Tasting - Graffigna Pinot Grigio

Name - Graffigna Pinot Grigio
Variety - Concord Grape
Region - San Juan
Country - Argentina
Year - 2018
Price - $14

Winery Review - "Powdery white-fruit aromas are friendly. This is honest on the palate, with some acidic kick and a touch of body weight. Kiwi, lychee and citrus flavors end with a peppery note." - winemag.com

Personal Review -This wine was a really pleasant light white wine. I liked the acidity and the kiwi/citrus flavor (I don't know what a lychee tastes like so I can't tell what that flavor is and if it appears in this wine). I actually didn't like the peppery note but it's absolutely didn't ruin the wine for me. I still really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this wine.

I did not eat anything with this wine

Tasting - Mouton Cadet Bordeaux

Name - Mouton Cadet 
Variety - Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, others
Region - Bordeaux
Country - USA
Year - 2016
Price - $10

Winery Review - "A medium/full-bodied, dry, juicy red wine with flavors of cherry, raspberry, blackberry, violets and a hint of tobacco." - TotalWine.com

Personal Review - I decided to try this wine because I was aware that this brand is essentially the cheap version of the Rothschild wine brand. The wine was still really well made though and I really enjoyed it. In fact this is probably one of the top wines that I have tried so far. Really good balance and depth/layers of flavors. I didn't expect to taste the tobacco (since I don't smoke) but I definitely tasted something that I expected to be tobacco and it was a pretty decent aftertaste. Again, I really enjoyed this wine.

I did not eat anything with this wine

Tasting - Twisted Old Vine Zinfandel

Name - Twisted Old Vine Zinfandel
Variety - Zinfandel
Region - California
Country - USA
Year - 2017
Price - $9

Winery Review - "Medium-bodied with aromas of wild blackberry, plum and a hint of spice. Concentrated ripe stone fruit, dark berry flavors and toasted oak carry through to the palate. Nicely balanced acidity and plush tannins lead to a lingering finish." - Total Wine

Personal Review - I really liked this zinfandel because of the immense berry flavors that came with it. I really enjoyed this wine and would recommend this to anyone as I felt like that it was a really high quality wine for the price. The flavor was extremely deep and I really liked the aftertaste of oak that in my opinion finished the flavor profile of this wine off really well. 


I did not eat anything with this wine

Tasting - Manischewitz American Concord Grape Wine

Name - Manischewitz American Concord Grape Wine
Variety - Concord Grape
Region - New York
Country - USA
Year - 2017
Price - $11

Winery Review - "A sweet but balanced wine with a generous mouth feel. The distinct aroma and flavor of fresh Concord grapes." - Manischewitz Website

Personal Review - I tried this wine because I was really curious how a concord grape wine would taste. The answer was actually surprising. I liked it because it was really sweet but it definitely does not have nearly as much depth as a vitis vinifera based wine would have. It just tasted like old grape juice mixed with alcohol. Again, I still liked it but I understand why not a lot of wine is made out of it. Good experience.

I did not eat anything with this wine

Wine and Cheese Pairing - Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon and Sharp Aged Cheddar

Name - Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety - Cabernet Sauvignon
Region - California
Country - USA
Year - 2017
Price - $7

Winery Review - "This is a jammy wine with robust flavors of wild berries and currants. Hints of toasted oak and clove complete the velvety, smooth finish. Another solid value wine from Barefoot." - wine.com

Personal Review - I decided to try this wine since I wanted to start with a cheap cabernet sauvignon and then moved up. I enjoyed the other barefoot wines I tried so I decided "why not?" and picked up this bottle. I found it be pretty decent. I can definitely taste place for improvement, if that makes any sense. I was expecting more tannins but I did not get that. It was good for the price and I would recommend it as a cheap cabernet.

