Tasting-Columbia Merlot

Columbia Winery Merlot 
-Merlot
-Columbia Valley, Washington State
-US OF A
-2013
-$30...on sale for $15.99

At the Gormet Pantry, this wine was recommended because it was a solid wine that was massively on sale. It was a good wine that was not worth $30 but for $15 was still a steal. He said it would be a solid merlot that would go over well with just hanging out with snacks.
From http://www.columbiawinery.com/our-wines/merlot : 
After harvest, the grapes for our Merlot were destemmed and cold soaked for 48 hours. Fermentation occurred in 7-ton, open-top stainless steel tanks for up to 11 days at a maximum temperature of 90°F. Throughout fermentation, we performed several rack and returns for optimal extraction of color and flavor. A specialized oak strategy lent this Merlot its distinct notes of brown spice and toasty oak.

TASTING NOTES

Columbia Winery Merlot opens with a dark color that has a distinct purple edge. Enticing aromas of cherry and plum with a hint of violet float from the glass and continue to the palate, where they are joined by pronounced notes of toasty oak, vanilla and hints of mocha. Rich and plush in the mouth, this Merlot has firm tannins and a lingering finish. Enjoy with tenderloin medallions drizzled with a wild huckleberry glaze, roast chicken, or a tomato-based red sauce with Italian sausage and fennel over your favorite pasta.

Varietal Content:  85% Merlot, 10% Syrah, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Other

My notes: 

This was a great find. I bought it because it was an orignal $30 wine on sale for $15. I was looking for something to bring over to a friend's house to just relax and snack with. We ended up buying some Chinese food and making brownies with the wine. It definitely had a lot more depth than most red wines and was a solid merlot. It was not that dry but also not that sweet. We joked that it was honestly a great lunch wine. The cherry taste was light and only added to the flavor without adding sweetness. It paired really well with Chinese food, so it's a great table wine that goes with a lot of foods. As I continued to  drink it I noticed the fruit became more apparent and noticeable. We made Salted Caramel Brownies with it and that actually soldified this wine. The label says there was mocha in the wine and I did not notice it until I drank it with the brownies. The brownies intensified the wine in a fantastic way. 

Overall I really enjoyed this wine because it was just a solid merlot that was a good relaxing, do not need super fancy wine but honestly delicious and got better as the meal went on. 

Tasting- Vina Bujanda

Vina Bujanda Tinto
-100% Tempranillo
-Rioja
-Spain
-2012
-$10

Wine Description

Bujanda Tinto is a Rioja Joven, which means "young" and refers to the fact that it sees no oak aging. It is made from 100% Tempranillo from estate vineyards in the Rioja Alta and Alavesa sub-regions. These grapes are harvested through September and October and then fermented in stainless steel tanks for 17 days.

Tasting Notes

This wine is ruby red with purple highlights. Fresh and fruity, it is a perfect sipper and refreshing even in warmer weather (try it with a slight chill!). The nose shows red berry, blue fruit, and spice, while the palate is medium bodied with food-friendly acidity.

Food Pairing

Pair this wine with migas, paella, smoked salmon, or sashimi tuna.

http://www.winebow.com/wineDetail.php?id=5609

My notes: 

The first thing I smelled and thought of was brown sugar which was weird. The initial taste was just bland. I really could not taste anything. I'm not very familiar with the tempranillo and the bottle talked about blackberries and raspberries, but I did not taste it at all. It was pretty dry which usually I like but there just was not anything that really impressed me. It lacked body. There wasn't a sugar taste but there was not a lot of taste at all. Honestly I do not have much to say because there was nothing special about this wine at all.  

Tasting-Sierra Cruz Chardonnay

Sierra Cruz 
-Chardonnay
-Maule Valley
-Chile
-2013
-$9.99

Chilean Chardonnay thrives in the cooler areas, and tends to have moderate acidity, tropical fruit notes and a striking minerality.

Chilean Chardonnay is a cool climate specialist. The regions of Limari, San Antonio and Casablanca have become well known for their fabulous (and very reasonably priced) Chardonnays.

A Chilean Chardonnay won't taste like Napa Chardonnay. It is more similar to a Sauvignon Blanc but with more tropical fruit and apple-pear flavors. Given the heavy minerality and noticeable acidity, Chilean Chardonnay should pair nicely with dense fish dishes, white meats and possibly some scallops or lobster.

http://www.vivino.com/wineries/carta-vieja/wines/maule-valley-sierra-cruz-chardonnay-2013

My review: 

At first smell I thought it was going to be extremely sweet. It had a tangy and very fruity smell. According to the major reviews and the pourer, it kind of character chardonney from abroad, which is why I had not tasted anything like it because usually I only drink US wines. It had a lot of body though. What really surprised me it was not very sweet at all, you could taste the different fruits (all citrus) but it was still dry. It had a light feeling too it but as you continue to drink it loses it flavor because the alcohol began to become more and more apparent and hurt that taste. 

