Le vin ou la vie?

Me and my mom at Blu. She was not excited to drink wine.       When I texted my mom and told her she was going to do a wine-dinner with me, she was excited to help me with a school assignment, but not necessarily one involving wine. She is mainly a margarita gal and occasionally a super sweet, white wine person. But despite her reservations, she set aside her Sunday afternoon to try it out and she even foot the bill.      We went to Blu, a restaurant off of Main Street in Norman. I had never been to the restaurant before, and I had never paired wine with food, so what an experience! We sat on the patio on such a perfect, beautiful day. The two days before had been in the 40's. This Sunday, the sun was shining and it was about 72 degrees all day. At one point my mom just said "Look at how blue that sky is!" This amazing, carefree atmosphere set the scene for our tastings.  The view of the blue sky from our patio table.      While I had intended on doing my own

Franzia Merlot California Vintage: Unavailable Price: $13.99 Norman Discount Liquor "A pleasing dry red wine with blackberry and raspberry aromas. Serve at room temperature. Complements pork, grilled meats and sauced pastas." -Franzia Merlot  I was actually inspired to give Franzia another chance because of this course. When I tried one of Franzia's white wines about a year ago (not sure which variety), I found it so disgusting I poured it down the drain. Although I'm pretty sure Professor Boyer dissed Franzia in one of his video, I was motivated to buy a Franzia for several reasons. 1. Boyer's discussion of the advantages of a boxed, spout pour wine 2. Boyer's discussion about not being a snob. A good tasting wine can come from anywhere and 3. Franzia is so cheap.  So I tried Franzia's Merlot because I had tried a Merlot earlier this semetsre and was surprised by how much I liked it. It was extremely sweet for what I think of a merlot as being. I

Petalos Mencia Blend Bierzo Spain 2015 ~$20 "This is such a tight and beautiful red with dark berry, stone and limestone character. Medium body, focused and refined. Linear and very long finish. A standard bearer for the region." -James Suckling from Wine.com I had this wine at a special reception. It was a pretty fancy gathering in one of the nicest parts of north  Oklahoma City. This was the red wine they offered at their wine bar in a fancy decanter which was awesome. I had to awkwardly snap a picture and make note of other details while I was supposed to be schmoozing. This wine was very tannic and at first I was worried I wouldn't be able to stick with it. However, I soon noted that it was also very sugary which definitely offset the high levels of tannins. It was great to drink while  waiting for what seemed like forever for people to start eating the finger foods. The full body helped me forget my hunger as I mingled. It had the taste of cherry and ber

Woodland Park's Rose of Summer Variety: Blended. No prominent variety Stillwater, OK USA No Vintage provided Price and store: This wine was a bought by my aunt and left behind at my grandparents' this summer. When I asked her if she could remember the store or price, she could not. However, she guessed that the price was around $15-20. Review provided by the winery's website : A sweet rose wine made from red and white grapes. One our first wines to make in 2004, a very easy wine to enjoy in the evening alone or with chocolate. Use as a base for wine coolers. My review: When I sniffed the wine I noted that the was extremely spicy. It smelled like a specific spice I couldn't identify, but also peppery. I also got hints of dried apricots and raspberry. I was worried I wouldn't like the taste based on the strong spiciness of the smell as I've never had a wine before that had such a spicy smell. However this is probably the best rose wine I've ever

Source: Honest Wine Reviews Cabernet Savignon California USA Year: N/A $7.50 Online Review: " I think Al best described the taste experience of this wine in one sentence.  He said it was a “three part experience that started buttery, then moved to currant and finished oaky.” Additionally I noticed flavors of ripe raspberry and much less of the oak. When we were tasting this wine, I wrote down the word “buttery” about one second before Al said it.  That really spoke to predominance of the “butteryness” of this wine, which I found to be a little unusual for a Cabernet.  But, it worked for this wine." (This is merely an excerpt. For the full review go to Honest Wine Reviews' site) My review: This was my first time trying a Cabernet Sauvignon. I was inspired to try after hearing the professor rave about it so much in videos! So while I was in Dallas for the OU/Texas game, I picked up this Barefoot brand from the 7-Eleven (which is amazing since we can't buy w

Source: WineDeals Tisadale Vineyards Variety: Shiraz Region: California Country: USA Year: N/A Price: $5.99 at Norman Discount Liquor Marketview Liquor Review : A friendly, fruit-forward bouquet packed with black cherry and raspberry aromas accented by notes of spice and black pepper. Medium-bodied with flavors of blackberry and cherry on the palate and soft, round tannins.   My review: While I would normally love an "easy to drink" red wine, this wine was almost too easy to drink. The most fruit uice like wine I've ever had, it seems perfect for a ladies night where we're trying to get drunk quickly, but not great for sitting back and savoring the experience. Definite fruit tastes like cherry, and pomegranate. I got hints of vanilla. Great wine for the price, but that is all that can be said of it. Would recommend to a college student looking for solid alcohol percentage, cheap, and easy to drink. 

Source: saucey Two Vines Colombia Crest Merlot Variety: Merlot Region: Colombia Valley Country: USA Year: 2014 Price: $13.59 Norman Discount Liquor: The 2006 Merlot was aged 25% new French and American oak for 14-16 months. Dark ruby colored, it delivers a pleasant nose of cedar, vanilla, clove, cassis, and cherry. Supple, ripe, and easy-going on the palate, this medium bodied effort has surprising persistence and length for its bargain price. Drink it over the next 3 years. -October 2009 My review: The dark color of this wine definitely through me for a loop as I often anticipate strong tannins with darker reds. However, I was surprised by the extreme sweetness from the swirl test. Very fruity: cherry and strawberry like to me. That first sip was "strong", the best way I can explain. It hit my palate strong, but then went back easy and smooth, When I chewed it, it was very sweet, but almost a tad sour. I think that "sourness" was the vanilla of the o