Tasting - Peter Mertes Liebfraumilch Rheinhessen Qualitatswein

Name: Peter Mertes Liebfraumilch Rheinhessen Qualitatswein
Variety: Reisling
Country: Germany
Region: Rheinhessen
Year: 2009
Price: $5.95


Winery Review
Leibfraumilch is a soft, delicate wine of the Rheinhessen and Palatinate districts. The original wine was named after the Leibfraumilch monastery in Worms, where the monks were the first wine growers and produced an unusually pleasing wine. Wines of the Rheinhessen and Palatinate are noted for their aroma, well-balanced harmony, and fragrance. Leibfraumilch, as all excellent white wines is best served chilled. We suggest serving with cold entrees, as well as poultry, such as chicken or turkey, or even with a mild Cheddar, mellow and slightly nutty with a medium consistency.


My Review 
This wine is very sweet, it tastes vaguely like white grape juice.


I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - Col des Vents Corbieres

Name: Col des Vents Corbieres
Variety: 50% Carignan, 35% Grenache, 15% Syrah
Country: France
Region: Languedoc-Roussillon
Year: 2009
Price: $7.95


Winery Review
Brambly berry, cherry and raspberry, spices, black pepper... all are present in this authentic French country wine.


My Review
This wine has a strong berry nose with a smooth fruity flavor and few tannins


I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - San Elias Carmenere

Name: San Elias Carmenere
Variety: Carmenere
Country: Chile
Region: Central Valley
Year: 2009
Price: $7.95


Winery Review
The grapes for this carmenere are selected from vineyards in the central valley. Beautiful red fruit aromas. Supple and round in the mouth, the wine pairs well with full flavored cheeses and lamb.


My Review
This wine had a spicy, raspberry jammy nose, some tannins, with a spicy aftertaste.


I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - Estrella Chardonnay

Name: Estrella Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Country: USA
Region: Napa Valley
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95


Winery Review
Intensely flavored and balanced with layers of vanilla, butter and pear, followed by apple, banana and oak


My Review
This wine has a very fruity nose.  It has a very sweet and sort of weird flavor, it seemed to have too many flavors going on at once.


I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - Zonin Pinot Grigio

Name: Zonin Pinot Grigio
Variety: Pinot grigio
Country: Italy
Region: Veneto
Year: 2009
Price: $5.95


Winery Review
Pale straw-yellow color with brilliant reflections. Delicately fruity bouquet, with outstanding finesse and marked hints of almond blossom and peaches. Elegant, soft and well-structured fruit on the palate, with remarkable freshness and a clean, persistent aftertaste.


My Review
Tasted very smooth and buttery, unremarkable otherwise. Very average pinot grigio


I tasted this alone without food.

Tasting - Estrella Merlot

Name: Estrella Merlot
Variety: Merlot
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $5.95

Winery Review:
This ruby colored merlot has raspberry jam aromas with a subtle hint of spice. Layers of vanilla, plum and fig are revealed that linger ever so slightly on the palate.

My Review:
This wine had a fruity nose that smelled predominately like raspberry jam.  The body was very smooth with few tannins and tasted jammy.

I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - Doural Red Tinto

Name: Doural Red Tinto
Variety: Red blend
Region/country: Portugal
Year: 2009
Price: $8.95

Winery Review:
This Portuguese tinto (red) blend exhibits a deep red color with violet hues. The nose is vibrant and fruity. The palate offers notes of spice, cherry, and dark berry supported by good structure. Pairs well with red or game meat, cheeses and fish.

My Review:
I tried this wine once before, it has a very fruity nose with predominantly cherry notes.  The body is smooth with some tannins on the finish.

I drank this alone without food.  

Tasting - Oxford Landing Viognier

Name: Oxford Landing Viognier
Variety: Viognier
Region: South Australia
Country: Australia
Year: 2009
Price: $7.95

Winery Review:
88 Points, Wine Spectator

Bright and lively, this white is appealing for its pear, lychee and sweet spice character, which comes together smoothly against a silky texture.

