Name: The Naked Grape Pinot Noir
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: None listed
Price: $6.95
Winery review: Smooth red wine with aromas of black cherry and blueberry. (http://www.thenakedgrapewine.com/Our-Wine/Pinot-Noir.asp)
My review: When I first smelled this wine I got a whiff of nuttiness and a strong alcohol smell, almost like ammonia. After tasting it, I got notes of peach, earthiness and a slight citrus with a mildly salty aftertaste. When pairing it with food, I got a very strong blueberry. This wine did not knock my socks off but was pleasant enough for a casual dinner setting.
Food: Rustic-style white bread (buttered) and penne pasta with a cream sauce.
A good portion of my extended family members are wine connoisseurs. My grandmother had one of those funny little signs hanging in her kitchen that said "I love cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food!" and my aunt and uncle have a personal wine cellar that has been featured in Architecture Digest. Despite being related to these people who travel the world trying wines, my parents do not drink it at all and I know very little about it. I am aware that white wine is supposed to be chilled and red wine is served warm. I know that there are different glasses for different varieties. From my brief foray into the world of wine thus far, my favorite variety is definitely Riesling; it is sweet but not sickeningly so like Moscato is. At family gatherings, Chardonnay is often served and even though I think it is bitter, I drink it to be polite. Another brand that I enjoyed was Coco Rosso, a chocolate infused dessert wine. I rarely have wine with dinner, it almost always before and/or after; I would like to move away from that and begin to use it to complement a meal. Once I learn to do this, I hope to include wine pairings with the foods I post on my personal food blog. After completing Geography of Wine, I hope to become a wine connoisseur myself, knowing when to drink something and how to drink it. When dining at a fancy restaurant I want to look at the 500 bottle wine list and know exactly what I am looking for and what I should be looking for when the server pours that very first taste.