Cheese/Wine Pairing Notes
I decided to try this wine with an aged sharp cheddar I picked up from Kroger. I decided to go with this pairing because of a quick google search consisting of "best cheese for  cabernet sauvignon". I decided to go with a cheap bottle of Cabernet because honestly I forgot about the cheese pairing assignment until after I drank my 20 dollar bottle of cabernet (oof). I started off by exfoliating and then sniffing the wine before taking my first sip. I then swallowed maybe half of the wine I put in my mouth and mixed the rest with the sharp cheddar. What I noticed is that the wine brought out the "nuttiness" of the cheddar while I felt the saltiness "fade" from the cheese. I also noticed the cheese feel less fatty. I alternated a few times between sip and bite of the cheese. I don't know if I was going crazy or not but the wine definitely tasted "more alcoholic" and by this I mean the grape flavor was definitely subdued. However since the grape flavor was subdued I was able to pick up a lot more of the oak and even some blackberry (which I did not taste in my initial review). I would consider this a "neutral pairing" because the wine itself is not tannic enough compared to a more expensive cabernet sauvignon. I wish I had not drank that bottle before getting this wine/cheese pairing going! I feel as if the extra tannins would had enhanced the nuttiness of the cheese even more and had made the wine "mature" more as well.

 (Yes I apologize about the cup, my glass ones were in the wash)

 
 

Tasting - Tenshen White Rhone Blend

Name - Tenshen White Rhone Blend
Variety - Viognier, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Chardonnay
Region - California
Country - USA
Year - 2016
Price - $20

Winery Review - "Aromas of tangerine and ripe melon lead to flavors of peach and apricot. Balanced acidity and juicy honeysuckle accent the finish with a hint of hazelnut" - wine.com

Personal Review - I was attracted to this wine because it was a "white rhone blend" from California. Also the label is pretty interesting. I actually really enjoyed this white. I am really surprised that a California winery took a blend of grapes known to a region in Germany and made a good blended wine with those foreign grapes. I imagine that the changes the grape's flavors had when they came from Germany to California were pretty drastic and I really have no idea how they experiment with flavors when they have so many variables (grapes and % of each grape). I really enjoyed this wine not just because of the flavor but because the idea of what the winery did.

I did not drink this wine with any food.

Tasting - Elisabetta Prosecco

Name - Elisabetta Prosecco
Variety - Prosecco/Glera
Region - Prosecco
Country - Italy
Year - 2017
Price - $16

Winery Review - "Clean and Crisp with abundant creamy fizz, notes of apples, pears and a hint of white peach" - Food Lion

Personal Review - I decided to try this wine as it was the only Italian sparkling wine that my grocery store had besides the really common Asti/Spumante. I grabbed this wine thinking it would be similar, and I was right. This wine is definitely less sugary than Asti but the fruit aftertaste is almost muted because of that. I enjoyed it but I think I will only buy Asti if im looking for a cheap Italian sweet sparkling white wine.

I didn't eat anything with this wine, although I had it after eating a brownie like 20 minutes before.

Tasting - Chateau Morrisette Blackberry

Name - Chateau Morrisette Blackberry
Variety - Apple based
Region - Virginia
Country - USA
Year - 2017
Price - $13

Winery Review - "Imagine, thick & dark blackberry pie with vibrant aromas that fill the glass to the brim. Literally no different than having a mouthful of ripe blackberries right from the basket." - thedogs.com

Personal Review - I bought this at my local grocer since it was labeled as "Virginia made". I was really interested in trying it and so I got it thinking it was a grape-based wine (lol). Turns out it is apple based but it is pretty damn good. The smell was also divine. I really enjoyed this wine, although I suppose I should be more careful thinking that every wine is grape based

I ate some sweet cookies with this wine

Tasting - Yellow Tail Shiraz

 
Name - Yellow Tail Shiraz
Variety - Shiraz/Syrah
Region - Australia
Country - Australia
Year - 2017
Price - $10

Winery Review - "This vibrant red shows juicy blackberry flavors and hints of spice, finishing with an open texture." - totalwine.com

Personal Review - I grabbed this wine mostly because I was interested in trying an Australian wine. From what I understand Shiraz is probably the most "unique" of the Australian wines so I decided to give it a try. I decided to go with a cheap bottle from yellow tail. It was a really good wine. Pretty fruity tasting in my opinion and I enjoyed the hint of spice. Would definitely recommend. I was expecting it to be really sweet but no, it was a pretty moderate level.

