Tasting - Yellow Tail Chardonnay

Name: Yellow Tail Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Yenda, Southeastern Australia
Country: Australia
Year: 2016
Price: $8.99

Winery review: Deep straw coloring leads into a light to medium-bodied white with a floral bouquet and an almost tart finish. Flavors include peaches, melon, and a touch of vanilla. Pair with grilled white meat such as roasted chicken for the best combination. Review courtesy of thegoodwineguru.com.                                                                                               

My review: Great chardonnay for the low price point. The wine presents a pale yellow tint and a medium body. It smells of melon and ripe apple. The wine tastes of floral and fruitful varieties such as melon, pear, and apple with buttery accents. This selection epitomizes a drier, acidic chardonnay which does not present much complexity. I did not pair this wine. I would recommend this chardonnay to friends as I think it presents a great taste and finish given the low price.

Tasting - Mirassou Chardonnay

Name: Mirassou Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Modesto, CA (Central Coast)
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $11.99

Winery review: Mirassou California Chardonnay is fruit forward with delicious stone fruit flavors of peach and nectarine, complemented by tropical notes and a hint of citrus. A subtle oak character frames this medium-bodied wine. Balancing intense fruit flavors with delicate aromas.                                                                                                     


My review: Excellent Chardonnay! This wine appears to maintain a soft yellow color. On the nose, this wine presents fruitful scents of pear and apple. Upon tasting this wine, I picked up buttery oak tones, pear, pineapple, and apple. This selection would pair well with creamy soups, seafood dishes, and brie cheeses, although I did not pair this wine with any food on this tasting  Given the excellent palatability and great price, I would definitely recommend this wine to friends.

Tasting - Fetzer Gewurtztraminer

Name: Fetzer Gewurtztraminer
Variety: Gewurtztraminer
Region: Monterey County
Country: Germany
Year: 2014
Price: $8.99

Winery review: Aromas of orange blossoms, scratched apple skins, lemon-lime soda and jasmine waft off of this bottling. The texture is quite grippy, with tactile acidity and a dynamic mouthfeel presenting lime sorbet and sugared apple flavors. Wine Enthusiast rated this selection an 87.                                                                                                                


My review: The wine presents a vibrant yellow tone in color. The wine appears leggy which makes sense given it's flavor profile on the sweeter end of medium sweet. On the nose the wine presents aromas of apple, citrus, and floral accents. Upon tasting this selection, I detected those same fruitful expressions with an acidic finish. This wine would pair well with chicken, pork, shrimp, and crab although I did not pair it for this tasting. I would not recommend this wine to a friend because in my opinion this selection does not compare to most moscato's as far as the price range and palatability is concerned.

Tasting - Dark Horse Chardonnay

Name: Dark Horse Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Central Valley, CA
Country: USA
Year: 2014
Price: $7.99

Winery review: Dark Horse Chardonnay showcases rich flavors of baked apple and pear, layered with toasted oak, notes of caramel and brown spice with a lingering smooth finish. Review courtesy of Dark Horse Wines, Modesto, CA.                                                                                                                

My review: Good chardonnay for the price. The wine is light yellow in color. On the nose, I picked up scents of melon and pear. The fruitfulness was evident in the taste as well, specifically in the form of pear and apple. I found this selection to be rather dry with an acidic finish. This wine would pair well with chicken or seafood although I did not pair this wine on this tasting. I likely would not recommend this wine to a friend.

Tasting - Folatre Chardonnay

Name: Folatre Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Curico Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2016
Price: $8.99

Winery review: The color is brilliant golden yellow, with aromas of ripe tropical pineapple and banana. Up front it is juicy, complex, fresh with intense fruit flavors elegant and well balanced. Best paired with seafood, white meats and fresh cheeses. Review courtesy of the estate by Vina Folatre Limitada.                                                                                                       

My review: Solid chardonnay! This wine boasts a subtle pale yellow and maintains a fair amount of legginess for a chardonnay indicating viscosity aka higher sugar content. On the nose, the wine presented fruitful scents of apple and pear. I tasted those same fruitful flavors with a very smooth body and limited acidity. I was taken aback by the smoothness of this wine, considering it's low price point. Compared to the Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay of the same price point which I previously tasted, the smoothness of the Folatre was a standout quality of this selection. I paired this wine with Chik-fil-a nuggets and I found it to be a proper pairing. I would recommend this chardonnay to friends.

