Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Tasting: Raspberry/Red Blend

Attimo Winery

Sweet Berry Sunset
Raspberry/ Red Blend 2010
$13


Attimo Review: Semi-sweet, intense berry and fruity flavors, pairs well with any chocolate dessert.

My Review: Smells like fruit salad with berries and apple with a tasty explosion of fruity sweetness.

Tasting: Chambourcin

Attimo Winery

AD 325
Chambourcin 2010
$16


Attimo Review: This Georgian style wine is Attimo’s most popular, most awarded wine. Fermentation in clay and concrete, above ground gives AD 325 strong earthy tones. Dry red with bold flavors and cherry undertones; pairs with hearty foods, including BRIX chocolates.

My Review: Strong cherry smells with a pinkish tint, AD 325 is almost sweet at first then tingly with a simple, slightly oaky flavor.

Tasting: Trominette/Petit Manseng

Attimo Winery

I Do
Trominette/Petit Manseng 2010
$17


Attimo Review: This blended wine celebrates marriage and is semi-sweet with distinct citrus notes; pairs well with macadamia salad, light deserts, and spicy Asian foods. It is a German American hybrid blended so that all you smell is the Petit Manseng, a French Bordeaux grape, and all you taste is the Trominette, a German grape.

My Review: Smells strongly like a field of wild flowers and tastes like a very sugary candy dessert.


Tasting: Vidal Blanc

Attimo Winery

Sonnet 98
Vidal Blanc 2010
$17


Attimo Review: Named after Shakespeare’s Ode to Spring, this is a %100 floral grape similar to fresh cut grass and flowers. It is a French American hybrid grape. Dry, crisp, floral, hints of fresh greens; pairs well with our caprese salad.

My Review: Smells of pears with a dry sparkling sensation. It is very sweet for the first second  and then immediately dries out to sophisticated floral flavors.

Tasting: Chardonnay

Attimo Winery

Masquerade
Chardonnay 2010
$19


Attimo Review: Dry, smooth and oakey; pairs well with cheese plates and creamy foods.  Aged for seven months in oak barrels with vanilla hints makes a  lighter chardonnay not like California Chardonnay.

My Review: The smell is fresh and light but not too strong or recognizable. Tastes smooth and intensely creamy with definite hints of vanilla.


Sunday, March 25, 2012

Distillery: Bacardi - San Juan, Puerto Rico

The Bacardi Distillery - San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bacardi Banner
Spring Break 2012 on the Carnival Liberty cruise ship was full of adventures, including a tour of the Bacardi Rum distillery in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We learned about the products, history, and process of forming the number one selling rum company in the world.

The founder of the company, Facundo Bacardí Massó, immigrated to Santiago de Cuba from Spain in 1830 and immediately set up business as a wine merchant and importer. Within a few years, he began to experiment with the distillation of rum. He wanted to change the stereotype that rum was not considered a refined or cultured drink.  During the production of rum in Cuba, the barn that housed the production was infested with fruit bats in its rafters.  When Facundo's wife noticed these bats, she had the idea for the famous bat logo for Bacardi.  After the years of prohibition, the plant re opened in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Having a plant in Puerto Rico allowed rum to be sold tax-free in the United States; there are no longer any ties between Cuba and Bacardi. 
entrance to museum tour.

Bat Symbol
Upon first arriving on the Bacardi ground we were presented with two drink tickets to be used at a beautiful outside bar, and time to browse through the Bacardi gift shop. With my two tickets, I tried Bacardi Raz, I think mixed with soda, and a rum and coke.


Covering to the outside bar which is an abstract architectural bat form. The gift shop is in the background.        





After enjoying my two drinks with our group of seven, a trolly picked us up and transported us to the Bacardi Museum...
Lobby of Bacardi Museum

Wine Students!!!!


Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside of the museum, but it included a short video on the history and founding of Bacardi Rum and a beautiful recreation of the first distillery in Cuba started by Facundo Bacardí Massó. At the end of the tour, there was another bar with a tender who explained how to make traditional Bacardi drinks including the mojito, daiquiri, and rum and coke and which rums to use for those drinks.

I'll take them all!!!


Winery Tour: Attimo

Attimo Winery


Tasting Room.

Pruned Vines








Inside the tasting room.

