Wednesday, April 13, 2016
It's spring time, so that means it's time for the Jackson Free Press' second annual wine tasting. Thanks to sommelier and Briarwood Wine & Spirits Store Manager Laura Collins for sharing her knowledge with us and Briarwood for providing the wine. Here are our findings.
Wine: Gruet Brut
Age: 2014
Red or white? White
Type: Sparkling wine
Price: $19.99
Aroma?
Zilpha Young: Tart, green apple.
Imani Khayyam: Green apple; white pear; white grapes; vitamins.
Tim Summers Jr.: Fruit; a little pear.
Sierra Mannie: Pear; white grapes.
Mary Osborne: Pear.
Micah Smith: Very light sweetness; very fresh; a light scent; a little sourness.
Amber Helsel: Strong smell; green apple; white pear; white grapes; circus peanuts; Flintstones vitamins.
Kimberly Griffin: Green apple.
Arielle Dreher: Pear; green apple.
Taste?
ZY: Tart; dry. I K: Tart but goes down smooth.
TS: Sharp.
SM: Tart; kick in the back of the throat; green apple.
MO: Tart.
MS: A little tart but also smooth; not quite as sweet as the scent made me expect.
AH: Buttery; like salad; tart.
KG: Green apple.
AD: Fabulous but also fresh.
Body?
TS: Light.
SM: Smooth.
MO: Bubbly.
MS: Smooth; light.
AH: Bubbly; light; clean; tingly.
AD: Light; bubbly.
It reminds me of:
TS: Parties; friends.
MO: A simmering, sexy night.
MS: A day at the beach following a light rain.
AH: Salad.
AD: Summer time; parties.
Wine brand: Alexander Sirech
Age: 2012
Red or white? Red
Type: Bordeaux (cabernet-franc)
Price: $15.99
Aroma?
ZY: Woody; pomegranate.
IK: Full body; vinegary; black licorice; pomegranate; grape jelly.
TS: Rind emphasis; orange on the exhale.
SM: Like sweaters; dying Easter eggs; vinegar.
MS: Apple scent; a sour smell, yet fruity.
AH: Cough syrup (but not the bad kind); rubbing alcohol; subtle; hamburger; syrup; root beer.
KG: Apple cider vinegar; black cherry.
Taste?
ZY: Briney; bitter.
TS: Sharp at the front; smooth.
MO: Pomegranate.
MS: Very bitter; sourness, especially on the front; not as fruity.
AH: Sweet; bitter; briney.
KG: Orange; marmalade; not smooth.
Body?
MS: Dry dry dry, but pleasant.
AH: Light for a red.
KG: Strong; fills your mouth.
It reminds me of:
MS: A field of cotton on a dry day.
AH: Drinking wine at a pub; drinking wine at my apartment.
Wine: Elk Cove Vineyards
Age: 2014
Red or white? White
Type: Riesling
Price: $17.99
Aroma?
ZY: Floral; pineapple; honeydew melon.
IK: Cologne; floral; mango; honeydew melon.
TS: Sharp, tangy aroma.
SM: Clean; pineapple.
MO: Light Vaseline.
MS: Clean, almost like an actual cleaner; a light, tangy smell.
AH: Clean; Pine-Sol smell.
KG: Super clean smell, barely any aroma.
AD: Floral; petrol.
Taste?
ZY: Dry; white grapes; mint?
IK: Dry and bitter.
TS: Melon.
MO: Dry; bitter.
MS: Drier; much less sweetness; a sour taste, especially in comparison to the previous wine.
AH: Dry; bitter; like sugarless grape juice.
KG: Drier than normal for a Riesling.
AD: Fruity.
Body?
ZY: Light; dry.
MO: Dry.
MS: Really smooth; kind of lingers in your mouth.
AH: Smooth.
AD: Dry; smooth.
It reminds me of:
ZY: The beach.
IK: Being on a yacht in the south of France, dressed in all white.
TS: Warm summer afternoons.
SM: Fruit juice—no added sugar.
MS: A house party with a few friends, hanging out on the patio.
AH: Pine-Sol.
KG: The beach.
AD: A yacht in France.
Wine: Charles & Charles
Age: 2015
Red or white? Rose
Type: Rose
Price: $15.99
Aroma?
ZY: Cherry; Starburst; sweet.
IK: Melon; rose; grapefruit.
TS: Watermelon.
SM: Oriental flowers; grapefruit.
MO: Fruity.
MS: Cherry smell; an apple-like smell; very strong scent and sweet; makes me expect a very sweet taste.
AH: Savory; floral; strawberries; watermelon.
AD: Chanel; floral; peonies.
Taste?
ZY: Grapefruit; bitter; sour.
IK: The reverse effect of Sour Patch Kids.
TS: Fruity end; grapefruit?
SM: Drier than expected.
MO: Watermelon; bitter; citrus; dry.
MS: Lighter flavor; very little sweetness.
AH: Suprisingly dry; citrusy; bitter; burns going down.
KG: Bitter on the end; not a lot of sweet on end.
AD: Not too sweet; honey hint.
Body?
ZY: Very full; hard hitting.
TS: Fuller body than other whites.
MO: Dry.
MS: Smooth; dry; full-bodied.
AH: Bubbly and pink.
AD: Light but not too late.
It reminds me of:
ZY: A summer evening.
IK: Summer; porch-drinking wine.
SM: Oriental flora; grapefruit; Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle; "You Da One" by Rihanna.
MO: Sexy summer day.
MS: A wedding reception.
AH: Sitting under a tree in spring time.
KG: Summer.
AD: Summer; it needs to be drank cold on a hot day.
Wine: Matua
Age: 2014
Red or white? Red
Type: Pinot Noir
Price: $12.79
Aroma?
ZY: Earthy; spicy.
SM: Christmas.
MO: Glue.
MS: Sweetness, almost chocolatey; stronger, earthier smell; almost like a Coca-Cola smell.
AH: Dark chocolate; acetone; purple; sour grape juice; woody; cherry sucker.
KG: Chocolate.
AD: Moss; cocoa; oak; earthy.
Taste?
ZY: Dry; sour.
TS: Thick, spicy.
SM: Not as tart.
MO: Sour; tart.
MS: Sour, a bit bitter; very little sweetness.
AH: Sweet and sour; not as dry as I thought; vinegary.
KG: Smooth on the front, strong on the back.
Body?
TS: Full; drinkable.
SM: Smooth.
MS: Very smooth and light.
AH: Medium.
It reminds me of:
ZY: A bonfire next to a lake.
TS: Warm evenings; long velvet curtains.
SM: Christmas.
MO: Cozy, wintery night by the fireplace.
MS: Sitting around a fireplace in a log cabin.
AH: Wine you'd drink while eating a grilled cheese.
KG: Fancy dinner.
Scenes
from Imani Khayyam
"I'm at an old plantation home. I walk back to a screened-in porch. A fan is going. This is 'porch-drinking' wine." (rose)
"I'm Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in the '90s. I'm in an extravagant mansion with Nina Simone singing in the back. There's fur on the chairs. There's an ottoman and a fireplace. There's no TV. The windows are open." (pinot noir)
"I'm horse-riding with my lady, and then we pull up to a dinner table for two in the middle on nowhere." (Bordeaux)