John's Wine Blog

  Name: Josh Cellars Variety: Sauvignon Blanc Region: Hopland California Country: USA Year: 2020 Price: $13 Winery Review: "sunshine in a glass" "Aromatic and bright with a crisp, clean finish, this wine features flavors of lemon and kiwi with scents of green apple" Wine Folly: It describes this wine as having strong herbaceous flavors. With this wine- i totally agree. It always shocks me to see "herb" as a flavor to describe wine, but it really does! It notes that this variety has a very high acidity. With the wine I have- I feel like it doesn't have as much acid as higher quality competitors--the sweetness is overpowering. It notes that when sauvignon blanc is grown in California, they have lemongrass flavors- which I can taste on this wine. My Review: After having a string of bold and tannic red wines- it is nice to switch it up with a light and sweet white wine. The smell is very clean with citrus scents and is very light on the nose. This feels l...

  Name: 19 Crimes Snoop Dog Cali Blend Variety: 65% Petite Sirah, 30% Zinfandel, 5% Merlot Region: Lodi, California Country: USA Year: 2020 Price: $15 Winery Review: 19 Crimes is defiant by nature, bold in character, and always uncompromising. We are proud to partner with entertainment icon, Snoop Dogg, who embodies all these qualities, and more, through hard work and perseverance.   Wine Folly: Being characterized with a dark color noted in wine folly was the first thing that I saw as well. I also noted that it makes sense that this is called the "cali blend" because almost all petit sirah and zinfandel- which are largely California grapes. I could really tastes the Zinfnadel in the wine after I read what it's flavor notes our in wine folly- the sweetness of the zinfandel layers very nicely over the harsher petite sirah. My Review: Just from the first smell this wine surprised me. The smell was surprisingly fruity and sweet. It tastes as it smells- surprisingly frui...

I started out this journey by taking Professor Boyer's advice and going to a local wine shop, in this case- the vintage cellar. Upon arriving I asked an employee recommendations for wines that could pair well with cheeses.  The first wine I got:  Name: Burgo Viejo Variety: Rioja Region: Alfaro Country: Spain Year: 2018 Price: $10 My Review: This has been the best red wine I have had! Tannins are low and it's a sweet wine. I am getting fruity/blackberry vibes. My friends- who are not big red wine drinkers- also said that this was a light wine that seemed more drinkable than others they have had. With Irish Cheddar: This is an ok pairing. The Irish cheddar is a strong flavor which is being paired with a lighter sweeter wine. While this was the first wine I put down on this list- it is the last one I paired stuff with. Looking back- this wine has more tannins than I thought, and they get highlighted with the cheddar flavor. With Smoked Gouda: I think this is also an ok pairing. T...

  Name: Nobilo Variety: Sauvignon Blanc Region: Marlborough Country: New Zealand Year: 2020 Price: $13 Winery Review: "Fresh, crisp and clean with zesty flavors of ripe tropical fruits, especially passionfruit and pineapple with subtle hints of green herbs. The wine is intensely flavored with balanced mouthwatering acidity and a generous finish." Wine Folly: Wine folly says that Sauvignon Blanc is a uniquely flavored, herbaceous white wine. It notes high acidity levels, with moderate alcohol and body levels. The sweet level that wine folly listed in the graphic is lower than I would put it, I would be curious to see what the high level sweet wines taste like. It also notes that it would go well with Asian food, and I never really thought about Asian food but I could see how sweeter Asian food could pair with this. It is also to note that the wine I picked out is from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, where Sauvignon Blanc is the most exported grape. My Review: I overall ...

Name: Wildberry Blast Variety: "smooth blush grape" "used with grapes sourced from all over the world" Region: Olney, Maryland Country: USA Year: 2021 Price: $14 Winery Review: "smooth blush grape wine bursting with wild berry flavors, refreshingly sweet with an ATOMIC kick Wine Folly: n/a..no specific listed name on the wine bottle since the grapes come various areas. My Review: The smell closely follows what the wine tastes like...low quality. The smell has a harsh alcohol smell with little hint of any natural flavor. The taste is similar, with berry/artificial flavors dominating any grape that may be in there. Even the color I find to be unnatural, while it tries to imitate the color of a rose blush wine, the taste is completely different. I think this really should be classified as a fortified wine.