My First Wine Tasting

Ryan and I set off for Newport, Rhode Island to enjoy a weekend of good food, drinks, and mansions! If you haven't been there to see the cute town of Newport and explore the coastal views and the awesome nautical atmosphere, definitely take a ride there. Even if it's for the day.

We also found a great vineyard that wasn't too expensive for tastings, a guided tour, and had live JAZZ playing! It was quite beautiful.

The most known vineyard would be the Newport Vineyard, but right down the road from that was the Greenvale Vineyard in Portsmouth, which is smaller in their production, but less crowded and more personable.

Here's some photos of the tour.

 

A grape press...a smaller one representing the large ones they use

I will take you through the brief descriptions of the wine that we tried. Then I will tell you what I learned. I had trouble tasting the differences of the wines for my first time. I think that takes practice.

The nice lady poured our wine.

Yes, there's a thumbs up in #6...

  

1. Roscliff Pinot Gris - lovely aromas, delicate fruit flavors with a pleasant finish. Excellent with light meals, such as seafood or summer salads. I didn't care for this one, just because the taste of chardonnay isn't my favorite and that's what it reminded me of.  It was a bit watered down and just tasted like a headache.

2. 2007 Greenvale Chardonnay - well balanced. Dry and bright wine with delicious fruit character and subtle butter in the finish. Satisfying by itself or with a light meal. This one was a bit better. Ryan had fun slamming his glass down after drinking it in one sip while saying, "Psh. They all taste the same to me."

3. 2008 Chardonnay select - has a pleasant fruity aromas with a slightly oaky bouquet. Aged in French oak barrels. Pairs well with lobster or grilled chicken. Honestly, I think I could ALMOST taste the oak. It was a little "smokier" than the other two. Even though it was labeled as a chardonnay, I enjoyed this one the most so far.

4. 2008 Vidal Blanc - a French/American hybrid that produces an extremely aromatic. Pairs with ham, salads, cheese, and spicy foods. Medium dry. This one was just okay. Appreciated that it's a "hybrid", meaning the grape plant is a mix of two different kinds of plants creating a grape that has a different taste.

5. Skipping Stone White - a blend of Cayuga and Vidal Blanc (both two types of wines they produce). Very light in color, aromatic with a bright, floral nose, and very refreshing. It's great with cheese, a simple meal, or spicy foods. This was my favorite! The sweeter of them all. We bought a bottle of this to share.

6. 2006 Cabernet Franc - well balanced, medium bodied. Aromas of plum and spice. Pairs well with grilled or roasted meats. I am a red fan, so I enjoyed this one.

Along with the tasting was a bowl of crackers.

 We bought a bottle to split after the tasting. Ryan began missing his glass while he poured.

 So then he decided it'd be easier to just do this

Then this happened

We tried to hold it together and be classy for the afternoon.  Ryan just can only do that for so long.

Then Ryan found my camera while I went to the bathroom.  When I returned he told me that he took some nice photos. Here are Ryan's nice photos:

Beautiful. Thank you for those.

Cheers to never being too serious!