Minwook's Wine Blog

  Name: Menage a Trois Variety: Red Blend Region: California Country:  USA Year:  2020 Price:  $9 Winery Review:  The 2019 Ménage à Trois Red Blend is smooth, elevated, and sweet. TASTING NOTES: This wine brings ripe fruit, candied nuances on a textured and medium-sweet palate. Chill it down and drink by itself or with fresh fruits in season.   Wine Folly (pg. 189, 88):  The first wine in the blend is a Zinfandel. This wine has notes of cinnamon and sweet tobacco which I got tiny hints of. I did however, get some hints of blackberry and a strong tannin flavor as well. The second wine was the Cabernet Sauvignon. Another wine with notes of some warm spices, includes the taste of grahite in its flavor palette. I got some notes of some cherry from this wine mixed in the bottle. My Review:  This wine had a very warm flavor to it from the different spices mixed into their flavor profiles. I thought this wine had a very tannic flavor while also being sli...

  Name: Monkey Bay Variety: Sauvignon Blanc Region: Marlborough Country: New Zealand Year:  2020 Price:  $9 Winery Review: Very tropical on the nose, pineapple pear grass melon lime passion fruit minerals stone apricot honey, medium to low acidity, medium to long finish, stone and minerals in the palette. Wine Folly (pg. 165):  A white wine with strong herbaceous flavors and highly acidic. Unlike the online review, I agree with the wine folly about the acidity of this wine. It had a sharp taste that I believe could pair very nicely with something salty. I tasted hints of apple which wasn't mentioned in the book.  My Review:  A light bodied wine that was highly acidic. I tasted notes of apple and maybe a little citrus in there as well. I enjoyed this wine but wish the acidity was slightly weaker. The wine was chilled before consumption which definitely enhanced the flavors of the wine. I read about herbaceous and mineral flavors which I did not pick up ...

 This weekend, my friends and I decided to do another wine pairing, this time with different cheeses. The cheeses were served with rosemary Triscuts and club crackers as well as some salami and capicola. I had a great time with these pairings since this was my first time and this experience has made me appreciate the different flavors of wine and food pairings. I was able to enjoy the wine and cheeses when they were paired together as the flavor combinations worked extremely well. We started with a carbonated white wine and then a regular white wine pairing before moving onto a red wine pairing. My favorite combination was the Manchego cheese and the Pinot Noir, I was able to enjoy the wine so much more when the flavors were combined together rather than if I was eating them by themselves.  *I forgot to take a picture with the wine and cheese that included me and my friends and we had already thrown the bottles away, I apologize and hope this mistake can be overlooked.* Pairin...

  Name: La Vieille Ferme Variety:  Grenache Blanc Region:  Southern Rhones Country:  France Year:  2021 Price:  $9 Winery Review:  Entry level southern Rhones. Vintage 2021. Aromas: yellow apple, pear, lemon, white flowers. Taste: yellow apple, pear, lemon. Simple, easy going, medium accidity. Good value for picnic or party.  Wine Folly (pg. 119): Grenache blanc is a full-bodied white wine that has a flavor profile consisting of yellow plum, pear, lemon zest, honeysuckle, and toast. Sometimes aged in oak barrels to bring out a more toasty and creamy flavor. I don't believe this wine was aged in an oak barrel as I could not get any hints of a toasty flavor.  My Review:  While tasting this wine, the pear had the most prominent flavor for me. I also got notes of a citrus flavor likely from the lemon zest. This wine had a sweet and bright flavor with a full body. I've read of a toasty or buttery flavor in the wine which I did not pick up on ...

  Name: Josh Cellars Variety: Rose Region: Parlier, California Country: USA Year: 2021 Price: $15 Winery Review:  I really like Josh cellars wines. I believe the winery has only been making the rosé for a few years. I like it. it's good. I particularly like drinking a nice cold rose in the late spring or early summer. I find them very refreshing. not too sweet. a little dry which is what I prefer. in fact, the dryer, the wine, the happier I am! Wine Folly: (Rose wasn't on Wine Folly, going off of an online source instead). The online source mentions notes of red fruits including strawberry, cherry, and raspberry as well as flavor profiles of flowers, citrus, melon, and celery. I definitely tasted some strawberry with some citrus notes. I did not taste anything resembling the flavor of celery or any melon.  My Review: I enjoyed this wine very much. As someone who thinks that white wines can be too sweet and reds too dry, I found this to be a very nice middle ground. I foun...

  Dinner Blog Last week, my friends and I got together to do a wine dinner at my place. We paired two white wines and a red with a light salad and ribeye steak with a side of roasted potatoes for our meal. I enjoyed the overall experience of trying different pairings of wine with certain foods to see how they played off of each other. Personally, my favorite was the salad paired with the Moscato. I thought the flavors played off of each other very well as the sweetness of the Moscato cut through the acidity of the dressing very well. I am personally very excited to do this again with my friends in the future.  Pairing #1: Appetizer Salad Paired with a Moscato Name: Castello Del Poggio Variety: Moscato Country: Italy Vintage Year: Couldn't find Price: $12.99 We paired the Moscato with a light salad as a start to our meal. The Moscato itself was light and had very citrusy and floral flavors. From my initial smell of the wine, I  got hints of a honey citrus aroma as well as ...

  Name: Malbec Variety: Malbec Region: Mendoza Country: Argentina Year: 2017 Price: $10 Winery Review: Pronouced aromas of crushed berries and black fruit. Dry, high acid and full bodied wine with long finish. Blackberry and jerky. Wine Folly (pg. 125): The book mentions notes of tobacco and vanilla which I did not notice. I could taste the blackberrry and cherry however.The book says this wine doesn't have too long of a finish but I agree with the online review with the finish.    My Review: I reviewed this wine with a couple of friends and we let the wine sit in a decanter for about 30 minutes before tasting. I immediately got hints of cherry and blackberry during my initial sniff and tasting. Although I am not the biggest fan of dry wines, I found this one to taste decent. I am also very interested to see how the wine might taste if it hadn't been decanted to see if there is a noticeable difference in the taste and smell. I will likely explore more options of Malbec in...

  Name:  Chardonnay  Variety: Chardonnay Region: Verolanuova, Southern Italy Country: Italy Year: 2017 Price: $10 Winery Review: On the nose subdued notes of apple and lemon. On the palate lemon peel. Simple, easy drinking, nothing really here. Drinks more like a basic sauv blanc. There's nothing off putting about it, just nothing interesting either. Paired with a Canadian halibut steak grilled on a redoak board. Wine Folly (pg. 96): The book states that this white wine is a richer and creamier variation compared to the normal whites that you would expect. Since I have little experience drinking wine, I can't say for certain if I agree with this statement, however, as I continue to drink more throughout the semester I might be able to distinguish more about the different bodies of wines. There were hints of yellow apple and lemon peel, the book mentions a buttery aftertaste which I could not taste on my palate.  My Review: Pretty good. As someone who isn't the bigges...