Holly's Wine Blog

Steak, Potatoes, and Salad Over Spring Break, my family and I decided to have a wine dinner at the house. We tasted three different red wines with our meal of steak, potato casserole, salad, and a brownie for dessert. A big thanks to Mom and Dad for cooking the delicious meal! All of the wines we tasted were red blends, and we started the night by tasting each wine without food to get a first impression of them individually. The three wines that we tried are shown below: The three wines that we tasted: Menage a Trois, Apothic Red, Unanime. Mom and Dad enjoying dinner Unanime 2013, Argentina, $24.99: This wine was a deep, dark purple/plum color. On the nose, this wine had a strong fruity smell. The taste was smooth with a dry after taste. It was slightly bitter and had hints of berry and dirt as well. I prefered this wine with the meat, while my Mom and Dad both thought this paired better with the potatoes. Overall, everyone agreed that this wine tasted much ...

Name: Primes Variety: Ruby Port Region: Oporto Country: Portugal Price: $9.95, $18 sale Winery Review: "Ruby color, red fruit aromas; pleasantly sweet and balanced taste. As the wines used to produce Prime's Ruby Port age, they gain smoothness and elegance while retaining their fruitiness, intensity and youthful ruby color. They are then blended together for balance and consistency." My Review: This red port had aromas of whiskey and rubbing alcohol with slight notes of berry. The taste was a bit harsh and extremely sweet with hints of raspberry as well. I did not prefer this wine. *This wine was tasted with no food.

Name: Lindeman's Variety: Bin 80 Cabernet Merlot Year: Magnum 2015 Region: Southeastern Country: Australia Price: $7.95, $18 Sale Winery Review: "Medium red in color with ruby hues. On the nose aromas of dark red berries, blackcurrants and ripe plums. While the palate is medium bodied, with dark red berries and a soft tannic finish." My Review: The smell of blackberries was present on the nose. The taste of t his red wine was not overly sweet or bitter, but had notes of berries present on the palate and a tannic aftertaste. *This wine was tasted with no food.

Name: Domaine du Poujol Variety: Coteaux du Languedoc Year: 2011 Region: Languedoc Country: France Price: $5.95, $13 Sale Winery Review: "Minerally and berry notes make for a savory blend of flavors in this fine-grained red. Dried berry fruit dominates, with accents of white pepper and dill seed. Delivers lively acidity on the finish. Drink now through 2018. My Review: This red smelled like dirt and minerals. The taste was also earthy, with some notes of pepper and very slight hints of berry. The taste also did not linger very long on the palate. I did not prefer this wine. *This wine was tasted with no food.

Name: Pazo de Monterrey Variety: Godello Year: 2014 Region: Monterrei Country: Spain Price: $5.95 Winery Review: "Clean, minerally, slightly green in aromatics and oh so approachable and nice. For an under-$15 white, this Godello from Monterrei excels with layered flavors of apple, minerals and natural spice. The finish is long and hints at fresh herbs like thyme and tarragon. Potentially superb with garlic shrimp or calamari over fresh greens." My Review: This wine smelled very fruity, I could specifically smell notes peaches and pineapple. The taste reminded me of a tart green apple, and the after-taste was particularly bitter. *This wine was tasted with no food.

Name: Domiane de la Foret Rose de Mediterranee Variety: Greanche Cinsault Year: 2015 Region: Provence Country: France Price: $5.95 Winery Review: "In color, this is almost white. There is some attractive acidity and the soft wine will slip down easily with just a touch of red currant. The result is a lightly mineral wine that is refreshing and good for an aperitif. My Review: I thought this wine had a floral smell, but on the palate I tasted citrus fruits. This wasn't a very sweet wine, in fact I found it rather dry. The wine seemed a bit bland to me. *This wine was tasted with no food.

My friends and I celebrated Valentine’s Day a little late by having a wine dinner at our apartment. We cooked a lasagna as the main course with a Caesar salad on the side, and for dessert we had some delicious “monster” cookies that my mom sent me. We tasted three different wines throughout the night as well. In an effort to get a good mixture of different flavors and pairings, I chose white and red varieties to try. While I am the only one out of the four of us in the Geography of Wine class,  and it was interesting to get the others' perspectives on the wines and how the foods blended with their meals. The first wine that I tried was the Mallee Point Chardonnay, and this was my favorite wine of the night! This wine blended very nicely with both the salad, as well as the lasagna making it a great choice to have at the dinner table. The wine is from Australia, with a vintage year or 2015. On the nose, it had a fruity smell with elements of peaches and pineapples. The taste ...