It started great but I did not like the ending sadly, which meant I walked away not impressed. 

Tasting- Red Mountain Shiraz Tempranillo

 
Red Mountain Red Wine 
Shiraz-Tempranillo

• Inle Lake
• Southern Shan State of Myanmar 
• 2011
• $12

This red wine is a blend of Shiraz 70% and Tempranillo 30%. The grapes were harvested in first week of March 2011, with a 24 Brix sugar level. The process was traditional with a short maceration in order to produce a soft easy drinking wine for all occasion. The alcoholic and malo-lactic fermentations have been controlled in stainless steel tanks. This wine was aged in tanks during 1 year with French oak chips during 3 months

Tasting description:
Deep dark red color intensity. First nose on the oaky range like vanilla and black chocolate. Candied morrello cherry. Spicy and animal notes. Still young red wine. The tannins need time to be rounded.

http://www.redmountain-estate.com/redwines.html

My Review: 
Red Mountain was significantly thinner than most other reds I have had, especially the other Myanmar red I tried. However, even though it was lighter, it was sharper in taste. It did not have a lot of other flavors, seemed just the grapes and that is it. There was almost an acidic taste to it and you could definitely taste more alcohol in this one. It had a cleaner pallet though, since it was not as many flavors it seemed more pure and easier to drink. Not as good as the previous reviewed Red Shiraz from Myanmar

Tasting-Aythaya Myanmar Red Wine

Aythaya 

Myanmar Red Wine Reserve
-Shiraz and Dornfelder Curvee
-Myanmar 1st Vineyard Estate Ltd
-Aythaya, Myanmar
-2014
-$12.00

Our "Aythaya Red" is a Cuvée from SHIRAZ (Syrah) and CABERNET SAUVIGNON grapes. Both vines were imported in 1999 from France.From the following year onwards, in 2010 that is, and 10 years after extensive trials newly discovered varieties were added: DORNFELDER from Germany and TEMPRANILLO from Spain. That means: from more than 50 classic varieties only 4 cultivars were able to withstand the 

challenges of the tropical environment.
A fruity red MOSCATO grape from Italy is the main grape variety of our famous "Aythaya Rose´". The noble Sauvignon Blanc from the Bordeaux area is the dominating grape variety of our "Aythaya White". The other white wine variety of the cuvée is the Chenin Blanc grape from the Loire Valley in France. Tests are under way to evaluate the tropical suitability of some special clones.
http://www.myanmar-vineyard.com/vineyard

My Review:
The red had a very full body taste. You could taste the Wood but not an oakey, I could not tell exactly what type of wood it was. I could definitely taste the cherry taste along with other fruit, however it did not make it sweet at all. It was very thick, almost grainy. However, it was still very savery and robust. It went well with basic chicken and vegetables, along with Tomato soup. Overall very good wine! 

Why do I care about Wine?

For most my life, wine was the only alcohol anyone ever drank...ever. My family drinks wine at every dinner and it is just a staple. Not in a bad way, just that is what we drink and what my parents have always drank. I did not really understand what real alcohol was until I was older. Wine was the only alcohol. My mom only drinks white, my dad only drinks red. That is the way I was raised. 

Since I have always grown up around wine, it was the first real alocholic drink I ever had and since my family only drinks good wine...my wine taste buds are pretty sensitive to bad wine. My sister has probably the best taste of anyone in my family, I swear she can figure out a good wine just by the label. My mom does not drink sweet wine at all, the dryer the better (which for the longest time confused me as a child. It's liquid..how can it dry). My dad likes intense, strong reds. Cabs or Merlots. I just recently learned that Suarez is solid.  

This is why I really was excited to take Professor Boyer's class on wine. My family is so into wine and yet we sometimes only know really what we like and what we don't. Understanding what makes a good wine, what makes a bad wine, how is it made exactly? How does that impact the taste? How does region change the taste? Is there a way to tell a good wine just by the label? How can I be a broke college kid and still drink good wine? 

That's the big key, I'm a broke college kid, who basically sticks to her drink downtown and whatever my parents are drinking at dinner. Every once in a while I try to pair with dinner, aka steak or red meat-red, everything else-white. That's when I feel sophisticated. I cannot tell a good wine or a bad wine...until I drink it. I cannot tell you what it means when you say a wine has a subtle touch of "name classy sounding nature thing here." But somehow I can sometimes taste the oakey and oh yeah thats some kid of fruit in here that's making this too sweet. 

So here's my adventure with wine, because what else is there to do your last semester of college than to drink? Just kidding. To me liquor is what you drink when you are at a bar, beer is what you drink when you are eating a burger pizza or at any sports function and wine is what people drink at dinner. That means, wine is what I need to learn the most about by the time I'm a real adult...and that is coming up really quickly. 

Geography of Wine is my last stepping stone to being an adult. The rest of it will just come naturally...right? 

I may not know much about wine, but I do know, good Sangria goes a long way