Tasting-Puianello Primabolla

Name: Cantina Puianello Primabolla
Variety: Lambrusco
Region: Emilia
Country: Italy
Year: 2020
Price: $12

Winery Review

A soft, lush, super fruit-forward version of sparkling Italian red, it's like a true effervescent dark grape juice. Low acid, semi-full feel, low alcohol. entirely crushable. It'll be your go-to instantly.

Wine Folly

Wine Folly describes Lambrusco as having primary flavor of strawberry, and blackberry, along with rhubarb and hibiscus. I definitely detected some of the red and black berry flavors, but not any of the rhubarb or floral notes. 

My Review

This was a sparking red wine, which I was particular excited to try, as they aren't very common and I always like myself a bubbly beverage. The wine was a dark ruby, with the bubbles being difficult to see given its opacity. On the nose I got strong aromas of plum and red fruit, along with the sharpness of the bubbles. On the palate, I found the wine to be medium bodied, with the bubbles being subdued and with a good balance of acid and tannins. I got strong flavors of raspberry and blackberry. Overall I enjoyed this wine. Of the few sparking red wines I have tried, this is so far my favorite. 

I drank this wine by itself, without any other food. 

Tasting-Saint Hilaire Semi-Sweet

Name: Saint-Hilaire Semi-Sweet Sparkling
Variety: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc
Region: Limoux
Country: France
Year: 2019
Price: $18

Winery Review

Medium bodied, bright and fresh with aromas of ripe fruit, herbs and intense, exotic fruit flavors with distinct minerality and refreshing acidity. Serve with seafood, chicken and fresh goat cheese.

Wine Folly

Wine Folly describes Chardonnay as having tastes of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, and vanilla. Chenin Blanc is described as having similar flavors, along with pear, quince, and chamomile. I detected strong notes of apple and pear, as described, but not any of the secondary spice flavors. 

My Review

The wine was a medium straw color, with medium sized bubbles. On the nose I got hints of light fruit, especially apple and white grapes. It had very strong bubbles on my initial sip, which overpowered a lot of the flavors. Follow-up tastings revealed flavors of apple and pear, with a little bit of citrusy tartness. I found this wine to be very enjoyable, and I think it would be very refreshing on a hot day. 

I had this wine by itself, without any other food. 

Tasting-La Garnacha Salvaje

Name: La Garnacha Salvaje
Variety: Garnacha
Region: Aragon
Country: Spain
Year: 2019
Price: $15

Winery Review

A wine that is surprising due to its roundness and youth. After 5 months of aging in new French oak barrels, this wine expresses all the qualities of the Garnacha in this area of the Ebro Valley. A fruity, fresh and sweet tannin wine capable of satisfying the enthusiasts of this variety. It is a bright garnet colored wine with great depth. While featuring tobacco and wild berry aromas, its freshness and mineral qualities mix resulting in a surprising wine that due to its roundness and youth.  https://www.mtouton.com/products/spain/ribera-de-queiles/97070-2019/proyecto-la-garnacha-salvaje-del-moncayo 

Wine Folly

Wine Folly describes Grenacha/Grenache as having primary tasting notes of Stewed Strawberry, Grilled Plum, leader, and died herbs. In my tasting, I noticed dark fruit notes, along the lines of plum, as well as some spicy/herbaceousness. 

My Review

The wine was a very dark ruby, and was almost entirely opaque. I got notes of dark cherry and plum on the nose, as well as very sweeet notes of dark fruit on the palate. The wine had a medium body with good balance of tannin and acid. I had this wine by itself with no other food. I enjoyed this wine, as I have most of the Spanish wines I have tried. I would enjoy having this wine again, but I think I will branch out from Spanish reds for my next few tastings.

Tasting-Podere Castorani Cadetto Orange

Name: Podere Castorani Cadetto Orange
Variety: Pecorino
Region: Colline Pescaresi 
Country: Italy
Year: 2021
Price: $15

Winery Review

Pecorino whole white grapes were left to sit with their skins to create an orange hue. the spontaneous fermentation and the time spent on the lees before bottling complete the genesis of the complexity of this wine. Floral and spicy aromas complement this intense wine with delicate tannins. 

Wine Folly

I could not find any information on wine folly on the Pecorino variety, but I did find some on https://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-352-pecorino  

Pecorino is a light-skinned wine grape used in Italy's eastern coastal regions, particularly in Marche and Abruzzo. A classic Pecorino-based wine is dry and mineral, straw-yellow in color and has an elegantly floral bouquet of acacia and jasmine.

In my tasting, I noticed the floral notes, but I am not sure I would describe them as acacia or jasmine. 

My Review

The wine was golden orange in color. It had some mild cloudiness, with a large amount of sediment in the bottom of the glass. On the nose, I got very bold floral notes along with some light fruit. On the palate I found the wine to be very light bodies, with mild acid and tannins, along with some notes of apple or pear. The sediment was very fine, and I noticed some of it in the wine which produced an interesting mouth feel. I drank this wine alone without any other food.

