Tasting- Broadbent Vinho Verde

Name: Broadbent Vinho Verde
Variety: Arinto (Pederna) - Loureiro
Region: Minho, Portugal
Year: 2014
Price: $9
Winemaker Notes: Vinho Verde, the most popular white wine from Portugal, is a deliciously refreshing, light wine. "Verde", meaning "Green" refers to the hints of lime color. It is an ideal warm weather wine, excellent for lunch and picnics, or an evening apertif. It makes a brilliant pairing with any fish, shellfish and poultry.

Critic Notes: This white shows floral fruit, lime, and green freshness on the nose and palate. Overall, it's lightly fizzy and possessed of zippy acidity; you'll want to have a plate of shellfish on hand when you open this wine.

My Thoughts: I have never had a wine from Portugal so I was excited to try this wine. The taste is extremely light, fizzy, and fruity. I couldn't pick out a specific type of fruit in the taste but I relate sweet taste to being fruity. It was a good wine especially for the price but not anything special. After reading the critic and winery notes, I would like to try this wine with shellfish because I'm sure that would be delicious.

 I also had to look up what the variety meant because I had never seen that before.The description says, "Arinto – Loureiro is a blend of two of the most widely used white wine grape varieties in Portugal. Together, and often in league with Trajadura(Treixadura), they form the backbone of the crisp, tangy white wines of Vinho Verde." So it is a blended wine of two grapes I have never heard of! Good to know there is more than just Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. (still a wine noob) 

Broadbent Winery

"Wine is bottled poetry"

Cheers! 

Tasting- Jamestown Cellars Settlers' Spiced Wine

Name: Jamestown Cellars Settlers' Spiced Wine

Variety: Blended, Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Virginia, USA
Year: Didn't say on the bottle but I'd imagine it's 2014
Price: $12

Winemaker Notes: "Using a red wine base and infusing a carefully balanced blend of spices, the wine comes through with dark fruit and berries.  On top of the fruit is a predominant cinnamon and clove character followed by a myriad of fruit and spice combinations, to include an anise note.  This is a delightfully fun wine that can accommodate many occasions. Serve warm in a mug and add a stick of cinnamon for garnish, or try it iced with a slice of citrus fruit or a mint sprig”.

Technical Notes: 

Blend: A grape wine base, with added cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, and allspice 

Aging: French and American Oak, stainless steel 

Alcohol: 12%

pH: 3.70 

TA: 0.7g/100ml 

Residual Sugar: 6% 

Approximately 2,000 cases produced annually

Critic Review: Colonial tradition of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices were added to this Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Designed as a mulled wine, it is meant to be served warm during winter by the fireplace or after a cold day outdoors.  When served chilled in the summer months, it makes an agreeable substitute to Sangria. In the cold Winters of northern Europe, wine would often be served warm during the holiday season. The English brought this custom to Virginia in the 16th century.

My Thoughts: I was given this wine to try at a friend's house. I was scared by the title of "Spiced Wine." My first thought was the temperature of the wine it was warm and seemed thicker than the white wines I am used to. Once I got passed the warm wine, the flavors exploded in my mouth. The best way I can describe the flavor is Christmas in a cup. It tasted of cinnamon, cloves, and other spices I couldn't identify. It was interesting to taste but I think I would only feel right drinking it in the winter, especially because of it being warm. I did not pair it with food but I imagine it would taste delicious with Christmas Dinner. 

"Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words" 

Cheers! 

Amanda's Experience of Wine Thus Far

My experience with wine started like most college girl's- with Yellow Tail Moscato. This was my wine of choice for my first two years of college. It is basically candy in a bottle and had no taste of alcohol. It is fruity, light, and extremely easy to drink in large quantities (hello double bottles). Also, I thought the bottle looked cool and it was a twist off so I didn't have to learn how to open bottles.

After drinking more Moscato than any one person should consume, I got sick of the sweet flavor and wanted something different. I had tried my parents red wines before and hated the bitter, peppery taste. So, I decided to stick with white wines and move on to Sauvignon Blanc. I didn't have a specific brand I liked, I would just order the cheapest glass of it at a restaurant. This was until my mom introduced me to Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, I was hooked! This had to be my favorite wine by far and is still my go to if I would like just one glass for the evening. Sauvignon Blanc is fruity and light but not nearly as sweet as Moscato. What I still enjoy about white wines today is I don't need to eat something to enrich the flavor, drinking the wine by itself is very enjoyable.  

Now I am a senior at Virginia Tech, about to graduate with a degree in Business Information Technology. I am 22 years old and I realize it is time to expand my palate. I have already began to dive into red wine, although it was harder to get used to. I have tried Chianti (at Sal's) and Cabernet Sauvignon (when with my parents). I find I can only drink these wines when paired with food because the burn in the back of my mouth isn't as pleasant without a nice piece of steak or a spaghetti bolognese. 

I hope to learn a lot from this Geography of Wine class. By the end of the semester I want to be able to pick out a good bottle for my different types of meals and to have tried every type of grape/style of wine. I feel this is a good skill to have especially in the business world because everything somehow revolves around happy hour/corporate dinners. So here's to a great semester of becoming a slight wine snob in order to expand my wine horizons.

"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy"

Cheers!