Tasting - Gran Passione Veneto Rosso

Wine Tasting #7
============================================
Name: Gran Passione
Grape: Merlot & Corvina
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $9.99 (Kroger UCB)

Winemaker Notes:
      "Gran Passione is a rich, deeply-colored blend of Merlot (60%) and Corvina grown in select vineyards in Italy's Veneto region, the area around Venice. Intense red-purple color, tending towards amber with ageing. The wine is full-bodied with good structure. There's an admirably fine balance between soft tannins and acidity. Generous palate of ripe red and black fruits, considerable length. Fantastic accompaniment to roasted or grilled meats; ideal with game, but excellent with mature, hard cheeses." Note from Producer.

Personal Review:
     New rule of thumb: if the wine label has the word "passion" in it, BUY IT!" Gran Passione's Veneto Rosso is a rather humbling wine, is extremely impressive, and is an absolute pleasure to drink! I am not going to lie, I initially bought this wine because the bottle itself has a raised insignia on it. When my grandfather and I photograph wines for our website (Cork & Art Studios) we love taking pictures of wine bottles that have these unique aspects! Anyway back to the tasting: The first thing I smelled when I uncorked this wine was a distinct aroma of fresh berries, and it honestly got better as time went on. Gran Passione's Veneto Rosso is very acidic but didn't have a strong taste of tannins, making it a great wine to drink with some meatballs and spaghetti. The heartiness of the red sauce and the sensational meatballs my mother prepared paired extremely well with this wine! I would highly recommend you go purchase a bottle of Gran Passione Veneto Rosso and drink it right now!

Personal Score: VG (4.5/5)

Tasting - Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Pinot Noir

Wine Tasting #6
============================================

Name: Dr. Heidmanns-Bergweiler Pinot Noir
Grape: Pinot Noir
Region: Rhine-Hesse
Country: Germany
Year: 2013
Price: $19.99 (Vivino)

Heidmanns-Bergweiler Description:
      "This Pinot Noir was fermented partly in new oak barrels and partly in used oak barrels. It has a nice aroma of plum and dark berries. Due to the combination with a slight touch of oak this Pinot Noir becomes smooth, fine red wine with medium body."

Personal Review:
     Despite the Rhine region of Germany being known for its decadent Reislings, Heidmanns-Bergweiler have crafted a unique Pinot Noir from this growing area. My preference in Pinot Noirs stems from wine produced by the Russian River Valley in California or in the state of Oregon, so branching out a bit from my usual Pinot Noir territory was a good and interesting experience. Opening the wine, you get a subtle odor of oak that isn't overpowering, however it does tickle the nose a bit with a heavy alcohol presence. Because of this characteristic, I decided to pour the wine and let it aerate o'natural in the wine glass to let the oxygen break apart those tannins. The oxygen molecules definitely dug into this wine because after an hour of being exposed to the air, I immediately smelled the aroma of oak, and blackberries. This was a pleasant encounter and I eagerly took a sip! This wine had a smooth start but a bitter and almost gritty after taste to it, conjuring up descriptors like wood-like, and flinty. Dr. Heidmanns-Bergweiler's Pinot Noir is definitely not a casual drinking wine. I would recommend pairing this with a well-seasoned steak or thicker pork chop. This is definitely on my "watch-and-retry-with-food" list!

Personal Score: G (3.4/5)

Tasting - Torrebruna Sangiovese

Wine Tasting #5
============================================
Name: Torrebruna
Grape: Sangiovese
Region: Toscana
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $11.99 (Kroger South Main)

Winemaker Notes:
      "For our Torrebruna we attentively select the best Sangiovese grapes with the aim of producing and authentic Tuscan red dominated by fruity and spicy notes that only this vine can express thanks to the Tuscan soil and climate." Note from Winemaker.

There is not professional review or in-depth analysis of this wine, so for this wine please enjoy what the winemaker has to say about this Sangiovese.

Personal Review:
     For lack of a better phrase, this is "one fine Italiano wine". Torrebruna's Sangiovese is an excellent example of a traditional, old-world, Tuscan wine. It has a spice typical of the region but maintains a smooth, almost silky quality that makes this one stand out from the deep sea of Sangiovese-based wines. I opened up the bottle, and immediately poured a glass for myself. For this wine I decided to do a before and after smelling. First opening the bottle, you smell a strong wood scent, reminiscent of a pine or spruce forest, with almost no fruity aspect. However, after letting the wine breathe, this wine took shape and smacked me in the face saying, "Hey I have pleasant aromas now that you let me aerate!" I inhaled rather deeply and experienced elements of cherries, and chocolates giving this wine a lovely bouquet of aromaticity! Unfortunately I did not pair this wine with any type of food, but I will in the future!

