Wine Event -Fork and Cork

On May 3rd, I went to Fork and Cork with my boyfriend Robert and my friend Kurt. None of us had been before so we didn't know what to expect. My favorite part of the day was hanging out listening to the band and drinking the bottles of wine we purchased. It was perfect weather and we had good wine, good music, and a good time!

Good wine and good music

1- Mountain Rose Vineyards Sweet Mountain Rose, a $10 blended wine made with Niagara, Seyval Blanc, and Nidal Blanc grapes. Winery Review: "Niagara-lite with nectarine and rose water!" Aromas and flavors abound in this foxy and youthful wine. This easy drinking dessert wine is held in check with a zippy acidity. My Review: This wine was quite sweet but had a nice amount of acidity that kept it balanced. This wine had a distinct grape flavor and a floral nose.

2- Saude Creek Vineyards Squire's Blend, a $16 blended wine made with Chambourcin and Muscadine. Winery Review: A sweet, light, fun blend of Chambourcin and Muscadine. This duo lends a light honeysuckle flavor paired with cherry and raspberry notes, producing a natural berry essence. A wine reminiscent of summer nights and youthful days. My Review: This was definitely my favorite wine from this booth. It was light and refreshing. It had a nice blend of mixed berry flavors like cherry, raspberry, and blueberry. 

3- Trump Winery Cru, a $28 Chardonnay fortified with brandy. Winery Review: 100% Chardonnay juice fortified with brandy, and then aged in bourbon barrels. Deep, fresh aromas and flavors of pear, citrus, bourbon, and toasted almonds. This fortified wine is 18% alcohol, so it works equally well neat or as a mixer. My Review: This is Trump Winery's best-seller and I can see why. This was delicious and creamy. It reminded me of pecan butterballs, a type of cookie my mom makes at Christmastime. There was a nutty undertone which was balanced out by a lemony citrus flavor. 

4- Stanburn Winery Big A Red, a $17 blended wine made with Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin. Winery Review: Fermented in stainless steel and aged in neutral barrels. Aromas of strawberries and cream, red raspberries, blackberries, and violets. Soft, creamy palate with a fruity mid-palate. Fine, dusty tannins, with earthy hints. Smooth and persistent finish. Pairs well with grilled meats, raspberry cheesecake, BBQ, and medium to hard cheeses. My Review: I thought this wine was dry yet very smooth. It had strong raspberry flavors and I detected a weird barbecue sauce flavor too. It was probably my favorite from this winery.

5- Peaks of Otter Winery Chili Dawg, a $15 wine made with 97% light apple wine and 3% chili pepper wine. Winery Review: Tastes like a pepper jelly. My Review: To start off, tasting this wine was weird. They put cheez whiz on your hand. It was as if you were taking a tequila shot: you licked the cheese off and then drank the wine. It was so weird. It was as if I had drank a piece of pepper jack cheese. There was a weird kick from the pepper part that gave it a bit of spiciness. For never having tasted a fruit wine, it was an interesting experience to say the least. 

6- Mountain Rose Vineyards Dorchester, a $12 wine made from Chambourcin grapes. Winery Review: Elegant spectrums of fruit and slight oak echo in this gang buster cherry wine with a nuance of nut and a velvety finish. This wine is perfect to enjoy with a wide range of foods and cheeses. Off-dry. My Review: This wine was pretty light in color so I didn't know what to expect. It was pretty dry and tasted like almonds and cherry cobbler. 

7- Trump Winery Meritage, an $18 dollar Bordeaux-style blend made with 45% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Fran, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Petit Verdot. Winery Review: A lovely ruby red color and nose of toast, black cherry, black currant, and ripe raspberries. The mouth feel is medium bodied with nice freshness and velvety tannins. The finish exhibits spicy notes with a nice ripe red fruits. My Review: I was not a huge fan of this wine. It tasted like something that was charred on a grill. There was a nice fruit flavor, especially an artificial cherry flavor (like Jolly Ranchers). I was hoping for more sense it had a nice aroma. 

Selfies with Boyer

Selfies with Boyer

In the afternoon we went to the Harvest tent and got some shrimp and grits. We ate it with a bottle we purchased from the Mountain Rose Vineyards booth. We bought their Pardee Red, which was made with Chancellor & Chambourcin grapes. It had hints of cherry and grape and was very smooth. It did not pair well with the shrimp and grits as it was way too sweet and clashed with the creaminess of the food.

Wine slushie!

Overall, we had a great time, tasted a lot of great (and not so great) wines, and look forward to going back next year!

Tasting -Basserman Riesling

Name: Basserman Riesling
Variety: Riesling
Country: Germany
Year: 2009
Price: $30

Wine Review: Pale color, clover and honey nose. Zing of fruit on palate: mango and apricot, peach and lemon, orange. Slight birch-bark note. Balanced sugar and acid. So much flavor, but still delicate. Elegant. Yum.

My Review: This wine had a good balance of acidity and sweetness. It smelled a lot sweeter, like honeysuckles, so I was surprised by the acidity when I tasted it. There was a lot of citrus flavours, especially lemons.

I tasted this wine without food.

Tasting -Hacienda Gewurtztraminer

Name: Hacienda Gewurtztraminer
Variety: Gewurtztraminer
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2009
Price: $12

Wine Review: I couldn't find another review online.

