Sunday, April 10, 2016

Tasting - "Summerville Park"



Name: Summerville Park
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Parkers Estate
Country: USA
Year: 2015
Price: $9.99

Winery Review: Aromas of blackberries, eucalyptus and leather, layered with flavors of black plum and red cherry, with hints of cinnamon and star anise. Pairs beautifully with braised short ribs or Asian beef stir-fry.

My Review: The smell was a very fruity/berry smell. Very full but also had a dry and pungy aspect to it. The legs... beautiful. The taste was interesting. It was kind of harsh and acidity. Very dry and blackberry finish. I love Cab, was a little disappointed with this wine. I would not buy it again. I ate a Kroger ice cream sandwich with it, did not do anything to benefit the wine or the sandwich. I also ate egg rolls with it... HORRIBLE. very bad. very very bad. I also left a glass out overnight... oh yeah.. bad. I thought maybe it would make the wine better, but nope. Way way too sweet and berry like tasting. Tasted spoiled.

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Dinner - "The Edge Round 2"

To start off, I've had one hell of a day. Straight chaos. First off I am still hungover from the weekend (great weekend), 2nd I have been breaking and dropping stuff all day. I didn't want to move from my apt which is when I realized I have chicken, corn, ice cream and way over 3 bottles of wine so.. dinner blog round numero dos.

Started off with a nice corn on the cob (but since its not the great corn of NJ (best state in the United States)) I had to cut it off the cob. First cut and all hell started to break loose.



I continued to drop the whole cob on the floor for a second time...

Our app:




A nice Bay Bridge chardonnay, and by nice I mean absolutely horrible; a horrible $2.99 bottle of wine. Very disappointed. It had a musty smell with a very bland flavor. Just blah blah blah. It also had the worst acidity aftertaste. It was such a bad aftertaste to the point where I didn't even want to finish it. It hung around and was very harsh. All around bad wine. Wish I wasn't so broke and could buy better wine (but my tax refund just came in so holla). Idk why I said holla, i hate that word.


Now on to the dinner:


And then my day gets worse:



If you don't know what that is, its one of these shitters:


So yes my day got worse.

But dinner, DELICIOUS:



This though, very nice wine! And only $4.99!! It was a Crane Lake Sangiovese (no idea how to pronounce it but yes, I like it). When I first poured it, a lot lighter than I expected. Very light red that the light when right through. Sniffy Sniff (I hate Gary), delicious smell, very fruity with a hint of cherry and just tons of berries and fruit. Tasted just as good! It filled my whole pallet and tons of taste; cherry, berry goodness. Very impressed for the price. Really delicious.

On to dessert (I am about to explode at this point):


Even with me dying of exstufftion (the act of being too stuffed) , damn did I put down this ice cream. So another $2.99 Bay Bridge bottle except this one is my favorite type of wine, Cabernet Sauvignon. Yes, I was very nervous but hallallua, it was surprisingly good! I knew it from the very beginning. I loved the color! Not too light or dark, looked very appetizing. Had a nice fruity smell and exploded with flavor. Very full and berry/cherry like. Which is WHY i LOVED IT WITH MY ICE CREAM!! (yes mine was the cherry garcia). It meshed perfectly. Literally every time i take a bite i need to sip my wine. DELICIOUS! Brings out the smooth cherry ice cream taste, but it isn't too strong. Very very verrry good!!! I will now always get a bottle of cab when i get cherry garcia!

Great hungover dinner blog day. Until next time, adios.


Ahh shit.. pissed i had to go back and edit this. I forgot to add how my day got worse. My favorite wine glass...



Yep shattered everywhere once dinner was officially ready. I am not setting a date on my calendar to go out and buy a nice ass wine glass (I honestly wanted to go out right now but not a chance I'm under a .08 soo.. yeah didn't happen).

And again adios mothafuckas 

Tasting - "Cupcake"



Name: Cupcake
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Trentino
Country: Italy
Year: 2014
Price: $9.99

Winery Review:  Escape to Italy with our Pinot Grigio sourced from Trentino. Full and complex, this wine has a nose that hints of pineapple, pears and sweet lemons. Tropical fruits are integrated with the zest of citrus fruits and give way to a creamy mid-palate. We achieved depth and complexity through a combination of winemaking methods. First, grapes were hand-picked, de-stemmed and crushed prior to undergoing cool fermentation in steel tanks and an extended maceration. A small portion of the wine was made with the traditional passito method: we dried harvested grapes on straw mats for several weeks, then gently pressed and fermented them before blending.

