Lucie Tuthill Wine Blog

This week I gathered two friends, Ellery and Bailey who are also taking Geography of Wine to do a wine and cheese tasting. We each brought a type of cheese and a wine of our liking. We had a lot of laughs and a great time reviewing these pairings. We also added some crackers to the menu to make cheese-eating easier.  Our selection for the tasting! For our first pairing, we had California Roots Rose Wine along with Grana Padano Cheese. The wine was very dry and had a hot bouncy aftertaste which we learned comes from the lingering alcohol. This wine had strong notes of citrus and specifically tart grapefruit. With the cheese, we all agreed that this rose did not pair well with this Grana Padano cheese because both were too sharp and bold to complement each other. In addition, the cheese was gritty and crumbly which did not aid the wine.  Our first wine The second pairing featured an Imperial Red with Boursin Cheese. This wine had a lovely semi-sweet, light-bodied feel. It also had a ligh

Homemade Pizza Dinner with Friends! For my dinner blog #2 I decided to have a few of my friends over for a dinner party sort of night to catch up with them. After a long day of school and meetings, we were hungry and eager to taste new wines! First Course Our first course was a charcuterie-style hummus with carrots and pretzels as well as cheese and crackers. We wanted to start this dinner with something light and nice to snack on while we waited for the pizza to bake. The wine we paired with this was a rose called “Chalkboard” Rose de France, 2019. This rose was very dry and light-bodied. It paired well with the heavier, fuller-tasting garlic hummus and carrots because of how sharp and warm it tasted. The grapefruit and peach flavors really shined in this Chalkboard wine. Main Course For our main course, we enjoyed some “California Dream Chardonnay” with freshly baked pizza with mushroom, cheese, and tomato sauce. We discussed how the Chardonnay had an even lighter and warm feel

My friends and I (top right) at our lovely dinner  My friends and I are all taking Geography of Wine. We came together to have three types of wine with a three-course dinner this past week and had a ton of fun tasting and sipping.  Course 1: We had Bruschetta with crunchy warm baguette toast topped with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The dominant flavors in my opinion were acidic tomato and balsamic. We all agreed that the acid in the wine matched up with the acid in the tomato. I also thought that the tomato and toast made the white Barefoot Sauvignon blanc much less sweet.  Course 1: Bruschetta  Course 2: Our next course was Creamy Penne alla Vodka. This was made with thick Rigatoni and additional garlic and parmesan cheese. While it was very filling and delicious, it did not pair well with the Rose delightfully sweet barefoot wine that we got because it was too sweet and ended up overpowering the cheese.  Course 2: Penne Alla Vodka  Course 3: The dessert we enjoyed after our dinner

  Title: This wine is called Franzia Moscato. Origin: Franzia Vineyards, in Ripon & Cutler, California.  Grape: The grape is not specified on the box but is likely of the Muscat variety.  Year: It was packaged in 2022.  Price: The price was approximately $16.00. Critic Review: “Moscato’s downfall is when its sweetness overwhelms its flavors and aromas, and unfortunately, this was the case for the Moscatos from Franzia (from $14 for 5 liters, available at Drizly) and Barefoot on Tap (from $19.99 for 3 liters, available at Drizly). The Barefoot has a “weirdly sour smell,” according to multiple tasters, while the Franzia tastes like “apple juice and dive bar,” which may appeal to some tasters.” ( https://www.consumerreports.org/wine/best-boxed-wine-review-a6633856927/ ) Wine Folly: Page 139 notes that “‘Mosk-kot blank’ Moscato Bianco, Muscatel , Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains, Muskateller. An ancient aromatic white variety originally from Greece that’s available in all styles from dry to

  In my first 21 years of my life, wine has had its own place during gatherings and meals. It was a staple beverage in my childhood household because my mom enjoys a bit of dark red wine at  night. I also grew up attending church in which wine symbolized deeper religious concepts. Growing up, my parents and family friends would allow me to try a taste of wine on rare occasions. One memory I have of an instance like this is one summer afternoon in the backyard of a neighbor. We had just finished a barbeque with pulled pork sandwiches and tomato and mozzarella salad. As the only younger person present, they had a few different types of wine out and the hosts offered me a taste. I remember the wife of the host telling the husband that he should not have done that, but he was from Eastern Europe so he held different perspectives on what ages of people should try wine compared to most Americans.  I have fond memories gatherings with my parents friends and family gatherings where wine was al