My Review: In my opinion, this wine was a sugar bomb. It was like eating cotton candy. I could hardly discern any flavor because I was so overwhelmed with sweetness, by I picked up a hint of lychee and mango. The nose was very floral. I was not a fan.

I tasted this wine without food.

Tasting -Ca Momi Napa Valley Chardonnay

Name: Ca Momi Napa Valley Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Napa Valley, California
Country: United States
Year: 2012
Price: $25

Wine Review: A luscious wine intense pineapple, tropical fruit, citrus and pear, framed by caramel and creamy vanilla notes. Complex touches of butterscotch balance a zesty acidity and a long oaky and buttery finish. 

My Review: This wine was very creamy and caramely. It was like drinking a butter beer in Harry Potter world. The creamy, oaky-ness overpowered the very little citrus flavours I tasted and I wish I had tasted more. Wasn't bad though.

I tasted this wine without food.

Tasting -Guenoc Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Guenoc Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2012
Price: $16

Wine Review: We craft our Sauvignon Blanc to enhance the mouthwatering flavors of grapefruit, pineapple and mango. The warm temperatures ripen the fruit and allow the pyrazines (the cut grass, green pepper or jalapeño flavors) to change into tropical notes, while the diurnal low temps keep the acidity bright.  Warm climate SB has all the pineapple, guava and mango of a fruit smoothie!

My Review: This wine was packed with tropical fruit flavours. I picked up on tons of pineapple and mango. It didn't even seem like wine but rather fruit juice. It was pretty sweet but there was a decent amount of acidity. This would be a nice wine to sit out with on a warm summer night.

I tasted this wine without food.

Tasting -Marimar Don Miguel Chardonnay 2010 Russian River

 Name: Marimar Don Miguel Chardonnay 2010 Russian River
Variety: Chardonnay 
Region: Sonoma, California 
Country: United States 
Year: 2007
Price: $50

Wine Review: It's unbelievable that this Chardonnay is unoaked, it's so incredibly rich and creamy. Just packed with layers of tropical fruits, peaches, Asian pear and oatmeal cookies. All that butter and cream must be from the malolactic fermentation and aging on the lees. One of the best unoaked Chardonnays ever. 

My Review: I was excited to taste this wine because it was the most expensive bottle they were tasting at the Vintage Cellar. However, I didn't think it was that much better than some of the cheaper bottles I tasted. It had a fruity nose and was very creamy. I wouldn't pay $50 for it.

I tasted this wine without food. 

Dinner -Homemade

On Thursday night, my boyfriend and I decided to do a wine pairing dinner with a nice summery grilled dinner paired with 3 different colored wines. I was hoping to compare the effects that a red, a white, and a blush wine had on the meal. We had pork tenderloin, corn on the cob, and loaded baked potatoes. Paired with those were 3 wines: a 2011 El Cortujillo Tempranillo, a Caparra & Siciliani Cirò white wine, and a 2012 Señorio de Sarrìa Garnacha.

 


The White Wine:
  Alone: I thought this wine had a weird mix of green apple flavor and also an oaky vanilla flavor that seemed to clash in a way. However, it was interesting on the palate and pleasant on the nose.
With the pork: This wine complimented the pork nicely but didn't enhance the flavor of either. I thought that it the apple flavors weren't as strong and the oaky-ness came out more.
With the corn: Again, this wine didn't enhance the flavor of the corn but I also didn't particularly enjoy it either. It seemed to make the wine taste more acidic.
With the potato: I thought this wine went semi-well with the potato. The basicity of the sour cream and cheese on the potato with the acidity of the green apple balanced out. But it wasn't my favorite combination.




The Rosè:
Alone: I was not a fan of this rosè. There was a weird bitterness on the palate. I think the main reason that I didn't enjoy it was because I was expecting something sweeter. It had a faint hint of strawberries on the palate and the nose.
With the pork: The bitterness of the wine with the pork was a terrible combination. It made the pork taste terrible and wine taste even worse than it already did.
With the corn: This wasn't that terrible of a combination but I didn't particularly enjoy it either. The corn was rather neutral flavored so you couldn't really go too wrong. It didn't really change the flavor of this wine.
With the potato: This was not a good combination. It wasn't awful though because the potato had such strong flavors.The chives and sour cream kind of masked the bitterness and I was able to enjoy the wine a bit more. The sweetness of the strawberries came out more.


The Red Wine:
Alone: I quite liked this wine. It had a good balance of sweetness, acidity, and tannins. I picked up on flavours of darker fruits like blackberry and black cherry.
With the pork: This was the best wine pairing with the pork. The pork leveled out the tannic component and the dark fruit flavors became more prominent. I ate most of my pork with this wine.
With the corn: I wasn't a huge fan of this combination but it wasn't awful. The corn was kind of bland so the wine didn't really do much with this dish.
With the potato: This was a pretty good combination. The potato had so many flavor components but the sour cream and cheese balanced nicely with the tannins and acidity to really please my palate.





Overall, I thought this dinner was a good learning experience. It confirmed a lot of things we had learned in class and taught me new things.

(I don't have a picture of me with the food, as I didn't realize it was a requirement for these blog posts (as the email was sent after I did the dinner pairing).)