My review: Actually surprised how good it was. My roommate's girlfriend bought it and I copped a nice sniff and sip from her. It had a very fruity smell, a calming fruity smell. Kinda apple like with a hint of raspberry. Tasted really full for a white wine but also very light and not too sweet. I really enjoyed this wine. I also had corn with this wine. Very very good. Complemented it well.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Dinner - "The Edge (grillin all sorts of dank food)"

Well the day has come. Finally got myself (and a friend) to do the dinner blog. I am very into cooking but I never really wanted to put the effort into capturing the whole experience (with photos and select wines and such), but I finally did it. So here it is: (bear with me through the random photos and drunken day I have had preparing food and drinking all afternoon).

It all started when I woke up chugged water and made my way to D2 brunch. As I was guzzling down 6+ plates of D2 it all hit me, I wanted to avoid doing actual homework and just drink wine all day long. So.. yes, that's what i did. (sorry if i have grammatical errors or if my sentences blow, I am on a crunch time of midnight (which really really should be more like 2am.. what college student has time to finish everything by midnight)).

So after D2 it was off to Gucci Kroger (i wanted a bigger selection of wine that was also hopefully on sale). After being in Kroger for 30 seconds and buying flowers for no good reason, I knew it was going to be an interesting (and very expensive) Kroger trip.


My friend I decided to go all out on this dinner. We started off with an appetizer of roasted red pepper hummus with pita chips and Bagel crisps.


We got a white Chardonnay to go with our app. When I first opened the wine, the smell stuck out right away... ew.. My friend brought this wine and I didn't want to be rude and tell her that I hated it (since she really liked the wine) but ew.. It was blah. The smell really threw off my taste and with the sweetness and a horrible after taste that followed... not my favorite. But what totally blew my mind was how fu**in good the wine ended up turning out to be when it was paired with the appetizer. I have NO IDEA what happened but the wine suddenly became so much more appetizing. I would say that it moved up over 30 points in my book (not that I have any idea how to rate wine in the slightest bit). It just really complemented the Parmesan pita chips and the hummus.

After the appetizer I started to prepare dinner (and yes I did EVERYTHING. You would think the female would prepare dinner but nah.. times have changed)




Yep, I know, looking delicious. That's 3 zucchini, asparagus, sirloin steak, tons of onions and garlic, and to top it all off, shrimp (I'm mildly alergic to shrimp, but I love it so much, just pop a benadryl and keep chowing).

Grilled all of the food at the wonderful Edge grills.











and ba ba ba baaaaa:








Yes, yes I know. I'm impressed with myself. The meal was delicious. Now what the blog is truly about. We had a Merlot that went perfectly with the steak. It was delicious. I wish that I would have spent more than $2.99 on the bottle of wine because the meal definitely deserved it! But even for being a cheap bottle, it went really well with the meal. I loved it with the blue cheese. It also had a very full flavor and really brought out the meaty red delicious goodness of the steak as well as the garlic aroma of vegetables and shit. I ate every single bite like the fatass I'm proud to be.

Then after a long hour plus of being unconscious on the couch thinking that my stomach is going to explode, we moved on to desert.




Some nice ice cream sandwiches and Pinot Noir. This wine was a gift from my friend's friend and it was delicious! Correction : it IS delicious, as I am currently still drinking it now. My friend has already tapped out and let me finish off the bottle. It has been one of my favorite bottles that I have had for this wine class and it really made me happy. I need to stop buying bottles for under $5 and actually grow a sack and buy some nice wine, because this wine truly shows why paying more is definitely worth it. I don't know if ice cream is just great but this wine went perfectly with it. It really brought out the rich creamy chocolate factor of the ice cream. Loved the wine, loved the dinner blog, loved everything about it. Had a great time and drank more than I should have.. great day. Night.

Tasting - "Red Wood Creek"


Name: Red Wood Creek
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: N/A
Country: California
Year: 2010
Price: $9.99

Winery Review: “We craft our Redwood Creek Cabernet Sauvignon in a medium-bodied style with a rich dark fruit character. Notes of spice, mocha and vanilla culminate in a plush mouthfeel. This rich, flavorful wine can stand up to hearty pastas, grilled meats and sharp cheeses."

My Review: Really enjoyed this Cab. I drank this in between preparing my dinner for the dinner blog. It had a delicious aftertaste. Very smooth and pretty much what I expected with buying this wine. There was a hit of spic with a powerful rich taste. I would definitely buy this wine again. Went well with chips and pepper-jack cheese.

