Tasting - Barefoot Red Moscato

Name: Barefoot
Variety: Red Moscato
Region: Modesto, California
Country: USA
Year: non-vintage
Price: $8.99/750 ml bottle

Winery Review: “Barefoot Red Moscato is a juicy and fruity wine with distinct flavors of peaches and Bing Cherries. It is best served chilled. Pairs well with soft white cheeses, fresh fruits, orange chicken salad and all spicy fare. Delicious!”

My Review: “Tastes like summer. At first it was hard to believe it was red wine and not pink or white. It’s very light for a red wine, I enjoy it because it’s a springy, light taste. I can't tell exactly what type of fruit it is, but it's definitely fruity. The aftertaste is fruity and enjoyable as well. Tastes more like a wine cooler, due to how light and fruity it is. I like it a lot when I’m in the mood for something fun and sweet tasting.”

Tasting - Charles Shaw Shiraz

Name: Charles Shaw
Variety: Shiraz
Region:  Napa and Sonoma, California
Country: USA
Year: 2014
Price: $3.29/bottle

Winery Review (Wine critique): “So then we switched over to reds, and I thought, "surely these will be better!!" Ha. At first I thought this was fine, but then I tasted something metallic, like biting on a penny, and finally it made my mouth feel icky. It's sour. At first, the fact that there are different flavors bubbling up is a blessed change from the previous wines, and you hope that the cacophony settles into what one might call an "interesting" wine. This goes totally the other way. It's just gross.”

My Review: Eh, kinda bad. At first I thought the wine tasted decent for its price, but the more I drank it, I found it tasted watered down and not even like wine. The after taste is similar to what the critique said it has a bit of a “metallic” taste, as if I had just taken a penny out of my mouth. It tasted like a “fake wine,” felt very thin and tasted watery. I will not be finishing this glass of wine. I tasted it on its own, not with food.

New Wine-O

Recently turned 21, the past 3 months have been fun experimenting different types of wine. For my birthday this past October, my parents exposed me to the world of ~Vineyards~ and wine tasting, which I believe may grow to become my new favorite pastime. I have only been to two thus far, both around the Northern Virginia area-Wilderness Run Vineyards and Morais Vineyards.

At both vineyards, I had the chance to speak with the owners and learn about their vineyards. Morais, a portugese inspired winery, makes 4 of their wines without the use of any machinery in order to maintain the true Portuguese flavor. At Wilderness Run Vineyards, I learned about the importance of the type of barrels the wine sits in following fermentation in order to complete maturation. The size of the barrel, type of wood, and if the barrel has been previously used all contribute to the final product and taste. During the wine tastings, I noted some wines tasted more “oaky” or smoky than others while others had a more “buttery” sort of taste.

I am excited for this class to become more informed and educated on different wines, their geography, and to possibly even find my “favorite type of wine”, a question I often get asked and all too often have to respond with, “I am not sure yet…” I sometimes enjoy red wine, I more so like white wine, and dessert wines are also enjoyable, but only in small amounts after dinner.