The Jackson Free Press has its annual beer tasting around summer, and we enjoy it a lot. However, for the spring food issue, we decided to try something a little different. April 1 (yes, April Fools' Day), we got together with Laura Collins, Briarwood Wine & Spirits' store manager and a certified sommelier, to try some of the Briarwood's wine selections.

Here are our findings.

1

Name of the wine: Toad Hollow Unoaked Chardonnay

Type: white

Age: 2013

Price: $13.99

Aroma?

Natalie West: Green apple; sweet, maybe like honey?

Amber Helsel: Grapeish; clean, fruity; smells a little like green apples; bitter but in a good way.

Micah Smith: Crispy, fruity smell; very light aroma.

Imani Khayyam: Honey.

Inga Sjostrom: Fresh, light, fruity.

Zilpha Young: Fresh, cool, crisp; pears; cut grass.

Taste?

ZY: Light, flowery.

IS: Light; fresh; easy-going.

MS: Lighter; less textured; very smooth.

AH: Dry; sour grape juice; crisp; floral.

NW: Lighter; can taste fruit, maybe pear?

IK: Lighter taste than your normal chardonnay.

Body?

ZY: Less dry.

IS: Clean.

MS: Clean; smooth; airy.

AH: Clean and light.

NW: Light; clean; dry.

IK: Clean and fresh.

It reminds me of :

ZY: Austria.

MS: Flowers; breeze; pears.

AH: Drinking wine on the square in Oxford; summer days.

NW: My grandmother's pear tree. We would smell the skin before eating it.

IK: Very nice casual summer.

Rating (1 to 5):

ZY: 3

IS: 5

MS: 3

AH: 4

NW: 5

IK: 3

I would pair this wine with _:

ZY: Alaska roll at Nagoya; barbecue chicken sandwich at The Pig & Pint.

MS: Fish; pasta.

AH: Grilled chicken.

2

Name of the wine: Domaine Houchart Cotes De Provence Rose

Type: rose

Age: 2014

Price: $21.99

Aroma?

ZY: Flowery, sweet; a spring day after rain; pink.

IS: Light; fresh; spring water.

MS: Almost like apple; sweet; flowery, but not overpowering.

AH: Not a lot of smell; hint of berries; spring.

NW: Fruit.

IK: Honeydew and flowers.

Taste?

ZY: Sweet.

IS: Dry; water.

MS: Tangier; light flavor.

AH: Different; sweet and bitter at the same time.

NW: Not fruity. So surprised! I'm a convert. Normally, I wouldn't drink a rose.

IK: Strong and bitter.

Body?

IS: Light; easy-going.

MS: Dryer; a little bubbly; smooth.

AH: Halfway between light and heavy.

IK: Light.

It reminds me of _:

ZY: Hanging out by a creek in the spring.

MS: Spring; water.

AH: Drinking in the yard; grandmother's boxed wine she always kept in my old house.

IK: Takes me to the beach. I see the rock, and it's red.

Rating (1 to 5):

ZY: 3

IS: 5

MS: 4

AH: 3

IK: 4

I would pair this wine with _:

ZY: cheese; pasta; La Finestra pesto; herbs; fish tacos; would use it to make a sangria.

MS: Salad; heavier cheese.

AH: Chocolate.

NW: Boyfriend's herb-crusted salmon.

IK: Fresh pasta.

3

Name of the wine: Evodia Old Vine Grenache

Type: Red

Age: 2013

Price: $13.99

Aroma?

ZY: Slightly bitter; cocoa; musky cedar; wet leaves; cherries.

IS: Woody smell.

MS: Darker; bitter; woody; earthier; sweeter; Amaretto.

AH: Chocolate; bitter; my cedar jewelry box; black grapes.

NW: Like an old cedar closet; cherry; bitterness; chocolate.

IK: Red grapes.

Taste?

ZY: Spicy; dry; acidic.

IS: Light; the after taste tingles on your tongue.

MS: Acidic; light for red; spicy.

AH: Sweeter than I thought; a little spicy.

NW: I definitely feel and taste the spiciness; not as bitter as I thought I would be.

IK: Very much like the perception of a red wine being bitter.

Body:

IS: Light to be a red wine.

MS: Kind of sticks to your tongue; drying.

AH: Lighter than it appears.

IK: Heavy.

It reminds me of _:

ZY: Thanksgiving; cranberry sauce.

MS: Cabin; woods; night.

AH: Chocolate with smoked chipotle.

Rating:

ZY: 4

IS: 4

MS: 3

AH: 3

IK: 3

I would pair this wine with _:

ZY: Fatty but still light foods; PB&J at Saltine Oyster Bar.

IS: Cheese and maybe fancy chocolate.

MS: Steak; light cheese.

AH: Fancy chocolate from Whole Foods Market and a steak (possibly together).

NW: White cheese; lamb chop.

IK: A steak marinated in Italian dressing.

4

Name of the wine: Solane Sante Volpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso

Type: Red

Age: 2011

Price: $16.99

Aroma?

ZY: Less strong; spices; dried fruit; chemical; earthy

IS: Heavy; typical red wine smell; oak; old barn.

MS: Light smell; slight salty scent; prune-y; earthy.

AH: Vinegar (I like vinegar); dried fruit; chocolate; acetone; villainy.

NW: Prune-ish; some caramel.

IK: Olive oil; olives; prunes.

Taste?

ZY: Dry; sort of smoky; almost fishy?; smoked salmon

IS: Dry; good aftertaste.

MS: Smoky; spicy; dry; hold, and it gets more bitter; lighter than I expected.

AH: Caramel; acid.

NW: Not prune-y at all; definitely some caramel when tasting; not as bitter as I expected.

IK: Bitter.

Body:

MS: Smooth; dry; heavier.

AH: A little heavy.

IK: Light and heavy at the same time.

It reminds me of :

ZY: Coming out of the woods to find a river rushing with salmon.

MS: Cigars; fireplace.

AH: Skittles.

IK: In Italy sitting at the table on a patio looking at people enjoying their day before the sun sets.

Rating (1-5):

ZY: 3

IS: 4

MS: 5

AH: 3

NW: 4

IK: 4