Fork & Cork 2014

Fork and Cork was this Saturday, May 3. I have a great time - we enjoyed the sun, wine and community buzz. I spent the whole day at the festival then relaxed at my good friend's cabin in Pembroke. You can bet we enjoyed a bottle I bought here!

Professor Boyer and I before his afternoon presentation,
Fork & Cork 2014

Wines

Savoy-Lee Winery

The Savoy-Lee Winery lineup.

Name: Johnson Mountain White

Varietal: Rkatsitellie/ Chardonnay blend

Price: $19.00

Winery Review: "has the mature body and feel of nice Chardonnay 

but the fun sprite acid of a Sauvignon Blanc

My Review: This smelled oakey, but on the buttery side. I enjoyed the chewy mouthfeel of 

this wine and how it's acidity and pizazz of this blend balanced the dryness at the end.

                                                                                                                                           

Name: Cabernet Franc Rose

Varietal: Cabernet Franc/ Chardonnay blend

Price: $17.00

Winery Review: "A true Burgundian style Rose, a light fruity red wine with soft tannin no oak aging makes this the perfect sipper chilled or not".

My Review: I enjoyed the light feel of this wine and it's aromas of mango skin. This wine wasn't as flavorful as I would have liked, but reminded me of Pinot Noir and Sprite. 

                                                                                                                                           

Name: 2008 Cabernet Franc

Varietal: Cabernet Franc

Price: $19.00

Winery Review: "The more jovial side of red wine, great raspberry notes, nutmeg, and bright acid. Pairs perfectly with venison, bison burgers, and most any game (food or cards)".

My Review: This wine reminds me of a cigar I smoked last week. It smelled like vanilla and berries, and tasted like nutmeg. To me this seems backwards as I usually smell spice and taste fruitiness. I enjoyed the complexity of this wine because it highlighted it's unique flavor and earthiness.

                                                                                                                                           

Name: 2006 Johnson Mountain Red BDX

Varietal: Merlot/ Petit Verdot/ Cabernet Franc blend

Price: $27.00

Winery Review: "Aged in French oak for two years this full bodied wine shows dark cherry and plum notes with a long dry finish. Great with a steak off the grill!"

My Review: I saw the oak monster appear in this wine's aroma but it did not overpower the palate during the tasting. I really liked the plum color and texture of this wine. I would rather have this wine with pizza than steak, but that's just me.

I think we're getting into Fork & Cork spirit.

Virginia Mountain Vineyards

Name: Chardonnay

Varietal:  Chardonnay

Price: $14.00

Winery Review: "A crisp, clean white wine with an essence of pear."

My Review: I was pleasantly surprised by the life this winery was able to pull from Chardonnay. It was my favorite Chardonnay at the festival, it was fermented in stainless steel vats which allowed the grape's fruit to leap forward with hits of apple and pear. This wine had a semi-dry finish and left me refreshed. 

                                                                                                                       

Name: 2008 Cabernet Franc

Varietal: Cabernet Franc

Price: $15.00

Winery Review: "A medium body red wine with hints of pepper".

My Review: I could smell, and taste the pepper with this wine. I am a fan of peppery sides with my pasta dishes so I will take note of that for next time I come across a Cab Franc such as this. I would consider this to be a full-bodied wine that is simple and manageable.

                                                                                                                        

Name: Virginia Red

Varietal: Red blend

Price: $14.00

Winery Review: "A unique spicy sweet table wine."

My Review: I tasted the spiciness, while my friends tasted the sweetness on this wine. I could see this pairing well my my Chinese to-go order of lo main in the evenings, It would balance a sweet and sour dish nicely. Also, when I say spiciness I mean like men's cologne not hot peppers. 

                                                                                                                         

Name: Traminette

Varietal: Traminette

Price: $15.00

Winery Review: An winning aromatic semi-dry white wine with a burst of citrus.

My Review: Here we go, this is the bottle I took home with me. This wine reminded me of Pinot Grigio with it's citrus aromas and light, yet complex, flavor. I focused on it's lemon and arugula notes because this wine inspires a dinner menu. 

FAVORITE WINE OF THE DAY: This was my top pick because it was balanced, refreshing and complex. I could drink this wine on it's own, or with a summer menu. Also, it's palate was approachable so sharing it with less wine-experienced friends was not a concern.

                                                                                                             

 Bonus: Wine Slushies

Are those... wine slushies!?

