Tasting - "The Honey Pot"

Name: The Honey Pot
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc 79%, Semillon 13%, Viognier 8%
Region: Stellenbosch
Country: South Africa
Year: 2012
Price: $11.99

Winery Review: "Lovely yellow green tinged color with brilliant reflection of light. Nose of Papaya, melon and litchi. Palate is smooth and creamy with soft, tropical fruit notes of papaya, litchi and mango and ends with a fresh, long finish."

My Review: This wine was interesting, so I'm glad I tried it, but I wish there had been less Sauvignon Blanc and more of the other varietals, but oh well. I definitely noticed the tropical and citrus scents on the nose, but there was something I struggled to name. It had a mustier sort of scent and maybe some lavender?  I really had a tough time picking it out. The taste was also a little tricky. I went back and forth on the acidity and the finish was a little steely for me. I did get the tropical, papaya, and citrus flavors though. After reading the winery review, I took a few more sips and decided that litchi/lychee might actually be there and I hadn't noticed it before! I don't think I've had lychee in a wine before.

Tasting - "Gewürz"

Name: Gewürz

Variety: Gewürztraminer
Region: Mendocino County, California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $9.99

Winery Review: "This wine will fool you with sweet floral aromas. The 2013 has the classic floral, sweet aromas of stone fruits, pear, rose and a hint of wet stone minerality. The flavors are similar to the aromas highlighted by tropical, spice and grapefruit flavors."

My Review: I wanted to try a Gewürztraminer and found this one, relatively cheap at Whole Foods. I wasn't thrilled, but I think if I found a sweeter one from Germany, I might really enjoy it. This wine was dryer than I anticipated, even with a thicker viscosity. The nose had some nice rose petal, orange blossom, and pear notes, but the diesel/petrol smell I get from a lot of whites came through too. The feel was pretty smooth, but it had some acid and a bitter aftertaste. I was surprised that it sort of coated my tongue and then left a dry sensation. The floral notes on the nose were not really on the tongue, but there was definitely a mineral, steely taste that may have overwhelmed anything else. Overall, not a bad wine for the cost, but not one I'd purchase again.

Tasting - "Dachshund Riesling"

Name: Dachshund Riesling

Variety: Riesling
Region: Rheinhessen
Country: Germany
Year: 2012
Price: $10.99

Winery Review: "The wine is full flavored with both pear and citrus fruit aromas. Stimulating on the palate, as well fresh and fruity it has a nice sweetness balanced with the typical crisp Riesling acidity and a long- lasting finish."

My Review: Obviously I bought this wine for the bottle, who doesn't love an adorable dog? But I also quite like Riesling and wanted to see what was going on behind the label. The smell was pretty standard Riesling in my mind; some petrol, strong citrus, and hints of peach and pear. The taste was curious. It took me a while to decide what I was picking up, which was a crisp acidity and spiciness on the finish. The spiciness is what threw me off. The finish was pretty long with a nice mouth feel. I also felt that there was a lot of citrus and tartness like a green apple. I'd like to see what I think of it later, because I couldn't decide if I liked it or not.

Tasting - "Shoofly Buzz Cut 2009"

Name: Shoofly Buzz Cut 2009
Variety: Viognier 38%, Riesling 27%, Verdelho 24%, Semillon 6%, Chardonnay 5%
Region: South Australia
Country: Australia
Year: 2009
Price: $8.99

Winery Review: "A wildly aromatic blend of Verdelho, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay and Semillon. The fruit is sourced from McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills and Langhorne Creek, fermented in stainless steel and bottled fresh and young for immediate enjoyment. It's a lush blend showing juicy, tropical flavors, exotic perfume and a refreshing, structured palate."

My Review: This wine was surprising, but I didn't really like it. The nose was oddly "red" with a lot of dirt, cigar box, leather, and gasoline scents. Then the taste had some of the dirt, but a lot of mineral notes and a heck of a lot of alcohol. 13.5% for a white is beyond me. All that alcohol brought the heat and the firm tannins couldn't remedy it.

Tasting - "Woodpecker Premium Cider"

Name: Woodpecker Premium Cider
Variety: Apple Cider
Region: Hereford
Country: England
Year: Not Stated
Price: $2.00 (individual bottles at Vintage Cellar)

Cidermaker Review: "The use of the English bittersweet apple provided Woodpecker® with a distinctive taste and refreshing drinkability. A crisp semi-dry finish, amber hue with a lightly sparking appearance, sweet fruity aroma and a slight toffee-apple note."

My Review: The nose was great; sweet honeysuckle and pear. The taste was difficult to pick up and very thin, but it was suitable. At first I noticed a sweet finish, but the more I drank the stranger the aftertaste seemed to get. I'm not sure I would buy it again, but it's by Bulmer's so I had high hopes.

Tasting - "SAVED Rosé"

Name: SAVED Rosé
Variety: Cabernet Franc 53%, Sangiovese 20%, Zinfandel 12%, Chardonnay 8%, Grenache 3%, Malvasia Bianca 2%, Malbec 2%
Region: Napa Valley, CA
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $15.00

Winery Review: "SAVED Rosé is a pink wine for tough guys and gals. This delicate and ultra dry Rosé is crafted from a unique blend of varietals, carefully blended into one tiny batch of a few hundred cases."

My Review: This Rosé is crazy hot! And I don't mean in a good way...The alcohol content is 13.4% and it burns all the way down your throat. The nose was surprisingly "red" with a lot of dirty/soil aromas and a hint of flowers. The taste, from what I could get other than heat and acid, was floral and had a long finish, although not a pleasant one...It seems to me this wine was overworked and striving for high alcohol content, but it's very unbalanced and not at all smooth.

Tasting - "Foggy Ridge Serious Cider"

Sorry for the lack of blog posts recently! I actually found out I had Mono on April 1st and you're not supposed to drink alcohol with Mono, because of swollen organs and such....so that put a dent in my ability to post on here. It also put a dent in my last semester of my senior year at Tech, but that's another story. After 4 weeks and no more symptoms, I have decided I can ease back into tastings.

Name: Foggy Ridge Serious Cider
Variety: Apple Cider
Region: Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains
Country: USA
Year: Not Stated
Price: $18.00

Cidermaker Review: "Foggy Ridge Cider grows many "spitters"—high tannin apples that taste like unripe persimmons but contribute tannin to all our cider blends, especially Serious Cider, our most dry hard cider. Classic English cider apples like Stoke Red, Dabinett and Tremlett's Bitter combine with high tannin American varieties such as Ashmead's Kernel and Roxbury Russett to create a cider that drinks like Brut Champagne. Enjoy Serious Cider with fatty nibbles like a French Triple Creme or crab cakes browned in butter. Or just slice rich sheep's milk cheese and pour a glass. This Virignia Cider is made with only Virginia Apples and blended to perfection."

My Review: After looking at their website, I realized I would probably have preferred the other types, but the store I found this at didn't have any other kinds and I'd never heard of it before. That being said, this is an EXTREMELY dry cider and very fizzy. My friend tried it with me and really enjoyed it, but I was not a fan. The smell was fairly sweet, nice red apple and honeysuckle notes, but the taste was pretty tart. Just not my cup of tea.