Tasting- Protocolo Vino de la Tierra de Castilla

Name: Protocolo Vino de la Tierra de Castilla

Variety: Airen, Macabeo

Price: $6.95

Region: Castilla

Country: Spain

Year: 2012

Description: Mostly Airen with a little bit of Macabeo. Grenish gold. Subtle aromas of mint, lemon, and orange, with a hint of honeysuckle. Dry, understated and focused, offering clean citrus and melon flavors and slow-building sweetness. Finishes dry and brisk, with an echo of lemon. As usual, this is an outstanding wine. 

Sweet, with a peachy finish. Yummy!

Tasting- Peter Lehmann Chardonnay

Name: Peter Lehmann Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Price: $9.95

Region: 

Country: Spain

Year: 2010

Description: The 2012 Chardonnay presents subtle notes of spiced apple slices and ripe peaches with hints of freshly baked bread and melon. Light bodied, clean and refreshingly crisp in the mouth, it offers just enough apple and pear flavor concentration, finishing with medium-long persistence. Drink it now to 2014.

Not good on the nose, sort of a sickly odor actually...tart taste. 

Tasting- Vina Borgia Borsao

Name: Vina Borgia Borsao

Variety: Grenache

Price: $6.95

Region: Campo de Borja

Country: Spain

Year: 2012

Description: 86 points- Robert Parker

Also made from 100% Grenache, the 2012 Vina Borgia was fermented and aged in stainless steel. Its medium dark ruby color is followed by abundant notes of strawberries and black cherries offered in a straightforward, medium-bodied, soft, hedonistic, round style. It is hard to believe a wine this good can sell for $7 a bottle. Enjoy it over the next 1-2 years.

This is a very dark, fruity, unique-tasting red. Tannic finish, but good.

Tasting- Entrada Malbec

Name: Entrada Malbec

Variety: Malbec

Price: $5.95

Region: 

Country: Chile

Year: 2013

Description: Firm and structured, this is a solid wine, laced with mineral acidity and tight tannins. It has a juicy, blackberry fruit component cutting through the texture. 

Big, juicy, natural fruit flavor. 

Tasting- Jam Jar Sweet Wine

 Name: Jam Jar Sweet Wine

Variety: Muscat

Price: $8.95

Region: 

Country: South Africa

Year: 2011

Description: 100% Muscat. Soft floral hints add depth to the otherwise straightforward ripe peach and nectarine aromas. There's a good balance in the mouth, with a nice acidic lift and slightly lime edge to cut the sweetness on the finish and close with the faintest hint of honeydew melons. 

Strong honeysuckle on the nose; VERY sweet; some vanilla on the palate as well.

Tasting- R Wines Eco. Love

Name: R Wines Eco. Love Riesling

Variety: Riesling

Price: $18

Region: South Island

Country: New Zealand

Year: 

Description: Our South Island Riesling has a range and combination of flavors unlike any other. These flavors span citrus, root ginger, white peach, spices, and florals. eco.love Riesling is made in balance to an off-dry style. Food pairing: Asian Fusion, Seafood, Curry, and anything spicy. 

This "eh ok" wine tasted of ginger to me, which is kind of spicy itself. Like a ginger ale wine. 

Tasting- Toschi Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Toschi Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $8.95

Region: California

Country: United States

Year: 

Description: Well-balanced flavors of dark berries and plums. Spicy fruit finish.

This wine had a very hot, alcoholic taste. It also tasted to me like peanuts in a paper bag. 

Tasting- White Men of Gotham Chardonnay Semillon

Name: White Men of Gotham Chardonnay Semillon

Variety: Chardonnay Semillon

Price: $7.95

Region: 

Country: Australia

Year: 

Description: Chardonnay Semillon is a blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Semillon. It gives moderate intensity of melon, guava, apricot and butterscotch aromas. The medium-bodied palate provides attractive acidity along with plenty of tropical fruit flavors and a medium-long finish. 

This blend had nothing on the nose to offer, but was very smooth and tasted of honey, with a dry and almost salty finish. 

Tasting- Indwe Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Indwe Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Price: $7.95

Region: Coastal region of Western Cape

Country: South Africa

Year: 

Description: Grapes are meticulously sourced from our grape producers along the Coastal Region of the Western Cape ensuring complexity and freshness in the wine. Indwe Sauvignon Blanc is full of layers, balance, and persistence. The wine is imbued with tropical and citrus notes, with hints of melon and gooseberry flavors.

This wine had grapefruit on the nose, followed by a subtle but still present lemongrass flavor on the palate. 

