John's Wine Blog

    Name: 19 crimes Variety: Chardonnay Region: South Eastern Country: Australia Year: 2021 Price: $18 Winery Review: "Full bodied with ripe stone fruit flavors balanced with high acidity, toasty oak, honey and hints of spice. Finishes with creamy notes of butterscotch and vanilla. Wine Folly: It notes that chardonnay can range from sparkling blanc de blancs to rich and creamy aged in oak (this is definitely the ladder). It notes varieties from the California region are typically characterized by dry whites. I thought its note about how it can taste like "balanced brandy" was interesting too because I can really feel that with this wine. My review: This is no ordinary chardonnay. The company is not kidding when they say it is "full bodied and high acidity"- it overpowered my mouth. I can definitely taste the bold butterscotch to at the end- I think its the oak that gives it that taste. Cheese: Pepper Jack: Woah- this chardonnay is unlike one I have ever had. It

  Name: Loosen Bros Variety: Riesling Region: Mosel Country: Germany Year: 2020 Price: $15 Winery Review: " Dr. Loosen’s non-estate wine embodies the elegant and racy style of classic Mosel Riesling. It is refreshing and fruity, with a fine mineral edge that is typical of the region. Dr. L Riesling is made with fruit that comes exclusively from traditional vineyards with steep slopes and slate soil. By working closely with local growers on long-term contract, brothers Ernst and Thomas Loosen are able to maintain excellent quality in every vintage. Dr. L Riesling is bottled with a screw cap to avoid cork problems and to preserve freshness" Wine Folly: I thought it was very interesting how wine folly stated that it paired well with spicy Indian cuisine, I have never thought about a pairing like that. As I have learned now from throughout the class, Riesling is Germans big wine. It is dynamic in the fact that it can be very dry or very sweet. Mosel- which is called out by name i

  Name: La Crema Variety: Pinot Noir Region: Santa Rosa, California Country: USA Year: 2019 Price: $25 Winery Review: " Aromas of BLACKBERRY, cherry, leather, and tobacco with ­flavors of red cherry, raspberry, and boysenberry. Subtle hints of espresso and cocoa nib underpin notes of EXOTIC SPICE and toast. The fine tannins are BALANCED acidity drive a long finish." Wine Folly: It characterizes the wine as having a long smooth soft tannin finish (I couldn't agree more). California Pinot Noirs are noted to have sweeter fruiter tastes as a result of consistent fog layer that covers the pacific coast, which allows the temperatures to stay suitable for this grape. My Review: Interestingly enough I purchased this wine without knowing that Professor Boyer recommends this wine in his textbook, I can see why! The wine is so silky smooth in the mouth, I could tell it is high quality! The fruit flavors hit you right in the beginning- I taste strong cherry flavor with maybe the tob

  Name: 19 Crimes The Banished Variety: Blended Wine Region: South Eastern Australia Country: Australia Year: 2018 Price: $20 Winery Review: Full and round on the palate with a distinct sweetness making the wine rich and mouth coating. The dark chocolate and vanilla aromatics compliment subtle flavors  of cloves and cinnamon spice. Wine Folly: This is a blended wine--I can't seem to find the exact grapes that make up this blend, but since it is an Australian red blend, I would take a guess that is a majority Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon since those are the primary grapes grown in southern Australia. I also would take a guess that it is majority shiraz/cabernet sauvignon because of the taste. Wine Folly notes shiraz as having rich dark flavors- like blackberry sauce and fruit cake...this is something I could definitely taste. My Review: I think that majority of why these wines have become so popular is because of the marketing and bottles. Each of the 19 crimes bottles tells a diff

  Name: Apothic Red Variety: "winemakers blend" (zinfandel, merlot, syrah) Region: California Country: USA Year: 2020 Price: $11 Winery Review: " Bold flavors of dark fruit and spice from the Zinfandel, complemented by the soft mouthfeel and black fruits from Merlot, layered with the soft blueberry notes of Syrah, and finally supported by the structure and dark fruits of the Cabernet. We used soft vanilla and mocha toned oak to enhance and support the wines elegant appeal." Wine Folly: It notes Zinfandel's primarily flavors as smoky, exotic spice, with California grapes having a more blackberry flavor than sweet flavor like Italian Zinfandel does. Syrah is noted to have similar notes as zinfandel and merlot with more emphasis on fruity flavors. My Review: It makes sense that Zinfandel is the primary grape used in this blend- I immediately smelled the s moky sweet flavor that wine folly noted is a characteristic of Zinfandel. The merlot/zinfandel combination

  I started out this wine journey at my house- where my mother gave me a bottle from her stash. The first bottle was: Name: Incarnadine Variety: Pinot Noir Region: California Country: USA Year: 2020 Price: $27 Winery Review:"the sky ablaze with golden and rose...a delightful glass" Wine Folly: Wine Folly starts about by saying how Pinot Noir's are the most popular light bodied red and is loved for its red fruit and spice flavors, along with soft tannin finishes. It says that it is best paired with foods like duck, chicken and pork. My Review: Wine Folly's food pairing suggestions I agree with totally. Because of the lightness of this red- it would pair with other light flavored foods, like chicken. I was very suprised with this wine- I think that I can now say that pinot noir is my favorite style of red. The light tannin's and sweetness- but still being able to have body and flavor, is what attracts me to this wine. Roquefort: This is a blue cheese that I picked o