Holly's Wine Blog

On Saturday, January 28, 2017, I visited King Family Vineyard with my boyfriend, Tyler. King Family Vineyards is located in Crozet, Virginia on over 200 acres of land. In addition to the tasting room and vineyards, there are several houses on the property where the King Family lives, and there is a large polo field around the center of the property. Tyler and I standing in the Merlot vines Although I had been to one other wine tasting at the Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA, this was my first visit to a winery/vineyard. In addition to doing a wine tasting, we also took a bus tour of the entire vineyard and the winery facilities. Jason was our tour guide, and he drove us from the tasting room to the Merlot vines on the other side of the property. The vines were bare, but Jason told us about some of the characteristics of the plant. I found it very interesting that the vine was composed of a combination of an American and European species of vine in order to prevent disease. H

N ame: Dona sol Variety:  Shiraz, Petite Syrah & Symphony Region: California Country:  USA Price:  $6.95 Shop Review:  "Shiraz has a unique jammy fruit character that is well represented in the Sweet Red. Both on the nose and on the palate, jammy fruit, like strawberries, cherry pie, and red licorice, entices the senses and pair well with cheeses and desserts.  My Review:  This red wine smelled sweet and slightly fruity. The taste was very sweet, and similar to strawberry or rasberry jelly. This wine was tasty, but I would not want to drink more than a glass as a dessert wine because of its intense sweetness.  This wine was tasted with no food. 

N ame: Avery Quinn Variety:  Zinfandel Region: Santa Rosa, California Country:  United States Year:   2013 Price:  $6.95 Shop Review:  "Lightly spicy aromas and rich, soothing fruit flavors make this an attractive, lovable and classically proportioned wine. Cherry and rasberry flavors rest on a lightly tannic but smooth texture, and linger on the finish."  My Review: This red had a fruity smell, but the taste was much spicier than I had initially anticipated. The wine also had a peppery taste that did not appeal to me.  This wine was tasted with no food. 

N ame:  Finca del Castillo Variety: Tempranillo Region:  La Mancha Country:  Spain Year:   2015 Price:  $4.95 Shop Review: "Vivid ruby. Spice-accented red and dark berry aromas show good clarity and a hint of fresh rose. Juicy and seamless on the palate, offering lively currant and bitter cheryy flavors that become swetter with air. Clings with good tenacity on the energetic finish, which repeats the florarl note and shows no tannins." My Review:  This red wine had a tart smell with hints of cherry and rose. The taste was dry and tart, and it also seemed a little bland. Some slight fruitiness was present as well.  This wine was tasted with no food. 

N ame:  Pieter Cruythoff Variety:  Chenin Blanc Region:  Swartland Country:  South Africa Year:   2015 Price:  $4.95 Shop Review:  "A wonderful nose of bananas, oranges and melons jumps from the glass of this 100% Chenin Blanc, which is finished with a screw cap. Another great value from South Africa, this wine is medium-bodied, fresh, lively, and a terrific dry white to dirnk over the next year."  My Review:  This white wine did not smell as sweet as the El Cortijillo that I tasted first. The wine had a slightly spicy taste that lingered in the mouth, with a bit of dry, tartness.  This wine was tasted with no food. 

N ame: El Cortijillo Variety: Verdejo Region: La Mancha Country:  Spain Year:  2015 Price: $4.95 Shop Review: "Golden straw color. Bright, attractive, tropical armoas of creme brulee and fruit tart with a silky, bright, dry-yet fruity light-to-medium body and a smooth, intriguing, snappy lime and apple finish with crunchy, fruit tannins and light oak. A super smooth and pure white sipper." My Review: This white wine had a fruity, sweet smell. I detected hints of apple and pear on the pallette and found it to be somewhat dry- less sweet than I had initially expected based on the smell. The wine was smooth and probably my favorite tasting of the day!  This wine was tasted with no food. 

            This first blog entry is intended to highlight my personal experiences with wine and some things that I would like to learn about wine from being enrolled this course, Geography of Wine. I signed up for this class with the hopes of taking a course that was completely different than those that I am generally used to as an engineering major.             Based upon my limited experience with wines, I have found that I tend to enjoy white wines as opposed to reds. I have tried more varieties of white wine than red, so this may be why I have grown to prefer them. I enjoy wines that have a slight sweetness, but do not want them to be overwhelmingly sweet.             Speaking to my experience, I do not have a great knowledge of wine overall. My parents drink wine on a regular basis, and therefore I am somewhat familiar with certain names of wines; however, I do not know the characteristics of those wines. I will occasionally have a glass of wine with dinner with my family,