I did not eat anything with this wine.

Tasting - Villa De Moreschi Pinot Grigio

Name - Villa de Moreschi Pinot Grigio
Variety - Pinot Grigio
Region - Delle Venezie (Venice)
Country - Italy
Year - 2017
Price - $11

Winery Review - "A clear dry white wine, with a pale straw color. Smooth, delicate and fresh with apple, pear, and citrus aroma" - citywinecellar.com

Personal Review - I actually really liked this wine. It was really refreshing and I liked the lemon/apple flavor undertones. I found it a good eat with anything light including cheeses like mozzarella. Would definitely recommend for someone that is looking for a  good cheap white wine that isn't carbonated and isn't too sweet.

Tasting - Black Box Chardonnay

Name - Black Box Chardonnay
Variety - Chardonnay
Region - California
Country - USA
Year - 2017
Price - $20

Winery Review - "Rich and beautifully balanced with fresh fruit aromas. Excellent depth and structure with subtle hints of oak. A focused and complex finish" - the box

Personal Review - My friends grabbed this wine because of the amount you get per bulk. I don't know if its the box but I did not enjoy this wine. It is also important to note that this was my first Californian chardonnay (my family back home always offers me some French made Chardonnay for the holidays) so maybe it was the difference in flavor that made me not like it. While I like the buttery oaky feel to the wine I did not like the actually flavor. Great price to the amount you get and maybe the other boxed wines in by Black Box are a lot better but this chardonnay did not work for me.

I ate some sweet cookies with this wine

Tasting - Roth Estate Merlot

Name - Roth Estate Merlot
Variety - Merlot
Region - Sonoma County, California
Country - USA
Price - $20
Year - 2015

Winery Review - "Intense aromas of dark fruits, hints of sweet spice, and silky dark chocolate. Richly concentrated black plum, violet, chocolate cream and cardamom fill the palate on this dense and dark Merlot." - Foley Food and Wine Society

Personal Review - After discovering that I liked the Merlot grape variety from California last week I decided to go ahead and try another one. I got this bottle of wine. I believe it was 3 times the price of the other Merlot wine I bought so I was definitely expecting a quality product and I got one. It was pretty close to the flavor of the Barefoot Merlot I tried plus a much fuller body, more tannins, and better undertones. I extremely liked the dark chocolate undertone. I would definitely recommend this. This wine got me thinking that I should start branching slowly into more expensive wines.

I ate this wine with a breakfast for dinner meal (bacon, eggs, basically quite a bit of fat) and it worked great.

Tasting - Insomnia Red Wine Blend

Name - Insomnia Red Wine Blend
Variety - Shiraz/Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Region - California
Country - USA
Year - 2015
Price - $7

Winery Review: "Deep. Dark. Edgy. Everything a red wine should be. Intriguing notes of black currant, dark cherry and oak collide on the palate. Pair this bold blend with rich red meats or savory sauces." - Insomnia Wines

Personal Review: To be honest I grabbed this wine for 2 things: the price and the cool holographic label (sorry I couldn't get it to show it up on photo). The wine itself was just average. Not as good as the Menage a Trois red wine blend but still good. I liked the oaky aftertaste paired with the cherry (I didn't taste dark cherry). I don't think i'm going to buy this again but it did do the job.

I did not eat with this wine

Tasting - Menage a Trois Midnight

Name: Menage a Trois Midnight
Variety: Red Blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot)
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2016
Price: $10

Winery Review: "A passionate red blend bursting with dusky aromas, an extraordinarily deep color, and rich, ripe black fruit. Don't be shy turn out the lights and savor the pleasures of the dark." - TotalWine

Personal Review: Last week I had such a great experience with the two Menage a Trois wines I tried so I decided to pick up another. This is a darker wine blend and it has a great number of tannins. I have not ate this wine with anything yet but I will definitely save a bit for a fatty meaty meal this weekend!. The promoted "blackberry" flavor is definitely the real deal. To be honest it tasted more like blackberries than grapes. I really enjoyed this wine and will definitely come back to it once im done sampling all the other wines I can find.

