Weinkeller Erbach Flonheimer Adelberg Sylvaner

Name: Weinkeller Erbach Flonheimer Adelberg
Variety: Sylvaner
Region: Rheinhessen
Country: Germany
Year: 2010
Price: Regularly $18.00, Sale $4.95

Vintage Cellar Review: "The fruity, mouthwatering wine has a nice acidity-sugar balance and comes from the so called 'Rheinhessen-Switzerland', the heartland of Rheinhessen. It has a floral bouquet and is full of lemon zest, hint of passion fruit, and smells like yellow fruit, lemon-grass and green tea, all wrapped around a pleasant creaminess and a semi-dry profile. The finish is zippy and refreshing. Perfect for party on the deck as it comes in a liter bottle!"

My Review: This white wine did not seem to have that much of a taste. This could have been attributed to the washing of the glass before the pouring to get the taste of the red wine out. I did notice hints of lemon and lime which were very complementary to this wines texture. I would recommend this wine, it just wasn't my favorite.

Food: No

Montebuena Rioja

Name: Montebuena Rioja
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95

Vintage Cellar Review: "(100% Tempranillo, raised entirely in American Oak): Vivid Ruby. Ripe cherry and blackcurrant on the nose and in the mouth. Pliant and seamless in texture, with good heft and back-end energy. Finishes smooth and sweet, with fine-grained tannins providing shape and grip. Still on the young side but this wine drinks very well with an hour or so of decanting; it's an excellent value for Rioja." -Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (September 2012), 90 pts.

My Review: This red wine was a bit too strong for my liking. The review mentions the fine-grained tannins which were very noticeable in this one because it seemed pretty dry. The taste was fine but I prefer a red wine to be a little sweeter than this one.

Food: No

Delaroche Cotes du Rhone

Name: Delaroche Cotes du Rhone
Variety: Rhone Blend
(50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre)
Region: Rhone
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95

Vintage Cellar Review: "This semi-opaque ruby, custom curvee of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre is made specifically for Fran Kysela. It exhibits very fresh, ripe dark red fruit with very good palate weight and depth and ends with rich fruit notes. Made from organically grown grapes. Incredible value!" -I-WineReview (December 2013), 90 pts.

My Review: Red wines are not usually my favorite but I liked this one. I think it may have been the first red blend that I've tasted and I could tell it was much different from a varietal wine. I enjoyed the strong hint of cherries. I would definitely consider purchasing a bottle if I was in the mood for red wine.

Food: No

Maipe Torrontes

Name: Maipe Torrontes
Variety: Torrontes
Region: Salta
Country: Argentina
Year: 2013
Price: $7.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Spring-like nose of fresh white peaches, pears, green apple, green melon and hints of jasmine and rose petals. On the palate, it has a beautiful structure and acidity along with fruit flavors and plenty of body. Well balanced, this wine displays a pleasant freshness with citrus notes and a long finish. Best enjoyed in its youth either by itself, or as a wonderful partner with smoked meats, mild to medium-strong cheeses, seafood and a great partner for spicy food as well.

My Review: This was another really good white wine. The aftertaste was a bit spicy which I really enjoyed. I noticed the green apple as noted in the review and liked the hints of the other fruits that were in this one. My friend that I was with ended up purchasing this bottle and we plan on having dinner with it sometime in the near future.

Food: No

Cortenova Pinot Grigio

Name: Cortenova Pinot Grigio
Variety: Pinot Gris
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $7.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Brilliant straw color with emerald reflections. Fresh and floral bouquet with a hint of pears, apricots and bananas. Fresh and inviting with bright fruit and an easy drinking style with a pleasing hint of almonds in the finish. Pairs well with seafood dishes, risottos with scampi, spaghetti with clams, sole in white wine. Perfect also as an aperitif.

My Review: I generally enjoy white wines so I knew that this would be one of my favorites of the tasting. It was sweet and smooth and I tasted a hint of pear. I would really enjoy this with a pasta dish of some sort. I would rank this one as my favorite of the three white wines.

