☆Tasting - Butter - Chardonnay

My other Family Weekend pick was a Chardonnay by Jam Cellars called Butter! My mom had read a couple articles about it, shared by some family friends who own a winery, so it was a must buy! I usually am not a Chardonnay girl but I was convinced!

My mom and I tasted this wine while watching the Blood Into Wine movie this weekend. We had this wine without food after a very heavy dinner and dessert out in Norman.

 I really liked the dry and medium bodied nature of this wine, and was very surprised by how much I liked it. I think the name of this wine gave me ideas about its taste as well, I felt a kind of buttery, melting in my mouth taste with each sip.

I think this wine could be nicely paired with a lighter pasta dish and look forward to buying more of this bottle and cooking meals to compliment it in the future!

I also think this wine is very cool aesthetically and marketing wise. The play on the branding with the butter and jam is so fun and I think that is why so many people are talking about this wine right now! I think the label also making this stick out when looking at the shelfs and I am so glad it caught our attention too :)

☆ Fast Facts

Name: Butter

Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Lodi
Country: California
Year: 2017
Price: $17
Winery review: Wow…Butter Chardonnay is rich, bold and luscious. Made in the tradition of quality Californian winemaking, the grapes they select are juicy, ripe and bursting with flavor. They cold ferment this easy-to-love Chardonnay to a lush creaminess and age it in our unique blend of oak. Butter brims with stone fruit and baked-lemon notes and has a lovely, long, vanilla finish. Simply put, it melts in your mouth! - Wine Mag

☆Tasting- Nobilo - Sauvignon Blanc

This weekend was Family Weekend at OU, which meant my wine loving parents were in town! My dad was very interested in my new wine textbooks from this class which were proudly displayed on my coffee table and it was so fun to tell them all about this class! My mom and I went shopping for wine and she helped me pick out some things based on the things I had told her about what I've
learned and read about so far!

Our first pick was a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand! I had this wine without food while watching some evening football with my family and really enjoyed it! I thought that the fresh, citrusy feel of this wine was great, especially after a warm football game-day ! I really liked this white wine because it wasn't too sweet, and each sip made you long for another and gave you a very nice juicy mouthfeel!

☆ Fast Facts

Name: Nobilo

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2018
Price: $16
Winery review:  This wine offers the classic Marlborough combo of ripe tropical fruit flavors and subtle touches of snow pea and nettle leaf. It's the palate that really brings things up a notch with its chalky texture, stony minerality, mouthwatering acidity and long, juicy finish. - Wine Mag

☆Tasting- 14 Hands - Cabernet Sauvignon

This week while on Pinterest - I saw a familiar wine company label while I was scrolling through looking for dinner recipe ideas, and I saw something fun and new. 14 Hands Winery now had canned wine! I went to the store in search of this wine and sadly did not come out victorious with the canned wine but did come out with a bottle of 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon!

There is something about a bold, red wine that makes me feel very "adult", and at this stressful time of senior year, applying to graduate programs, making sure I'm ready for the ~real world~, a little illusion of adulthood is really all I can ask for!

Immediately after uncorking this wine the bold aroma filled the kitchen and I could smell the strong dark cherry notes as well as what seemed to be a spiciness about the wine. While smelling this wine, there was a spicy aroma which lingered and after I took a sip, I was surprised by the taste. From the scent of the wine I was expecting it to be much more bitter and potent, but was surprised when the wine almost had a sweet-ness which lingered on my tongue. Truly, when I smelled this wine, I was not sure I was going to enjoy it at all, but I was pleasantly surprised and would definitely purchase it again!

☆ Fast Facts

Name: 14 Hands 

Variety:  Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Columbia Valley
Country: United States
Year: 2016
Price: $13
Winery review:  Lighter in color, aromas of tire rubber, braised green pepper, herb and cherry are followed by lightly sweet, lightly concentrated fruit flavors. It doesn't all work. - Wine Mag

My Review: This red, initially was a bold smelling red, but upon tasting it I loved the sweeter cherry notes and thought that this was a great red which bridges the gap between very dark bold reds and lighter reds. I loved the sweeter, less in your face, notes of blackcurrant and cherry and would definitely purchase again!

☆Tasting - White Haven - Sauvignon Blanc

This week, I got a recommendation from a friend who took this class in a past semester! I really do not have a ton of experience with white wines as my family is typically a red wine family. My grandma loves white wine and I really want to become more educated on wines she may like before my grandparents come into town from Scotland this winter break!