 Owned by Rik and Melissa Obiso, both former virginia tech students, Attimo is a brand new vineyard and winery located in Christiansburg, Virginia.  The Obiso’s have always dreamed of owning their own winery, but never expected the dream to come true. As stated in their biography, “over the past 5 years, Attimo has grown from a small patch of “test vines” to a large vineyard and tasting room.  Vines have been planted every year, beginning in 2007, and continuing until 2011, with many of our vines bearing fruit in 2010 & 2011.  There are now over 10,000 vines on the property & 1,200 raspberry and blackberry plants.” (http://www.attimowinery.com/index_files/Page411.htm) Attimo is now the most awarded winery in Virginia and is the only vineyard on the east coast that grows the Georgian Saperavi grape. They have USDA permits for two different vines from New York and California which are pruned in the winter, so unfortunately we did not see any fresh vines.

Attimo means “in the moment” in Italian and the winery sets their mission based on that saying. They are “dedicated to celebrating the everyday moments of life” and name all of their wines after certain moments in time. The wines we tried are below.



Tasting brochure!













Attimo uses the basement of their home on the vineyard property, and place in Charlottesville to make their wine. They use a variety of materials for aging depending on “style” of the wine. For example, their sweeter wines are fermented and aged in only stainless steel, but steel or oak depends on style such as French style, Italian style, Georgian style, Eastern European style, etc. Their bottling takes place either on their property on specified day when a truck with the correct materials is there, or in a facility in Charlottesville which is shared with other wineries. Not only are they the most awarded winery in Virginia, but they are also a totally green winery. They use all recycled corks, recycle all of their glass, compost all food scraps, and their tasting room is a passive solar building. A passive solar building  consists of windows, walls, and floors that are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy as heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer.

Sweet Berry Sunset wine rimmed with chocolate!


Cheers.

Attimo only sells its wines for purchase at the vineyard, but distributes it to some restaurants in Blacksurg, Radford, and Roanoke including Zeppolis! Honestly, best wine I have tasted all semester!



Dinner: Home Cooked Meal

About to enjoy our meal with two different wines!

 Another dinner with Sydney and Jude accompanied by too much wine! Simple, yet delicious, the menu consisted of:

- Brie cheese spread on french baguette
- Spaghetti with meatball sauce
- Garlic bread

Brie and French bread appetizer! 

Cooking the meatballs in tomato sauce.

Chopped onions added to the red sauce!

Preparing the garlic bread!

We decided to pair the dinner with two different wines, Crucero Colchagua Valley, Chile Carmenere 2009 and Ebano from the Ribera del Duero Region of Spain (tempranillo.)
Pepper explosion!

Perfection in a bottle!
The Carmenere is described by discountvino.com as “Deep ruby. Cherry, blackcurrant and dark cherry on the nose. Juicy dark fruit flavors turn slightly bitter in the middle palate and are framed by dusty tannins. Finishes with tightly focused bitter cherry and pepper qualities and decent length. Aged 25% in American oak barrels for 3 months. Pairs well with chicken, pasta, red meats, cheeses.”  My number one description of this wine is peppery explosion. Like walking though the spice isle in a grocery store, it was really overbearingly peppery with little other flavors.

As reviewed by the vintage cellar, “the 2007 Ebano 6 is 100% Tempranillo aged 4 months in French oak. Dark ruby red in color, it displays a pleasant bouquet of cedar, spice box, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. Medium-to fullbodied on the palate with savory flavors and plenty of spice, this racy, vibrant Tempranillo has enough structure to drink well over the next 5-6 years and is a very good value.” This description  persuaded my purchase! Ebano 6 contains everything that I crave in a wine; oaky, spicy, dark berry flavors, and full bodied wines always impress my palette. My review of Ebano 6 was similar to the store review. Spicy, dark berry aromas mixed with smooth spices and dark cherry flavors added Ebano 6 to my top favorite wines.



Finished Meal!


Wine paired with food:

Crucero: Surprisingly, when paired with brie and toasted french bread, the overwhelming pepperiness toned down and light blackberry tones were revealed. When paired with spaghetti and meatballs, Crucero transformed from unappetizing peppery explosion to orgasmic soft spiciness that complimented the melt in your mouth quality of the tender meatballs. Overall, this wine must be paired with food for the pepper flavors to be toned down enough to enjoy.

Ebano 6: Already perfect in balance of oak, dark berries and spices, Ebano 6 did not evolve much with the added flavors of dinner. It was perhaps a bit fuller, and the garlic bread brought out the spiciness and a hint of green pepper.








