: Portugal 

Year: 2023

Price: $11

Wine Critic Review: "The freshly sliced apple fruitiness combined with citrus acidity give this fruity wine an attractive, lively character. It's tangy, crisp, and ready to drink." - Roger Voss

Wine Folly: pg 184: A regional wine blend from Portugal offered in white, rose, and red styles. The most popular is the low-alcohol, fruity white with a touch of spritz. Wine is made for fish tacos, mango salsa, and ceviche 

My Review: I instantly got a hit of lime and pear when smelling the wine, with the wine also seemingly having a floral aroma with it. When tasting it, however, green apple was by far the biggest taste I got, with high levels of acidity and sweetness.

Would I Buy Again?: While I did enjoy the sweetness of the wine, this is most likely something I would not buy again as there are other whites I would buy before this one. 

Tasting - Joel Gott Pinot Noir

Name: Joel Gott Pinot Noir 

Variety: 100% Pinot Noir

Region: California 

Country: United States

Year: 2020

Price: $20

Wine Critic Review: This fragrant, medium-bodied Pinot Noir has sour cherry aromas as well as cinnamon, caramel, vanilla and blue floral notes on the nose. Juicy with sour cherry, plum, cracked pepper and fine herb flavors finishing on a mineral note. Tannins are smooth. Enjoy with roast duck.

Pinot Noir food pairings: roast chicken, turkey, veal scaloppini (Natalie MacLean 

Wine Folly: pg 150: The world's most popular light-bodied red is loved for its red fruit and spice flavors that are accented by a long, smooth, soft-tannin finish. It is a versatile red wine for food pairing, with foods such as duck, chicken, pork, and mushrooms going well with this wine. 

My Review: The first aroma that hit me sniffing the wine was cherry, followed by a hint of oak and black raspberry. Cherry was also the predominant taste I got when trying the wine, with the wine giving a velvety feeling along the edges of my mouth. It went down smooth and seemed to softly touch the tongue. 

Would I Buy Again?: This is my favorite wine I have tried so far. Whether or not its the winemaker or the fact that it is Pinot Noir will need to be discovered, but I would certainly buy this wine again.