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.