Wine & Cheese Pairing #2

I was planning on attending the regular Thursday wine tasting today, but Blacksburg did it's usual surprise snow thing again and the Vintage Cellar closed at 4:00.  Instead of just abandoning the wine quest all together, I got my friends Oliver and Maggie and my awesome, down-for-anything boyfriend Will to have a wine and cheese party!  We headed next door to Kroger and stocked up on wine.  I took advantage of Rex Goliath's insanely well-priced deal and purchased a Free Range Red and a Pinot Grigio.  Maggie bought a Llama Malbec, and we also picked up wedges of gouda, jarlsburg, and manchego cheese.

Wine #1 - Rex Goliath Pinot Grigio
We started with whites and worked to full bodied reds like I now know you're supposed to.  This pinot grig was VERY light in color with a pale greenish/yellow tint.  It smelled absolutely delightful with honey, honeycrisp apple, grapefruit and a hint of butterscotch.  Unfortunately, it did not taste as great as it smelled.
Alone - it tasted like apple juice with a citrus finish.  The overwhelming flavors were apple and honey.  Note that I didn't chill this wine.  If I had, I don't think it would have tasted like anything at all.
Gouda - The gouda cut whatever acidity this wine had to begin with (read:not much at all) and made it taste like straight up apple juice.
Jarlsburg -  This was an okay pair, and rather than changing the flavor, it did something strange to the texture turning the Jarlsburg into what I imagine is the consistency of ear wax.
Manchego - The manchega stripped the sweetness out of the wine and made it taste like you were chewing on the end of a good old Ticonderoga number 2 pencil.

Wine #2 - Rex Goliath Free Range Red
This was a deep plum colored wine that smelled leathery, spicy, black cherry, oaky and earthy.
Alone - It tasted like spice, like you took a big bite of the skin of a Christmas ham and got a clove in there, too.  This wine had NO acidity at all, and you felt tannins on the back part of the roof of your mouth.
Gouda - Yum!  This combo was so drinkable at first sip.  The cheese became more buttery and pungent, and the tannins were gone from the wine so it effectively tasted like grape juice.  I tried this combo later on, though, and the combo made the wine taste TOO sugary.
Jarlsburg - The Jarls and the Red mix totally cancelled each other out in a confusing combo that left you wondering what exactly was in your mouth.
Manchego - Oh yum!  This combo takes the mild cheese and adds more dimension to bring out the advertised jamminess of the wine.  This was a close tie with the gouda for best pair.

Wine #3 - Llama Malbec - According to Maggie, this wine had a 93 rating when she picked it up from Kroger.  It had a pretty dark amethyst/garnet color and smelled like cassis, strawberries, and tomatoes.  It definitely smelled like a spicy old vine Malbec.
Alone - This wine had more tannins and acidity but the same amount of alcohol as the previous wine.  It tasted like it had half of a prune, metal, and a tiny bit like bile on the finish (but in a good way somehow).
Gouda - The fruit comes out to play with this combination.  I caught hints of blueberry and what couldn't be mango but sure did taste like it.  This relatively thick wine was turned to the consistency of grape juice.
Jarlsburg - Ew, this tasted bad with Jarls.  We have got to find a wine that this cheese will play nicely with, because this really doesn't work.  It seemed like they brought out the worst in each other with waxy swissy cheese and thin flavorless acidy wine.  My disgust could stem from the fact that I really don't like swiss cheese, so take this as my own opinion.
Manchego - This combo let the Manchego become buttery and stronger in flavor.  It stripped the thickness out of the wine and didn't leave it with much flavor.

This wine and cheese pairing experiment wasn't quite as successful as the first experiment.  I learned that there is, in fact, a reason why the Rex's were so inexpensive.  They really weren't balanced or developed wines to begin with, so with cheese, they almost lost all their flavor.  Til next time!

Wine Tasting #4 - 2/26/15

Today, someone said that Meredith and I were "good at this"!  While we appreciated the compliment, we assured the girl that we were just blurting out whatever words popped into our heads to describe the things we taste and that it's an entirely subjective skill.  I'm not sure what's going on, but I had trouble picking out flavors while actually tasting though my nose seemed to be working fine.  Today we tasted:

Wine #1
Name: Mars & Venus
Variety:  Sauvignon Blanc
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $10, sale $5.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: Citrus and gooseberry are mild but typical of the variety.  A basic citrus palate delivers modest tangerine and nectarine flavors which lead to a mild, pithy finish showing light citric notes.
My review: This was a very pale yellow wine.  On the nose, I found lemon and pears with a little bit of crushed grass (which I now know is a typical flavor for sauvignon blanc).  This wine didn't have a powerful taste other than slight hints of pear, but what really stole the show was the acidity.  It perfectly targeted the sides of the tongue for a pleasant puckering sensation that just about made up for my inability to taste supposed tangerine and nectarine flavors.