Tasting - Radiance Riesling

Name: Radiance Riesling
Variety: Riesling
Region: Rheinhessen
Country: Germany
Year: 2017
Price: $10

Winery Review: "The Josef Weinberg Radiance Riesling is a pale golden color, clear and translucent. Moderate aromas of nectarine, lemon, and a very subtle hint of cotton candy. On the palate the wine is semi sweet with a medium-plus body. Sweet nectarine on the front of the palate followed by a small amount of pool toy-like rubber characteristics that are so often found in Riesling. The finish is unique in that it is both acidic and lively. So often, the fun part of  wine comes at the front of the palate but this wine comes alive as it heads down the hatch" - Eric Tansay


Personal Review: This was the first Riesling I drank and I actually really liked it. I realized pretty early on that my tastes of wine have not "matured" enough so I definitely prefer sweet wines and this Riesling fits the bill. Of course I will force myself to try more dry wines but this is definitely a good sweet white wine to come back to. Great price not to mention would definitely recommend as a first mind as it is sweet.

I ate with this wine but only with small snacks like cookies. I also alternated with water because a cup ends up being too sweet uninterrupted.

Tasting - Martini & Rossi Asti (Spumante)

Name: Martini & Rossi Asti (Spumante)
Variety: Moscato Bianco
Region: Piedmont (northwest Italy)
Country: Italy
Year: Strangely not specified, im guessing 2017
Price: $13

Winery Review: "This perennial favorite sparkles with tangerine peel, honeysuckle, vanilla, creamery butter and honeyed notes. Very clean and zesty. It drinks as sweet as it smells. Fortunately, the acidity is high and refreshing, the wine exceptionally clean and well-made. Fans of this style will absolutely love it, and there's a lot to like.

Personal Review: This wine holds a special place in my heart as it is usually the sign of celebration in my family. While my family drinks mostly red wine for dinner whenever we do a celebration (mostly birthdays and New Years) we always bring a few bottles of this stuff. Its a bubbly white wine that is extremely easy to get into. Even if you don't like wine you will most likely find some enjoyment drinking this stuff. It's sweet, bubbly, and acidic. The smell is also extremely pleasant. While this wine is pretty much the most mass-produced Italian wine (at least to my knowledge) it does have a great quality that makes people around the world come back to it. Really glad I got to try this wine now as a "critic" as I was finally able to sit back and sort the  citrus flavor which is pretty much a beacon of nostalgia for me.

I usually have this wine with dessert but I went back this time and ate with some oven-baked salmon and it was great. The light flavor really paired wonderfully with the bubbly wine. 

Tasting - Barefoot Merlot

Name: Barefoot Merlot
Variety: Merlot
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2017
Price: $6

Winery Review: "Spicy aromas, good concentration and an off-dry flavor make this wine robust while staying rather soft and friendly for people who don't love aggressive tannins"

Personal Review: Since I had a pretty good experience with the last barefoot wine I decided to try another of their products. Hell for the price it was pretty much a no brainer. This wine is based on the Merlot grape and I really enjoyed the wine as a whole. The only "issue" I have with this wine is that I wish it was a little dryer because I am not a fan of the sweetness it has (even if it is a little). It was a really good wine and for the price it's definitely a great budget red wine. Not sure if I will ever come back to it however. Will definitely try out other Barefoot wines in the future, since I did enjoy their Rose quite a bit. 

I did not eat anything with this wine

Tasting - Menage a Trois Silk

Name: Menage a Trois Silk
Variety: Pinot Noir, Malbec, Petite Syrah
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2017
Price: $13

Winery Review: "A smooth, seductive red blend that caresses you with every sip. With its bright, red ruby hue in the glass and alluring fragrance of dried violets and berries, Silk beckons, promising an unforgettable experience."

Personal Review: After having such a great experience with the last Menage A Trois wine I tasted I decided to back to my local grocery store and pick up another bottle made by the winery. I found this bottle which is another blend and brought it back home. And wow I am impressed again! Just the right amount of dryness for me. I liked the subtle taste of chocolate and berries that really made the aftertaste great. Would surely recommend this wine.

