Name: Raza

Variety: Arinto, Azal, and Trajadura

Region: Vino Verde

Country: Portugal

Year: 2021

Price: $15.99

My Review: At first glance, this wine is a medium yellow but almost green color. The alcohol smell is very strong but it also smells kind of citrusy, specifically lemon. This wine tastes really refreshing and leaves an interesting tingly sensation on my tongue almost acidic. It is a dry wine but isn't very tannic, it doesn't leave my mouth feeling dry, just tingly. This wine tastes like it has hints of pineapple and tastes a bit sour like lemon. Overall I really enjoyed this wine. 

Another Review: https://www.corkerywine.com/products/raza-vinho-verde-branco-portugal-2021#:~:text=It's%20a%20simple%2C%20easy%20drinking,shellfish%2C%20fish%20or%20light%20meals. 

 Name: Villa Jolanda

Variety: Prosecco

Region: Piedmont

Country: Italy

Year: N/A

Price: $4.99

My Review: This wine is a pale yellow color, almost clear. It smells very pungent, the alcohol scent is very strong, also kind of floral, like a rose. When I tasted it, it was not super carbonated which is unusual for prosecco. This wine tastes very light and floral but also somewhat fruity, like a peach. It does not taste like it has a high alcohol content although that is how it smells. It doesn't taste sweet but it also doesn't taste very dry, I would say it is a perfect medium. This wine is also not very tannic, it leaves me feeling refreshed rather than with a dry mouth. 

Another Review: https://www.wine.com/product/villa-jolanda-prosecco/499751#closePromoModal 

3 Course Meal

 Name: Trattoria Busa Alla Torre DaLele Pinto Grigio

On Its Own: This wine is a dark yellow but also kind of a pale orange. It has hints of vanilla and lime when I smelled it. The wine is pretty dry but is not very tannic, it leaves me feeling refreshed. I am not usually a fan of dry wines but the refreshing feeling is making it more appetizing to me. 

Paired with Motzo Ball Soup: I think these pair well together. The softness of the soup brings out a more harsh flavor in the wine, and the wine brings out the bready flavors of the Motzo balls. While I like both the wine and the soup on their own, I think they enhance each other's flavors so much that I prefer them together. In the past, I often eat Motzo ball soup with manischewitz which is a very sweet red wine but I think I enjoy it more with this harsher white wine. 

Name: Estrella Merlot

On Its Own: This Merlot is a dark red, and its initial smell is very pruney. I am not a big fan of red wines but this one is sweet so I didn't entirely hate it. On its own, the wine is relatively sweet has a cherry flavor, and is not very tannic but does leave my mouth slightly dry.

Paired with Spaghetti with marinara: This merlot does not pair very well with spaghetti. The sharp citrus flavors of the sauce make the alcohol flavor stand out and makes the wine lose its sweetness. I think this pairing is not very good and both the pasta and the wine are better on their own. 

Name: Coastal Estates Pinto Noir

On Its Own: This wine is also a dark red. It smells like dried fig and has a cherry flavor. This wine is very tannic it felt really dry going down which I did not particularly enjoy. I did not really like this wine on its own. 

Paired with a Chocolate Chip Cookie: I like this wine a lot more when paired with something sweet, the cookie made the dry flavor go away and mellowed out the taste which I preferred to the wine on its own. The warmness of the cookie also made the wine go down easier than it did when it was cold and dry. 

Wine and Cheese Pairings

 Wine Name: Barefoot Riesling

On Its Own: This Riesling is a pale yellow color. It smells fruity, I got hints of pear. It is a very sweet wine and tastes fruity, specifically like pear and orange. It was very tannic, and it left a dry feeling in my mouth despite being a sweet white wine. 

Paired with Brie: This Riesling paired really well with the brie. The juxtaposition of the wine with the cheese brought out the salty flavors in the cheese. The Riesling also made the aged flavor of the cheese really stick out making it taste even more cheesy. I really enjoyed how the sweetness of the wine and the creaminess of the cheese went together, it went down very easily when paired.

Name: 19 Crimes Cali Blanc

On Its Own: This Sauvignon Blanc's color is also a very pale yellow. It smells really citrusy, like grapefruit. The taste isn't very strong but I am getting a floral taste. This wine it semi-dry and very tannic, it leaves my mouth feeling even drier than the first wine I tried today. 

Paired with the Dill Fontina: This wine and the cheese did not pair well together. The Fontina brought out the worst flavors in the wine which I did enjoy beforehand, specifically, it made the flavor of the alcohol stand out more. Additionally,  rather than bringing out the unique flavors of the cheese, the wine brought out the underlying moldy flavor of the cheese and didn't highlight the dill at all which comes through quite a bit when the cheese is on its own. 

Name: Magnolia Grove Chardonnay 

On its own: The color of this Chardonnay is pretty consistent with the other two wines I tasted, but it is a slightly darker yellow. It smells vaguely like dried apricot. This wine is on the sweeter side, but more like semi-sweet and is not very tannic at all. It tastes sort of peachy, but not as sweet. 

Paired with Rosemary and Olive Oil Asiago: While in my opinion, this combination doesn't pair as well as the Riesling and Brie, this did pair a lot better than the Dill Fontina and Sauvignon Blanc. The wine really brings out the rosemary flavor of the cheese, but I feel as though the cheese overpowers the wine. The wine also makes the cheese feel less sharp than it does on its own, it mellows it out and gives the other flavors in the cheese a chance to shine. I was initially not the biggest fan of this wine on its own, but with the cheese mellowing it out I like it a lot more. 

 Name: liberty Creek

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region: California

Country: United States

Year: 2010

Price: $13.00

My Review: This white wine from California was my Superbowl drink. at first glance, it is a pale yellow color. The smell is Oakey. The taste is semi-sweet but leaves my tongue a little bit dry. It was hard to detect the flavor, the flavor isn't very strong beyond "sweet" but I narrowed it down to a little bit like cider. 

Another Review: https://drizly.com/wine/white-wine/pinot-grigio/liberty-creek-pinot-grigio/p1448