Wine #2
Name: Takutai
Variety:  Pinot Gris
Region: Nelson
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2009
Price: $21, sale $6.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: Since this wine weights in at 14%, the fruit was clearly very ripe.  That ripeness is reflected in the flavors as well, which feature nectarine and honey accented by hints of white pepper.  It's full bodied and lush, with a long finish that mingles the sensations of sweet and spicy.
My review: This wine was also clear, but slightly more yellow.  It smelled like honey, ginger, and ripe honeycrisp apple.  Upon sipping, this wine tasted spicy and earthy with a long, lingering finish that was tasted like I'd opened the door on a smoking brisket and inhaled.  Again, the finish really defined the wine though this time it was more defined by flavor than sensation.

Wine #3
Name: Yellowtail Reserve
Variety:  Merlot
Region: South Eastern
Country: Australia
Year: 2010
Price: $12, sale $6.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: Round, velvety, and mouth-filling, this is a satisfying Merlot at a bargain price.  Aromas of black cherries and herbs fold in hints of cinnamon and mocha, while the flavors are generally fruity, but with a slightly tomatoey note.  Soft on the finish.  Drink now.
My review: For me, Merlots can fall anywhere on a spectrum of delicious to undrinkable.  This one nestled itself in the middle, leaning towards the gross side.  It was a dark brownish red, opaque color like dried ketchup.  On the nose, I picked up cloves, earth tones, tomatoes and the slightest hint of a creamsicle milkshake.  I had a really hard time identifying the taste on this one, but it almost tasted like unripe melon.  It left me with the same taste you get when you bite into cantaloupe and it just isn't ripe yet.  The tannins were mild and left the tongue tingling.

Wine #4
Name: Crane Lake
Variety:  Petite Sirah
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $5.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: Shows a certain rustic simplicity now, with youthfully jammy flavors of blackberries, cherries and currants, sprinkled with cocoa and pepper and wrapped into dusty tannins.
My review: This wine had a positively delightful fuchsia color around the edges of the glass!  It smelled like Burt's Bees Clover Honey Chapstick with a hint of strawberries and a little bit of pepperiness on the nose.  This wine had BIG overwhelming tannins and I really couldn't taste anything other than a cinnamon finish.  I'd say it needs to age a couple of years for the jamminess to come out.

Wine #5
Name: Crane Lake
Variety:  Riesling
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $5.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: Punchy lime and lemon mark this off-dry Riesling with a staccato rhythm, adding edge to honeyed tones of peach and honeysuckle.  Exceptionally priced, it's satisfying and elegant.
My review: This Riesling had a nice dry grass color to it.  It smelled overwhelmingly like honey and brown sugar as well as banana laffy taffy, mango, and a touch of crushed mint.  It tasted almost like mead, it was so sweet, and like the type of pineapple that Bruster's Real Ice Cream puts on banana splits or maybe even pineapple upside down cake.  I really need to work on my sweet descriptors.

Wine Tasting #3 - 2/19/15

Meredith and I braved the (well below) freezing temperatures and the mounds of snow today to go wine tasting yet again!  Today we learned the correct way to swirl your wine glass: place it on the table, place your pointer and middle finger on either side of the stem, and swirl in circles.  We also tried the following wines:

Wine #1

Name: Le Jade
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Languedoc
Country: France
Year: 2013
Price: $5.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: 89 Points - Beverage Testing Institute.  "Silvery straw color.  Lively aromas and flavors of pineapple, yellow apple, melon, and Meyer lemon with a silky, bright, dry-yet-fruity medium body and a tingling, complex, medium-long finish with notes of lemongrass, pear, and lemon with no tannins and no oak.  Bright and crisp with layers of juicy pineapple, pear, lemongrass and ripe melon make this perfect for repeated sipping or enhancing fresh farm to table cookery."  12.5% alc.
My review: Pale yellow with hints of peach in color, almost creamy.  Smelled like lemon and pear, citrus peel, and a little bit of crushed grass.  Tasted like lemonade with out the sugar with a really nice lingering citrus aftertaste.  The heat broke through on the swallow.
Paired with: nothing