Saturday, March 24, 2012

Tasting: Liebfraumilch Rheinhessen Qualitatswein

Peter Mertes
Liebfraumilch
Rheinhessen
Qualitatswein
2009
Red/$5.95
Germany


Store Review: Leibfraumilch is a soft, delicate wine of the Rheinhessen and Palatinate districts. The original wine was named after the Leibfraumilch monastery in Worms, where the monks were the first wine growers and produced an unusually pleasing wine. Wines of the Rheinhessen and Palatinate are noted for their aroma, well- balanced harmony, and fragrance. Leibfraumilch, as all excellent white wines is best served chilled. We suggest serving with cold entrees, as well as poultry, such as chicken or turkey, or even with a mild Cheddar, mellow and slightly nutty with a medium
consistency.

My Review: Smells light, almost no smell at all and tastes of soft green grapes. Maybe it was served too cold? Odd that I didn’t smell much when this is supposedly known for it’s aroma.

Tasting: Corbieres

Col Des Vents
Corbieres: 2009
Red/$7.95
France


Store Review: 50% Carignan, 35% Grenache, 15% Syrah. Brambly berry, cherry and raspberry, spices, black pepper...all are present in this authentic French country wine.

My Review: This wine smells of dark berries and flowers with a soft peppery taste. My notes say.. “Fun Tastes” ??

Tasting: Carmenere

San Elias
Carmenere: 2010
Red/$5.95
Chile


Store Review: The grapes for this Carménère are selected from vineyards in the Central Valley. Beautiful red fruit aromas. Supple and round in the mouth, the wine pairs well with full flavored cheeses and lamb.

My Review: Smells strongly of wood and green peppers. The taste is an unbelievable peppery explosion. It’s almost too peppery like someone just took a black pepper grinder and over seasoned the bottle

Tasting: Chardonnay

Estrella
Chardonnay: 2010
White/$5.95
Napa, California



Store Review: Intensely flavored and balanced with layers of vanilla, butter and pear, followed by apple, banana and oak.

My Review: Wonderful Chardonnay! Smooth and buttery with soft fruits and a soft oak finish

Tasting: Zonin

Zonin
Pinot Grigio: 2009
White/$5.95
Italy




Store Review: Pale straw-yellow color with brilliant reflections. Delicately fruity bouquet, with outstanding finesse and marked hints of almond blossom and peaches. Elegant, soft and well- structured fruit on the palate, with remarkable freshness and a
clean, persistent aftertaste.


My Review: Smells like green grapes and has a nice crisp and tangy flavor.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Tasting: Merlot

Estrella
Merlot
Red/$5.95
Napa, California 2009


Store Review: This ruby colored Merlot has raspberry jam aromas with a subtle hint of spice. Layers of vanilla, plum and fig are revealed that linger ever so slightly on the palate

My Review: Smells softly floral with full flavors. It is sort of a sweeter merlot that I am used to but I love the vanilla flavors!

Tasting: Red Tinto

Doural
Red Tinto
$8.95
Portugal 2009


Store Review: This Portuguese tinto(red) blend exhibits a deep red color with violet hues. The nose is vibrant and fruity. The palate offers notes of spice, cherry, and dark berry supported by good structure. Pairs well with red or game meat, cheeses and fish.

My Review: Strong on the nose with a very bitter smell. It is light in color and not very full. I do not feel the spiciness. It is ok, but I would probably only drink it with food. Maybe a nice cheese would enhance the flavors.

Tasting: Viognier

Oxford Landing
Viognier
White/$7.95
Australia 2009



Store Review: 88 Points, Wine Spectator
Bright and lively,this white is appealing for its pear, lychee and sweet spice character, which comes together smoothly against a silky texture.

My Review: I’m not quite sure of the smell. It confuses me a little but perhaps a bitter fruity aroma? The taste is also smooth and tastes similar to the chardonnay to me. I can sort of taste the lychee fruit which is neat.

Tasting: Torrontes-Chardonnay

Tierra de Luna
Torrontes-Chardonnay
White/$7.95
Argentina 2009



Store Review: Fresh and crisp, with floral aromas and flavors of quince and pear, this wine is a versatile companion to informal meals, and is excellent as an aperitif.

My Review: Floral smells and a smooth taste make this one of my favorite Chardonnays yet. I would love to try it with baked chicken!

Tasting: Blanc de Blancs

Simonet
Blanc de Blancs
White/$7.95
France




Store Review: On the nose, there is some bread-yeast and some toast, same on the palate. Great for an everyday bubbly or for mimosas!!

My Review: I smell pears and soft, fruity, dry aromas. The taste is dry and refreshing but not as fruity as the smell.