Wine Tasting

Name: Hess Select

Grape Variety: Chardonnay

Country of Origin: United States

Region: Monterey County, California

Vintage Year: 2019

Wine Review: A darker hue of yellow in the glass, this bottling offers aromas of peach and salted nuts. The palate is smoothed out in texture, with flavors of yellow peach, lemon and a hint of chamomile -- Matt Kettmann. An overall score of 87

Wine folly pages 96-97: The book noted there might be citrus flavors and more buttery flavors. I got a mango hint and in the chart it is listed under tropical fruits. In that group is also pineapple which is popular in the California region. I didn’t get any stronger buttery or vanilla tastes, but I could tell that it was a light airy wine. I also ate some cheese with it and they did not pair together, the book also says that it is paired well with softer foods like a lobster. 

My Review: I enjoyed this wine, I am trying to open myself up to white wines. I think this was a good start. It wasn’t too bitter or tangy. I think it had the right amount of tropical hints as well as being light. There wasn’t a bite at the end of it like a lot of other white wines have. 

I did try this wine with both aged cheddar and havarti and I don’t think either one paired well with the Chardonnay.

Wine Pairing

I did this wine and cheese pairing with another person in this class, Leilani Scott. We are in the same major and have had a bunch of classes together in previous semesters. 

I am very new to describing wines, so I am trying my best to describe what I am smelling and tasting in the wines and cheeses. I hope as I do these tastings I become better and learn more about what I like. We decided to try and pair Sweet Riesling with monetary and asiago, a Rose with Havarti, and a Cabernet Sauvignon with aged cheddar. 

Sweet Riesling with Monterey jack and asiago 

Sweet Riesling

The smell was light, sweet and I got a hint of some citrus in there as well. I tasted it first without any cheese and I got a hint of peach with a little zing at the end. I tried Asiago cheese with the riesling and it cut out the zing it had at the end. Then I tried it with Monterey jack and this enhanced the citrus flavors instead of cutting them out. I think the monterey was better with this wine. 

Monterey Jack and Asiago

Sweet Riesling

Rose

Rose with Havarti 

The smell was sweet with a hint of pear. The taste was very light and dry. I was not a fan of the taste. I tried this wine with Havarti and it made it taste a little better, but I was still not a fan. The cheese brought out more of a metallic taste and a bite at the end. I think overall the cheese made this wine taste better. 

Havarti 

Rose

Cabernet Sauvignon with Aged cheddar 

Cabernet Sauvignon

The smell was berry, maybe with a little bit of plumy hints as well. The taste was dry and a little bit berry. I tried this wine with aged cheddar. The aged cheddar being a drier cheese made the wine even more drier, but also had a bigger bite at the end. I think these two paired very well. I was excited for this pairing and it was my favorite combination.

Aged Cheddar

Cabernet Sauvignon

   I grew up with my mom drinking red wine for dinner or when we were just watching a movie. I had a few glasses here and there and I liked them. So I figured I liked red wine. So when I turned 21, I bought 2 bottles of red wine. I had no idea what I was even looking for. For some reason it didn't occur to me to ask my mom for recommendations either. One of them ended up being really bad and then the other one was okay. I had no idea how to drink them properly, I'm pretty sure I put both of them in the fridge. Which I know now is not the best thing to do for red wines. 

    I went to a wine tasting festival over the summer. I went in thinking I liked red wines and didn't like white wines. When I left there I discovered that I didn't really like the deep reds as much and was more into the lighter fruitier red wines and white wines really weren't that bad. It was a great experience because I got to try a lot of wines and figure out what I liked and didn't. Since the festival I really haven't bought that many wines because I am still a little unsure of how to find the wine flavor that I liked. 

    My goal for this class is to be able to buy wine for myself and even recommend some wines to others. It would also be nice to learn what foods pair well with different wines and the best way to store wine. My biggest goal for this class is to have fun and enjoy all the wine I am about to drink.