Wine #2

Name: Petrucco
Variety: Ribolla Gialla
Region: Friuli
Country: Italy
Year: 2009
Price: $7.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: 87 Points - Wine Enthusiast.  This well-priced Friulano would pair nicely with spicy Indian or Thai food thanks to the creaminess and richness of its mouthfeel.  In addition, the wine offers a solid bouquet of peach and melon that would not compete with fragrant ingredients.  100% Ribolla Gialla.  13% alc.
My review: This wine was clearer with hints of green.  It smelled over-archingly like honey and green apple, so I see what they meant by it not competing with fragrant ingredients.  This wine was less acidic at first taste than the first, and I found it to be semi-sweet with a nice vanilla and butterscotch taste that lingered.  Does this mean I'm finally tasting oakiness????!
Paired with: nothing

Wine #3

Name: Riebeek Cellars
Variety: Shiraz
Region: Swartland
Country: South Africa
Year: 2013
Price: $6.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: Often referred to as Shiraz Country, the Riebeek Valley is renowned for exceptional Shiraz wines.  The Riebeek Shiraz is a lively rich wine, full bodied with a subdued smokiness on the nose and a pallet of ripe fruit and interesting spice.  14% alc.
My review: This was a garnet/brownish red colored wine that smelled like mud and cherries headed on the path to rottenness.  It tasted smokey and tart, with pepperyness on the tongue.  Mild tannins nicely dried out my tongue.  I wouldn't call the smokiness subdued, because I really couldn't taste much other than it.
Paired with: nothing

Wine #4

Name: Cortenova
Variety: Primativo (Zinfandel grape)
Region: Puglia
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $10 regular, sale for $6.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: Dark, ruby-red color with violet highlights.  Intense and fragrant bouquet with a rich array of red and black fruit aromas and flavors.  Harmonious and velvety on the palate.  Great balance and structure.  100% Zinfandel.  13% alc.
My review: This was an even darker red that smelled like cloves with hints of black cherry.  It tasted spicy with notes of bacon, tomato, and smoke.  The tannins made me want to drink this wine with a big hunk of cheese.  I find that my pallate is overwhelmed by smokiness and I totally miss the fruit notes when it comes to tasting.
Paired with: nothing

Wine #5

Name: Opera Prima
Variety: Pink Moscato
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: not given
Price: $10, sale for $6.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: A blend of Muscat 97% and Tempranillo 3%.  This fine sparkling presents an intense aroma of fresh berries and tropical fruits with hints of white flower petals.  Delicate bubbles caress the palate offering a silky and pleasant sweetness well balanced by a crisp, refreshing finish.  Ideal on its own, as an aperitif, or with all types of sweets and desserts.  Serve it very cold, between 7 and 9 degrees (Celsius?).  7% alc.
My review: Nice bubbles!  This Moscato smelled like rain, grass, and crushed mint.  It had a lovely soft pink color.  It tasted like lemon peel and honey with hints of licorice.  Meredith tasted orange blossom as well, but I'm not sure I'd know what that smells like to begin with.  This wine was refreshing to drink, but left the mouth feeling like it was coated in sugar.
Paired with: nothing

Wine Tasting #2 - 2/12/14

Wine tasting round two with Meredith!  This time we came prepared with better sensory words (hopefully) to describe what we were tasting and water to cleanse our palates in between stronger wines.  I have a cold this week, so my nose wasn't quite on form.

Wine #1

Name: Alba - Santa Luz Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Valle Central
Country: Chile
Year: 2013
Price: $11, sale for $6.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: Like any good Sauvignon Blanc, this opens with oceanic aromas of citrus fruits, sea foam and minerality. In the mouth, it is juicy and stony, with washing acidity. Flavors of honeydew, lime and a nice grassiness finish firm, with good backbone. Drink this with salads, shellfish and ceviche.
My review: This wine smelled vinegary with hints of grass and pears.  At first, it had a hot apple bite followed by a citrus aftertaste.  I suppose you could describe it as oceanic citrus fruits.  It wasn't too dry, but the vinegary smell continued into the taste.  Color was straw/green.
Paired with: nothing