Last night I had this wine accompanied with pasta, salami, and a Tomato & Alfredo sauce! I really liked this wine and food combination and thought the lighter notes of Alfredo in this darker sauce really went well with the crisp taste of this white wine. I drank the wine chilled and liked the refreshing aspect of this wine with the warm pasta meal.

☆ Fast Facts

Name: White Haven

Variety:  Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2018
Price: $13
Winery review:  A full flavored, medium-bodied wine, with an abundance of vibrant currant and gooseberry flavors, that linger on the dry, clean finish. Enjoy with salads, poultry, shellfish and Pan-Asian cuisine.- Total Wine 2019
My Review: This crisp white wine, is great chilled, with or without food! I personally loved the initially fruity sweetness and the aftertaste of dry, grassy notes. This wine is definitely challenged over time and the taste changed from the first day I tasted it, to two days later when I finished the bottle!

☆Tasting - Franzia - Fruity Red Sangria

Feeling inspired by a project for my Spanish Conversation class this week, I decided my homework wouldn't be complete without a glass of Sangria! I had a few friends over so I thought to stay on top of my college budget, but provide for all my friends, a boxed wine would be perfect for the occasion!

Not quite as fancy as the pretty glass above, and not quite as authentic as the Sangria which I had in Spain with my family, I was still very surprised with how much I loved this boxed Sangria! I have always loved the packaging of Franzia boxes and think that their pairing guide on the side is so helpful for those learning the ins and outs of wine who need a little assistance whether it be with tastes or food pairings. Personally, I had this wine without food, but think like the box says, this would be a great wine chilled, with bbq food like burgers, hot dogs, chips etc.

☆ Fast Facts

Name: Franzia - Fruity Red Sangria

Variety: Sangria
Region: Rippon (San Joaquin Valley), California
Country: USA
Year: 2019
Price: $12
Winery review: "A refreshing red with flavors of citrus fruit and just the right amount of sweetness. Serve chilled over ice. Enjoy with BBQ favorites." ~Winery Note
My Review: This medium body, sweet wine, is perfect chilled for patio weather and has very strong orange and citrus notes!

☆Tasting- Estancia - Cabernet Sauvignon

With all this new information about wine, I thought it would be important and fun to go back and use my new knowledge to taste a wine which my parents frequently had at our house! After a mild disaster on the way back from the store, and the death of another bottle of red wine, I made it home with a bottle of Estancia with a little different of a label....oops.

The original bottle of Estancia.

             






   The artistic touch on the bottle after some bottle breakage of another bottle in my car.

All bottle breakage aside, I decided to try this wine with my new knowledge of the subject and feel like I had much more of an appreciation for my parents pick!

I chose to have this red wine with a very classy frozen pizza and I actually believe they went really well together. My flavor filled pizza had peppers, olives, pepperoni, cheese and more which I think was a great match with this high tannin content wine. The price tag on this wine made it a more affordable option for my college student budget and I thought that you got a great strong taste on your tongue with even the smallest sips! The body of this wine was very strong and I could most definitely smell and taste the characteristic cherry in this glass.

☆ Fast Facts

Name: Estancia

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Paso Robles

Country: California

Year: 2016

Price: $12

Winery review:Aromas of ripe, dark black cherry, chocolate and currant complement the spicy peppery notes and hints of toasted sweet oak. Flavors of jammy dark fruit are accompanied by soft velvety tannins, followed with a long, rich finish. - Total Wine

My Review: At first sniff, this heavy bodied wine smells strongly of cherry and gives off an almost salty and spicy scent. At first taste I thought this wine was quite sour on the back of my tongue and when swallowed it was more of a spicy sensation on my tongue. It was not as smooth as I typically enjoy in wine, but still was good with my dinner! I would drink again but it is not my favorite Varietal Red Wine I have ever had!

☆ Tasting - Bieler Père et Fils - Sabine Aix-en-Provence Rosé

I have to admit, usually I reach for the same "college girl" boxed wine when I am at the grocery store and look for bang for my buck rather than any other qualities of wine! This class is bringing a whole new challenge into my life as I have never sat back with my glass of wine and truly wondered about the notes, aging, types of grapes etc.. I usually would have my dad pick his favorite and trust his taste when it came to the overwhelming wine sections in stores. I have always said wine is one of my favorite drinks, but truly think my love stemmed (no pun intended) from the idea of it being a "higher class" beverage, and showed signs of maturity and adulthood, a metaphor for "sitting at the adult table".