My Review:
This wine had a very flower nose, with a sweet and smooth body.  It was a good wine for the price.

I tasted this alone with no food.  

Tasting - Tierra de Luna Torrontes-Chardonnay

Name: Tierra de Luna Torrontes-Chardonnay
Variety: 80% Torrontes, 20% Chardonnay
Region: Mendoza
County: Argentina
Year: 2009
Price: $7.95

Winery Review:
Fresh and crisp, with floral aromas and flavors of quince and pear, this wine is a versatile companion to informal meals, and is excellent as an apertif.

My Review:
I could smell pear on the nose, it was a semi-dry wine with a light body and a sweet aftertaste.  It was an overall mediocre wine.

I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - Simonet Blanc de Blancs

Name: Simonet Blanc de Blancs
Variety: Sparkling
Region: Elabore
Country: France
Year: n/a
Price:  $7.95

Winery Review: 
On the nose, there is some bread-yeast and some toast, same on the palate. Great for an everyday bubbly or for mimosas!!

My Review:
This sparkling wine was very dry, I could definitely smell and taste the breadiness mentioned in the review.  I'm not a big fan of sparkling wines unless I'm drinking champagne.

Tasted alone with no food.

Tasting - Pollack Petit Verdot

Name: Pollack Petit Verdot
Variety: Petit Verdot
Region: Central Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $28


Winery Review:
This powerful wine is extremely opaque in color and has aromas of ripe berry and plum that fill the glass. It is concentrated on the palate with a rich jammy flavor and hints of earthiness which combine to create a long lingering finish.


My Review:
This was a very strong, but good, wine.  It is a very heavy red with lots of dark fruit flavors.  It is definitely a sipping wine, it doesn't necessarily need food to go along with it although it would probably go great with red meat.


I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - Pollack Merlot

Name: Pollack Merlot
Variety: 100% Merlot
Region: Central Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $20


Winery Review:
This vintage displays a concentrated expression of dark cherries, rich chocolate and a hint of oaky sweetness. The wine is fruit forward but still has great structure. With a rich garnet hue, it has cherry and oak aromas with notes of flint and nutmeg, sweet tannins and an enticing velvet finish.


My Review:
This wine has a complex nose of dark fruits.  It had a great balanced taste, very smooth without strong tannins.  I went and bought a glass of this to eat with a plate of cheese and fruit and it was delicious.

Tasting - Pollack Durant Red

Name: Pollack Durant Red
Variety: 58% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc
Region: Central Virginia
Country:  USA
Year:  2010
Price: $16


Winery Review:
The goal of winemaking for this wine is a Bordeaux style blend which is a lighter, less tannic style for every day pleasure. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel and pressed off the skins two thirds of the way through fermentation, and then allowed to finish fermentation. This creates a fresh, fruit forward red wine. Bottled in February 2011.


My Review:
This was a nice light red wine, seems like it'd be good for meals with meat as the main dish served to people who prefer lighter wines.  It was refreshing without being too heavy.


I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - King Family Seven

Name: King Family Seven
Variety: 100% Merlot, fortified with brandy
Region: Central Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $29.95


Winery Review:
Named for the 7th chucker in polo like the 19th hole in golf. Made in the traditional Porto style with an American twist.  This port wine is made with 100% Merlot and is fortified with brandy, and was aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels for 2 years. Dried fig, banana and orange peel on the nose. Vanilla and nutmeg on the mouth with dark fruits.


My Review:
I am a fan of port wines, and this one was good but definitely different than the traditional port from Portugal.  The Kentucky Bourbon aging process definitely adds a unique flavor to the wine.  


I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - King Family Chardonnay

Name: King Family Chardonnay
Variety: 60% Chardonnay, 40% Viognier
Region: Central Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2010
Price: $21.95


Winery Review: 
Nose exhibits pear and honeysuckle with hints of lemongrass and saffron. Mouth is fresh and full with notes of citrus, apricot and white peach. Aged in French oak. Nose of white flowers, lemon and pear. White peach, ripe pear and lemon on the mouth with touches of oak and a smooth, creamy finish.