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Tasting - "Z. Alexander Brown #2"




Name: Z. Alexander Brown
Variety: Red Blend
Region: North Coast
Country: California
Year: 2013
Price: $13.99 (on sale)

Winery Review: “The North Coast is some of the finest land in the world for growing grapes. The region offers a range of sub-appellations and growing conditions, and by sourcing from a diversity of sites, our Z. Alexander Brown Proprietary Red Blend achieves complexity and real dimension. We met at Zac’s home for the final blending session and came away with a lush, mouth filling wine that is smooth and round with a generous finish."

My Review: This wine was just iffy. It did not have a very bold taste at all and was light and smooth. I would drink this wine if someone bought it for me, but I would not have actually bought this wine in stores. It went well with cheese.

Tasting - "Z. Alexander Brown"




Name: Z. Alexander Brown
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Russian River Valley
Country: California
Year: 2013
Price: $11.99 (on sale)

Winery Review: "Clear burgundy color. Aroma with a hint of strawberry and pepper. Very smooth, no tannins, light with restrained fruit. Short finish."

My Review: This was my second favorite wine that I tasted in Kroger at WVU. It had a light taste that didn't burst with much flavor. I tasted a little bit of pepper and went down very smoothly. I ate mozzarella with this wine, it tasted good with it.

Tasting - " Robert Mondavi"




Name: Robert Mondavi
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Monterey County
Country: California
Year: 2014
Price: $11.99 (on sale)

Winery Review: "It’s about 2,500 miles from Kentucky Bourbon country to our Central Coast vineyards. But one sip will tell you, it’s one long-distance relationship that was always meant to be."
 
My Review: Out of the three wines that I tasted at the Kroger in WVU, this was my favorite. I really like Cabernet Sauvignon's, but this one was on my lower side of liking. There wasn't much flavor and was bland. It had a oak like taste. I ate it with different types of cheeses and chicken dishes, which made the wine much better.
 

Tasting - "René Barbier"




Name: René Barbier
Variety: Mediterranean White
Region: Barcelona
Country: Spain
Year: N/A
Price: $3.99 (on sale)

Winery Review: "America’s favorite Spanish white wine, René Barbier Mediterranean White is refreshingly light and crisp. Its fresh, flowery flavor and low acidity make it both soft and lasting on the palate. There are aromas of apple and pineapple with a light citrus finish."

 
My Review: Hated it. Straight up, that's all I have to say. The price does it justice. Really nothing special what so ever. Very bland taste. Honestly tasted like chlorine. This wine proves my theory even more that I am a red wine drinker. Didn't eat with it, could barley finish my glass. 

Tasting - "Turning Leaf"




Name: Turning Leaf
Variety: Merlot
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: N/A
Price: $4.99 (on sale)

Winery Review: "Full Bodied; blends flavors of black cherry, ripe plumb and hints of oak for velvety richness."

My Review: LOVED IT! I was very skeptical at first when my friend bought the wine since it was so cheap, but I fell in love. It was absolutely delicious. A very full warming taste. I had this wine with a DX grilled chicken wrap. This wine would be good with any meal. Definitely trying to buy it again especially if it is on sale. Great deal!

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Tasting - "Cupcake"








Name: Cupcake
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Central Coast, California
Country: USA
Year: N/A
Price: $8.99

Winery Review: "A big, rich wine from California’s Central Coast, our full and elegantly textured Chardonnay has decadent levels of butter, cream, bright citrus and vanilla. These layers melt into a balance of oak and subtle spice. This wine epitomizes the Central Coast’s crisp and vibrant Chardonnay character. We use a malolactic fermentation to impart rich buttery flavor, then leave the wine sur lie to achieve a full, soft body. Aging for nine months in premium American oak barrels enhances the golden color, adds creamy texture, and injects nuances of subtle toasty oak and spice."

My Review: For the price, I really liked this wine! It had a nice crisp taste and really brought flavor into your mouth. It felt very full while also having a light taste. I was intrigued by this wine and will consider buying it again. I basically bought it because I liked the name, which actually worked out for me. I did not eat with this wine but I feel like a piece of cake would have gone well with it.


Tasting - "Sutter Home Moscato"









Name: Sutter Home
Variety: Moscato
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: N/A
Price: $8

Winery Review: "You don't have to visit a farmers market to take in the rousing scents of rose, lychee fruit, and peach. Just open a bottle of our Moscato wine. A little sweet and very likeable, it speaks of the good life. Beautifully balanced, with good acidity, the creamy peach and honeydew melon will linger on your tongue. Serve while chilled, with light cheeses, desserts, fruits, and loved ones."


My Review: This wine is wayyyy to sweet. It gave me a headache right after my first glass. I did not like it at all. I do like how cheap it is but I will never buy this wine (luckily my friend bought this one). I did not eat with this wine, but maybe I should have so I wouldn't have got a headache.