Tasting- Canyon Road Pinot Noir

Name: Canyon Road Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Noir

Price: $6.95

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 

Description: Rich, fruit forward cherry flavors, soft tannins, a medium body and a smooth velvety finish. Pairs well with creamy soups, salmon, and savory pork dishes. 

This red was woody, fruity, and creamy at the same time, which made for an overall pretty good taste.  

Tasting- Valerie Hill Bellaria

Name: Valerie Hill Bellaria

Variety: Vidal Blanc

Price: $23

Region: Virginia

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Description: Deriving its name from the Latin word for "dessert," our 100% Vidal Blanc dessert wine is pleasantly sweet, yet light on the palate. With a fruity aroma and flavors of sweet pineapple and ripe peach, Bellaria is the perfect ending to any meal, or an anytime treat for sweet wine connoisseurs.

This delicious dessert wine displayed peach, apple, and some pineapple on the palate. It was VERY fruity, smooth and light. 

Tasting- Valerie Hill John Barron Petit Verdot

Name: Valerie Hill John Barron Petit Verdot

Variety: Petit Verdot

Price: $36

Region: Virginia

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Description: Inspired by the story of Civil War soldier Private John M. Barron, our 2012 Petit Verdot is destined to create winemaking history for Valerie Hill. This bold, rustic red wine greets the glass with aromas of pencil shavings, smoked spice, and cedar. Dense flavors of dark black cherry, blackberry, and black plum march on the palate. With rigid tannins and a concentrated nature, this wine pairs well with rich red meats, well-aged cheeses, and game. 

Phillip showed us Private Barron's jacket- which they actually have -intact- on display in one of the front rooms. He also said that the Virginia Tech extension farms are right down the road from Valerie Hill's location in Stephens City, VA. Phillip told us that Petit Verdot wasn't grown in VA until 1986; while it was being used in wine blends, VT suggested that they make a wine from that particular grape. Phillip says this wine received a rating of 90. I tasted pencil shavings, wood, and a defined tartness. 

Tasting- Valerie Hill Stone Chimney Red

Name: Valerie Hill Stone Chimney Red

Variety: Chambourcin, Merlot, Cabernet Franc,and Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $24

Region: Virginia

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Description: A blend of Chambourcin, Merlot, Cabernet Franc,and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Aromas and flavors of blueberry, ripe plum, and new leather.  Fresh acidity and soft tannins.

Phillip of the Valerie Hill winery was telling me the history of the stone chimney on the property. The house at Valerie Hill was built by Revolutionary War Captain Peter Rust in 1807. Aside from the house and the vineyards, there is an old stone chimney off to the side. Historians have concluded that it was too close to the house for it to have been slave quarters. Through reading the journals and diaries of those who lived at Valerie Hill, it was found that a tavern once stood in that location. The old stone chimney is all that remains, but lives on the wine bottles of today. This wine smelled heavily of boot leather and had a deep, smokey taste.

Tasting- Valerie Hill Cabernet Franc

Name: Valerie Hill Cabernet Franc

Variety: Cabernet Franc

Price: $28

Region: Virginia

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Description: Hints of vanilla and tobacco enhance the dark fruit aromas.  Flavors of dark cherry, ripe dark berries, currants, and a touch of cinnamon.

The flavors in this red were as active as the spirits allegedly are in this haunted 1807 home; pepper, oak, tobacco and BOLD spice were all clearly present in this tannic red. I also detected whispers of cinnamon at the finish. 

Tasting- Valerie Hill Manor House White

Name: Valerie Hill Manor House White

Variety: Vidal Blanc, Riesling

Price: $26

Region: Virginia

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Description: Vidal Blanc, Riesling, and a touch of Traminette are blended to create this year's Manor House White. Aromas of fresh sliced green apple, peach, and perfumed spice open to the luscious flavors of juicy pear, white peach, and candied citrus peel.

This fourth wine, a semi-sweet white, was fermented in stainless steel. I was hit with a punch of something sweet but tart on the nose, which was then followed by lemongrass, peach, and apple accents. 

Tasting- Valerie Hill Chardonnay (American Oak)

Name: Valerie Hill Chardonnay from American Oak

Variety: Chardonnay

Price: $26

Region: Virginia

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Description: Stainless steel fermentation followed by 9 months in 20% new and 80% neutral French oak. Aromas of apple and pear precede flavors of orchard fruits. A secondary malolactic fermentation lends to the wine's soft, buttery finish. 

