Tasting - Bacchus Winery Chocolate Raspberry Dessert Wine

Name: Bacchus Winery Chocolate Raspberry Dessert Wine
Variety: Merlot (Base)
Region: Virginia
Country: United States
Year: 2015
Price: $16.00 (Bacchus Winery Storefront)
Shop Review: This wine brings together notes of rounded cherry, plum, and bright raspberry with rich chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Excellent on its own or with any dessert, or serve with toasted nuts or shortbread. (Winexpert description)
My Review: Ahh, my first review of one of my dad's wines. From Fredericksburg, VA, my father's shop stresses the importance of home wine making and makes his own out of kits shipped to the shop. This particular wine was a gift for Christmas, and I finally got around to opening it. It is a very dark-colored wine. It has a very deep purple (perhaps a hint of brown?) color, and smells quite sweet, but earthy and tart. At first, I tasted strong, sour raspberry, then immediately following, a rush of chocolate. By the end, the two flavors intertwined and really came together deliciously, and tasted pretty much like a Tootsie Pop. Though this wine borders on 17% alcohol, it was all around sweet and playful. I'm really craving some chocolate ice cream right about now!

Tasting - Barefoot Red Moscato

Name: Barefoot Red Moscato
Variety: 
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2014
Price: $7.00 (Walmart)
Shop Review: Barefoot puts a colorful twist on traditional Moscato with Barefoot Red Moscato! Refreshingly sweet, Red Moscato dances with all the right fruits. Juicy flavors of red cherry and raspberry shimmy with sweet citrus until the last sip. If you're looking for sweetness, this is the perfect partner for any song.
My Review: Granted, this wasn't something I chose, but since it was in the house, I decided to review this very sweet, red moscato. On the nose, this light garnet-colored wine smelled a lot like cherry and lemon. I smelled a little dustiness, but that's probably due to it being open for a while. At first, I tasted a little crispy, pink lemonade flavor. At the end, it reminded me of many sweet fruits: Cherry, strawberry, fig, even red delicious apple. Very, very sweet, this is one my girlfriend actually enjoyed, as it tasted mostly like candy. I wasn't disappointed, but I also wasn't too excited about it. At the very worst, maybe I could make a syrup for a sundae.

Tasting - Bella Bolle Moscato d'Asti

Name: Bella Bolle Moscato d'Asti
Variety: Moscato bianco
Region: Asti
Country: Italy
Year: 2014
Price: $7.00 (Walmart)
Shop Review: Our Moscato d’Asti features bright bubbles and a light acidity alongside sweet peach and nectarine flavors. It’ll leave you mumbling 
Mmm…Moscato.
My Review: This was another bottle chosen by my girl friend's eyes. It would never be my first choice, but nonetheless, I decided to give it a try. This light amber, sparkling cider-looking wine tasted a lot like it as well. On the nose, I could smell some sour apple, and crispy grape. At first taste, it had quite a bite. It almost tasted like I had burned my mouth, but it was just the carbonation. It began rather bitter, but then tasted very sweet. It ended in a concord grape juice sort of taste. Overall, a very sweet, light wine. It surprised me at how tasty it was. 

Tasting - Toasted Head Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Toasted Head Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: 100% Bordeaux
Region: Yolo County, California
Country: United States
Year: 2012
Price: $15.98 (Kroger)
Shop Review: Our medium-bodied cabernet showcases flavors of blackberry, cassis with hints of cloves and vanilla, finishing with soft, supple tannins.
My Review: Apart from craving a dark, rich cabernet, and a high amount of alcohol, the fire-breathing bear on the label is the reason I picked this bottle up. Though the shop had many great, fruity things to say about the wine, I was a little underwhelmed. On the nose, it was very strong and peppery, with toasty hints of charcoal and smoke (hence, Toasted Head). Its color was a very dark, almost totally opaque ruby. At first taste, it was very strong, and almost leathery, which I normally like, but with the petrol and sour mid-tongue it wasn't quite pleasing. The wine did redeem itself at the end, though, with an overwhelming warm cranberry taste (one of my favorite fruits). Overall, I wasn't too excited, but I shouldn't expect to really enjoy the complex ones. After all, I may have been spoiled with my dad's homemade cabernets and temperanillos.

