Tasting - Aconga Bonarda-Merlot

Name: Aconga Bonarda-Merlot
Variety: 80% Bonarda, 20% Merlot
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2012
Price: $3.99
ABV: 13.0%

Their review: "Like the practiced artisans of Argentina, this wine has been expertly blended for ample flavors of cherry and black fruit with a hint of sweet spice and chocolate. A light-bodied Bonarda enhanced by a versatile and firmly-structured Merlot makes this soft and supple wine an excellent companion to roast beef or pasta with red sauce."

My review: I tried this wine with and without a food pairing. On its own it initially has a quite boozy smell of which very little attempt was made to cover. It reminds me of a cheaply made 8% IPA. This yields way to a spicy yet subtly fruity smell that my inexperienced nose can only narrow down to some type of berry. The legs appear quite skinny and slow, but as I have never taken the time to observe this in a wine before I have nothing to compare with. On first taste the alcohol remains unmasked, however aeration actually brings out the fruit the wine was made from - something I've never experienced before. It's bitter on the tongue, but drinks smooth all things considered. On a separate occasion I paired this wine with peppered red onion, garlic, and asparagus along with chicken seasoned with paprika. The pepper and chicken seasoning brought out the spiciness of the wine far more than before, to the point where the slap-in-the-face boozy smell was no longer so. The berry smell is somehow a little sweeter, but perhaps simply because I know it's there now. The finish is no longer as bitter; I would more closely link it with a dusty oak that is not unpleasant. With some more fishing and practice I may be able to bring out more flavors, but for what I was able to get out of it it's worth its $4 tag.

First Blog Assignment for Geography of Wine

I have decided to start this blog as a way to supplement my grade in the class as well as to (in)formally record my growing experience with wine.

When finances allow it I have made it a point to try two to five new beers a week. I take pride and enjoyment in my knowledge of and experience with beer, and doubtless this enjoyment will transfer to the world of wine. That said, my experience with wine is about as evolved as a mid-teen's experience with operating a motor vehicle: it's one full of fun and irresponsibility and wonder and confusion and naivete and involves the occasional wreck. Up until the second lecture of this class the incredibly, incredibly low cost of reaching inebriation by taking a 13% ABV bottle to the face has been the driving force behind my wine purchasing. In fact, Bay Bridge ($2.99, Kroger, would not recommend) accounts for what I estimate to be 50% of all wine I've purchased.

Perhaps my second most frequently purchased that I can recall is Rex Goliath Free Range Red. Keeping in mind the paltry number of wines I've actually tried enjoying/tasting/making-last-longer-than-a-night, I thought this wine from them was pretty damn good - better than their merlot or pinot whatever. Outside of Rex and Bay Bridge like every other college student ever I've had Franzia and hated it the next morning. However I keep hearing "Mad Dog" in class. Haven't had it, had to look it up... What a girly looking beverage. Other than Yellow Tail, Sutter Home, Barefoot, mass produced bottom-shelf wine, etc., I can't really remember other brand names I've had, though there have been more than a few. When I make a purchase I might spend five minutes looking for a cheap but not cheap-looking bottle and without much regard to type of grape, but the name is almost instantly forgotten.

Other than table wine, I once purchased a large bottle of sherry (yes I know it's usually for cooking, heard it from you and seventy others). On a college budget, at 17%, 1.5L, and cheaper than most bottles of wine, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Enough about that.

Well that's pretty much my experience with wine so far. Lots of Bay Bridge and Rex Goliath, plenty of Franzia/Barefoot/etc., and definitely some random <$10 bottles I can't remember. Looking forward to getting my sniff n swirl on with some new ones though.