Of course we had to get some.

Group shot

Time for some food.

 Food and Wine Pairing

Food: Bull And Bones BBQ sandwich and chips

Price: $5.00

Pairing: 

Mountain Rose White Table Wine

$13.00

This started out as a waiting-in-line bottle.

                                 

My Review: This pairing was so unthinkably bad. The was wine overly-sweet and clashed with the vinegary spice of the BBQ and the saltiness of the chips. On it's own, the wine was buttery and sweet, the perfect movie theatre wine. However, it would have been better on it's own or with lite bites such as cheese and crackers, a cucumber sandwich and other poolside snacks. Even though these two clashed, we powered through. 

Additional Photos:

Friendly pourer. 

Animal crackers found.

Of course there's more wine.

Plenty of sangria that day, see below for recipe.

Fork & Cork 2014

Wine and Cheese Pairing

Wine and Cheese Pairing, Senior year

The Lineup: Wines

The Vintage Cellar

Wine #1: 

Name - Zonin Primo Amore: Juliet White Blend 2010

Region: Vino Da Tavola, Italy

Varietal - White blend (70% Gargangea, 30% Moscato)

Aroma - honey and pear, picked up on many "white flesh" fruits like lychee and apple. 

Color - light straw

Taste: This white blend balanced the sweet apple with notes of citrus and other notes of acidity.

Wine #2:

Name - CalNaturale Organically Grown 2009

Region - Paso Robles, California 

Varietal - Cabernet Sauvignon

Aroma - This wine surprised me with its strawberry and blackberry aroma, and provided an interesting mouthfeel. 

Color - Deep red/purple

Taste - I could feel more sediment than usual, probably because of the organic process, but did not mind it. I though it's body complimented it's dryness and smokiness well. 

Wine #3:

Name - Pascual Toso Sauvignon Blanc 2009 

Region - Mendoza, Argentina 

Varietal - Sauvignon Blanc

Aroma - Definitely noticed the "cat piss" on this one, as well as lemongrass. Started to second guess my purchase immediately. 

Color - Very yellow

Taste - So awful. It was unbalanced, bitter and hot (14% alcohol). This was the only wine that could not be saved, and the only one left at the end of the night. 

The Lineup: Cheeses

Eats Natural Foods on Main St.

Cheese 1: Guggisberg Baby Swiss - delicate and smooth

Cheese 2: Guggisberg Pepperjack - sharp and spicy

Cheese 3: Miceli's Part-Skim Mozzarella - light and creamy flavor

Cheese 4: Arla Dofino Creamy Havarti - fatty and flavorful 

Cheese 5: Laubscher Natural Monterey Jack - sharp and a quick finish

Cheese 6: Les Chateaux Brie (with honey) - sweet and goey 

The Pairings 

First, I paired Wine 1 with Cheese 1, this pairing made the fruity wine's savory elements come to light and made it more appealing to me because of that. I then ate an apple, which surprisingly brought out the wine's citrus components more than anything. I enjoyed this first pairing. 

Next, I paire Wine 1 with Cheese 5, this disappointed me compared to the first pairing and I didn't find that the flavors enhanced each other, and instead competed. This sharp cheese needed a dryer wine. Cheese 4 was next, and I found that the motz made the light Juliet wine have an added almond-milk characteristic. This was pleasant, and the first time I noticed how different wine can taste between cheese's. 

The last cheese I paired with Wine 1 was the pepperjack. The spiciness of the cheese completely overpowered any flavor in the wine, and consumed my palate for the next minute. I did notice that I could detect the wine's acidity easier with this cheese though. 

Next, The Sauvignon Blanc was passed around. This was was so so bad. I noticed that pairing it with motz helped bring sweetness to the forefront, but ultimately the wine's lemongrass and herb aftertastes controlled my palate. This occurred with cheese's 5, 4, 6, and then I finally gave up. The best pairing was with the Brie because it's sweetness helped balance the wine's acidity and it's texture helped encourage a creamy mouthfeel.

The last wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, was a lovely red with a dry and smokey finish. I was excited to try this wine with the monterey jack, and it was my favorite pairing for this wine. I enjoyed how the dry finish of the wine complimented the sharpness of the cheese and encouraged a complexity of flavors. I also noticed this with cheese 2, and 4. However, with more delicate cheese's like the motz, this wine stole the spotlight. Not that I minded.

