Wine Tasting- La Marca Prosecco Rosé

Name: La Marca Prosecco Rosé

Variety of Origin: Prosecco, Pinot Noir

Country of Origin: Italy

Region of Origin: Vento

Vintage Year: NV

Price: $7

Wine Critic Review: "Crafted in the heart of Italy, La Marca Prosecco Rosé sparkles with lively effervescence. Shining from the first toast to the last sip, our playful pop of pink offers an effervescent new way to enjoy Prosecco. Offering the bright, crisp fruit and floral essence of our traditional Prosecco with the delicate elegance of Pinot Noir, La Marca Prosecco Rosé sparkles with our classic notes of fresh-picked citrus, honeysuckle, peach and pear, blending with hints of ripe red cherry, raspberry and wild strawberry. Refreshing and zesty, this bubbly is perfect for lively soirées and spontaneous celebrations." (https://wineanthology.com/19613-la-marca-prosecco-rose?srsltid=AfmBOoqE8I2xXg1b0LuADUmrC7O5aiFoJ6t2u0u7PVTBK6UHwiHXFHFd)

References: Based on 155 of Wine Folly, Prosecco has notes of green apple, honeydew, pear, lager, and cream. I find it kinda hard to get specific notes on a sparkling wine. I could maybe get green apple and pear. The bubbly part of the wine did remind me of lager but I don't think I really got that taste wise. I did not get any creamy flavor.

My review: I was excited for this prosecco because it was cute and pink. However I was slightly disappointed. It was fairly dry and not very flavorful. I don't think my wine tasting palate is refined enough for sparkling wines as I find it very hard to get specific flavors from sparkling wines. I think I liked the normal prosecco more than I liked Rosé prosecco.

Wine Tasting- La Marca Prosecco

Name: La Marca Prosecco

Variety of Origin: Prosecco

Country of Origin: Italy

Region of Origin: Vento

Vintage Year: NV

Price: $7

Wine Critic Review: "A crisp, dry Italian sparkling wine with notes of lemon zest and lime. What an amazing bubbly for the price. Ideal for celebrations and gifts. Perfect as a chilled aperitif or companion to seafood." (https://www.nataliemaclean.com/wine-reviews/la-marca-prosecco/252416)

References: Based on 155 of Wine Folly, Prosecco has notes of green apple, honeydew, pear, lager, and cream. I could definitely get notes of green apple, as the prosecco was bit sour. I didn't quite get pear or honeydew cause those are rather sweet notes that I don't were there. I definitely didn't get cream or lager.

My review: I got two little bottles of prosecco as a fun little celebration this week. Overall, this prosecco was less sweet than I thought it'd be. It was fun that it was bubbly and it was fun to try. To be honest, I didn't get a lot of specific flavors from this, it was generally fruity and dry. Fun to try!

Wine Tasting- Two Mountain Riesling

Name: Two Mountain Riesling

Variety of Origin: Riesling

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: Rattlesnake Hills, Washington

Vintage Year: 2024

Price: $12

Wine Critic Review: "This wine is an off-dry style Riesling with hints of hay, green pear, wild flowers, and dust on the nose. Combine with incredible flavors of ripe citrus, green apple, and a hint of minerality. This wine lasts forever on your tongue and makes you remember why summer is so great!" (https://www.legacylr.com/white-wine-riesling-two-mountain-riesling-750ml-852768003003/?srsltid=AfmBOor2kVQlkjCHKGgiHD-VBMiGCHxE9tGRCuV0xoTyy_TUTFY8HRus)

References: Based on 158 of Wine Folly, Riesling has notes of lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine, and petroleum. I could taste the lime and green apple in the wine as it was a bit sour. There was a bit of a floral taste which could be from the jasmine. I am not confident on what petroleum tastes like so I can't say whether or not that was a flavor in the wine. 

My review: I got this wine at Engineer's Ball! This was a really fun night was an open bar. This was the only wine I drank that I was able to get a picture with the bottle, but I did try a couple other wines that night. This wine was rather bitter. The thing I noticed most was that it was dry. I generally like Rieslings when they're sweet but this one was a bit to dry for my tastes. Wasn't bad but wouldn't buy myself.

Wine Tasting- Bread and Butter Pinot Noir

Name: Bread and Butter Pinot Noir

Variety of Origin: Pinot Noir

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: Napa, California

Vintage Year: 2022

Price: $15

Wine Critic Review: "An undeniably juicy Pinot Noir that bursts with cherries, raspberries and a touch of cassis. Rich flavors of fresh fruit join with soft oak to create a beautifully long, smooth finish filled with sweet vanilla." (https://www.totalwine.com/wine/red-wine/pinot-noir/bread-butter-pinot-noir-california/p/147675750)

References: From page 150 of Wine Folly, pinot noir has notes of cherry, raspberry, clove, mushroom and vanilla. I did not get any of these notes when I smelled the wine. I did get notes of mushroom when drinking the wine. I also got herbal notes that could be related to the clove. I did not get the other notes when tasting.