Tasting - Childress Vineyards Muscadine Red

Name: Childress Vineyards Muscadine Red
Variety: 100% Noble
Region: Mid-Atlantic (Lexington, NC)
Country: United States
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $9.99 (Childress Vineyards Online Store)

Shop Review:
Fresh plucked grape aromas fill the nose while homemade strawberry jam plays on the palate in our Muscadine Red wine. 
My Review:

Looking at the Wal-Mart shelf before a huge snowstorm, I probably would have never picked this wine. But my girl friend liked the label and thought it would be a good wine for me to try. I have tried muscadine grapes before, I wouldn't think it would make a great wine. I was pleasantly surprised at the tastiness. On the nose, this translucent, NyQuil-colored wine smells crisp and sweet with a hint of citrus. On the tongue, I immediately tasted sweet, crisp muscadines, as if I were chewing on one. I then tasted hints of strawberry and grape jelly from the mid-tongue and on the finish. Overall, this wine isn't amazing quality, and isn't as dynamic as some wines I have tried, but does have a certain sweet and crispy "je ne sais quois" that was really nice when stuck inside, snowed-in, and watching Miloš Forman's Amadeus.

My Experience Thus Far (First Blog Assignment)

I know this may seem a little lazy, but I have been thinking about what to write for my first blog assignment. Since I attempted this class last year, but didn't get to finish it, I had this post lying around for no good reason. Everything I said still applies today, except for a few extra things, so I will use what I said last Spring, edit it to my own satisfaction, and add to it as much as I can:

"
My first experience in drinking probably started when I was a freshman in college. Up until that point, I had grown up in a greater metropolitan suburb under a sheltered roof, where any underage drinking was strictly taboo. I grew up "knowing" that I would instantly hate the taste of it and thus never got the urge to go out for myself and try it before I graduated high school. But once I was given the chance to live away from the strict parental guise, I was finally able to share my first 1/5th of Stolichnaya. Naturally, I loved the feeling as anyone could, but unfortunately the taste of vodka, even one of the best brands, was horrible and the mornings after were never pleasant. I quickly learned about controlling my intake, and the importance of water during the session.

My interest in ethanol was draining fast. The burning sensation of hard liquors made me retch, the bitterness turned me off of beer, and every mixed drink I was handed was either too sweet or too strong. Hard ciders were fine, but my GI system just seemed to hate me no matter what I tried. I had gotten over alcohol and I wasn't even 21 yet.

Since I was about 17, my father has been making his own wines in the cellar. About two years ago, my brother, his girlfriend, and my parents planned a tasting/pairing night of his wines. Check out my brother's blog for more information on that: http://cr8on822-wine.blogspot.com/2013/03/dinner-home-cooked-meal.html ...you can even see me in one of the pictures he posted. My favorite of the night? Australian Petit Verdot and Lamb with a balsamic reduction. In any case, this experience of trying many different tasting wines paired with delicious cutlets of meat was something that didn't really impact me until recently. 

When I turned 21 (with little to no fanfare), I elected to stay in Blacksburg over the Summer to see what it might be like living by myself. I grabbed a job at the local Courtyard as an evening bartender. It was here that I acquired my new found taste for the local wine scene, as well as a few well-known brands. Among these, I tasted wines from Chateau Ste. Michelle, Chateau Morisette, Attimo Winery, J. Lohr, and a few beers. After my second ever tasting, I knew there was something magical about the grape. Some tastes could bring back childhood memories, some gave me an idea of what it might have been like in the days of old, and some just tasted plain awesome. 

From my dad's extremely dynamic oak-barrel Cabernet, to Chateau Ste. Michelle's grape juice Riesling, I can say I have at least good footing into the world of Viticulture. I even have a favorite wine now, Attimo Winery's A.D. 325 Chambourcin, where just a few years ago I couldn't tell the difference aside from color. I now know what I might prefer in a beverage menu and probably have a good idea for what dish would compliment it. I still have plenty to learn as I'm sure even the most experienced wine connoisseur could say, but I definitely plan to take out something more than my liver by the end of this course.
"

My father is now the owner of Bacchus Winery, found online here:
http://bacchusva.com/
And on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/Bacchus-Winery-952630911434077
A home wine maker turned winery proprietor, he has taken his home wine making skills and turned it into a business. He focuses on mainly teaching others the wonders of home wine making. Or if you prefer, you can simply buy a bottle of his own creation. I can go on about what he does and makes, and I may make a special trip there for a blog post. But for now, I will end my introduction here and start drinking. I hope you enjoy my blog as much as I will enjoy tasting my way through all these different wines!