Le vin ou la vie?

As a French major, I realized it is unacceptable that we are coming to the end of the semester and I haven't done a report on trying a French wine. Of course while I studied abroad, I drank almost exclusively French wine. Since returning to the states, I haven't had any French wine.  This comes from the Beaujolais  region of France and this bottle is the first of the 2017 harvest. I bought this for $15.99 at The Wine Gallery in south OKC. This is mostly made of the Gamay variety made by the Georges Duboeuf. The winemaker's notes are: " Vibrant red fruits, such as strawberries and currants, on the palate and an intense perfume."  The smell seems intensely young with sharp fruity flavors. I get lots of black cherry, licorice, sweet vanilla. The taste is a perfect harmony of tannins and sweet cherry. Full bodied with a sharp finish, I was transported back to Clermont-Ferrand, France and walking down the street with a bottle in my hand, hoping I finish it

This Thanksgiving was hosted at my parents' and included my parents, brothers, grandma, uncle, and great aunt, and the family of my brother's friend. We practically avoided politics the entire time and the food was amazing. But the real star of this Thanksgiving was my online Geography of Wine class. My family thought it was hilarious that I was actually taking an online wine class that involved drinking wine. Me and the fam. Left to right: Uncle Bill, Mom, Aunt Wayna, Dad, Me, Gabriel, Grandma, Nathaniel. Photo taken by my brother's friend's Dad.  For this dinner, my mom did most of the cooking and I supplied the wine. The Wednesday before, I went wine shopping at the Wine Gallery in South OKC, less than a mile from my house. This was the first time that I had been to a liquor store and needed to get a shopping cart. When checking out, rather than putting it in the sack, the cashier let me take a box because I had bought so much. Check that off my bucket list! T

I have a confession to make: I bought this because of the label. As soon as I saw it, I thought it was cute. But then I read the label where it says "I just rescued some wine, it was trapped in a bottle." Well at that moment, the Middle Sister had me. For $13.99 at The Wine Gallery in South OKC, I now owned a bottle of The Middle Sister's Drama Queen, or Pinot Grigio. Produced in California, USA, this non-vintage wine is described by the winemaker as " An explosion of apples and pears, with a slight touch of mineral on the finish." While this is by no means my favorite wine, this crisp floral Pinot Grigio was a fun change from my now normal pattern of big reds. The smell reminded me of a tight, sour apple. The taste was a crisp apple taste with grass and lemony flavors. It was smooth, almost flat. Fruity and enjoyable, but not something I would regularly  drink. 

Chateau Julien Cabernet Sauvignon Monterey County, California United States 2015 $12.66 The Wine Gallery WineMaking Notes from the Shop: Slow fermented on the skins for two weeks and aged for 13 months in 1-2 year old French and American oak barrels. Shop's critique: Soft blackberry fruit, dark chocolate and cherry aromas are highlighted by a nice hint of vanilla and spice. Well balanced with medium body and structure through a full round finish.  My Review: When smelling it, I got cherries with strong hints of oak and vanilla. I think that the structure is sorely lacking, and I would prefer a richer body. (perhaps with more acidity?) The finish of the wine is very sweet and fuller, much more enjoyable than the initial taste. Overall I think that this wine is very weak. I think that when paired with a cheese or some fish it would have been better, but on its on, leaves much to be desired. 

Beringer Variety: Moscato Region: Grown in Chile, bottled in Napa Valley Country: Chile Year: N/A Price: $7.99 from The Wine Gallery (Wine and Whiskey) Total Wine: "This innovative blend from Beringer is the perfect harmony of Moscato, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. It brings together the vivid aromas and flavors of the Moscato grape with the classic red berry characteristics of Zinfandel and ripe black cherry flavors of Petite Sirah." The smell of this wine was, in a word, sweet. Unfortunately, it also smelled like plastic. I assume this is from the fact that it was bottled in plastic. The taste was so sugary, I forgot I was drinking wine and could have mistaken it for Kool-Aid (and this is in no way a compliment). This is only the second time in my life that I've ever disliked a wine so much I couldn't finish it. Absolute no tannic structure, or acidity. It was simply sugary and loose. My friend Buddy loved it and drank the rest of mine. Seems like this is the

Casa Vinicola Ruffino Variety: According to website, 70% sangiovese "Other red varietals such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon" Region: Chianti Country: Italy Year: 2015 Price: $15.99 at Norman Discount Liquor From Website: Ruffino Chianti DOCG is an approachable, easy-drinking wine that has predominantly fruity and floral aromatics, with hints of spice and hazelnut. On the palate, Chianti DOCG is soft with a medium body and nice balance, displaying pleasantly fruity characteristics. I tried this wine with my friend Buddy. Unfortunately there was only a glass or so left to try after I turned to drinking during the OU-OSU game on Saturday. When performing the swirl and sniff test, we noted an alcoholic smell that was difficult to get past. After that we noted mostly cherry and pepper aromas. Upon tasting the Chianti, it was obviously a light-medium bodied wine, went down easy. Buddy said he believed it to be too bitter for his liking. It was lightly tannic, hardly not