I have not eaten with this wine yet but I still got a portion of the bottle left and will report back once I get more chicken from the supermarket.

Tasting - Menage a Trois

Name: Menage a Trois
Variety: Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2017
Price: $10

Winery Review: "Menage a Trois exposes the fresh, ripe, jam like fruit that is the calling card of California wine. Forward, silky and soft, the delicious makes the perfect accompaniment for grilled meats and chicken." - wine.com

Personal Review: I picked up this wine as the food lion website recommended it for grilled meats. It was also a California blended red wine which I had not tried before. I really enjoyed this wine, a lot more than I expected. While my novice tongue couldn't perfectly sort out the three different types of grapes in the blend I at least knew it worked and tasted good. I did notice that this wine had a good level of tannins based on the late flavor the wine gave off. I also expecting a lot sweeter but I got lucky with that as it was a good medium level of sweetness. I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a good cheap wine. 


I had this wine with a nice grilled chicken breast and the combination was perfect!

Tasting - Barefoot Rose

Name: Barefoot Rose
Variety: They say "blend" but I expect Zinfandel is main part
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2017
Price: $6 

Winery Review: "Crush on blush! Rose is Barefoot's love letter to the pink-tinged classic. Juicy cherries mingle with cool watermelon in this sweet Rose wine. Sweet Lime and a hint of fizz join in for pure magic under sunny skies or starry nights." - drizly.com

Personal Review: I picked this up as my second wine of the week since I had never had a Rose before. Barefoots version was extremely cheap and since I recognized it as a Californian brand it was also my first wine made in the USA.Being from California I knew that this Rose would be a lot sweeter than any European equivalent going in. I really enjoyed this wine. It was just the right amount of sweetness and the flavors of watermelon and cherries were quite a bit stronger than I expected. Really enjoyable wine, especially for the price! Great Rose to start off with, I am not really excited to try another.

I did not eat anything with this wine. I tend to only eat food with red wine (bad habit I know).

Tasting - Masseria Altemura Fiano

Name: Masseria Altemura Fiano
Variety: Fiano (white grape)
Region: Salento, Puglia (southern Italy)
Country: Italy
Year: 2017
Price: $15

Winery Review: "Lemon and hay aromas carry delicate pollen and floral tones on the nose. Medium in weight and acidity, the palate is yellow-fruit driven. with a grapefruit zest vein of acidity." - WineMag.com

Personal Review: I found this wine to be very light. The strong undertones of floral and fruit taste was quite pleasant. In terms of the fruit that I tasted I have to say it felt pretty tropical. Almost like the wine had a pineapple taste. It was a good wine but I don't expect to buy it again anytime soon. I also think I got the taste of figs? Not entirely sure since that flavor was extremely faint. Not too sweet. I enjoyed the wine and would recommend it but only as a good wine for the price, nothing more.


I did not have any food with this wine. I just shared the bottle with a few friends.

Introduction

Hello. My name is Joseph Pavlack and I am an amateur wine enthusiast who hopes to improve my palate via this blog and class. Born in an Italian household I already have a headstart when it comes to this but I hope to learn a lot more. Specifically, I have not had much wine that was not made in Italy. I hope to try some of the weird experimental Californian wines and sample the great wines of France. Outside of those regions I want to specifically try good Portuguese Portos and good Japanese sakes.

As stated before most of the wines I have had have been Italian and only drank in celebrations. The two wines I remember the most are Dolcetto and Spumante and I really want to start my blog off with those two. While yes I have drank them I never considered whiffing or slowly contemplating the flavors. To be honest I think I have been drinking them like soda all this time and besides the bitterness/dryness of Spumante I couldn't tell you much about the flavor at all.

My uncle is probably the one who inspired the most me to take this class as he has always been the person in my family who is the most into wine. He has a cellar in his house and I intend to use him as a resource (wine recommendations and samples) for this class.

I intend to use this class as the catalyst to get me to try as many different types of wine as possible. I think it will be a fun hobby to get into and I thing this class would be perfect to start that hobby.