Big update coming soon.

This entry is for those of us in a tight budget. Since we are not able to afford nice Riedel wine glasses, we are stuck with those sold by Walmart or our local supermarket. So, for this entry I tasted the wine in my previous review, Escudo Rojo, to write how the aroma and taste change with the type of wine glass. I am only using very affordable and cheap wine glasses for this review for those in a tight (or student) budget. So, what is the best alternative? (The pictures of the glasses are illustrated below)

 

1. Regular glass: First off, we have our run of the mill water glass. nothing fancy, bought at a Walmart or Big Lots. With this glass, there was barely, if any, aroma. I actually smelled the glass and the detergent used to wash it. The wine had a very bland taste. I could taste some butter but not much. It was spicy and dry.

 

2. Generic Wine Glass #1: I bought this glass (the one in the middle) at my local licquor store. It is thick and small. Not great to get a good swirl going or to allow the air to mix in well with the glass. The wine appeared darker in this glass than in Glass #2.  It was really hard to appreciate the aroma. I could definately smell the buttery aroma more than anything else. The wine is very biting and sharp to the tongue. But, somehow it tastes sweeter just before the aftertaste (which is very dry and full of black pepper).

 

3. Generic Wine Glass #2: I bought this wine glass at a local dollar store (first from the left). It has a long stem and a pretty good length. The glass is thinner than Wine Glass #1. THe wine looks lighter in color and smelled peppery and buttery. It also made the tastes milder. The aromas definately mixed better and you could get a wider range. It was shapr and bitter. Very dry with a strong, but short, aftertaste. I would definately go with this wine glass because the aromas mixed better. Afterall, 98% (or something like that) of taste is smell. This glass might be good to taste a Cabernet.

 

So, what do you look for in a wine glass?

 

1. Make sure it is plain and clear. It is impossible to really appreciate the color of the wine with a cored or frosty glass. Also, cut or glass with ridges also makes it hard to appreacite the color. So, the best option is a plain and clear glass.

 

2. Make sure that the glass has a deep enough bowl to allow for a good swirl, a good amount to be poured, and enough oxygen to enter and mix with the wine to release the aromas. If you are using a small glass, you might spill the wine when swirling it. Also, this prevents you from truly appreciating the bouquet (the combination of the aromas) in the wine because it is too short to release a good bouquet.

 

3. You need a stem. Forget those chic looking stemless wine glasses. What is the stem for? Simple. You hold the glass by the stem and not by cupping the bowl. Cupping the wine warms up the bowl and it does not tastes as good warm. So, you need a glass with a stem!

 

4. Wider at the bowl, narrow at the top (the rim). The wine glass should be wide at the bowl (where the wine sits) and narrow at the top to allow for a good swirl and also for aromas to concentrate at the nose.

 

5. For reds you want a bigger bowl and for whites you want a smaller bowl. For sparkling wines and Champagne you need a flute.

 

So, stop drinking out of plastic or regular glasses and get some wine glasses following the guidelines above.

 

Well, what can I say but...truly amazing.

I am very excited about this wine, it is very good. It is very beautiful dark ruby color with strong legs that are slow to come.

 

As to the aromas, well there is a lot to smell in this wine. It is magnificantly blended and exhibits a lot of characteristics. It is excellent. The wine, for me, reminds me of bacon. I think I may be the only one that thinks this. I have been sick and my taste buds are not great. Also, I ate a yummy Monterrey Chicken from Chilli's earlier that day and it was still on my mind. The wine has a slight hint of butter and a peppery aroma. There are a lot of spice and cherry aromas. Black cherry perhaps? The Carménère is definately present and it is the very first thing you can distinguish. It adds an very fruity and vibrant charasteristic to the wine. The Syrah is also present with the pepper aroma.

 

The taste is nothing but wonderful. It is spicy and biting to the tongue, just the way I like it. The wine is very dry with a somewhat short and bitter aftertaste but it is still smooth. The aftertaste reminds me of black pepper. THe wine also exhibits some oak and butter adding to that dryness. You can definately taste some fruits, but for the life of me my taste buds cannot tell me which since they have been compromised by the terrible cough that has been going around.

 

I think this wine would go great with a nice steak or chocolate. A lot of dark chocolate. Mmmmm. I definately reccomend it.

 

It is very powerful and well balance. All the components of the wine are perfectly blended to yield an amazing experience for your palate. Even sick I loved it! This wine just gives you a flavor fiesta in your mouth. I am definately buying another bottle, or five.

 

You should decant this wine to bring out better its flavors and let it breathe a little. And if you can wait, (although you can drink it now) you should wait another couple of years for this 2003 wine. I think it would be great in 2009 or so.

 

Rating: 89

Price: $12.95

Definately an excellent wine for a great price.

Grape: Shiraz  (85%); Tannat (15%)

Vintage: 2001

Country: Juanico Valley, Urugüay

 

Aroma: Oaky and peppery

Taste: Slighlty oaky (it smells more oaky than it really is); smooth and fruity

Body: Pretty well balanced

Rating: 76

 

First of, this wine should not be drunk with any spicy food because the flavoor is brought out too much. Otherwise, this wine is pretty ok, a little bland but tastes well. This wine barely has any legs.

 

This is my first wine from Urugüay and I'd have to say that it was pretty ok.

2005 Château d'Oupia Minervois Varietal: Red Rhone Blend

Color: Deep dark Red

Aroma: This wine has a strong aroma as soon as you open the door. It smells of plum and berries.

Taste: The wine has a pungent and very sharp taste. The wine does not have a lasting aftertaste. It is too acid and bitter in the beginning.

 

This wine was ok. It should be aerated for a while before tasting. Also, it tastes a lot better the next day, not as acid.

 

Rating: 80

 

Let's start off by saying that I love Carménère but I did not like this one as much. It was rather disappointing because it was rather bland for a Carménère. This wine ad a deep ruby color. It was not that alcoholic and its legs were not that thick. The aroma had a peppery flavor. It is somewhat dry and it is not that bitter.

Biggest flaw of the wine is that it has a screwcap and I hate screwcaps! I like corks! I know screwcaps are better but....I still like the cork.

 

Rating: 80 

Now, I cannot remember whether it was  beaujolais nouveau  or just Beaujolais. It is the one with the fully painted bottle. But, I will never drink this wine ever again. It just tasted really bad. Can I rate a wine 30? 0? I threw out the wine because I could not drink it anymore. It tasted like soda (too much fermentation?) and very bitter. This basically was Fanta Grape with a splash of vinegar to top. Myabe it was corked...but I think it's just that it was bad.

 

Rating: 30

 

Lesson learned: will never by again