Food: No

Stillwater/Hof Ten Dormaal Bronze Age

Name: Stillwater/Hof Ten Dormaal Bronze Age
Variety: Saison/Farmhouse Ale
Brewery: Stillwater Artisinal Ales
(Baltimore, Maryland)
Country: United States
Price: $8.50 / 375 ml
ABV: 6.0%

Vintage Cellar Review: A traditional saison brewed with barley and raw spelt from the farms of Hof Ten Dormaal Brewery in Belgium.

My Review: My favorite beers are Ale's, so it surprised me that this wasn't my favorite of the four that we tasted. I did enjoy how smooth it was, but seemed a little too bitter. I might have just had high expectations, because it was really good, but I would prefer other Ale's to this one.

Wehenstephaner Korbinian

Name: Wehenstephaner Korbinian
Variety: Doppelbock
Brewery: Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
(Freising, Bavaria)
Country: Germany
Price: $3.80 / 500 ml
ABV: 7.4%

Vintage Cellar Review: A double bock beer that has what it takes. Not just for lovers of strong beer. With a malty aroma and great taste, our Korbinian is a true beer specialty. It goes well with smoked meat and fish as well as wild roasts and fowl.

My Review: My feeling's on this beer are mixed. I don't usually enjoy bock's but this beer was very smooth and tasty. It seemed like one that I would enjoy more with food and I would like to try it out with some of the suggestions made in the cellar review.

Uinta Detour

Name: Detour Double India Pale Ale
Variety: Double IPA
Brewery: Uinta Brewing (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Country: United States
Price: $8.75 / 750 ml
ABV: 9.5%

Vintage Cellar Review: Detour blazes the trail for fresh and bold Double IPAs. Four varieties of hops combine to step up the flavor profile. A hoppy adventure that finishes dry. Big in alcohol and character. Venture to pair with other spirited flavors such as those found in spicy ethnic foods.

My Review: The first thing I liked about this beer was the label. It seemed fun and relaxed, which was a good reflection of the taste. There was the familiar bite that I tend to taste in IPAs but wasn't anything over the top. The 9.5% alcohol didn't seem to show itself too much and I would recommend this beer to friends that enjoy IPAs.

Howe Sound Megadestroyer

Name: Megadestroyer Imperial Licorice Stout
Variety: Imperial Stout
Brewery: Howe Sound Brewing
(Squamish, British Columbia)
Country: Canada
Price: $14.95 / 1 L
ABV: 10.0%

Vintage Cellar Review: Brewed in Squamish, British Columbia. As the name suggests, is not for the faint-hearted. This beer is a strong, hearty stout brewed in a very limited quantity a few times a year. It is brewed with seven different barley malts, blackstrap molasses, hops, water, yeast, licorice root and star anise. It has an intense depth of roast earthy flavour, with a pleasant licorice aroma.

My Review: This was the final beer that we sampled and in this case, the best truly was saved for last. I don't usually enjoy stouts, but this beer had a very defining taste. It was strong but not too overwhelming and I noticed a strong hint of chocolate in the after taste. It also tasted a bit like coffee, which brought about a warm feeling.

My Experience with Wine thus far

Up until this point in my life I do not have a great deal of experience with wine. The little bit that I do have is from a visit to The Winery at Bull Run with my family. This is not common practice as my parents are not big wine drinkers, but my brother was an employee at this specific winery so we decided to make an appearance. It was a very nice establishment with hardwood floors and granite tabletops and seemed a little too fancy for me at first. Then we were greeted very nicely and were asked if we would like to participate in a tasting. It quickly became an enjoyable experience.

I had only consumed wine a few times in my life before this so I was excited to learn more about the taste and the culture behind this unique beverage. I quickly found out that I enjoyed white wine more than red, simply because it tasted less bitter. This didn't deter me from the red wine, however, because I know from experience with beer that alcohol is an acquired taste and that you just have to give it a chance.

We tasted 9 Virginia wines in total, which was relatively inexpensive compared to the preconceptions I had before visiting. The red wines that we tried were Merlot, Petit Verdot, Norton, and Meritage Reserve. I don't specifically remember the taste of the four, but I do recall Petit Verdot being my favorite. The white wines that we tasted were Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Delaney, Lily's Viognier, and Petit Manseng. I enjoyed all of the whites, with my favorite being Petit Manseng. It was an enjoyable experience and I look forward to this class and future wine tastings.