Tasting - Gruet, Blanc de Blancs

Gruet, Blanc de Blancs
Chardonnay, sparkling
New Mexico, USA
$18.99
2018

From gruetwinery.com: Medium lemon in color, our Non Vintage Blanc de Blancs presents aromas of brioche and green apples that follow through on the palate. Flavors of lemon zest, honeysuckle, and tropical fruit lead to a crisp, fresh finish.

Tasting Notes: Strong notes of apple on the nose and palate, semi sweet, bright acidity, slight tannic components, very light body with long finish and a honey aftertaste.

Wine and Cheese Tasting 1

Rioja With Manchego

La Perla Red Rioja
2016
14.99
Rioja Alta
From theartisancollection.us Bright red in the glass with aromas of fresh red fruit and hints of vanilla. Well structured bodied with great complexity and a long balanced finish. 



Wine notes:  Medium bodied, semi sweet, light, plumy, bright acidity, low tannic flavor, spicy, cloves.

Cheese notes: Similar to parmesan, hard yet creamy, slight sharpness, lightly salty.

Pairing notes:  The sharpness of and light saltiness of the cheese cuts through the acidity of the wine and softens it.  The wine becomes less spicy and has a more sharp, abrupt finish.

Pinot Noir with Brie

Serbal Pinot Noir
2017
15.99
Mendoza

Wine Notes:  Wet hair smell, tannic, overly ripe strawberries, dark fruit, velvety body

Cheese Notes:  Light, soft, creamy, waxy

Pairing Notes:  Thought commonly recommended as a pairing, this Pinot Noir did not pair well at all with brie cheese.  When paired the wine tasted like strong alcohol with little other flavor.

Port with Blue Cheese

Sandeman Porto Fine Ruby
15.99
Douro
From Sandeman.com Brilliant red ruby in colour, with clean aromas of red fruits, plums and strawberries, Sandeman Porto Fine Ruby has full rich flavours and is very well balanced. Rich, round, balanced in the mouth, with overt flavours of fresh plums and red fruits.

Wine Notes: Strong alcohol smell, plum, black cherry, extremely sweet, short finish

Cheese Notes:  Earthy, wet grass or mud, salty

Pairing Notes:  The saltiness and earthy flavors tempered a large amount of the sweetness bringing out more jammy flavors in the wine.

Winery Visit 1 - Canadian River Vineyards and Winery

On, September 29th, my boyfriend and I attended the Grape Stomp Festival held annually at Canadian River Winery!  We got to enjoy tasting five different wines, tour the facilities, walk through the grapevines, and even had an opportunity to speak personally with the owner of the winery and vineyards.  The owner was very kind guiding us through the equipment he had been working with for over 20 years.

First he showed us this machine, that crushes and de-stems grapes. Red grapes go through this machine first, but it is not necessary for white grapes. Though prior to any machinery, all grapes are kept overnight at 45 degrees Fahrenheit to slow down fermentation.  The next day yeast is added.

 This machine, the juicer, is the first step for white grapes.  Red grapes go here after some fermentation once they have left color and tannins behind in the juice.  Red wines here typically are given 15 days to ferment, while whites take only between 4 and 5 days.

 These are the two different types of barrels used at Canadian River Wineries.  Oak is used for all of their reds and steel for all their whites.  The red wines are aged in the oak barrels for 2 years.  Sugar is added to all their sweet wines during their hand-bottling process.  During this the wines are also filtered two times to remove sediment and cold stabilization is used.

 Above is the five wines I had the opportunity to taste.  My boyfriend and I chose to taste from sweet end of their varieties.

Moscato: The moscato smelled of citrus and peach.  It was sweet and had a light acidity

Pink Moscato: The pink moscato, though made of the same grapes, had an additional note of strawberry both in taste and smell.

Rio Blanc:  This wine was peachy and had strong pear flavors, it was sweet, had bright acidity, and finished very cleanly, leaving little aftertaste.

Strawberry Road:  As the name implies this wine has a strong strawberry flavor, it tastes similar to a hard strawberry candy.

Noble Blush:  This wine sadly had no significant flavors.  It was sweet and lightly acidic and honestly kind of plain.  I was disappointed at the lack of complexity.

Tasting - Pacificana, Chardonnay

Pacificana
Chardonnay
California
USA
2018
$12.85
From midvalleywine.com: Look up the definition of classic rich, ripe, yet balanced Chardonnay and this wine should pop up! It has great peach and honey on the nose with a great dose of delicious apple, starfruit, oak, and of course butter on the palate. A great summer Chardonnay to drink with pesto pasta.

My Review:  This chardonnay has a nice light aroma of apple and vanilla.  It  is acidic and tastes like honey and has warm flavor that I am attributing to the oak though I am not certain.  There is not a strong presence of any particular fruit on the palate.
https://www.midvalleywine.com/wines/Pacificana-Chardonnay-2018-w8509095cp

Tasting - Chamisal, Stainless Chardonnay

Chamisal
Chardonnay
California
USA
$14.99
2015
From Wine.com: Tropical notes of juicy Satsuma, ripe kiwi, and mango are highlighted by aromas of candied lemon peel, apple blossom, and refreshing minerality. The palate supports the nose, revealing the Stainless winemaking with its round, weighty mouthfeel. Crisp acidity and flavors of white nectarine, papaya, and key lime pie round out the clean, lingering finish.

My Review: I found this chardonnay to smell of tropical fruits and citrus. It tasted very acidic but was balanced out with a light sweetness and strong fruit flavors including pineapple and kiwi.  It was light to medium in body and had smooth finish and light aftertaste.
https://www.wine.com/product/chamisal-vineyards-stainless-chardonnay-2015/194511

Tasting - "Red Electra Moscato"

Red Electra Moscato
Moscato
California
USA
2017
14.99
From quadywinery.com: Red Electra, first released in 2000, is garnet red, tastes of succulent cherry, berry, and pomegranate, and has a slight sparkle. Try it with all kinds of desserts and cheeses including chocolate bon-bons, truffles, spiced holiday cookies, vanilla, and fruit. Red Electra is made by combining Orange and Black Muscat grapes, and fermenting them very slowly at a low temperature so they keep their delicious flavors. That’s why Red Electra tastes like a bowl full of cherries. Red Electra makes delectable sangria and sorbet. To make sangria add chilled Red Electra to seasonal fruit and sparkling water. To make sorbet, pour into a freezer safe container and freeze overnight.

My Review: Red Electra Moscato is a very thin bodied sparkling wine.  It is extremely sweet and acidic, almost like a fruity soda.  It has berry flavors, including cherry and strawberry. It is not very complex and perhaps is more suited as a fruity beverage to idly drink rather than at a wine tasting.  It is easy to drink, but there is not much to taste.

https://shop.quadywinery.com/product/Red-Electra-Moscato-750mL

Tasting - "Bread and Butter, Chardonnay"

Bread And Butter
Chardonnay

California

United States of America

2017

$15.00

From breadandbutter.com: This Chardonnay opens with rich notes of vanilla bean and almond husk, reminiscent of a decadent crème brûlée. The creamy notes are balanced by a soft minerality and a hint of tropical fruit.  Those creamy notes continue to your palate where they are joined with bright acidity and well-integrated oak that leads into a long, creamy finish.

My Review: I thought that this Chardonnay was pretty full-bodied and found a middle ground between sweet and dry.  It was acidic and had very light tannic qualities.  It was smooth and creamy in the mouth and a long finish. There was definitely the warm sweetness of vanilla, and an amazingly buttery aftertaste.

https://www.breadandbutterwines.com/wines/