Wine Tasting #1 - 1/29/14

On Thursday, I joined my friend Meredith and we went to a wine tasting at the Vintage Cellar.  They had a fantastic set up for the class, and here's what we tried:

Wine #1 

Name: Fontana Candida
Variety: Frascati
Region: Frascati
Country: Italy
Year: not given
Price: Reg $12, Sale for $5.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: A blend of 60% Malvasia Bianca di Candia, 30% Trebbiano and 10% Malvasia del Lazio. This Frascati, made from grapes grown in volcanic soils near Rome and cold filtered, is a pale straw gold. On the nose it offers light-as-a-zephyr lemon and a hint of grass. On the tongue it is ultra crisp and delightfully flinty, its lemon and clementine flavors as smooth as old silk. At the end of a nice clean finish a dab of ripe pear takes a bow.
My review: Smells fruity and crisp with hints of apple or grape (grape as in grape candy flavoring, not grape as in wine is made from grapes).  Tasted bitter upon first sip, and grew into a vinegar-y flavor.  Not a fan of this Frascati.  I didn't experience the lemon or clementine flavors, and I definitely wouldn't describe it as "as smooth as old silk".
Paired with: nothing

Wine #2

Name: Foxhollow
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $5.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: This Chardonnay’s aromas of tropical pineapple, crisp green apple and citrus are supported by underlying nuances of vanilla. The finish is smooth and creamy yet balanced with enough acidity to accentuate the vibrant fruit flavors with a hint of orange blossoms.
My review: Smells like strawberries or some equally sweet fruit on the nose.  This wine tasted sweet with an almost buttery consistency in the mouth, really pleasant!  The heat broke through mid-swallow, but I enjoyed this wine overall.
Paired with: nothing

Wine #3

Name: B&G Chicken & Turkey
Variety: Côtes du Rhône
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: not given
Price: Regular $10, Sale $5.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: 85 Points – Wine Enthusiast.  A blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Carignan. Deep red garnet color with purple highlights. Intense nose of morello cherry, tobacco and liquorice. Good structure on the palate with lots of fruits and a long fruity and spicy finish. A true delight.
My review: Smells earthy and metallic to me, some dregs in the glass (that's a sign of good wine, no?).  This wine has a light red color, like garnet with the sun behind it and tasted great.  Less acidic than many Cotes-du-Rhones I've tried in the past.  The metallic smell resurfaced in the aftertaste.
Paired with: nothing

Wine #4

Name: Fox Hollow Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cab Sav
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $5.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: Rich and supple with juicy plum, blackberry and chocolate flavors and a pleasant sense of sweetness backed up by good acidity and moderate tannins. Offers early complexity and charm with real richness and depth.
My review: This wine was a pinker, more rosy red and also came with a little sediment.  Detected hints of cherry on the nose, which apparently we actually plum and blackberry according to the wine's description.  This had a more acidic taste with a lingering vanilla aftertaste.  Hot mid-palate.
Paired with: nothing

Wine #5

Name: Opera Prima
Variety: Sparkling Moscato
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: not given
Price: Regular $15, Sale $6.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: 85 Points – Wine Enthusiast.  Flowery and sweet smelling, then round and fairly smooth in the mouth. The bubbles and flavor package of tropical fruits galore is pleasant and shouldn’t offend anyone. Finishes clean and easy. A mango boat of flavor.
My review: Pale yellow in color, great enthusiastic bubbles when first poured.  This moscato smelled sweet and almost minty, crisp with hints of pear.  The wine tasted minty or perhaps herbal (thyme, maybe?) with a hard first taste and a lemony aftertaste.  I tasted herbs, lemon, herbs, in that order.  Refreshing!
Paired with: nothing