The second Chardonnay in the Valerie Hill wine series, this 2012 wine was aged in new American oak barrels. It was sweet smelling on the nose, and definitely had the oaky-buttery flavor like the review mentions. I haven't been too receptive to this flavor profile in Chardonnays, but the butter in this one was very noticeable. I enjoyed this Chardonnay more than the Francis Coppola that I had for my wine dinner.

Note: The wine worksheet with description the owner gave me says this wine was aged in stainless steel and French oak, but when the owner presented this Chardonnay, he said it was aged in American oak. Either way, I enjoyed it. 

Tasting- Valerie Hill Chardonnay

Name: Valerie Hill Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Price: $27

Region: Virginia

Country: USA

Year: 2011

Description: Fresh aromas of pear and honeysuckle with flavors of crisp green apple and bright citrus. Fermented in predominantly neutral oak.  86 Points - Wine Enthusiast

The second dry white in the Valerie Hill Winery tasting series, this chardonnay was actually a bit skunky on the nose. Phillip, the owner, told me that this wine won a competition out of 328 wines. He also said that this particular grape was pulled two weeks early. I found it was a very sweet, citrusy wine, with hints of grass as well. 

Tasting- Valerie Hill Seyval Blanc

Name: Valerie Hill Seyval Blanc

Variety: Seyval

Price: $23

Region: Virginia

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Description: This 100% Seyval Blanc opens with aromas of grapefruit, pineapple, honeysuckle, and a hint of lemongrass. On the palate this wine presents flavors of grapefruit, green apple, and honeydew. With its bright, fresh acidity our Seyval Blanc is a perfect summer wine!

The first of 8 wines in the Valerie Hill series, this dry white definitely presented grapefruit to me. It was tart, fruity, and lemony, with a finish that ended quite abrubtly. 

Wine dinner with the family!

Wine and food pairing dinner at the Sorensons

Tuesday March 11, 2014

Cheers!

Appetizers: Brie, strawberry, basil & honey baguettes

                     Caesar salad with Cardini's Caesar dressing

   Paired with  Francis Coppola Chardonnay

Main Course: Spaghetti with homemade meatballs

                        Garlic bread

   Paired with Kendall Jackson Merlot

Dessert: Key Lime Coconut Angel Food Cake

  Paired with Lunes Moscato & Mango 

I began dinner preparations at 4pm the day of. Grandma and Grandpa were invited, so it had to be good. "I'll be over at 6 for wine and drunken brawl" affirmed Grandpa. 

I wanted to make something simple, yet sophisticated. So, I opted for a nice spaghetti dinner, with homemade meatballs, a fancy appetizer and dessert.

I found these brie baguette bites from Cookin' Canuck, and never having experienced Brie, decided to give them a try. They were a total hit, and went really nicely with the Chardonnay I picked out. Try them sometime- they're a great little appetizer for get-togethers! 

I decided to make my own meatballs for the spaghetti, just to class it up a bit. I seasoned the balls in a mixture of salt, pepper, Italian season, and onion powder with improv bread crumbs (read: toast.) 

I read that a nice oakey-buttery Chardonnay would pair well with salads, so I went with a standard Caesar mix. Parmesan cheese, garlic croutons, and fresh romaine and spinach leaves. Oddly enough, I even got compliments on the salad.

After reading the backs of about 5 or 6 bottles of various Chardonnays at the grocery store, I chose the Francis Coppola Chardonnay from CA. It was sweet, dry, had a chewy and tart taste. It really complemented the brie in my baguettes, but left a slightly bitter taste in the mouth when mixed with the Caesar dressing. 

My Dad's favorite Kendall Jackson Merlot from Napa Valley was paired with my spaghetti course. This big red is very woody and extremely tannic. I really didn't care for it much, but Dad obviously did. There was must, yeast, and earthy tones on the nose- dare I say the Oak Monster made an appearance? I thought it complimented the meatballs in the tomato sauce nicely, despite its strong flavor. 

For dessert, I decided to pop open a gifted bottle of Lunes Moscato and Mango. I had the hardest time deciding what would pair with this wine, because it's not your typical moscato. The alcohol content was only 6%, so I figured the mango flavor would be pretty noticeable.

Because of this, I settled on making a Key Lime Coconut Angel Food cake, using a recipe from Tablespoon. I thought the similar tropical flavors might complement the mango. While all were skeptical about this sweet wine, it actually turned out to be a good pick! It was light, fresh, bubbly, and went GREAT with the strong lime frosting on the cake. Though the wine did taste heavily of mango, that was no setback. 

My first wine and food pairing- success! Grandpa said he'd even "write a commendation for me for any eligible man." 

Cheers!