Our "Scoring System"

A note about what our scores mean:
5 - Wine your kids buy for you
6 - Would drink. Jug wine. Good for parties and your kids!
7 and above - Good for ANYTHING. Would recommend to friends. The higher the better!

And for PAIRINGS the scores mean:
0 = Wine tastes best alone
1 = Wine tastes best with food #1
2 = Wine tastes best with food #2

About Me

My photo
This blog started because we needed a tenor in the church choir... Bob, Karen and I told Mike that if he joined the choir we would go out after practice every Thursday for drinks and appetizers. After a while we decided that it would be more fun (and less expensive!) to take turns hosting a "wine & cheese" night. Then Bob had the brilliant idea to "Taste the Vine" in alphabetical order. We started with Cabernet Sauvignon. The rules were simple: 1) The wine had to start with your designated letter, and 2) the bottle had to be covered up so we didn't know what we were drinking. I decided to write down our scores so that we would know which wines we liked the best....then was "forced" into writing a blog so that we could share our "finds" with our friends. So, enjoy!!

Thursday, February 13, 2014

"E" is for Excellent wines!

Blind Wine Tasting hosted by Becky & Mike
“E” Night


Wine #1: Earth First Malbec Argentina 2011 (in Brail!!) $12.99
Tasting comments:
Bob “Smells like perfume”
Mike “I like it”
Elizabeth “Has a hearty taste to it”
Bob “Almost has that carbonation taste”
Becky “The flavor hits you right away”
Bob “Right between the eyes”
Mike “Bold”
Bob “I’m on the fence with this one”
Jessica, Andy, Elizabeth “I like this one”
Bob “You’re pushing me over the fence”
Jessica “Tasty”
Karen “It’s good with all of the cheeses”
Andy “Excellent. Enervating.”
Mike “Elegant”
Elizabeth “Energetic”

WINE #1 SCORING:
Bob 6.5, Karen 7, Mike 8, Becky 7, Andy 7, Elizabeth 7, Jessica 7

Wine #2:  Erath Pinot Noir Oregon 2011  $19.99
Tasting comments:
Karen “Very light color”
Bob “Must be a Pinot Noir”
Jessica “Looks like cranberry juice”

Bob “No legs”
Jessica “It’s a double amputee”
Elizabeth “This is light, but I like it”
Andy “Elizabeth finds it both Exotic and Ethereal”
Elizabeth “He’s good at Exaggerating. Tired of the Endless ‘E’s”
Becky “It has a big fruity after taste”
Karen “It’s very light. I don’t like it”
Andy “Enough said”
Bob “One word you won’t get from me….Eight”

WINE #2 SCORING
Bob 7, Karen 5, Mike 6, Becky 6, Andy 6.5, Elizabeth 6.5, Jessica 6.5

Wine #3:  Estancia 2011 Merlot Central Coast Keyes Canyon Ranches $12.99
Tasting comments:
Bob “It didn’t Ease up”
The "Wine" Journal
Karen “We got our legs back”
Becky “Earthy”
Karen “It’s Elevated”
Andy “Not equal to the others”
Karen “It’s better than the first one. Fuller, smoother, longer taste”
Eight is enough




WINE #3 SCORING

Bob 8, Karen 8, Mike 6, Becky 8, Andy 8, Elizabeth 7.5, Jessica 8










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Thursday, February 6, 2014

Alphabet Wines Continued...It's D night!

Blind Wine Tasting hosted by Karen & Bob
“D” Night

Wine #1: Decoy Napa Valley Red Wine 2010 $20.99
Tasting comments:
Bob “Smells fantastic!”

Stephen “Smells like a great start”
Mike/Karen “It does”
Bob “Refreshing”
Becky “There’s no need to drink it. The smell alone is enough.”
Elizabeth “The smell is so rich”
Jess “The smell set the taste expectation too high”
Stephen “Smells better than it tastes”
Kara “The taste is good. It just needs to be stronger.”
Elizabeth “The taste is more delicate than the smell”
Bob “Drinkable”

WINE #1 SCORING:
Bob 6.5, Karen 7, Mike 6.5, Becky 7, Andy 6.5, Elizabeth 6.5, Jessica 7, Stephen 6, Lauren 6, Kara 6.5

Wine #2:  Dona Paula Estate Malbec 2011 Argentina – Mendoza $13.99
Tasting comments:
Bob “Eww”
Becky “Smells like a French wine to me”
Andy “Kind of direct….I was stretching for a ‘D’.”
Becky “Eww. The taste is bad – maybe it was something I ate.”
Bob “The taste is better than the smell. Eww. It’s hard to get past your nose.”
Stephen “You’re telling me!”
Mike “The taste is bolder”
Karen “More sour”
Kara “Musty. B.O.”
Becky “It’s growing on me. It’s better after the cracker. It is sour, though.”
Karen “Let’s get this over with!”

WINE #2 SCORING
Bob 5, Karen 4, Mike 5, Becky 5.5, Andy 6, Elizabeth 5.5, Jessica 5, Stephen 5.5, Lauren 4, Kara 4.5

Wine #3:  Ducceto Chianti 2011 Bartali $12.99
Tasting comments:
Bob “Oh man. I’m striking out.”
Kara “It almost feels like carbonation when you first taste it”
Lauren “Effervescent”

Stephen “I could like chug 2 bottles of this and not know it. It’s like drinking water or Bud Light!”
Elizabeth “Not offensive but not delicious”
Bob “Maybe it’s because we like cabs so much”
Becky “We’ve had good non-cabs before”
Bob “You’re not helping me out Becky. I was trying to defend myself.”
Stephen “It’s better than the last one”
Kara “I wouldn’t drink the last one because of the smell”
Becky “Iron after taste”



WINE #3 SCORING
Bob 5, Karen 5, Mike 5, Becky 5, Andy 5, Elizabeth 5.5, Jessica 5, Stephen 5.5, Lauren 5, Kara 4

BONUS WINE (Lauren & Stephen’s ‘D’ wine):  Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Classico 2010 $12.99
Tasting comments:
Karen “Smells good”
Jess “Good smell”

Bob “I must be in a beer mood tonight. This wine stinks.”
Elizabeth “Rich flavor. Bold.”
Becky “Has a very dry finish”
Andy “A little harsh”
Karen “A very nice dry finish”
Andy “And of course I taste currants”
Bob “Or is it dates?”

BONUS WINE SCORING

Bob 6, Karen 7.5, Mike 5, Becky 6, Andy 6, Elizabeth 6.5, Jessica 6.5, Stephen 6.5, Lauren 6.5, Kara 6.5

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