Tasting - Robert Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay

Name: Robert Mondavi Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Napa Valley, CA
Country: USA
Year: 2015
Price: $8.99

Winery review: Review by Natalie Maclean, A terrific, vibrant, full-bodied Californian Chardonnay with aromas of butterscotch, golden apple and pear. Perfect for roasted chicken or turkey. Maclean scored this wine a 90/100 on October 10, 2016.                                                                                                                  

My review: Decent. The wine maintains a vibrant, golden yellow appearance. This 2015 vintage maintains strong fruitfulness and citrus on the nose such as lemon, lime and even apple. Those fruit and citrus tones were evident in the taste as well. Upon consuming the wine I was struck with lemon, apple, and peach. I did not find the fruitfulness to be overwhelming. I did find this selection to maintain an acidic after taste. Additionally, I found this wine to be rather dry which is why I deemed it "decent" as I typically prefer a sweeter wine. It is recommended to pair with roasted chicken and pasta with cream sauce. I paired this selection with Chik-fil-a nuggets and found them to be a proper pair. I would probably not recommend this wine to others.

Tasting - Castello del Poggio Moscato

Name: Castello del Poggio Moscato Provincia di Pavia
Variety: 100% Muscat
Region: Asti
Country: Italy
Year: Non-vintage
Price: $7.99

Winery review: Dan Murphy's Wine Panel - Pale colour. Fresh lively home-made lemonade aromas. The palate is wonderfully vibrant and tangy with Italian panetone, macerated fruit flavours and crisp citrus notes.This is a brilliantly balanced moscato with clean delicous lines. The sugar harmonises perfectly with zesty acidity. All Moscato should be this good. - 94 points

My review: Sweet and enjoyable! Visually, this wine accounts for a viscous and pale yellow body with an abundance of bubbles  congregating throughout but primarily on the walls of the glass. This wine almost knocks you on your back with fruit aromas. Most notably, I sensed apricot, citrus and a hint of apples. The wine hits the palette with a burst of crisp fruitiness and overwhelming sweetness that maintains throughout. There does not seem to be strong tones of acidity regardless of the heavy citrus influences. The taste is smooth from start to finish. I did not taste this wine with food although the label recommends pairing with desserts and fruit salads. Although I enjoyed the wine, it was more sweet than I typically enjoy therefore I would likely not buy it again, although, I would certainly recommend to my friends that prefer their wine to taste like Welch's grape juice. 

Tasting - Josef Weinberg Riesling

Name: Josef Weinberg Riesling
Variety: 100% Riesling
Region: Rheinhessen
Country: Germany
Year: 2015
Price: $7.99

Winery review:Review by Eric Tansey, CSW                                                                                                                           The Josef Weinberg Radiance Riesling is a pale golden color, clear and translucent. Moderate aromas of nectarine, lemon, and a very subtle hint of cotton candy. On the palate the wine is semi sweet with a medium-plus body. Sweet nectarine on the front of the palate followed by a small amount of pool toy-like rubber characteristics that are so often found in Riesling. The finish is unique in that it is both acidic and lively. So often, the fun part of  wine comes at the front of the palate but this wine comes alive as it heads down the hatch. This bright acidity masks the sweetness and adds a unique complexity to this $8 bottle of  wine that is often hard to find in most wines at this price point.

My review: Excellent! The wine maintains a viscous, almost translucent body accompanied by numerous bubbles settling to the bottom of the glass. This fruity wine smells of citrus and floral tones with an obvious acidity. Upon tasting this wine, a bold citrus flavor is most obvious. The wine maintains a light, sweet finish without overwhelming. I rather enjoyed this wine and found it a nice alternative to the often too sweet moscato varieties. I tasted this on its own without food, although it is recommended to pair with seafood, cheese, or light desserts. Given this wine's affordability and taste, I would certainly recommend to my friends, especially those wishing to enjoy wine on a budget.

Newly Established Wine Blog

Hi! Welcome to my Geography of Wine Blog! Throughout the course of this online class offered by Dr. Boyer of Virginia Tech

I will be required to post weekly updates to this blog to divulge in my journey to become more fluent in the language of wine.

I took this course because I am eager to understand the language of wine and explore my wine drinking options outside of my 

usual Barefoot pink moscato purchases. I look forward to the idea of being well-versed in wine and using that knowledge to get

more out of my purchases.

Like most college students, I tend to stick to the cheap and sweet whites, although I am hopeful that after this class I will have 

more appreciation for other varieties. Currently I go for moscatos, Rieslings, and the occasional fruity chardonnay. I also LOVE 

sangria, both red and white. I have never particularly enjoyed reds besides red moscato, but I am open to them. I drink wine on 

a fairly weekly basis, although in truth, I typically am not drinking it for the flavors and aromas.  I would say that as far as my 

drinking habits go I turn to beer on a more regular basis.

I have never been to a winery or vineyard, which is another experience I hope to get during this course which will expand my 

understanding of wine. I am a PR major with an interest in ag communication. Wine is a booming segment of agriculture that I

have very little understanding of so I am also hoping to get a greater understanding of wine as a commodity and it's economic 

impact.