This was the first orange wine that I have tried. Overall I liked it. Being between a white and red, I expected it to be comparable to a Rose, but that was not the case.  It was much closer to a traditional white wine, but with some slight hints of tannic features. Overall I liked it, and I plan on including some more orange wines in my future tastings. 

Wine and Cheese #2

 My typical group of wine-tasting buddies decided to take advantage of St. Patrick's day to get some classy and educational drinking done, before the not so classy drinking typical of the holiday. While shopping for party supplies, we picked up a few interesting cheese and some wines to accompany them.

 

First Tasting

Wine: The Little Sheep of France, Chardonnay, 2020, France

Cheese: Sarvecchio Parmesan

The wine was a clear, light gold color. On the nose I got hints of fruit, such as apple and pear, as well as some citrus. Underneath these scents I detected a hint of butteriness. On the palate, I got notes of light fruit, along with some light butteriness, which I found odd since I do not think this wine was aged in oak. The cheese was medium-hard in texture, especially near the rind. It had a mild falvory, with some good saltiness and slight creaminess. Paired, the wine tasted more acidic, with a lighter body and less buteeriness. I honestly was not a big can of the wine, but I did quite like the cheese. I would like to find a better wine to pair with this cheese in the future.

Second Tasting

Wine: Treveri, Syrah, Washington State, USA

Cheese: Murray's Smoked Cheddar

The wine was medium ruby color, with very intense bubbles when poured into the glass. These bubbles dissipated quickly, as they were not present when I tasted the wine. On the nose, I got scents of red fruit and dark berries along with some spiciness. I got decent tannins and good body from the wine, with minimal bubbles. I tasted a lot of dark fruit, specifically blackberry. The cheese was soft, smooth and creamy, as one would expect from cheddar. It was very smoky, and I would say it was my favorite cheese of the whole tasting. Together, the cheese smoothed out the tannins of the wine, and the wine decreased the smokiness of the cheese. The pairing was still good, but since the smokiness was what I liked most about it, I honestly preferred the cheese by itself.

Third Tasting

Wine: Pamiglia Castellani, , Sangiovese, 2016, Toscana, Italy 

Cheese: Pecorino Tartufello

The wine was dark ruby, and mostly opaque. On the nose I got notes of dark fruit, cherry and spice. On the palate I got major flutiness, decent tannins and acid, as well as some plum underneath. The cheese was very flavorful and intense, standing out from the other cheeses we tried. It was very soft and creamy, with a very strong, almost garlicy taste. Paired with the wine, the intensity of the cheese was toned down, but I didn't notice a big difference in the wine. 

This tasting was not quite as good as he previous one. I didn't particularly like the wines we chose, especially the Chardonnay. The cheeses were good, but the last cheese was more intense than I was expecting, and it kind of threw me off. I plan on putting some more time and effort into the wine and cheese. 

Tasting- El Cortijillo

Name: El Cortijillo
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Castilla/ La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2021
Price: $6

Winery Review

Up front aromas of raspberry and cherry fruit, medium to light weight, Rhône wine in character, cherry fruit flavors, followed by bright acidity. Reminds of a mythical cross between a Pinot Noir and a Côtes-du-Rhône. Pleasant and fun, bistro red.

Wine Folly

I detected some notes of red fruit, such as cherry, in this wine. I also detected some spice, which I described as black pepper, but could so be described as tobacco, cinnamon, or some of the other secondary tasting characteristics.

My Review

This wine was a medium-dark garnet color which was entirely opaque. On the nose I got hints of spices initially, such as pepper and cinnamon. I also detected scents of red fruit, including cherry and raspberry. On the palate, I detected some slight notes of tree fruit, such as apple or pear, along with more prominent notes of cherry and red fruit. This wine had good tannins and acid, giving it a medium body. I like this wine better than the Palaci del Burgo Tinto I tried earlier, but it still didn't stand out to me. I drank this wine without any other food. 

Tasting-Palacio Del Burgo Tinto

Name: Palacio del Burgo Tinto
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2018
Price: $8

Tasting Notes

Palacio del Burgo Tinto is a perfect example of Rioja Tempranillo. Deep cherry red color with violet tones. Intense fruity nose of blackberry and liquorice over sweet aromas of mocha. The taste is vibrant with smooth tannins and a long-lasting sensation.

Serving suggestions: best enjoyed with red meat and Spanish tapas at 14-15 degrees C.

Wine Folly

The Wine folly describes the primary tasting nots of Tempranillo as notes of cherry, fig, cedar, tobacco, and dill. I defiantly detected the cherry and fig notes, but not so much of the others.

My Review

The wine was a dark ruby with medium opacity. On the nose I got rich notes of dark fruit, specifically dark cherry. I also got some secondary notes of coffee or chocolate, similar to what is suggested in the tasting notes. On the palate, I got notes of raspberry, cherry, and red/dark fruit. These flavors were somewhat muted, and my friends described the wine as tasting like someone imagined what a red wine should taste like. The muted flavors combined with mild tannins and acid made the wine relatively light bodies.

I liked this wine, but it was not interesting enough to really get my attention. I likely wouldn't have this wine again. I drank this wine without any other food.