Tasting - Rose

 Type: Rose

Name: Dark Horse 

Year: 2021

Grape: Zinfandel 

Region: California

Country: USA

Price: 14.99

Not much flavor, somewhat sweet. Don’t feel like I have much to talk about - it’s just very bland. Experience directly contradicted what the book described (pg 189): not bold, not smoky, not even really fruity. Like reviews said, "not bad for the price point" (https://www.vivino.com/US/en/dark-horse-rose/w/4263387). Did not have a red glass to drink it in. 

Tasting - Ruby Porto

Details: 

Name: Sandeman

Region: Porto

Country: Portugal 

Type: Port 

Vintage: Unknown

Grape: Unknown

Price: 16.99

Review

Sweet, lovely taste. You can tell it has a higher alcohol content, but this somehow enhances the taste.

Reviews stated that it was easy to drink, and very good value, which I agree with.

( https://www.vivino.com/US/en/sandeman-fine-ruby-port/w/1406220)

Definitely provides a faint “buzz” faster than usual. Bottle says to drink chilled; I’ve been told otherwise,

so we did it room temperature. Maybe I’ll try it chilled for a later post.

The book notes that Ruby Porto is best young, which maybe explains why

the bottle didn’t have a vintage on it. Did not have a desert glass to drink it in.

Introduction

 Hello, and welcome to my wine blog! I will be sharing my experience here as I journey through the world of wine. 

Brief Introduction: My name is James, and I'm a senior here at Virginia Tech double majoring in Computer Science and Discrete Math. I enjoy coding, simulator racing, and thinking about the not so far future where I'll be free from school. 

My first experience with wine was trying to get drunk with some friends. I at least had the forethought to have some cheese with it, although I probably got the pairing wrong. We took a bottle from my parent's pantry, and went add it, ultimately only finishing about half. We threw the remainder in the woods beside my house, either to spoil or be sipped up by the dozen or so feral cats that my neighbor feeds. The following morning I got in huge trouble - my Mom was upset about us trying to get drunk, while my Dad's only complaint was that we unknowing took a hundred dollar bottle. Oops...

My subsequent experiences with wine were also with the intention of getting drunk, until this past year or so. I've now started to drink it for enjoyment, although I wouldn't really pay attention to what I was drinking, just whether or not I liked it. As of now, I just know that I prefer reds over whites, and really enjoyed some Tawny Porto I got to try over this past Christmas. From this course, I hope to learn enough about wine to enjoy, and understand, the experience of drinking it more - and maybe learn enough to not make a fool of myself in front of a future boss or something at a restaurant. 

Oh, a photo of me - here's a picture of me in front of a model train, for some reason. I mean, I guess it's a pretty cool train.