Clare's Wine Blog

  Artie Pinot Grigio Name: Artie Pinot Grigio                          Variety:  Pinot Grigio Country:  Italy Region:  N/A Vintage Year:  Nonvintage Price:  $7.99 Critic Review: " Fruity but only in the sense that the 'fruity' taste absolutely blends itself in with the expected profile of a Pinot Gris. Not overly acidic, if at all. One criticism I’d have, if I were pushed to make a criticism, is that it’s a bit weak in overall profile."  - Nick Chudolij on Vivino  Wine Folly:  Pinot Grigio is characterized by flavors of white peach, lemon zest, cantalope, crushed gravel, and raw almond. I tasted lemon adn a hint of raw almond upon my first sip of Artie's Pinot Grigio. The wine was dry with a medium to light body with a medium acidity. Wine Folly recommended pairing Pinot Grigio with seafood, so I drank this wine with fish tacos I made at home. The wine and tacos balanc...

  Barefoot's Rosé Name: Barefoot Rosé                               Variety: Rosé  Country: USA Region: California  Vintage Year:  Nonvintage Price: $6.99 Critic Review: " This is gently sweet, yet loaded with fresh watermelon flavor. Sweet cherry and red berry flavors burst onto the tongue. Light citrus rounds out the flavor. Teeny tiny bubbles play over the tongue even though this is not a bubbly varietal. Strawberry is very apparent with the tiniest hint of light floral. The finish is light and crisp with medium to light body." - The Intoxicologist  Wine Folly:  According to Wine Folly, one should expect flavors of strawberry, lemon zest, rose petals, honeydew, and rhubarb in rosé wines. Barefoot's Rosé has a dominant strawberry flavor followed by a sweet pear or apricot flavor. The rosé has a light body that makes it easy to drink alone.  My Review: Barefoot's...

  A Visit to Bluestone Vineyard My boyfriend and I took a trip to Bluestone Vineyard located in Bridgewater, VA. There are a lot of great vineyards with great views around the Shenandoah Valley area, but we chose to go to Bluestone because of its great reviews and safety practices in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The vineyard is on top a hill with a great mountain view. There are cows surrounding the area, so it was fun to hear them moo.  We were able to see the planted grapevines on our way up the hill. Below is an image of all the vines we saw in front of the winery.  When we reached the tasting room parking lot, we walked in and were greated by a friendly lady who graduated from Bridgewater College. We told the lady we were interested in wine flights and she told us that in response to COVID-19, the vineyard sold wine for flights in an airplane bottle-looking container. She recommended a couple of their most popular wines: Beau, Petit Manseng, Blue Ice, and Vidal ...

  Dark Horse's Sauvignon Blanc Name: Dark Horse Sauvignon Blanc               Variety: Sauvignon Blanc Country:  USA Region:  California  Vintage Year: 2020 Price:  $7.99 Critic Review:  " Crisp, tropical, bright citrus, refreshing, with a juicy green apple finish. Not steely or as gooseberry like some NZ sauvs. Buy and rec!" - Juan Llamas on Vivino Wine Folly:  According to Wine Folly, Sauvignon Blanc is loved for its "green herbal flavors and racy acidity." Dark Horse's Sauvignon Blanc had the prominent flavor of fresh cut grass to me. It was also highly acidic, but not enough to leave a sour taste in my mouth. I paired this wine with seafood pasta, which Wine Folly recommended.  My Review:  I was pleasantly surprised by Dark Horse's Sauvignon Blanc. I liked the look of the wine label so I chose it instead of other wines of this variety. For the price of $7.99, I was suprised by how smooth, refreshing...

  Joel Gott's Sauvignon Blanc Name:  Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc                Variety: Sauvignon Blanc Country: USA Region:  California Price: $13.99 Critic Review:  " Greeted by delectable grapefruit and a bouquet of citrus fruit including lemon blossom, key lime zest and a underlying note of sugar baby pineapple." - Ryan Vet on Vivino  Wine Folly:  Gooseberry, honeydew, grapefruit, white peach, and passion fruit are all expected flavors of Sauvignon Blanc according to Wine Folly. In Joel Gott's Sauvignon Blanc, I was able to taste white peach and some passion fruit. This variety is considered to be high in acidity with a medium to light body, which was the case with this wine.  My Review:  I thoroughly enjoyed Joel Gott's Sauvignon Blanc. It had the right amount of acidity, dryness, and flavors to please my palate. This wine was bursting with citric flavors and passion fruit. Fans of fruity wines woul...

Three Finger Jack's Cabernet Sauvignon Name:   Three Finger Jack  Cabernet Sauvignon   Variety:  Cabernet Sauvignon           Country:  USA Region:  California  Vintage Year:  2018 Price: $18.95 Critic Review:   " The 2016 Three Finger Jack Cabernet Sauvignon has a lot of good things going on in the aroma including rich dark berry fruit, spice, mint, violets and more. Taking a sip reveals a big, rich wine with tons of juicy dark fruit and plenty of varied spice notes. It's a bit sweet but really tasty. In fact, it almost tastes more like a big Zin than a Cab, but either way this one should be popular. Slightly chewy tannins lead into the spice filled, dry and long finish." - Jon Thorsen on Reverse Wine Snob Wine Folly:  Wine Folly indicates black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices, and graphite as primary flavors of Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium dryness, a full body, and medium-high tannins are also ex...

Matua's Sauvignon Blanc   Name: Matua Sauvignon Blanc           Variety:  Sauvignon Blanc  Country:  New Zealand  Region:  Marlborough Vintage Year:  2020 Price:  $10.27 Critic Review:  " A lemony tang is very evident in the flavor, with passionfruit and a background of gentle sweetness. Textural but light, it’s almost like sipping fresh air. There is a slight bite to the taste, adding a tartness which is noticeable but not overpowering. This acidity makes this wine ideal for coupling with rich, buttery dishes."  - Wine Turtle Review    Wine Folly:   According to Wine Folly, primary flavors gooseberry, honeydew, grapefruit, white peach, and passion fruit are commonly found in Sauvignon Blancs. It is also dryer compared to other white grapes. I tasted gooseberry and citrus upon my first sip and a hint of grapefruit. Matua's Sauvignon was a medium dry as Wine Folly wrote and pretty acidic. ...

Landshut's Riesling Name:  Landshut Riesling                Variety:  Riesling Country:  Germany  Region:  Mosel  Vintage Year:  2019 Price:  $5.49 Critic Review:  " The 2018 Landshut Riesling begins with a pleasing aroma of apple, pear, peach and a little honeysuckle and tropical fruit. The medium-bodied wine tastes smooth with a nice thick mouthfeel. It's medium sweet but balanced by good acidity and has similar flavors as the nose plus some grapefruit in the mouth."  - Jon Thorsen on Reverse Wine Snob Wine Folly:   Wine Folly notes that Riesling has a high acidity with fruit flavors of apricot, peach, nectarine, pineapple, and lime. Landshut's Riesling had a burst of fruit flavor in each sip. I easily detected apple and nectarine flavors. There were some subtle citrus flavors in the wine's aftertaste.  My Review:   Landshut's Riesling was smooth and had a nice, medium body, b...