When cleansing your palate, it is important to know what you want to taste. The most common palate cleansers include bread, sorbet, pickled ginger, and water. These are all neutral substances that scrub lingering flavors off the tongue. Sorbet, not to be confused with sherbet, is a frozen dessert that contains no dairy and is made of fruit and water. The sharp flavor and lower temperature stimulate the taste buds for future flavor reception. Bread can be used in many forms to cleanse the palate as long as it is not flavored. Crackers also fall under the bread category and should be used with the same restrictions of being unflavored. For optimal tasting experience, certain foods and beverages should be avoided. Any dairy, such as butter, will coat the taste buds and trap previous flavors.

It is important to remember that anything you ingest can subsequently affect how future flavors are perceived. If you are wanting to taste finer nuances and complexities, a clean palate will be your best bet for tasting as many dimensions of a flavor profile as possible.

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Alcohol Name: Dreaming Tree

Alcohol Type: Pinot noir

Alcohol Content: 13.5%, 27 Proof

Price Point: Low-Mid, $10-$12, available at most retailers

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, red berries

Flavor Profile: Toasted oak, cherry

Bottom Line: This is a surprisingly complex Pinot noir that would be great for pairing but manages to work as a standalone just fine.

Dreaming Tree is a collaboration between California winemaker Sean McKenzie and Dave Matthews. I usually tend to stay away from collaborations like this because they often increase the price of wine without any increase to quality. This wine does not follow that pattern on either account.

For the full body that this wine has, it comes off very smooth and light. The color is a dark ruby red and the nose is filled with caramel, vanilla, and red berries like strawberry and cherry. The flavors are just as pleasant as the nose with notes of juicy cherry and a finish of toasted oak.

I admit that Pinot noir is not normally a wine that I drink without a meal. To me it makes a wonderful pairing wine, but usually falls short alone. Dreaming Tree has opened me up to trying other Pinot noir wines as it is more complex than I expected in the best kind of way.

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Alcohol Name: Aldi Chianti Adventure Series

Alcohol Type: Chianti

Alcohol Content: 12%, 24 Proof

Price Point: Budget-Friendly, $5.50, available at Aldi stores 

Nose: Red berries, floral notes

Flavor Profile: Dark cherry, blackberry

Bottom Line: For the price, this is one of the safest choices. It is simple in every way and easy to pair with.

When it comes to wine, most people think that Winking Owl is the only brand Aldi has to offer. This is not at all true. Aldi has a line of international wines, among which is a Chianti – an Italian wine. Most of these wines are labeled with a DOC, or DOCG tag. These tags are to verify that the percentages of grapes are from specific areas within Italy. What makes the Chianti from Aldi so appealing is its price. This bottle is usually half the price you would pay for any DOCG Italian wine. 

The profile of this wine is very tame. It comes in at a 12% alcohol content, making it a medium-bodied red. It does not have much to offer in the nose or flavor profile – both of which are simply dark berries. In my tasting, I was mostly able to pick out the cherry. The simplicity of this wine makes it very easy to drink and pair with. 

If you are looking for a safe option or introduction to wine, this is a great bottle. On the other hand, if you are looking for a complex bottle to pick apart and taste, you may want to try something different.

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Alcohol Name: Bar Dog

Alcohol Type: Cabernet Sauvignon

Alcohol Content: 13.5%, 27 Proof

Price Point: Budget, $12-$13, common availability 

Nose: Juicy dark fruit

Flavor Profile: Dark fruit, spices

Bottom Line: This is a young red wine with underdeveloped flavor. The proceeds from the profits made off this wine go toward animal relief, which is an excellent sentiment – but the wine itself is subpar.

Bar Dog is a California wine that is only aged a couple of years making it a very young wine. The price puts this wine at the lower end. The bottle was really the only reason I decided to try this wine, which has a picture of a small dog on it and I thought my wife would enjoy trying it. Another interesting note is that it was the last bottle on the shelf, which made me believe it was a popular wine I had yet to try.

