Winery Visit - Taylor's Flagdate Winery

I recently had the opportunity to go to Portugal. While, I was there, I enjoyed the beautiful weather and delicious food. One of my favorite cities was OPorto, it is the second biggest city after Lisbon, the capital. It is characterized by quaint cobble stone streets, old churches and buildings. It is cut in half by the Douro river. With seven bridges that connect the city. The Douro Valley is the birth place of  Port Wine.

My Mom and I outside of Taylor's Winery

The Taylor's Flagdate Winery is located across the Douro River in Vila Nova de Gaia, Oporto.  It is located at the top of a hill, with beautiful views of  the entire city. To the left is a picture of one of the bridges that connects the city. The garden at winery is magical. They have there own pet peacock, beautiful flowers, grape vines and numerous fountains. I wanted to sit outside all day, sip wine and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Peacock in the garden

We walked in to "library" where they have oak tables and chairs along with the history of the Taylor brand. We enjoyed White Port: Chip dry before we started our tour.

My Parents and I enjoying our white port.

We then took a group tour of the facility. The grapes are processed at another location then bought to the cellar for storage. The oak barrels that are used to store the wine are hundreds of years old and embark a distinct flavor of the wine. The wine is then bottled and stored for sale.

The oak barrels that they store the wine in.

To the  bottom left are images of the wine making process. Starting with getting the land ready for planting to eventually storing the wine.  We also learned about the differences between Vintage Port and Late Bottle Vintage. A vintage year happens once every ten years. It is when the grapes have the perfect weather and growing conditions.  They are only kept in oak barrels for about two years then bottled and sold. Vintage's are typically aged by the consumer personally, to get out the wines flavors. A Late bottle Vintage, which are aged in oak barrels for twice as long! Then the wines are bottled and sold and ready for immediate consumption.  We then headed back into the library room to try the other two Port Wines.






                                                                                         The Wines:

White Port

-Chip Dry Extra Dry White: This wine was my least favorite. It was a beautiful golden color and there where still pieces of cork in my wine. It smelled fruity. However it was really dry.  I was expecting it to be sweeter but was surprised and turned off. I wish that this wine was served chilled, instead it was served at room temperature. This may have made a difference in the taste.

The LBV vs. Tawny

-Late Bottled Vintage (LBV): Taylor's pioneered the late bottle vintage style of wine. This wine is filtered before it is bottled, therefore it does not age in the bottle. This wine was delicious. It was a deep purple color. It was sweet and aged to perfection. I could smell the fig and black current in the wine. This wine was initially a little dry, however it opened up in my mouth and let off sweet flavors, of raspberries and cherries. The finish was smooth and sweet leaving a pleasant after taste.

-Tawny (10 years old): This wine had to be my favorite wine of all!It was a amberish red color. The guide informed us that this wine was mixed with brandy. It had the sweetness of brandy, and the alcohol content was high. However, the alcohol was masked by the flavors of the wine. I got notes of chocolate and butterscotch, as well as berry. The "oak monster" did not come out in this wine. It was the perfect blend of oaky flavors. The wine had a long finish.  

This was my first visit to a winery! Overall, I learned so much about the Portuguese Culture, the wine and the people! It was one of the highlights of my trip.

Dinner- Palisades (Germany)

Each Wednesday the Palisades Restaurant in Eggleston, Virginia has a wine and beer paring from different regions of the world. This week the region was Germany. I was excited because I have heard many good things about this restaurant. I went with my friend Jonathan, who is also in this class! It was a challenge driving there! The roads were windy and dark. 

First, I had the oven roasted oyster with white wine, lemon and thyme. It was accompanied with Domaine des Vercheres Vin de Bourgogne 2011 (Wine) and Einbecker Pilsner (beer). Then I had the French onion soup with red and white wine and onions topped with crouton and provolone. It was accompanied with Famille Perrin Ventoux 2011 (Wine) and Lammsbrau Organic Lager. Lastly, I had a puff pastry filled with brie cheese, served with pomegranate pear chutney. This dish was accompanied with La Vieille Ferme Recolte 2011 (wine) and Paulaner Salvator Double Bock (beer). 

 

Wines in the picture:  Domaine des Vercheres, Famille Perrin , La vieille

This is my first ever wine and dinner paring. I was not sure what to expect and how the alcohol and food were going to compliment each other. I was pleasantly surprised in that alcohol does enhance the flavor of the food. 