Wine #2

Name: Riebeek Cellars Collection Chenin Blanc
Variety: Riebeek
Region: Swartland
Country: South Africa
Year: 2014
Price: $10, sale for $6.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: Fresh kiwifruit, green apple and almond notes bounce along, showing a flash of plantain on the friendly finish.  Drink now.
My review: This Riebeek had a very light yellow color.  The nose carried hints of strawberry, honey, and pear.  It tasted more lemony and less vinegary than the Sav Blanc.  Overall tastes: sweet and fruity,  so I see what they meant by a friendly wine.
Paired with: nothing

Wine #3

Name: San Elias Carmenere
Variety: Carmenere
Region: Valle Central
Country: Chile
Year: 2014
Price: $9, sale for $5.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: This medium-bodied red offers roasted plum, kirsch, sage and game notes, with light tannins supporting the spicy finish.
My review: This wine had a dark brown, almost crimson dried blood-like color.  It smelled like spicy earthworms and pepper (aren't I making this sound so appealing?).  Happily, the wine didn't taste at all like it smelled, though it did retain deep, powerful tastes.  Cloves and apple pie spices stole the show and lingered in the mouth, leaving you feeling surprisingly refreshed.  This wine was semi-dry, but actually quite pleasing.
Paired with: nothing

Wine #4

Name: Ilurce Tempranillo
Variety: Tempranillo 
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2008
Price: $14, sale for $5.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: 88 points – Stephen Tanzer.  Dark purple. Zesty, youthfully medicinal aromas of dark berries, licorice and cracked pepper. Juicy and fresh, with smooth texture and sweet cherry and spice flavors framed by dusty tannins. Finishes with a suggestion of slightly roasted fruits and good clinging persistence. Delivers a lot of power and richness for the money.
My review: This was an even browner red than the Carmenere!  It smelled like overripe (read: practically rotting) cherries, other pit fruit, wet gravel, with a hint of sharpie.  It tasted overwhelmingly like a V8 tomato juice with another lingering clove aftertaste.  I'm honestly not sure whether the cloves stuck around from the previous wine or whether they were brought out in the Tempranillo.  It left the mouth dry and, again, tasting like pie spices.
Paired with: nothing

Wine#5

Name: Costal Vines
Variety: White Zinfandel
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $6.95
Shop/wine critic/winery review: This White Zinfandel has a beautiful pink salmon color and crisp acidity.  The wine shows juicy fruit flavors of strawberry and cherry, with a tangy sweet finish.  Pairs well with mild cheeses, crab cakes, and spicy Asian cuisine.
My review: This was a rapid change of pace and boasted a cheerful pink color.  I've always had White Zinfandel with communion, but this was an entirely different experience.  The wine smelled like apple juice and rain, and tasted incredibly sweet.  This was an easy drinking wine after the two stronger reds, but it was almost too sweet.  In the two sips I had, my tongue was coated in sugar, but a faint acidity broke through on the swallow leaving an aftertaste of vanilla (from the oak barrel??) and raspberry.
Paired with: nothing

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

Wine & Cheese Pairing #1

Last night, 01/23/15, I hosted my first wine and cheese party.  The guests of honor:

• Hogue's 2012 Gewürztraminer from Colombia Valley, WA
• Château de Ségriès 2013 Côtes-du-Rhône from Lirac, France
• Bricco Del Tati's 2013 Piemonte Barbera from Piemonte, Italy
• French Camembert Suprême 
• French Comte 3 Comtois 
• Point Reyes Farmstead Original Blue Cheese
• Will, Oliver, Maggie, and Sarah

We began the party with a meal of chicken fajitas and potato pierogies (a weird combination, I know).  After everyone had eaten and our palates had a chance to reset, it was time to taste the wine.

Here's our tiny table set up for fajitas followed by wine and cheese.

With the help of the friendly wine guy at Empo Kroger, I chose three wines for our tasting.  A Côtes du Rhône with 14% alcohol by volume and no description on the label.  The label did include, however, the fact that the wine was bottled at the chateau and had the vigneron independant label, so I trusted it would be good.  The second wine was an Italian Barbera with 12% abv.  This wine was suggested by friendly Kroger guy as an easier-to-drink red with fruity notes and a less acidic bite.  The third wine was a Gewürztraminer chosen on the recommendation of the Kroger man as well as for the interesting name.  This 13% abv's label boasted of, "intense aromas and flavors of sweet lychee, rose petal and grapefruit."  Each of the wines were under $10.  The cheeses were purchased at Eats and included a runny Camembert worthy of Zola's descriptions, a hard Comtois that was a buttery cheese somewhere in between a swiss and a parmesan, and a good old smelly blue cheese.