The nose and flavors for this wine were underdeveloped. The nose had some spices and fruit aromas, mostly juicy dark fruit. The flavor is what really stood out to me as being underwhelming. To me this cabernet was very sweet. I could really pick out the blueberry and chocolate finish. 

Personally, I would put this wine in the dessert category. It was not overwhelmingly sweet, but it was not as dry as I prefer my reds. This wine is a nice sentiment but nothing more. The description on the back explains how proceeds go to animal relief, which is a vey charitable act but the truth is the wine is not that high of quality.

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Alcohol Name: Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel

Alcohol Type: Zinfandel

Alcohol Content: 15%, 30 Proof

Price Point: Low-Mid Bracket, $12, order online at Ancient Vines Series

Nose: Top five max

Flavor Profile: Top five max

Bottom Line: A high-quality budget wine that provides berries, spice, and leather. The flavor profiles change from year to year, which can be a fun and engaging experience.

The Ancient Vines wines all come from California. Cline offers many kinds of wine and has membership options as well. Their Zinfandel is the only wine I have seen and tasted in my area, but I am sure they have other options depending on the region. 

To start, this Zinfandel is very bold. It comes off very strong with fifteen percent alcohol, which for a wine is on the higher end. When I did my tasting of this wine, I used a bit of an unconventional method. For my tasting I actually used an entire wine flight board of glasses. I could tell that the flavors and aromas were changing from glass to glass. I could have used a decanter, but I had new and unused glasses to break in.

The nose of this wine got better over the period of my tasting. It was full of berries, spice, and leather with a flavor that was very similar. The vanilla was very apparent due to the use of new and used oak barrels in the aging process. Hints of blueberry were subtle and not overly sweet. The finish was all chocolate and delightful.

I primarily pick up this wine when it is on sale. For the price, I think this is a quality wine. The years of this wine are very important to pay attention to. This tasting was of their 2017. Other years of their Zinfandel have very different profiles. 

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Alcohol Name: FitVine

Alcohol Type: Pinot Noir

Alcohol Content: 13.9%, 27.8 Proof

Price Point: Lower-Mid, $20, order online at https://www.fitvinewine.com/pages/all-wines

Nose: Black cherry, cedar

Flavor Profile: Black cherry, orange blossoms

Bottom Line: This wine features a lower sugar and carbohydrate content than typical reds. It is ideal for someone with dietary restrictions, but outside of that audience, it is more of a gimmick than anything. It is an average wine sold at an inflated price simply for the attraction of being “fit” and “healthy.”

FitVine offers many different types of wine, including whites and reds made from California grapes. FitVine wines are all made gluten-free and have no additives, which is appealing to anyone with dietary restrictions. The processes used to make FitVine wine essentially make it lower in categories of nutrition, such as sugar content and carbohydrates.

When I first poured the glass of Pinot Noir, I immediately noticed how thin and light it was. I had heard about this wine and done a little research, so I understood it to be a type of “diet” wine and was expecting it to be a little different from a regular Pinot Noir. The nose was pretty standard for a Pinot Noir: it was filled with black cherry and cedar.

When I tasted this wine was really when I noticed a big difference. The initial taste was pleasant with black cherry and a hint of orange blossom. The finish, however, is what was different. It was very light and almost bitter. The wine itself was very smooth, but due to the lower sugar content, the overall taste was less flavorful than regular wine.

I am not sure that I would recommend FitVine as a healthy alternative to regular wine. The difference in overall nutritional value is not substantial enough to make it worth drinking. For those with dietary restrictions or lifestyle goals this might fit in, but alcohol is still alcohol. If you like drinking a specific wine, drink it in moderation. Don’t substitute it with something just for the sake of being “healthier.”

