Wine Tasting #4 - Menage a Trois Exotic Blend

            

This is the Menage a Trois Exotic Blend wine. It was $9.99, and its vintage year is 2022. The varietal is a blend of white wines, to include chardonnay, Moscato, and Chenin Blanc. It is from California, US.

There is a very large variety in reviews on this wine. Many say that it is very "refreshing and sweet, with hints of citrus", and is the "perfect summer wine. Others say that it is not sweet at all, is extremely dry, lacks flavor, and just has a "watery and acidic mouthfeel".

Overall, I was not a fan of this wine. It had some legs, and an extremely fruity smell- definitely a mix, I thought I was getting some hints of pineapple, cantaloupe, and mango. I was excited, and then after trying it, immediately changed my mind. It was light, but quite dry, and certainly tasted acidic. It did not necessarily have any specific flavor, besides maybe just citrus. The aftertaste was the worst part- it was just bad and sort of gross. 

I did not have this wine with food, and will most likely never have it again. Wine Folly talks about how this could be a good pairing with pork, poultry, and shellfish, but I will not be giving that a try. 

 

Wine Tasting #3 - Taylor Port Black

            

This is the Taylor Port Black wine. It was $11.99 at Kroger, with a vintage year of 2022. It is a sweet, fortified wine made from a blend of grapes that are all grown in the Douro Valley region in Portugal, to include Touriga Nacional, Franca, Barocca, and Cao. The company did start in Portugal, but now uses the US as a base, and this wine was bottled in New York, US.

Reviews on this wine are all quite positive. One said it is "the holy trinity of the palate- sugar, acid, and alcohol". They talk a lot about the "rich, fruity taste", with a "smooth and strong finish". Overall, it is rated quite high as a full-bodied, moderately sweet, rich wine that is definitely great for the price. I could not find any complaints. 

Personally, I greatly enjoyed this wine. It was very sweet, but also very strong. It had a fiery sort of taste/feel. It was extremely smooth and thick, with very good body, which could be seen based on the amount of legs. It did smell quite oaky, which makes sense as they are aged in oak barrels, with a hint of cherry and raspberry. It was dense and velvety, felt almost like syrup. There was a heat to it, as it was very strong, which I would contribute to the alcohol. The aftertaste had a slight tang but overall was just very rich. 

I did not have this wine with food, although the bottle, the website, and Wine Folly talk about port wine being a dessert wine. That makes sense to me, however I also feel as though it would pair well with a steak dinner. Definitely would go very well with chocolate though. 

I would certainly recommend this wine. As I am not a huge red wine fan, and considering I did enjoy this, I believe that this is a pretty high-quality wine with many flavors and an interesting feel.

 

Wine Tasting #2 - Beringer Main and Vine Pinot Grigio

 

This is the Beringer Main and Vine white wine. It is a pinot grigio/pinot gris from California, USA, with the label stating the South Eastern Australia region. The vintage is 2021, and the price was $6.99.

There are very differing reviews online about this wine. Some say that it is straight nasty: "the worst pinot grigio ever", "buy at your own risk". Others, however, say that it has a lovely, light taste with hints of citrus and peach. Most agree that for the price it is sold at, it is a good wine.

Personally, I greatly disliked this wine. It had a sort of nutty, almost vanilla smell, with some lemon. It was very bitter, and slightly burned my throat and nose going down. It was extremely dry, and although some said that it was light, and you could taste the lemon and peach flavors, I could not. I did not feel as though it had a whole lot of flavor whatsoever. I honestly would not get this ever again, even for the price.

Wine Folly discusses the dry pinot grigios as a fruit-driven variety, with flavors of lemon, yellow apple, and white peach. It talks about how they have very fruity aromas, with a "less intense acidity and more of an oily textured mouthfeel". I did not pick up on the any fruity aroma besides the hint of lemon. I can almost understand the oily mouthfeel, however I felt that the acidity was still quite high. 

I did not have this wine with food. 

Wine Tasting #1 - Cardinale American Sweet Red

 

This is the Cardinale American Sweet Red Wine. It is a varietal red blend, from the Inland Empire region (southern California), in the USA. The vintage of this specific wine is unknown, but the winery it is from opened in 1967. It cost $10.99.

This wine is from San Antonio's Winery located in Los Angeles, California. Reviews online say that it is a "refreshing and juicy dark red wine", with a "bold, sweet taste". It is a blend of sweet grape varietals, and is "bursting with rich grape flavor". Critics say that it is too sweet, and way too similar to grape juice. However, some people enjoy the sweet, refreshing and light flavor.

Personally, I loved this wine. However, as stated in my introduction, I am not normally a fan whatsoever of red wine, so I almost feel like this wasn't a true red wine. It was extremely sweet, truly almost tasting like grape juice. It had an oaky, sugary, cherry sort of smell, and was pretty watery. It had a slight tang with a very sweet and pleasant aftertaste. It did not taste like any kind of red wine I have ever had, and I would definitely get it again. 

I did not have this wine with any foods, and could not find any specific references to this brand on Wine Folly.