Tasting - Beliveau Farm Estate Reserve

Name: Beliveau Farm Estate Reserve

Variety: Merlot 100%

Region of Origin: Blacksburg, Virginia                                                                    

Country of Origin: United States

Vintage Year: 2019

Price: ~$25

Winery Review: One year in French oak gives this Merlot a creamy nose with traces of soft pepper. With traditional flavors of light red fruit, this wine is made for roast duck or lean cuts of beef.

Wine Folly: (Pg. 308) Merlot is loved for it’s boisterous black cherry flavors, supple tannins, and smoky or chocolaty finish. It’s often found in a Bordeaux blend with Cabernet Franc.

Merlot tastes great alongside roasted foods like pork shoulder, roasted mushrooms, or braised short ribs. Try complementing the fruit notes with chimichurri sauce!

My Review: The wine hits you with something fruity that can be related to some red fruit. It has a little bit of a creamy, woody smell with something floral but also spicy which could be related to a fresh green peppercorn. When tasting the wine, it has a creamy taste with the red fruit being prominent along with a slight bit of what seems like a floral green peppercorn at the back plus a little spice. The wine is a little but not too dry. There is a good balance in it between all the flavors.  I liked this wine a good bit with its red fruit taste plus the floral, spicy peppercorn along with its nice balance and I would try this wine again, especially with foods that would go well with the peppercorn taste.

I tasted this on its own and not paired with food.

Tasting - Beliveau Farm Sandy Ridge

Name: Beliveau Farm Sandy Ridge

Variety: Vidal Blanc 100%

Region of Origin: Blacksburg, Virginia                                                                    

Country of Origin: United States

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: ~$25

Winery Review: This unique batch of Vidal Blanc has savory notes of pistachio with underlying perceived sweetness of classic apple and caramel. Early harvesting results in a subtle nose and tasting profile. This picnic pairing is great with pork and sauerkraut as the weather warms.

Wine Folly: (Pg. 285) A late harvest sweet wine that can only be made when grapes naturally freeze in the vineyard. Popular varieties include Riesling, Vidal Blanc, and Cabernet Franc.

Ice wines are perfect with fruit tarts, cheesecake, ice cream, and soft and pungent cheeses such as Brie and Camember.

My Review: This hits you with a scent of fresh fruitiness quite similar to that of a freshly harvested green apple. There is a little hint of nuttiness on the backend of fruity smell which was quite surprising. When tasting it was bright, acidic, and sweet. I like how balanced the wine was with the acidity helping tone down the sweetness to a pleasant level. It also was quite refreshing when drinking and would be good on a nice summer day. I liked this wine as it had a nice fruitiness with the refreshing aspect of it along with its nice balance and I would try this wine again, especially with food.

I tasted this on its own and not paired with food.

Tasting - 19 Crimes

Name: 19 Crimes

Variety: Shiraz 86%, Merlot 7%, Cabernet 7%

Region of Origin: South Eastern Australia

Country of Origin: Australia

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: ~$20

Winery Review: Our red blend bears the same traits as those banished to Australia. Defiant by nature, bold in character. Always uncompromising. It's a taste you'll never forget.

Wine Folly: (Pg. 399) A rich, powerful, and sometimes meaty red wine that originated in the Rhône Valley of France. It’s the most planted grape of Australia, where it’s called Shiraz. 

Darker meats and exotic spices bring out the fruit notes of Syrah. Try it with lamb shawarma, gyros, Asian five-spice pork, and Indian tandoori.

My Review: The wine hits you with a scent of fruitiness which I would say is some berry-like to blueberry as described by wine folly. There is definitely a slight smell of what seems like a cigarette which relates to tobacco as described by wine folly. When tasting it has taste like a cigarette towards the end and the blueberry taste is quite prominent in the taste. The wine has a pleasant sweet taste mixed with a dry taste of the wine and it results in it being quite balanced overall which is pleasant. I don't really get much of the milk chocolate or green peppercorn but I do get a little dark chocolate. I paired it with a little aged Gouda and it really helped bring out the fruity taste of the wine and I liked it. I liked this wine a good bit with its prominent blueberry taste along with its nice balance and I would try this wine again.

I tasted this on its own and also paired it with some aged Gouda.

Tasting - Yellow Tail Shiraz

Name: Yellow Tail Shiraz

Variety: Shiraz

Region of Origin: South Eastern Australia

Country of Origin: Australia

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: ~$7

Winery Review: Wine Spectator-South Eastern Australia- "This vibrant red shows juicy blackberry flavors and hints of spice, finishing with an open texture." The palate is perfectly balanced, with soft tannins and fine French oak, complemented by ripe fruit flavors.