Favorites:

• Wine 1 with Cheese 1
• Wine 1 with Cheese 4
• Wine 3 with Cheese 5
• Apple and Brie with Honey

Too many hours later. Had a great time!

           

Tasting - Robert Hall Orange Muscat

Name: Robert Hall Orange Muscat
Variety: Muscat
Region: Paso Robles, California
Country: USA
Year: 2010
Price: $11.95 (Regular: $25.00)
Winery Review: Link "A vivid yellow-gold in color, this wine entertains the senses with fresh citrus and orange blossom aromas with a touch of sweet ginger spice echoed by bright, sweet tropical fruit flavors. Medium-bodied, the Orange Muscat features a balancing crisp acidity that brightens the finish. Pair with spicy cuisine, as an accompaniment to dessert or as an aperitif. 3.2% residual sugar. "

My Review: This wine smelled like candied orange peels and chewy spree, AKA extremely sweet. I was happy to find that it did not taste as sweet as it smelled, and instead boasted a decent acidity and citrus to balance out the sugar. I thought this wine was light and bright and would be an interesting wine in the summertime. 

Tasting - Logos Nevarra Rose

Name: Logos Nevarra Rose
Variety: 70% Grenache/ 30% Tempranillo Blend
Region: Navarra
Country: Spain
Year: 2012
Price: $4.95 (Regular: $18.00)
Winery Review: Link "Light straw­ber­ry with cop­per tones pro­ceed­ing from the bar­rique. Ma­ture red fruits aro­mas, creamy spicy touch and with vanil­la bot­tom. Am­ple in mouth, fill­ing it of fruit fla­vors of the va­ri­ety, With a slight touch of good oak. Ex­cel­lent bal­ance be­tween al­co­hol and acid­i­ty."

My Review: Aromas include creamy oak, vanilla and cherry twisters. It was a medium-body wine that was easy to drink because of it's balance between mineral, buttery and cherry flavors.I enjoyed this wine and could see it pairing well with a variety of foods, and being appropriate in winter as well. 

Tasting - Bassermann-Jordan Riesling

Name: Bassermann-Jordan Deidesheimer Kieselberg Riesling Kabinett trocken
Variety: Reisling 
Region: Pfalz
Country: Germany
Year: 2009
Price: $13.95 (Regular: $30.00)
Critic Review: Link "Clean crisp nose with hint of tropical fruit. Slight effervescence. Crisp with the slightest sweetness and pear. Very nice acid and medium length but very pleasant finish."

My Review: The nose on this wine consisted of light spring flowers and a balanced minerality. I enjoyed the semi-dryness since my flavor palette experienced sweetness in the beginning with pear and mango, then the mid palate noticed the minerals, and finally the finish was medium-length and dry, This complex wine is balanced and refreshing. 

Tasting - Ca Momi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Ca Momi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Napa Valley, California

Country: USA

Year: 2011

Price: $19.95 (Regular: $35.00)

Winery Review: Link "This wonderfully ripe wine has lots of layers, providing depth and a nice dense color. This cabernet is softly complex, rich in cassis, cherry, spice, chocolate, and oak flavors anchored with warm, earthy tannins— balanced nicely with sweet vanilla and chocolate toasted oak. This is the maestro of wines: a rich palate, a complex nose with lots of layers, great depth and a deeply rich hue. Salute."

My Review: I was having trouble with smelling this wine because my pour was so small, but I noticed some oaky and bittersweet chocolate scents. This wine felt creamy and thick, and directed the largest blow at the back of my tongue with tobacco and oaky flavors. I did not notice the fruits like many reviews suggest, but the bottle was probably old and open for quite a long time. 

Tasting - Parra Jimenez Tempranillo

Name: Parra Jimenez Tempranillo

Variety: Organic Tempranillo 100%

Region: La Mancha

Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $7.95 (Regular: $15.00)

Winery Review: Link "A garnet wine. On the nose it shows the true Tempranillo notes of raspberry and strawberry going to scents of black plum. It fills the mouth with strawberries, strawberry compote and prune butter with a touch of cocoa."

My Review: This wine's aroma was fruity, and fresher than other tempranillo's I have tried. On the mid-palete there were touches of smokiness and spice. It's finish was very simple and reminded me of Malbec;s I have had because it was silky and easy to drink. I believe this wine would compliment the "BBQ sides" like corn, potato salad and hot dog's the most.