Personal Score: G (3.5/5)

Tasting - Vintage Wine Estates Tribunal

Wine Tasting #4
============================================

Name: Tribunal Red Wine
Grape: Red Blend [Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Dolcetto]
Region: Sonoma
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $9.99 (Trader Joes)

Wine Critic Review:
      "The color is an opaque black cherry with red highlights. The nose is cherry, leather, chocolate, vanilla and eucalyptus. Very nice mouth feel, silky smooth and lots of flavor. Loads of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla and chocolate goodness, not complex, but big, juicy and tasty. A pretty good chocolate covered blueberry finish. A first rate California red blend everyday wine. Well worth the $9.99 that Trader Joe’s is asking for the Tribunal Sonoma Red. This drinks very well on its own or would pair beautifully burgers, pizza, roasts and stews." Review from Cheap Wine Finder.

Personal Review:
     Another personal favorite of mine is the 2009 Tribunal Red Blend. The combination of Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Dolcetto grapes gives this wine a very distinct acidic chemistry that pairs extremely well with a dish of spaghetti and meatballs. The hardy taste of the meatballs combined with the acidity and smoothness of this wine make it a match made in wine heaven! Tribunal has a strong oak aroma, with hints of vanilla that seem to penetrate deep within the wine giving it a very pleasant fragrance. I do recommend letting this wine sit out for a bit and aerate to really open up the flavor, but using a handheld aerator does speed up this process. This is a unique wine that would make an excellent Valentine's Day gift for any  budding wine enthusiast!

Personal Score: VG (4.7/5)

Tasting - Bodegas Murtia Carmine Monastrell

Wine Tasting #3
============================================
Name: Bodegas Murtia
Grape: Mourvedre
Region: Jumilla
Country: Spain
Year: 2009
Price: $13.99 (Kroger UCB)

Wine Critic Review:
      "Opaque ruby. Powerful, oak-spiced aromas of cherry-cola, blueberry and vanilla, with notes of roasted plum and licorice adding complexity. Broad and fleshy on the palate, offering lush black and blue fruit flavors and a note of mocha. The blueberry note carries through on the finish, which features mounting tannins and very good length." Critique from Wine Enthusiast.

Personal Review:
     This wine has a very satisfying oak and vanilla aroma, which gives it a signature old world wine smell. Unlike other wines I have tasted, the Carmine Monastrell has a bite to it that works very well with a fillet mignon. The cracked pepper on top of the filet enabled the wine to burst with new life, giving the wine a totally different flavor. Combing the steak with this wine turned this bitter wine into a smooth, almost refreshing one that complimented it very well. I would highly recommend this wine for those grilling a steak.

Personal Score: VG (4.2/5)

Tasting - Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Wine Tasting #2
============================================
Name: Willamette Valley Vineyards
Grape: Pinot Noir
Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Country: USA
Year: 2014
Price: $21.99 (Kroger UCB)

Wine Critic Review:
      "Partially carbonic macerated (think Beaujolais), this bright and fruity wine has extra complexity in this new vintage. An interesting whiff of funk leads to forward and appealing cherry and plum fruit flavors. This is a great bottle to pop with a grilled salmon." Critique from Wine Enthusiast.

Personal Review:
     To date, this is my favorite pinot noir I have tasted. I thoroughly enjoyed the large bodied grape flavor. Using the whole cluster allows the drinker to experience and appreciate the grape more than the other flavors, like oak or earthy tones. It has a fruity aroma but a very floral and slight cherry taste, giving this wine a particularly unique flavor compared to the typical Pinot Noir. This wine is very enjoyable to drink by itself, but I recommend a nice steak to complement the sweetness of this wine.

Personal Score: VG (4.5/5)

Dabbling in the Sciences:
   Did you know that Pinot Noir generally has low concentrations of tannins? Tannins are polyphenolic, secondary metabolites produced by many plants. These tannins demonstrate astringent properties which helps pin point their role in plant defense mechanisms, and plant growth. To us humans, the polyphenolic compounds give a bitterness to the wine. The Pinot Noir absorbs this metabolite from the wooden barrels it ferments in.