My review: This wine is a true red wine, so it's not something I really enjoy drinking. This wine was not the worst wine I've had but it was also not particularly enjoyable. It had scent notes of tobacco, blackberry, and licorice. It had flavors of blackberry, earthy, mushroom, and herb. It had a very acidic finish, light tannins, not super dry, overall pretty fruity.

Wine Tasting- The Delicious Monster

Name: The Delicious Monster

Variety of Origin: Chenin Blanc (60%), Chardonnay (20%), Muscat Blanc (20%)

Country of Origin: South Africa

Region of Origin: McGregor

Vintage Year: 2024

Price: $9

Wine Critic Review: "It’s okay, but not great. Everything kind of diminishes on the palette. Right off the bat, the three things I get are orange blossom, peach and a little bit of minerality, which I personally really like. All three of these things are strong indicators for me of a Chenin blanc when I’m doing blind tastings. It’s great for quarantine when it’s ditch and your options are limited (keep in mind, this is my personal thought, and I haven’t spent $6 on a bottle of wine in I can’t tell you how long!) but overall not too mad about it. Overall I’d give it about a 5/10. Not phenomenal, doesn’t leave any memories, but I don’t hate myself for buying it. So right in the middle." (https://www.oliviasheastyle.com/posts/traderjoeswinereview)

References: Based on page 96 of the Wine Folly, Chardonnay has notes of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, butter. I would say I got the some of the fruity notes from this but not the richer ones like butter and vanilla. From page 138, Muscat Blanc has notes of orange blossom, meyer lemon, mandarin orange, ripe pear and honeysuckle. I got a little bit of a floral not but that's it. From page 98, Chenin Blanc has notes of quince, yellow apple, pear, chamomile, and honey. I definitely did not get honey but the wine was overall fruity like those notes.

My review: This wine had really fun branding and part of the mix was Moscato so I thought I may enjoy this wine. I did not enjoy this wine. It was dried than I expected. It had a very floral scent, I smelled apricot and honeysuckle, also citrus. The taste was mostly just citrus and bitterness. It did not live up to it's cute branding. Would not get again.

Wine Tasting- Porto Morgado

Name: Porto Morgado

Variety of Origin: Port

Country of Origin: Portugal

Region of Origin: Porto

Vintage Year: NV

Price: $15

Wine Critic Review: "It has the typical heaviness of port, and it’s syrupy sweet. Of course it gets drier as it sits after opening, but I have to admit to drinking some after it had been open for a week and it was still pretty good. More “alcoholish” tasting but still gave off that “it’s grape juice for grown ups!” flavor. There is a slight dry quality to fresh Porto Morgado, and it kind of burned going down but I have also been sick with a near constant sore throat, so that may have been a factor." (https://foodsnobsquared.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/10-under-10-porto-morgado-ruby/)

References: From page 154 of the Wine Folly, Port has notes of black plum, dried cherry, chocolate, raisin, and cinnamon. Agree with the black plum note for this wine. I would also say the raisin flavor is accurate however that could just be a grape flavor of the wine. I did not get cinnamon or chocolate.

My review: Overall I'm not a huge port fan. It's not bad for a red wine but they just remind me too much of cough syrup. The aromas I got were nutty, cherry, and sickly sweet. The tastes I got were slightly nutty, vanilla, blackberry, almond, and an earthy flavor. I enjoyed the sweetness but the wine was not my favorite.

Wine Tasting- Method Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Method Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety of Origin: Cabernet Sauvignon

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: Napa Valley, California

Vintage Year: 2022

Price: $20

Wine Critic Review: "This densely flavorful yet relaxed wine rests on a cushion of plush, fine tannins that carry its earthy, black fruit, baking spice and dark chocolate flavors across the palate and into a soft finish." (https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/method-2020-cabernet-sauvignon-california/?srsltid=AfmBOoqfE32c9XgrkcYhibQqN2j2tSjdmaVn6H63yiiogmRbx1AWLg8V)

References: From page 150 of Wine Folly, cabernet sauvignon has notes of black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices, and graphite. I could notes of black cherry when I drank the wine. There was an earthly scent that I got as well that could be from the cedar. I didn't get the rest of the notes but I got similar notes, as seen in my review.

My review: This is another wine I was not expecting to enjoy as it's a deep red wine. And I was correct, I didn't enjoy it. The wine had a dry finish and was rather bitter which made it hard for me to enjoy. I got notes of tobacco, black raspberry, and earth when I smelled the wine. When I drank it I got notes of black cherry and pomegranate. Much deep red than I enjoy and will probably not drink again.