Wine Folly: (Pg. 399) A rich, powerful, and sometimes meaty red wine that originated in the Rhône Valley of France. It’s the most planted grape of Australia, where it’s called Shiraz. 

Darker meats and exotic spices bring out the fruit notes of Syrah. Try it with lamb shawarma, gyros, Asian five-spice pork, and Indian tandoori.

My Review: The wine is bright and hits you with a scent of fruitiness off the bat for which I would relate to some form of berry.  When tasting it has an aftertaste of something herbaceous and the berry taste is quite prominent in the taste. The wine is definitely a dry wine and it seems sweet though it isn't overly sickly sweet due to the dryness of the wine. I don't really get much of the area where milk chocolate or green peppercorn lie. I liked this wine with its prominent berry taste along with its simple sweet taste mixed with dry sensation and I would try this wine again.

I tasted this on its own and not paired with food.

Tasting - Karl-Josef Piesporter Michelsberg

Name: Karl-Josef Piesporter Michelsberg

Variety: 100% Riesling

Region of Origin: Mosel River Valley

Country of Origin: Germany

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: ~$11

Winery Review: Juicy lime and gooseberry notes abound in this very fruity, easy-drinking kabinett. Off-dry and blossomy in style, it's a bold, primary sip with just a hint of salty minerality on the finish for elegance.

Wine Folly: An aromatic white variety that can produce white wines ranging in style from bone-dry to very sweet. Germany is the world’s most important producer of Riesling.

Off-dry Riesling wines make a great pairing to spicy Indian and Asian cuisines and do excellently alongside duck, pork, bacon, shrimp, and crab. 

My Review: The wine smells bright and quite similar to apple juice. When tasting it the same apple juice flavor comes out. It is a dryer wine as the moisture is sucked from my mouth when a sip is taken. I get a slight beeswax smell and taste also. There was a slight lime aftertaste which was pleasant when paired with the others. The wine was nice and acidic with my mouth watering after having a sip. This was paired with shrimp scampi and it accentuated the salty taste of it quite well and worked well with the shrimp, helping mellow out the seafood taste of the shrimp. I liked this wine with it being slightly and I would try this wine again especially paired with food.

I tasted this on its own and paired it with shrimp scampi.

Tasting - Chateau Ste. Michelle

Name: Chateau Ste. Michelle

Variety: 91% Riesling, 9% Muscat 

Region of Origin: Columbia Valley, WA

Country of Origin: USA

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: ~$11

Winery Review: Our Harvest Select Riesling is made in a slightly sweeter style than our Columbia Valley Riesling but still shows the classic Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling's character. It offers rich flavors of ripe peaches balanced with crisp Washington Riesling acidity. It’s like a bowl of fruit in a glass!

Wine Folly: Pg. 370 An aromatic white variety that can produce white wines ranging in style from bone-dry to very sweet. Germany is the world’s most important producer of Riesling.

Off-dry Riesling wines make a great pairing to spicy Indian and Asian cuisines and do excellently alongside duck, pork, bacon, shrimp, and crab. 

My Review: The wine smells bright and quite similar to apple juice. When tasting it the same apple juice flavor comes out and it is definitely a sweet wine. It is sweet but it isn't overly sickly sweet. I get a small aftertaste of petroleum at the end. I don't really get much of the lime or beeswax but those could have been mixed with the other green apple or petroleum flavor. The wine was nice and acidic with my mouth watering after having a sip. I liked this wine with its bright apple juice-like taste and I would try this wine again.

I tasted this on its own and not paired with food.

My Experience with Wine

My name is Calvin. I myself personally grew up with a family that preferred beer, so the most experience I have is with beer. I haven't had much experience with wine in my life until I reached university. Most of the wines I've had then were mainly sweeter wines (which were mainly white wines) just by themselves as I didn't have a liking for drinks that weren't sweet till recently. Those were the most I've had normally and maybe one or two red wines at wedding dinners though I didn't like them at the time because they tasted very bitter to me. 

I personally now like wines that are dry and a little bitter after having additional experience with many different types of beers. This has introduced me to many different types of wines and I've picked up a preference for dry wines. I personally like Rieslings especially with a nice dinner due to that being one of the wines I've had staying in Germany for the first time and one wine I actually enjoyed Apart from that, I don't have a large amount of experience with other wines apart from the sweeter white wines like Moscato.

I hope that in this class. I find more wines that I can enjoy regularly as I only have one type currently along with that I hope I can be the one that can introduce wine to my family gatherings. I additionally hope that I can understand the labels on the wine bottles and be able to talk the talk about wines, when at any dinner or family gathering.

~Cheers!!!