The Pilsner (to the far left) was a light and airy beer. It cut the salty and briny flavor of the oyster perfectly. The wine did the same thing. However, when comparing the two, I prefer the beer more. Second the Lager (pictured in the middle) tasted great with the French Onion soup. The beer was smooth and light. It had a smoky after taste which gave the soup a more complexity. The Ventoux was sharp and acidic. It paired nicely with the salty soup and help cut some of that flavor. Lastly, was the puff pastry with the Bock (beer) and Recolte (wine). The amber colored beer was really bitter. The pear chutney was a little sweet.  However, it did not help cut the bitterness of the beer. The Recolte was very dry and had a similar effect as the beer.

Last, I ordered a chocolate dessert (pictured to the left) that was not on the tasting menu. It was really sweet, and I think that the last pairing of the Recolte and Bock complimented the sweetness of the chocolate nicely. It help cut the extreme sweetness and richness of the dessert. 

Overall, This was a great experience! My favorite appetizer was the Oyster. I really enjoyed the Einbecker Pilsner beer. It was light and smooth and had such a complexity to it! 

Tasting- Beltrame Friulano

Name: Beltrame
Variety: Friulano
Region: Friuli
Country: Italy
Price: $9.95
Year: 2009


Winery Review: 100% Tocai Friulano Straw-coloured yellow with a pale green tint express an intense, delicately aromatic and floral bouquet.The flavour is dry, soft, slightly fruity, with slightly bitter nuance in its almond aftertaste, and suggestion of peach.

Personal Review:  This wine was made of the grape Tocai Friulano, it was a rich golden color. It smelled so fruity and flowery. When you taste it, the fruit flavors showed through a little more than the Maragda. However, it did not overwhelm your mouth with fruity and light flavors. Instead, it was subtle hints of these flavors throughout the wine. I was hoping that it would be more overwhelming. I got hints of peach in the finish of the wine. I did not pair this wine with food.

Tasting - Georges Duboeuf Beajolais Nouveau

Name: Georges Duboeuf
Variety: Beajolais Nouveau
Region: Beaujolais
Country: France
Price: $7.95
Year: 2013

Winery Review: An aromatic red, with floral and white peach notes accenting the black raspberry and plum flavors. This is open-knit and fresh, offering light tannins on the finish.

Personal Review:  Made from young grapes, this wine had a dark red color. The banana and raspberry flavors were very pungent. The first taste I got on my palate was the banana flavor, the mid-palate was very dry, and then at the end I got the alcohol and acidic flavors. This wine was very complex and interesting. I did not pair it with food. I think that it would complement nicely, with banana bread.  

Tasting- Mas LLunes Maragda

Name: Mas LLunes
Variety: Maragda
Region: Emporada
Country: Spain
Price: $9.95
Year: 2010

Winery Review: This Grenache Blanc is exquisitely sculpted with sharp acids and pinpointed minerals, and offers orange, melon and vanilla-honey flavors. A delight to drink, at a great price.

Personal Review: The wine was a light yellowish color.  Upon first smell it has very fruity notes. However, it was a tease. It smelled so fruity that I expected it to me more sweet and have the orange and melon flavors really come through. But, when I tasted it, it was light and dry. It was more acidic then I expected and it did not taste as fruity as it smelled.I did not pair this wine with food.

Tasting- CalNaturale Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: CalNaturale
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Paso Robles
Country: California
Price: $10.95
Year: 2009


Winery Review: The initial release of CalNaturale Caberenet Sauvignon shows very rich, ripe fruit with flavors of ripe plum, cherries, cassis, and a hint of toasty oak. This classic wine is full-bodied, yet very approachable, with solid structure and ample tannins.

Personal Review:  The first thing that caught my attention about this wine was the bottle. It looked like a carton of juice. Upon first smell it smelled like herbs. The taste was dry. There was no finish.However, it left a weird, grimy feeling at the top of my palate. The wine would be good with a plate of spaghetti, those are the flavors that the wine reminded me of.

Tasting- First Light Moscato

Name: First Light
Variety: Moscato
Region: Barossa Valley
Country: Australia
Price: $7.95
Year:


Winery Review: Ripe lychee, tropical fruits and musk on the nose as you near the glass. Lovely grape and stone fruits and on the palate is highlighted with the subtle sweetness and spritz that makes this such a fun drink. Low in alcohol and nicely balanced acidity ensure you will want more than one glass of this easy drinking wine.

Personal Review: The color is light and it has a crisp flavor. It smells like a mixture of tropical fruit. This wine reminds me of summer in a glass. The lychee flavor really comes out in both the taste and the smell. It is airy and bubbly. This wine melts into your mouth.  It was delicious. I did not pair it with food, but I think that this wine is amazing on it own! I cannot imagine what could make it taste any better!