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When cleansing your palate, it is important to know what you want to taste. The most common palate cleansers include bread, sorbet, pickled ginger, and water. These are all neutral substances that scrub lingering flavors off the tongue. Sorbet, not to be confused with sherbet, is a frozen dessert that contains no dairy and is made of fruit and water. The sharp flavor and lower temperature stimulate the taste buds for future flavor reception. Bread can be used in many forms to cleanse the palate as long as it is not flavored. Crackers also fall under the bread category and should be used with the same restrictions of being unflavored. For optimal tasting experience, certain foods and beverages should be avoided. Any dairy, such as butter, will coat the taste buds and trap previous flavors.

It is important to remember that anything you ingest can subsequently affect how future flavors are perceived. If you are wanting to taste finer nuances and complexities, a clean palate will be your best bet for tasting as many dimensions of a flavor profile as possible.

The post Beginner’s Mouthfeel appeared first on Bourbon Tobacco Wine.

Alcohol Content: 12%, 24 Proof

Price Point: Budget, $13, fairly common and online availability 

Nose: Citrus

Flavor Profile: Light and crisp, citrus, pear

Bottom Line: An inexpensive champagne blend that provides a light, crisp, citrus effervescence that is great for small celebrations.

Champagne is only one kind of sparkling wine. It is mostly known as a celebration beverage and is usually higher in price due to the extra steps in making champagne. Most of the champagne we see is not true champagne, as the only true version of champagne is made in France. Korbel Brut is not an example of a true champagne, but it offers a high quality for the price. 

I admit that champagne is not my area of expertise. I tend to choose any other kind of wine before sparkling, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted some Korbel Brut. It has a very light and crisp flavor. The nose did not have much to offer other than citrus. I was able to get hints of pear along with the not-so-overpowering effervescence. 

While this may not be the most expensive champagne, it serves as a great party bottle. It is dry and has very little sweetness to it. This makes it a very good bottle to serve with appetizers before the new year. It is also a great option for making mimosas the morning after a late night celebration.

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Alcohol Type: Semi-Sweet Red Blend

Alcohol Content: 11.5%, 23 Proof

Price Point: Mid-range, $17, Acquaviva is located in Sycamore, IL but they can ship their Christmas wine to most locations. This wine is available all year-round, but may be hard to grab the closer it gets to Christmas. You can order their wine here: Christmas Wine Acquaviva Winery

Nose: Mulling spices

Flavor Profile: Raisins, mulling spices

Acquaviva is a small winery in Illinois that has many wines available including whites and reds, all made with grapes grown in Illinois. While Illinois is not as well-known for its grapes, there are some semi-sweet and dessert wines that hold up. Of their selection, one wine stands tall among the others. Acquaviva offers a Christmas wine year-round. This may sound strange, but there is a reason for it: the Christmas wine is a huge hit.

The Christmas wine made by Acquaviva is what is known as a mulled or spiced wine. It may be red, but don’t be fooled as it is not like other dry reds. Mulled wines are usually served warm – not room temperature warm, but rather heated in a crock pot or on the stove. That being said, they can certainly be served chilled or at room temperature as well.

When you look at the color of this Christmas wine, you will notice it is not quite as dark as other red wines. It is only 11.5 % alcohol so it is not considered a full-bodied red. The viscosity of this wine is also a little different than you would typically expect from a red; it is a little thicker. The nose of this wine is just absolute Christmas. When you open the bottle and pour a glass, it takes you to Christmas day. This is primarily attributed to the mulled spices. Some of the spices include allspice, cinamon, and clove. Although this wine is labeled as a semi-sweet red, I would say that it is very sweet. 

On Christmas day, this is the bottle I would have before dinner. Whether you are serving it hot or chilled, it is the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit.

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I have been using aerator pourers for a while. They are great for parties and make pouring wine less of a difficult task. There is a giant selection of wine aerators and pourers available; I personally like mine to be interesting and prefer the ones shaped like animals. The metal ones are very easy to clean and always make the wine a little more fun and fancy. Here is a good choice found on Amazon. For more information on how aeration affects your wine, you can check out this article.

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