Apothic Red

I stumbled upon this 2011 wine in Kroger- It was the weekly special and had its  own mid aisle stand. Since I enjoyed the Apothic white I figured I couldn't go wrong with trying the red.  This wine is indeed sweeter- when I tried it I definately picked up on the fruity flavors. The bottle claims that it has layers of dark red fruit  with hints of vanilla and mocha. I didnt pick up on the vanilla and mocha immediately- but after reading the bottle I guess i could see where the flavors were hidden in the wine. The wine contains a Zinfendel, merlot, syrah and a cabernet. I really enjoyed sipping on this after a long day and it could easily pair with pizza or a "carby dish."

Apothic White 2011

Front label

This white wine is floating all over Blacksburg... everywhere from CVS to Kroger - I've heard nothing but great things about this $9 bottle of wine.  Its easy to enjoy this wine because of its mix of crispness and sweetness.  The bottle states that its a blended white of Riesling, Chardonnay & Moscato.  The other night I prepared a spicy Pad Thai dish that perfectly paired with this sweet white wine.  The bottle mentions flavors of vanilla and honey- I  definitely picked up on  the honey taste... but not so much the vanilla ( its a work in progress).  But I will definitely call on this wine for more spicy Asian dishes- the sweet defiantly offset the spicy!

Organic Red?

When encouraged to try different wines - I went out on a limb and tried an organic red wine. Since red wine is my favorutite- I thought it'd be interesting to taste the difference (if any) between organic and non organic. The big Kroger has a pretty extensive selection of organic wines but the one I picked up was  "Naked Earth 2009" made in the South of France.

Front Label

                        There wasn't much description of the flavor but  the bottle did note that all the grapes were organically harvested and grown.

This blended red consists of  50% Merlot,   25% Caberenet, Souviougn, 20% Grenache, and 5% Carignan. This wine appeared really dry to me with a hint of woody flavors.  I also noticed when drinking it - it didnt wiegh me down... or in other words, it wasnt heavy- rather light crisp and one can definately tell that is a less sugary product. Overall I enjoyed this wine. I would enjoy this with a light healthy entree.

Wine. My Drink of Choice :)

Breaux Vinyards

I enrolled in Geography of wine to be more versed about different kinds of wine and to impress my father and grandfather who are big "winos". I turned 21 just last February and before that the only exposure to wine I had was through my father and grandfather. They once tried to show me  a chart that corresponded with years and grapes and different regions but I never really embraced it, rather went along with whatever they said and drank whatever wine they offered me. But now as I can choose what a drink, rather than getting a sketchy older person to buy me alcohol or sneak alcohol from my parents like I had to when I was under 21, I have found a great love for wine.

Blacksbur's Brewfest

    Since my grandfather and father exposed me to many wines (including alot of reds) I find that I enjoy alot of reds like Cabernets and blended reds as well as blended crisp white wines.  Last summer, however,  I studied in France, Germany and Spain. While in France I was in Dijon, the capital of Burgundy- there I was able to enjoy some great wines. Although looking back I wish I had went on more wine tours since the Burgundy region is renown for its famous wines-In Spain I enjoyed all of their table red wines , and namely there sangria- so I at this point have developed my palette enough to enjoy a good red wine- actually... I prefer red wine.  However, in the context of college, I like to drink and ENJOY wine.. and if I get drunk.. awesome! - But I do NOT drink wine with the intention of getting drunk... that's what liquor is for :)
      This past year I have tried to expand my horizons by visiting vineyards and attending craft beer festivals. I went to Breaux vineyards in VA - a vineyard owned my by friend Maddie's father. I also went to Blacksburg's Brewfest- there I learned to enjoy more darker beers , since I have only liked lighter beers or ciders. But when it comes to wine, my favourite is a sweet light red wine.  Barefoot has a great one (Sweet Red) with cherry and raspberry flavors.
Nevertheless, I am excited to learn more about wine in this class. There is so much to drink and so little time :)