From left: Sarah, Maggie, and Oliver excited to start tasting.

We began with the Côtes du Rhône.  It had a rich garnet color and medium legs (I'm not really good at legs yet, but they struck me as being medium for some reason).  At first taste, I was struck with the biting acidity followed by a sweet lingering aftertaste of cherries or black currants.  It had a metallic mid-palate.  With the blue cheese, the tannins were killed and the wine was much more enjoyable, but bland.  The Comte still reduced the punch of the tannins, but didn't overwhelm the taste of the wine.  The camembert did not pair well with this wine at all as it seemed to accentuate the bite of the tannins and make the wine taste like the rind of the cheese.  If you were looking for a pair which made the wine the most drinkable, go for the blue cheese.  If you're searching to bring out the most flavors, go for the comtois.

Here I am in my pajamas using a fancy aerator to unlock more flavors.

Next was the Barbera.  This wine was darker in color and the legs (if legs are actually how the wine drips down the glass after you swirl it) were dispersed further apart around the glass.  The wine smelled flowery with a hint of a metallic scent.  Upon tasting, I discovered a biting initial taste with a metallic aftertaste, and the heat broke through mid-palate (which I think is normal for a red wine?).  The blue cheese completely overwhelmed my taste-buds for this wine, and the camembert made the wine taste even fruitier to the point of being nearly too sweet for a red.  This wine paired the best with the Comtois, for the combination made the wine taste smoother and the cheese more buttery and smooth rather than Swiss-y.

Will really took the "get your whole nose in there" advice to heart.

We closed with the Gewürztraminer, a pale yellow wine with no real legs to speak of.  This wine smelled crisp and fresh with hints of pear.  It tasted even sweeter with hints of honey and rose and a spicy aftertaste.  I'd say this was a great dessert wine, but it really did not pair well with any of the cheese.  The camembert made the wine taste like vinegar, but left you with an apple aftertaste.  The blue cheese made this already sweet wine even sweeter, but the tastes of the two did not clash as badly as the camembert combo.  The Comtois and the Gewürztraminer effectively cancelled each other out and left a buttery aftertaste.  All in all, this wine is best on its own (or maybe with chocolate?).

Leftovers for the rest of the week!

Wine class!

After a long hiatus, I am back and readier to write than ever. This eagerness to write could, in part, be due to the fact that this blog will now count as part of my grade for wine class, but that's beside the point.  Yes, I am now happily enrolled in an online section of Geography of Wine, a course which will hopefully help me form the foundation of my lifelong wine education, so grab your own glass, give it a hearty swirl and sniff, and get pumped!

My own relationship with wine really isn't that exciting at the moment.  Bacchus's sweet nectar first graced my lips at a 7th grader in communion class, and I remember being appalled that anyone would ever drink this stuff (White Zinfandel) for fun.  As I got older, I still wasn't a huge fan of wine until I studied abroad in France.  As an 18 year old in a wine wonderland, I quickly learned to like the whites and love the reds.  My favorite warm, fuzzy memories from that trip involve a couple of bottles of Côtes du Rhone, a hunk of Roquefort, and a slab of dark chocolate shared with friends on the lawn of the Tour Eiffel.  The weather wasn't all that nice, as I now remember, so maybe the wine had something to do with the warm and fuzzy.  Anyway, a decent bottle of wine cost about the same as a nice bottle of spring water and my hostel's cafeteria served wine out of a juice dispenser for lunch and dinner, so drink I did.  My favorites were Côtes du Rhone, as mentioned before, with its rich, dark flavors, and champagne with black currant liqueur.  After my return to the US, my wine tasting slowed down until I was again of legal drinking age and able to buy my own wine.

Currently, I am not wine's biggest fan.  I really struggle with proper pairing of food and wine, and often bring out the wrong notes with what I try.  I've also developed a tendency to get headaches from drinking just one glass of red (blame it on the sulfites?).  I know that I'm not a fan of Pinot Noir, but I'm hoping I can re-school my palette and enjoy those reds that I loved so much in Paris.  These days I really only drink wine either with a nice dinner or while binge-eating brie and watching Netflix with my best friend.  Drink This Now! says that wine can be integrated into more parts of life than these, and I am ready to learn!  (c)Here's to a great semester!