Jacob's Wine Blog

Wine Label Me With Bottle Name: Milton Park Shiraz Varietal: Shiraz/Syrah Region: South Australia Country: Australia Year: 2018 Price: $9.99 Tasting Notes from Kysela Pere Et Fils: "On the nose, this Shiraz displays rich, ripe plum and berry fruit characters which is complemented by subtle spice and oak character. On the palate, further notes of berries and spice are present with soft round tannins which provides a mouth filling richness to the wine." Source: https://www.kysela.com/wine/milton-park-shiraz.html#:~:text=On%20the%20nose%2C%20this%20Shiraz,filling%20richness%20to%20the%20wine. Wine Folly Notes - p. 172 Blueberry, plum, milk chocolate, tobacco, green peppercorn Big body, medium-high alcohol High acidity, high tannins Low sweetness Rich, powerful, sometimes meaty My Review: The aroma of this wine was very sweet, mostly having a plum smell with some cherry influences. The taste of this wine was initially sweet and pleasant, echoing the smell of plum and cherry. The ...

Wine Label Me With Bottle Name: Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin Varietal: Lodi Zinfandel Region: California Country: United States Year: 2020 Price: $7.99 Tasting Notes from Total Wine: "California- Crafted from grapes from 35 to 80 year old vines. Rich, dark berry flavors from the small grape clusters are balanced with French, American and Hungarian oak. Luscious layers of plum, pepper and chocolate provide a lingering and spicy finish." Source: https://www.totalwine.com/wine/red-wine/zinfandel/gnarly-head-old-vine-zinfandel/p/5068750 Wine Folly Notes - p. 189 Blackberry, strawberry, peach preserves, cinnamon, sweet tobacco High alcohol Bold, tannic Low acidity, low sweetness Fruit-forward Jammy fruit and smoky, exotic spice notes My Review: The aroma of this wine started very fruity, but was quickly overtaken by the smell of alcohol. In that fruit, I could detect blackberry and strawberry, agreeing with Wine Folly's notes. The taste of this wine was phenomenally complex and mu...

  Left from right: Me, Ryan, Bob My roommate Bob is also taking this class, so we did this together along with our roommate Ryan. Wine and cheese spread We bought these wines and cheeses while ago with recommendations from the wine consultant at Kroger, but we forgot which wine went with which cheese. I think we made the right pairings, however. Cheese Assortment: Manchego, Havarti Dill, Gruyere Starborough Savignon Blanc My review alone: This wine had a very unique apple and floral aroma, and an equally unique pear flavor. It was very sweet and light, with slight acidity. It felt like I was drinking sparkling fruit punch. This wine was excellent when chilled. My review with Havarti Dill cheese: The Havarti dill balanced the sweetness and the acidity, decreasing the sweetness and increasing the acidity. The cheese brought the Sauvignon Blanc more in line with the Chardonnays I have tasted. The presence of the cheese made the overall body of the wine a little creamier, and the wine ...

  From left to right: Me, Bob, and Ryan My roommate, Bob, is also taking Geography of Wine this semester, so we got together with our third roommate Ryan to do this dinner. We decided to make a Caesar salad, ribeye streak, and fingerling potatoes. We paired the salad with chardonnay, the steak with Malbec, and the potatoes with a rose. We did a few Google searches on the way to Kroger to determine these pairings. Caesar salad with croutons Name: Chateau St. Jean Variety: Chardonnay Region: California Country: United States Year: 2019 My review on its own:  On its own, the Chardonnay was acidic, with an apple aroma and taste with a slight hint of lemon. My review with salad: With the salad, the Chardonnay was much sweeter as the creamy dressing canceled out the acidity. Any acidity that was left was relegated to the aftertaste. Some pear flavor came out when taking a "big gulp." This was a good pairing. Ribeye steak and fingerling potatoes Name: Padrillos Variety: Malbec Regio...

  Name: Six Hats Pinotage Varietal: Pinotage Region: Western Cape Country: South Africa Year: 2019 Price: $9.49 Tasting Notes from Boutique Wine Collection: "Nose: Ripe black plum with violet and some black pepper. Palate: It is clean and fresh on the palate with notes of ripe strawberries and plums with hints of Hoisin and smokey bacon." Source: http://www.boutiquewines.info/wine.php?supplier_id=94&winename=Six%20Hats%20Pinotage&varietal_id=26&country_id= Wine Folly Notes - p. 152 Black Cherry, Blackberry, Fig, Menthol, Roasted Meat Lots of alcohol Big-Bodied Very tannic No acidity, not sweet My Review: This wine had a very strong, deep aroma. The smell was invasive, and it seemed like it was biting my nostrils. The aroma was deceptive, as the taste of this pinotage was much less intense than the smell. It was very dry and tannic, but also very fruity. It also had very little acidity. My observation of the fruit flavors, tannic-ness, and acidity agreed with the n...

  Name: Opici Vino Bianco Blend: 20% Chardonnay, 10% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Trebbiano, 40% Verdicchio Region: Adriatic Coast Country: Italy Year: None Given Price: $11.29 Source: https://www.worldmarket.com/product/opici+vino+bianco.do Tasting Notes from Bremer's Wine & Liquor: "The Marche region of Italy has long been known for producing structured and balanced white wines from the native Verdicchio variety. Trebbiano adds further structure to the final blend, while Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc contribute delicate fruit aromas. Dry in style with a clean, crisp citrusy finish." Source: https://bremerswineandliquor.com/shop/opici-vino-bianco-fish-bottle/ Wine Folly notes for each variety in the blend: Chardonnay - p. 96-97 Yellow Apple Starfruit Pineapple Vanilla Butter Sauvignon Blanc - p. 165 Gooseberry Honeydew Grapefruit White Peach Passionfruit Trebbiano - p. 179 White Peach Lemon Green Apple Seashell Basil Verdicchio - p. 182 Peach Lemon Curd Almond Skin Oily Sal...