Tasting - Gallo Family Sweet Pineapple

Name: Gallo Family Sweet Pineapple

Variety: Sweet Wine (not specified)

Region: Modesto, California

Country: United States

Year: Not given on bottle, only given the year founded 

Price: $5.99

Website Review: On the website Total Wine, NiniasMommv mentioned how the wine is very light and has just the right amount of pineapple. There was a mention of an aftertaste that the wine has. It was also nice the bottle of wine was affordable. They gave the wine a 4/5 star rating. (NiniasMommv, 2021)

Wine Folly: Since the varietal of the wine isn't specified, I am just going to talk about the sweetness and acidity. According to Wine Folly on pg 16 and 17, on the sweetness scale this wine is considered sweet (around 21-72 calories). In my opinion the acidity and floral flavors level out the sweetness and doesn't make it that sweet. On pg 21, since the wine is a light body white its pH is around 3. I can agree with this because the fruit in the wine is acidic, but it doesn't make your mouth pucker. It's hard to compare this wine to the book because no specific varietal is mentioned and it just says its a "sweet wine". 

My Review: When I first smelled the wine, I didn't get any hints of pineapple or a super sweet smell. The first taste was very light and it was really good. I think it definitely tastes a lot better when chilled. I first drank it when it was only chilled for about 15 mins and it was okay. Then I tasted it later on, chilled with some ice and the flavors were very present. The wine didn't taste like you were just eating a pineapple, but the hint of pineapple was there. Some light floral elements are in the wine as well. I would recommend drinking this during spring or summer while enjoying some dessert. The wine is super light and went down very smooth. 

Was not eaten with any food!

Reference:

“Gallo Family Sweet Pineapple Fruit Wine.” Total Wine & More, https://www.totalwine.com/wine/fruit-wine/fruit-blends/gallo-family-sweet-pineapple-fruit-wine/p/215606750. 

Tasting - Mountain and Vine Rose Wine

Name: Mountain and Vine Rose Wine

Variety: Rose

Region: Faber, Virginia

Country: United States

Vintage: 2017 

Price: $24

Winery Review: The winery describes this wine as a French style varietal wine. It says that the wine gives a floral and crisp taste. The rose also finishes with a very dry taste. It can be drank for any kind of occasion. They go on to talk about the Vineyard being a specific Virginia terroir which makes the wine even more unique. The Winery also has high quality wines and loves to relate it back to the terroir in VA. If you're curious the winery is located in Faber, VA. 

Wine Folly: When looking at what grape the Rose was made with it said merlot and cabernet franc. So on pg 13, it states a merlot grape will have little sweetness and a dried herb taste. Then on pg 86, It says strawberry, raspberry, and bell pepper. The sweetness for the cab franc is also on the low side. I say I agree with the book because it was very much a floral and earthy rose. 

My Review: I personally wasn't a fan of this wine. It was too dry and not sweet enough for me. I wish that it had more of a fruity sweetness to it. When I first smelled the wine, I wasn't intrigued because I got just the smell of alcohol. I couldn't really smell the floral aromas from it. Then when I tasted it, I got the floral flavors but no fruity flavors. Luckily, it has been chilling for a while because my sister gave me this bottle. This rose is supposed to her served chilled, so I think that helped. Overall, the wine wasn't horrible, I just don't like dry wines like this but I thought I would give it a try. 

No food was eaten with this! 

Tasting - Mango Moscato

Name: Bay Bridge Mango Moscato

Variety: Moscato

Region: Livermore and Ripon, California

Country: United States

Year: Not given on bottle 

Price: $2.99 on sale at Kroger

Critic Review: After searching on multiple different websites looking for a review, I couldn't find one talking about the mango moscato. A few different websites mention the peach and strawberry moscato they sell. I am not sure if it is just seasonal but no wine review could be found. The Kroger website doesn't even have a brief description of the wine. 

Wine Folly: Like I said in my review below, this wine was very very sweet. Using the Wine Folly textbook, I am going to compare the level of sweetness. This wine is a still wine and according to pg 17 in the textbook, it is considered doux, which is very sweet. On pg 16 the level of sweetness for a doux wine is ranked as a 5 and is 72+ calories. If I can recall correctly the wine was 110 calories per serving. In my opinion that is a good amount of calories for a sweet wine with a ton of residual sugars. Still on pg 16, the wines with lower acidity and high amounts of residual sugar tastes sweeter. This statement I can agree with because there was no acidity in this mango moscato. Overall, this wine reminds me of a super sweet piece of candy. 