As I was on the phone chatting with my mom through the aisles of Target, slightly overwhelmed at all the choices (and I wasn't even in a Winery yet), she recommended I grab a couple different bottles of different varieties and start there. For my first wine tasting blog, I chose to stay a little more on the comfortable side of my palate and chose a Rosé! I was very tempted to grab the aesthetically pleasing "college gal" bottle on the edge of the aisle with the enticing "Yes Way Rosé" large black printed label, but could hear my dad's lecture on marketing ploys in the back of my head.... I didn't fall into the trap .... this time. 

Funnily enough, the Rosé which I settled on was from France. Not only was France the second country which I lived in growing up, but also one of my favorite family vacations I have ever been on. As I was curiously scrolling through old pictures from my travels, I found a picture of most likely one of my first few glasses of wine, a Rosé, in 2016 on a street corner in France. Sounds much lovelier than at a kitchen counter in Norman, Oklahoma, but I digress.

The wine I chose this week was the Sabine Aix-en-Provence Rosé by Bieler Père et Fils. I have seen this bottle many a time while perusing the wine section at Target and was drawn in by the red fruits it highlighted on the label, including wild strawberry and raspberry. This bottle was $14 and was found at my local Target in which the wine is organized by type rather than origin. Typically when shopping for wine during holidays with my dad, we are in stores which have the varieties of wine dispersed around the store in their country of origin, so this was a different way of looking for wine. Personally, I liked that the store was organized into variety rather than country or region, but that is probably the wine novice in me talking! For me, this organization made it much simpler to find the type of wine which you are looking for and see the different regions which you can purchase a bottle from rather than vice versa.

I tasted this wine tonight, chilled, without food during a girls night of watching movies! Initially I wasn't too sure if this wine was for me as the label and online review stated, it was more of a savory Rosé, when in the past I have been a bigger fan of sweeter Rosé. From what I learned about wine color in the textbook, the Pale Salmon color is typical of Provence Rosé and is also found similarly in White Zinfandel. The wine most definitely has some herbal notes as described on the label and I can taste the fruits which initially drew me into the wine. Through my reading I learned that Rosé Wines are typically made by maceration, which occurs over a 4-12 hour period in which the skins of the grapes are left to macerate in juice and are then later filtered out! This wine has great variety in grapes with 41% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 19% Cinsault, 15% Cabernet,  and 5% Rolle. Each of these types of Grapes are heavily grown in France, as this is a French wine, but also are shown to be popular in Spanish regions!

☆ My Review: Overall I thought this wine was a more bold Rosé than I was used to but a balance of the herbal as well as fruity notes. For my own palate, this wine was definitely a slower drink, and I found myself taking much more time in between sips than would typically. The after taste begins very bold and sour, but eventually leaves a sweet taste behind. I still feel that I am getting used to tasting and understanding all the different parts of a wine, but enjoyed this more simple pick to begin my wine tasting journey!

☆ Fast Facts

Name: Bieler Père et Fils - Sabine Aix-en-Provence Rosé

Variety:  41% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 19% Cinsault, 15% Cabernet,  and 5% Rolle
Region: Provence
Country: France
Year: 2017
Price: $14
Winery review: A wild strawberry flavor gives this wine a richness that's balanced by tangy lemon peel and a light, peppery character. It's a straightforward wine to enjoy in the near term. - Wine Enthusiast - 88 points - 2019

☆ Wine Experience

Wine has been a great component of my family for as long as I can remember. My family, including myself are all originally from Scotland. Obviously, being born, and growing up in another country, my family has a different cultural perspective on many things including alcohol consumption. In many different places in Europe, the drinking age, as well as the social acceptance of drinking, is much younger than that of the United States. With this different in culture, I was exposed to wine at a younger age, and have been lucky enough to be exposed to different types of wines, wines of different origins, and family members who are knowledgeable as well.

Travel has been a great influence on my wine understanding and experience as well! Internationally, each year my family and I travels back to Scotland to see the rest of our family as we are the only four people who left the city which we are originally from. When we make this trip back, we try to add another country onto our travels each year for new experiences and adventures. Through this travel we have been to many places including Italy, Spain, Amsterdam, Sweden, Denmark, England and more! Through this travel I have experiences many wines as well as great foods to pair with them.

Although I have had experience with wine, I often have fallen into the trends which my grandparents and parents follow. Since I only turned 21 this year, typically I would drink my parents choices of wine, or have a glass from the bottle which my grandparents would order when we go out to eat! Now that I am taking this class and learning more about my own personal tastes, I am excited to branch out and find my own tastes rather than just my families! I am really excited to learn about the different notes in wine and what foods pair well with which wines as I love to cook and entertain and want to show my friends new wines and ideas.