Tasting - "Mauricio Lorca Malbec"

Name: Mauricio Lorca Malbec 2022

Variety: 100% Malbec

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2022

Price: $18.99

Winery review (from NakedWines.com): Mauricio's Malbec is an Angel-favorite masterpiece overflowing with rich, dark berry flavors and a sultry finish.

It's a modern smooth red.

Hello, horsepower. These rich reds are gunning with rich, ravishing and refined flavors... and practically bursting with sumptuous charm!

Wines that are rounded out with a smidge of oak age are standard here, like Zinfandel, Grenache and Tempranillo.

Wine Folly: from pp. 125-126 (Malbec) and 126 (Mendoza, AG): Wines are loved for their bold fruit flavors and smooth, chocolatey finish.

My review: This wine had a rich, woody taste. I didn't taste much specific fruit, but there was some tartness. As noted in the textbook, I felt the wine was mildly acidic and certainly on the dry side. However, I don't know that I could pick out the body of the wine especially well. I would have considered it a bit lighter in body, but that likely reflects my lack of understanding and feel for wine body. This wine was moderately enjoyable. It didn't have the sweetness that I enjoy, nor did it have particularly defined flavors to make up for this, which made it a little bland for my liking.

Tasting - "Karen Birmingham Merlot"

Name: Karen Birmingham Clarksburg Merlot 2020

Variety: 100% Merlot

Region: Clarksburg, CA

Country: USA

Year: 2020

Price: $16.99

Winery review (from NakedWines.com): This juicy, easy-drinking Merlot is full of refined dark fruit flavors, from ripe blueberry to plump blackberry right from the bramble bush, backed by a silky finish that’s made this red an Angel favorite for 6 vintages and counting.

Wine Folly: from pp. 131-132: Merlot is loved for its boisterous black cherry flavors, supple tannins, and smoky or chocolatey finish. Flavors include cherry, plum, chocolate, dried herbs, and vanilla.

My review: Several of my friends couldn't keep from coughing when they took their first sips. I didn't catch that intense burst of acidity myself, interestingly, which I found was more in line with the textbook's classification. I would call the wine mildly acidic, though over several minutes I felt the stronger bite in my stomach, if not so much in my mouth. The fact that I hadn't eaten in several hours may have accentuated this. I enjoyed the powerful flavors this wine brought--this is what I imagine when I think of a good, albeit dry, red wine. "Dark" and "fruity" would be the terms I'd apply, though I had trouble picking out individual fruit flavors. This wine stayed in my mouth a little longer than the Malbec, which perhaps indicates a fuller body (despite Wine Folly claiming otherwise). Perhaps I lucked out in tasting this one after the Malbec, as it may have overpowered the latter otherwise.

Tasting - "Arabella 2021 Reserve Shiraz"

Name: Arabella Reserve Shiraz Viognier 2021

Variety: 98% Shiraz, 2% Viognier

Region: Western Cape

Country: South Africa

Year: 2021

Price: $19.99

Winery review (from NakedWines.com): This red is a Reserve-level specialty from father-son winemaking team Stephen and Jamie de Wet, loaded with dark berry and mocha flavors and backed by a touch of peppery spice.

It is wonderful now.

Let it breathe before serving.

My review: Ref. Wine Folly notes pp. 172-173 - Syrah (Shiraz)

I tasted this Arabella right after the Zinfandel in my previous post (after cleansing the palate with some bread), without food. It was certainly milder than the Zinfandel, with less of the bite I mentioned, though I could sense the acidity. However, it was quite dry, as the book notes by listing it on the lowest tier of sweetness. This was the first time I was able to distinguish dryness from acidity in a wine; previously I had thought that they were complementary. Personally I prefer a sweeter wine, but the mildness made this one quite enjoyable nonetheless.

Interestingly, I did not feel the body of the wine strongly, despite its being described as very full-bodied. This is a sense I likely need to develop with experience, but I also wonder if wines simply feel different to different people, to some degree. I did realize that after several sips and some time, the feel of the wine strengthened in my mouth, though this was difficult to quantify. 

As far as flavors go, I could catch a hint of tobacco and pepper, but beyond that I did not associate any particular flavors. Overall, I moderately enjoyed this wine and may yet have a glass with dinner tomorrow.

Tasting - "F. Stephen Millier Zinfandel"

Name: F. Stephen Millier Black Label Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2021

Variety: 100% Zinfandel

Region: Lodi, CA

Country: United States

Year: 2021

Price: $18.99

Winery review (from NakedWines.com): This powerful Zinfandel is chock full of spice and flavors like juicy red plums, wild blackberries and ripe blueberries – a wildly popular red you’ll love.

It will age quite nicely for the next few years, becoming even more remarkable.

It will benefit quite nicely from getting a little air before serving. I'd try 45 minutes or so before pouring.

My review: Ref. Wine Folly pp. 189-190 - Zinfandel

I tasted this with several roommates and friends, some of whom are also in the class, which made for an enjoyable evening. We did not have food today, though we may bring some light snacks in the future. Having had Zinfandel in the past, I immediately associated the tartness and acidity of the wine with the variety. Unless I am confusing terms, I found this wine far more acidic than the book suggests by placing it on only the second tier. Both in the mouth and the stomach, it had a distinctive bite.

I would say that the strongest flavor I could recognize from the book's description was blackberry. The tartness stood out most immediately, with notes of fruit also present, especially when I smelled the wine. As I held the wine in my mouth, I further got a smokiness and perhaps a hint of tobacco, though I don't smoke and so am not especially familiar with tobacco.

This is a wine I might enjoy in small amounts - small sips, with water as a primary drink. I can imagine it going well with chicken or some juicy meat dish, though I would not select it personally.

Karl Wolf - A History of Wine

I don't have a particularly rich history with wine, but I do enjoy it and hope to enjoy it more thoroughly this semester while taking Geography of Wine. To begin, my taste in wine is in some ways particular, and in others unrefined. I like red wine, especially the slightly sweeter varieties. I have never tasted a white wine that I enjoyed (or any alcoholic beverage other than red wine), so broadly I would say that I don't like white wines. That being said, I haven't tried many varieties there. I am not one to match certain foods with certain wines, rather, I enjoy a good red wine as it is.

My experience with wine goes back a few years now. I have almost no family background of drinking any sort of alcohol, though my mother will occasionally enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. My very first taste of "wine" would have to be at Mass, through the Blood of Christ, which tastes like wine. Perhaps this association is what taught me to enjoy red wine despite generally not having a taste for alcohol. As I grew up, I remember a few family dinners with relatives who would serve wine, and here and there I would have a glass or two. In particular, in Summer 2021, in Germany where 18 is the legal age for wine, I had a very pleasant experience sitting on the back porch, in the mild summer's evening, after a delicious dinner, with some good red wine. This has given me an appreciation for how beautiful it can be to enjoy a good glass of wine, with good company and good conversation. Wine is for me a drink to be enjoyed when life is pleasant, rather than a coping mechanism when times are hard.

In this course, I would like to learn more about the varieties of wine--which are dry, which are sweet; what differentiates the grapes of, e.g., a Pinot Noir from a Cabernet Sauvignon and how that affects the wines; how to apply these factors to my own tastes, and so to refine my tastes to enjoy wine more thoroughly. I am taking the course with two good friends, and as an engineering student in my last semester, I'm not here to earn academic credits at all. I simply hope for a learning experience that can help me explore my tastes in something appreciated and perfected throughout human history and society, and of course, I hope to have a good time doing so.

Karl