Tasting - McManis Viognier

Name: McManis Family Vineyards Viognier
Variety: Viognier
Region: Ripon, California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $11.69

Production Notes:The fruit for our 2012 Viognier was harvested between September 16th and September 25th, 2012. The majority of fruit came from our own Estate Vineyards and averaged 26.6 Brix at harvest. The juice was cold fermented in Stainless Steel to retain the unique fruit characteristics of Viognier.

Winemaker Notes:Light straw in color, the 2012 McManis Family Vineyards Viognier has aromas of Peach, Pear and Apricot. The rich, velvety wine is full of fruit flavors promised by the aroma. The long fruit finish has a slight note of minerality, but is smooth and lacks any of the bitterness often associated with this variety.

My Review: 
The first flavor I got from the nose of the wine was peach. It did have a nice aroma. However, the taste of the wine did not match the fruit flavors promised by the aroma. This wine had a bitterness to it; the flavors left of the pallet were almost harsh. The wine did not pair well with the shrimp scampi dinner. I'm not sure what would pair well with it, maybe a side of rubber. I would not recommend drinking this wine.  

Tasting - Franzia Refreshing White

I drank this wine by itself

Name: Franzia Refreshing White
Variety: N/A
Region: Ripon, California
Country: USA
Year: N/A
Price: $16.99

Winemaker's Notes: A white wine that is light and easy to drink. Serve chilled.

My Review: If I had one word to describe this wine, it would be 'refreshing.' Franzia's Refreshing White was easy to drink and did not leave any bad aftertastes that some of Franzia's other wines do. The wine is best when it's chilled, but still drinkable when warm. Very easy to drink directly from the bag. I would drink this wine again. 

Tasting - Crane Lake Pinot Grigio

Crane Lake Pinot Grigio with venison burger dinner

Name: Crane Lake Pinot Grigio
Variety: 100% Pinot Grigio
Region: Ceres, California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $5.93

Winemaker's Notes:

Light in color, this Pinot Grigio has aromas of pineapple and pear. Complex flavors include green apple, citrus and melon. Clean soft finish.

My Review: You get what you pay for. This Pinot Grigio was very light and lacked much flavor. There were subtle hints of citrus fruit. Did not linger on the tongue. The wine paired nicely with the venison burger and kept a light note to the rather heavy meal. For the price, I would buy this wine again.

My experiences with wine thus far

At 23 years old, I consider myself fairly well versed when it comes to wine. I am in no way an expert, but I've experienced a variety of different wines, been to several wineries, and know a small amount of how wine is made. Most of my experiences come from my family life. Both of my parents are wine enthusiasts. We regularly have wine with Sunday dinners. Now that I am of age, we drink wine casually during the week as well. I have been to Nassau Valley Vineyards in lower Delaware, which is the only winery in the state of Delaware. I also toured Chateau Ste. Michelle winery in Woodinville, Washington, when I lived in Seattle for a summer. 

I am not a picky person when it comes to food or beverages. I like all types of wine, and am always open to trying something new. I would say I prefer white wines to red wines right now; red wines are more of an acquired taste. Though I will say I prefer red wine pairings with food more that white wines. A hearty meal with a good red wine is hard to beat. Furthermore, I would say my least favorite wine is Merlot. I'm just not a fan of the flavor. 

My favorite wine is Viognier. It's an interesting story as to why. I went to the Fork and Cork wine festival for the first time several years ago. While I was there, I tasted my first Viognier at the Veritas winery booth, and just loved it. I loved the light, crispness of the wine, and the complex flavor it left on the tongue. I brought a bottle home with me to share with my family, and my mother fell in love with the wine as well. Since then, she has created her own wine diary just on different Viogniers. We've probably tasted over 20 different Viogniers; it's amazing how much variety there is in just one type of wine! I am looking forward to learning more about this wine specifically. 

Besides learning more about Viogniers, I would also like to learn about how to pair wines with food. How do you know what type of wine will go well with certain foods? I am interested in the geography of wines; where different wines are produced and whatnot. The economics of wine does not really excite me much, though. I will be looking forward to sharing what I learn with my family, as well.