My review: After drinking this, I wasn't a super big fan of it. I personally thought the wine was just way too sweet for my liking. The wine did go down very smooth but when it hit my teeth, it         made them ache. It wasn't horrible for a $3 wine but I wish there was more acidity added in. I know it is a Moscato and they are always on the sweeter side. Then mango flavor was phenomenal though and tasted similar to the actual fruit. Overall, the sweetness needs to be toned down. 

Tasting - Just Peachy

Name: Just Peachy Refreshing Bubbly

Variety: Bubbly (sparkling), Airen grape

Region: Provence, France

Country: France

Import: Biago Cru and Estate Wines, East Meadow NY 

Year: Not given on bottle 

Price: $7 at Sam's Club 

Critic Review: This peach wine is a perfect nice not too sweet peach wine. Just Peachy tastes very fresh and not syrupy at all. It is low calorie which is always a plus and nice. Perfect to have as a mimosa or to even put fresh fruit in. This would be a great drink to have in the morning time. E.F. (12/17/13)

Wine Folly: On pg 73, is information about the airen grape. This grape was used to make the Just Peachy wine. The flavors from the book mention multiple different fruits like apple and grapefruit. I can see where they got those flavors from because of the lower acidity in the wine and the sweetness the wine has. The main difference is my wine has peach flavors included because it is a peach wine. 

My Review: This wine is probably one my favorite sparkling wines. I love the sweetness but it's not too sweet like a piece of candy. The flavors in this wine are very peachy and that's the main fruit flavor I get, then again it is a peach wine. I love how it is not super acidic and it goes down very smooth even though it is bubbly. It tastes 10x better nice and cold than sitting on a shelf warm. I really do recommend this wine for a nice summer day. 

No food was eaten while drinking this! 

Reference:

“Just Peachy Bubbly.” The Midwest's Wine, Spirits & Beer Store, https://www.binnys.com/wine/other-wines/sparkling-wines/just-peachy-bubbly-44840#reviews-section. 

Tasting - Lemonade Moscato

Name: Lemonade Stand Lemonade Moscato  

Variety: Moscato 

Region: Livermore and Ripon, California 

Country: USA

Year: Not given on bottle 

Price: $5.99 at Kroger 

Critic Review: This Lemonade Moscato is the perfect version of a sweet and sour wine. Though it is tart, there is a touch of sweetness that helps bring in a good balance. It is not super hard to drink and it goes down very easy. This moscato is also lower proof. M.U. (7/1/2022) 

Wine Folly: When looking in the Wine Folly book, I couldn't find anything specific on moscatos. The closest thing I could find would be on pg 138 and that is a Muscat Blanc. The Muscat Blanc seems most similar to this wine with a high sweetness and slight acidity. The lower alcohol content is also comparable with Meyer lemon flavors. I know it is not the same but they do seem very similar. 

My Review: Sweet but not too sweet. Very refreshing when super chilled or with a few cubes of ice in it. It is definitely going to be a choice for a summer wine. I agree with the critic review, that it goes down very easily. The perfect sweet and sour combo made my taste buds pop because I wasn't expecting that. I do like lemonade and I wish it had a little more touch of lemon but I understand that it is a wine. 

No food was eaten with this! 

References:

Uhm, Monica. “Review: Lemonade Stand at Main & Vine Cocktails.” Drinkhacker, 24 Dec. 2022, https://www.drinkhacker.com/2022/07/01/review-lemonade-stand-at-main-vine-cocktails/. 

Personal Experience with Wine

 

When growing up, my whole entire family were wine drinkers. To this day, they all still love wine. For any big occasion, holiday, or family event a good amount of wine is always being consumed. My moms side of the family are big Pinot Noir drinkers with an occasional sparkling wine. Me on the other hand, I love sweet wines and anything bubbly. Prosecco is definitely up there on my families list. A nice glass of Prosecco with a splash of cranberry juice is perfect for the holidays. 

Since starting college I would say I have consumed a lot more wine than probably any other alcoholic beverage. It truly is something I look forward to ordering when out at a restaurant. One of my favorite things related to wine is going to wineries. I think wineries are so much fun because of the variety of options they have. One thing I have noticed though, a lot of wineries have a slim choosing of super sweet wines. Like I mentioned in the above paragraph, I love sweet wine. My mom always tells me I will eventually learn to like dry wines but I don't think so. I lean more towards liking the different kinds of moscatos. I haven't truly been able to find a specific brand of wine I like. Right now I normally just go with Barefoot since its affordable. Last semester my roommates and I got into drinking wine most weekends and will probably continue this semester. 

My main goal is to learn how to choose different wines and how to pair them with different foods in this course. The reason I want to learn this is so when I am having events in the future at my house I want to know what goes with what. I also want to learn this so when I go out to dinner I know what wine to order. I am still learning wine at a slow pace, but I really hope this class helps me broaden my wine choices and maybe open me up to choosing new wines to try.