My Review:
I think this Chardonnay was definitely sweeter and "thicker" than a regular Chardonnay due to the addition of the Viognier grape into the mix.  It was a very sweet wine with a smooth and nice mouth feel with very a definitely very flowery nose.  I don't particularly think it's worth buying for $22 however.


I tried this alone with no food.

Winery Visit: King Family Vineyard

After our Pennsylvania brewery adventure, we decided to go see a vineyard or two since after all this is a geography of wine class.  We booked a bed and breakfast/winery tour package in Charlottesville so we could have someone else drive us around after drinking vast quantities of wine.

The most well-documented visit was our first, where we went to King Family in Crozet, VA so that's the one I'll talk about.  King Family is run by a family who came from Texas, so it has a rustic feel that's much less pretentious than other Charlottesville area vineyards.  It also functions as a polo ground and breeds polo ponies in addition to hosting polo matches.  Since we were there on a Tuesday afternoon, there was no polo going on.

Polo fields outside the tasting room

We tasted several different wines which I will talk about in separate wine tasting posts (two assignments in one!).  We also saw their surprisingly small aging room and production line (also surprisingly small).

Wine aging in barrels

This was the entirety of their production.

None of their wines were particularly outstanding.  However they do produce a port-style wine where they age it in Kentucky Bourbon barrels.  It was very good.

Brewery visit: Tröegs Brewing Company

After Yuengling, we drove about an hour west to Hershey to visit Tröegs.  They didn't have any sort of guided tour, just an area you could wander about with your beer and marvel at the giant stainless steel vats of beer.

They do have a gigantic tasting room as soon as you walk in with all their beers on tap straight from the brewery (they don't even get put into kegs, the taps come straight from the giant vats).

Taps in their tasting room, hooked up directly to the brewery

Since I was going to be driving further that night, I could only sample one beer. I chose the Dream Weaver wheat beer, I believe I chose wisely.

While we were at Tröegs, we picked up a sample 6 pack to try once we got home.  Other Tröegs beers I recommend are the Trogenator Double Bock and their scratch Bock beer.

I didn't like the Java Head since I don't like coffee (that one's brewed with coffee beans mixed with the barley and has a strong coffee aftertaste).

Brewery Visit: DG Yuengling and Son

For spring break, my boyfriend and I decided to be as cheap as possible and decided to do a short alcohol tour of the east coast, going to two Pennsylvania breweries and some Virginia vineyards.

First, we decided to go to Yuengling.  For a while we thought we went to the wrong Pottsville because it's nearly impossible to find and not well labeled. We only found it after we saw other confused people and the old Yuengling ice cream factory.

We went inside, still not convinced it was the right place, but followed some pretty ghetto looking signs to the gift shop where we waited around till a tour started.  I took pictures with my phone, because neither of us had the foresight to bring a camera.  We are bad tourists.

Cereal cooker

Fancy stained glass ceiling

These buttons control the beer making.  We weren't allowed to touch them.

Yuengling makes everyone happy. 

Hops are kept behind this door, I presume.

After the brewery touring, we went to see the bottling facility.  The Pottsville brewery produces about 600 cases a day, alternating between bottles and cans since they share parts of the production line so they can't bottle and can simultaneously.

Empty cases waiting to be filled.

Bottles get filled here.

Then they speed down the line once they are filled with delicious beer.

Then they are labeled and put in cases, where an old man manually folds them shut.

In the 1800s and early 1900s, the beer was aged underground in these caves under the brewery.

After the brewery tour, we got free tiny samples of fresh Yuengling beer fresh from the brewery.  I sampled the seasonal Yuengling Bock (tasty) and Yuengling Premium (not quite a tasty as the Lager or Bock, but still tasty. Very smooth).

Yuengling Bock

Yuengling Premium