Grace's Wine Blog

  Wines and their info (left to right): Sutter Home Chardonnay: Region: Napa and Lodi, California  No Year Sutter Home Cabernet Sauvignon: Region: Napa and Lodi, California  No Year Sutter Home Pinot Grigio: Region: Napa and Lodi, California  No Year Cheeses Paired with: Swiss, Colby Jack, Sharp Cheddar The wines without cheese: Chardonnay: The wine had a nice honey apple taste to it. It wasn't too dry, but wasn't very sweet. It smelt like apple and oaky, and I tasted the oakiness. Pinot Grigio: This one also had an apple crisp taste it and was dry. There wasn't a burnt taste but was a little similar to the chardonnay. Carbernet: This was so dry and tasted like burnt fruit. The aftertaste was bitter. With cheese: Chardonnay: One thing that I didn't like originally about the wine was the oaky taste to it, but the cheddar cheese paired the best with it to take away from off-putting oaky taste. This wine I would probably only drink with food, but I think it's best ...

  Name:  Barefoot Fruitscato Strawberry Wine Region: Modesto, California   Variety:  Strawberry Year:  Does not say Price:  $13 Wine Blog Review: This wine is described as a light wine that is semi- sweet or off dry. I personally disagree because the sweetness was overwhelming to my senses. It goes on to describe the wine having the taste of juicy, ripe strawberries. The strawberry was definitely tasted. They suggest the wine being served chilled, which I did. It gave it a lighter taste chilled than if I would have tasted it at room temperature.  Source: Drizly Wine Folly:  The wine is marketed as a fruity Moscato. The grape Muscat Blanc tend to have orange and lemon flavors to it  and tend to be a sweet fine with a little sparling to it (pg. 138). This wine had the sweet factor but was a still wine. The sweetness lines up and also having fruity flavors to the wine. Personal Review:  When I first smelt the wine, it was so sweet to my sen...

  Name: Hinnant Strawberry Wine Region: Pine Level, North Carolina  Variety: Strawberry Year: Does not say Price: $12 Wine Blog Review: Funny enough there were no blog or winery reviews on this wine. When I asked my mom where she got it from, she had picked it up in the local store near Boone, NC. The company is a small family owned winery that is starting to grow. They describe the wine as a light and sweet strawberry wine.  Wine Folly: This wine is part of the small amount of wines made in the Southeast of the US (pg. 284). The wines in the United States are fruit focused and as part of the New World, the wines are not always focused making them out of grapes. Personal Review: When I first smelt the wine, you could smell the sweetest of the strawberries. It wasn't overwhelming, but lightly coated my smell. It also reminded me of a strawberry cake. When I went to taste the wine, I was very surprised at how light the taste was. I was expecting it to be overwhelmingly swee...

 Freixenet Cordon Negro Tasting Review Background This wine is from Sant Sadurni D'Anoia, Spain. It is a whine, sparkling wine that takes between 10-14 months to age. I did not see a date on the label, so I do not know when this was made. It is made from Parellada grapes, Macabeo grapes, and Xarel-lo grapes. This is a cheaper wine for $11 and classified under the Cava branch. This wine is known  for its bubbles and how long they last. These are supposed to be a little sweet, but on the drier sweet side.  Wine Critic Review Natalie scores this an 89/100. They call it a refreshing sparkling wine for an incredible price. She found the aromas delicious and had a zippy finish. Many layers to this wine, which I agreed with. She finished with saying it was the perfect bubbly for a cocktail party. - Natalie Maclean https://www.nataliemaclean.com/wine-reviews/freixenet-cordon-negro-brut-cava/189588 Wine Folly Starting on page 93, it talks about how Cavas are best paired with Spani...

 hive & HONEY Tasting Review Background     This hive & HONEY wine is a Riesling that is made with pear, pineapple, and passionfruit mixed with the white grape. The wine is from Monterey, California. The grapes are grown onsite in their vineyard. The business is family owned and ran. All production takes place on the family's estate. This wine is a 2021 and is sold for $10 a bottle making it super affordable for us broke college students. Wine Critic Review Has caught the attention of the wine critic. Notice the sweet fruit right off the bat and was surprised that is was sweet without being too much. Finds this wine to be the right balance of sweet and tart, but also light and fresh. Rated 4.5/5 and believes this is the perfect house warming gift in the Spring and Summer. - Motherhood & Merlot https://motherhoodandmerlot.com/hive-honey-riesling/ Wine Folly On page 158 it talks about how a Riesling is good to pair with duck, pork, shrimp, and cra...

 My wine experience so far Growing up, my family weren't big drinkers. I think that's partially from having too much fun in college, but also their jobs. In high school I was allowed to try things under their watch, I just didn't like anything I tried. I also just did not know anything about wine or why it tastes the way it does. When I came to college, I started to branch out and have wine nights. It has taken me awhile to start appreciating the taste and the experience.  When I turned 21, my mom came to visit me. She took me to the Blacksburg Wine Lab. She wanted me to have the full experience of learning to try different wines and how it pairs with food. We ordered a flight to try with a bread and oil board. We had two red wines and one white wine. I learned that red wine was not my favorite, but learned how to taste it. It was a very cool experience and really appreciate my mom exposing me to this new world.  I am super excited to take this class because two of my bes...