Tasting- Famiglia Castellani Sangiovese 2019

Name: Famiglia Castellani Sangiovese 2019

Variety: Sangiovese

Region: Tuscany 

Country: Italy 

Year: 2019

Price: $15

Winery Review: "Famiglia Castellani 2019 Sangiovese is fragrant with ripe cherry, cedar spice and minty aromas; the wine is dry, medium-bodied and brilliant on the palate with ripe cherry, spiced plum, fine herbs and vanilla flavours with a toasty oak spice finish. Tannins are velvety. Enjoy this lovely Tuscan red with your favourite lasagne or chicken scarpariello dish." - Natalie Maclean 9/23/2023, 89

Wine Folly: (epub version pg 371) Sangiovese- notes of cherry, roasted tomato, sweet balsamic, oregano, and espresso. It has high acidity, tannins, and body. It is not very sweet. I would have to agree. It is quite full-bodied, the tannins are evident, and it is bitter from the tannins. I don't find a complexity from the tannins in this wine. It smells sweet like cherry, but it is blatantly bitter from start to finish. The aftertaste is similar to espresso and roasted tomato, with the front note being cherry. It recommends decanting, so we aerated the wine with a hand frother.

Personal Review: I would not buy this wine again. I did not like the bitterness. I would have to agree with the wine review- it is dry, spicy, vanilla, and ripe. It smells sweet and has a pleasant beginning, which is in complete contrast to the rest of the taste. There is a vanilla and fruit flavor that holds true throughout the entire experience. Immediately after the sweet follows the tannins with bitterness and acidity. It is quite overwhelming. There is an aftertaste of cherries and vaguely like tomato. Overall, it is very dry and best for cooking or paired with a nice steak. I did not pair this wine with food, and I think it negatively affected the experience. 

Tasting- Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay

Name: Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay

Variety: 100% Chardonnay

Region: Columbia Valley

Country: Washington, United States 

Year: 2021

Price: $12

Winery Review: "Aromas of corn on the cob, melon and herb lead to just off-dry drinking flavors. The concentration seems lacking. Corn notes linger on the finish." — Sean P. Sullivan (Wine Enthusiast), 88

Wine Folly: (epub version pg 232) Chardonnay- Notes of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, and butter. It is best chilled and served with buttery flavors. While I did not drink this wine with any food, I can attest it is best served chilled. I also can detect the apple, vanilla, and butter notes, but I cannot taste pineapple or starfruit. It is also typically lightly sweet, medium body, and medium acidic. This wine was vaguely sweet, very light, and slightly acidic at the end. 

Personal Review: I cannot say I agree with the wine review from Wine Enthusiast. It does not taste like corn, but rather sweet like apples. As mentioned before, it tastes like apple and vanilla. Specifically, I don't taste tannins, but I do taste apple at the beginning and vanilla and butter at the end. It initially smells acidic, but the first taste and aftertaste are sweet. It is slightly watered down. It rests on the tongue and is bitter at the end but gives way to a sweet aftertaste. Overall, I would describe it as fresh. I did not have this wine with any food. 

Introduction: First Blog Post

Hello to all who see this blog! As someone who turned 21 in the past year, I can say I thoroughly enjoy wine. I do not know the nuances and etiquette of wine, which is why I am in this class, but I am very excited to learn. Before this class, I understood that different types of wine are made with various grapes, and therefore most wine tastes different, and that is about it. I like drinking it with finger foods, like a charcuterie board, but I would like to further explore the complexities of wine and what to pair it with. 

I have had both white wine and red wine, but prefer sweet red wine. I am not sure if it is my naive palate, but I prefer cheaper wine. All of the expensive wines I've had are too bitter (perhaps called dry?) for my taste. This can also be applied to champagne. The expensive champagnes I have had on New Year's taste awful to me. This could also be attributed to simply disliking sparkling liquids in general. 

Only once before have I tried a blended wine. It was expensive and from Vintage Cellar, but it was very good. I feel like it could pair well with a hefty steak. I have some experience with food/wine pairing, such as pairing wine with red meat and fish. I have yet to find the joy in it since the alcohol and food seem to clash, but I look forward to being able to educate my grandparents and in-laws. In a less formal setting, I also like drinking wine with finger foods, like a charcuterie board, but I would like to further explore the complexities of wine and what to pair it with.