Le vin ou la vie?

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...

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.     ...

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 ...