Tasting - Chateau Massiac Minervois

Name: Chateau Massiac Minervois

Variety: Syrah and Carignan

Region: Minervois

Country: France

Year: 2008

Price: $17.95

Winery Review: Chateau Massiac's red wine is a blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Carignan.  The vines are grown in rocky clay-limestone soil, a geologic composition common to the estate.  It s dark in color and rich when young, when dominant flavors of blackcurrant.  These primary fruit aromas give way to herb/garrigue characteristics as the wine opens.  

My Review:  I felt that this was a very smooth wine.  It did not have a very sweet taste, but was very good.  It did not smell very good at all.  I am not sure how to describe the smell, but it was not pleasant.   

Tasting - Dom de Mirail Cab/Merlot Rose Cotes de Gascogne

Name: Dom de Mirail Cab/Merlot Rose Cotes de Gascogne

Variety: Cabernet Merlot, Bordeaux-style Red Blend

Region: Southwest France

Country: France

Year: 2008

Price: $5.95

Winery Review:  Wow, thats some Rose! There is a fresh, crisp character to this light rose.  It is eye-watering in its refreshing character, with balancing acidity, smoothing out the edges with a touch of caramel.  

My Review:  This was a very tarty a sweet tasting wine.  It tasted very sour and fruity and had a very long aftertaste.  The review said that it had a touch of caramel, but I did not taste it at all.  

Tasting - Dom Chene Macon-Villages Bourgogne Blanc

Name: Dom Chene Macon-Villages Bourgogne Blanc

Variety: Single Varietal

Region: Burgandy

Country: France

Year: 2011

Price:  14.95

Winery Review: Richly textured, wine delivering broad orchard fruit and peach skin flavors supported by vibrant lime acidity and stony mineral notes.  This is a ripe rich wine thats very seductive from the first but with fantastic vibrancy on the finish and lingering flavors of yellow apple and limestone.  A fine young burgandy that will delight fans of New World unwooded Chardonnay, too!

My Review:  I felt that this wine was very good. It was not a very sweet taste and did not linger very long.  I also thought that it was very richly textured  and I also tasted a bit of peach.

Tasting Badi Corti Orvieto Classico Abboccato

Name: Badi Corti Orvieto Classico Abboccato

Variety: Trebbiano + Malvasia Blanca

Region: Tuscan


Country: Italy


Year: 2011


Price: $9.95

Winery Review: The "abboccato" in the name means the wine is just off-dry, of about the same sweetness as the Vouvray we featured recently. But the Italian word "abbocare" means "to bite," so we've also got a nice bright crispness on the finish. The grape here is principally Trebbiano, Italy's most widely planted [and sometimes uninteresting] white grape. Here it is enriched with Malvasia Blanca, giving it a luscious fruit and flowers redolence that makes it most refreshing. 

My Review: I thought that this was a very strong and sweet tasting wine.  I feel like it was very similar to the Sauvignon Blanc.  It had a little bit of an after taste, but not as long as the Sauvignon Blanc.

Tasting - Dom Massiac Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Dom Massiac Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Languedoc

Country: France

Year: 2011

Price: 13.95

Winery Review: Viticulture in the Languedoc is often characterized by over cropping and concomitant dilute wines with little or no character, varietal or otherwise. Such is not the case with this superb Sauvignon Blanc that renders a rich varietal character in combination with a sense of place that can only be described as "south of France." The wine is perfect on its own as an aperitif or for seafood or shellfish dishes of any kind be they appetizer or main course, sure to please.

Review:  I feel that this wine was very tasty and had a great flavor.  I noticed that it is very difficult to put words to the taste of wine.  This wine tasted somewhat sweet and had a pretty long taste in my mouth afterwards.  

Personal Experience with Wine

Wine has never been a beverage that I consume on a regular basis.  I have had a few different types of wine in my life, but only on special occasions.  I have never had wine with my friends, but mostly with my parents and family.  These types of occasions include many holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, as well as other family related events like weddings or birthdays.  My mom and my sister have always been big into wine drinking, but I have never really caught on to drinking wine on a regular basis.  I personally have always been more of a fan of drinking beer.  I really hope to start drinking wine on a more regular basis as this semester goes on as well as after the class ends.  I feel that wine is a beverage that can be very enjoyable to drink more often.

I have had a few different types of wine in my life, but never really took note of the names of them.  I mostly would just drink whatever type is available at the event I am at.  Being that I do not drink wine on a regular basis, I have never gone to the store to buy wine on my own, so I would not really even know what type to buy.  I have had both red and white wines and definitely seemed to like the white better when I first had it, but the red was not as bad as I thought it would be.  I was always told that I would hate red wine the first time I tried it, but that was not the case.  I definitely did not love it, but it was not that bad at all.

I really hope to learn more about the different types of wine that exist.  I want to be able to go to the store and pick out a bottle of wine that I think I would enjoy based on the type of wine that it is.  I am also excited to have the opportunity to do wine tastings once a week.  I think that this is going to be a great experience and give me a better idea of what types of wine I would like.  I am very excited to be in this class and learn about one of the most popular drinks in the world!