Alright, so it's no secret that I am insanely, incredibly bored. I mean, that will probably change once the school year starts and I have little Spanish children to pretend to not understand unless they're speaking my language on a daily basis, but as for now, I have nada que tengo que hacer. Also, I'm mad broke and while wandering around Barcelona is fantastic, I can't do that because I have no self control and I don't have near enough money to even begin to think about making it rain. Sooooo, I came up with this great idea: I review things!! Why not combine a few things I'm good at (specifically, giving my unsolicited opinion, pretending I know what I'm talking about, and drinking alcohol) and share my gift with the world?! LET US COMMENCE. What we (hah!, okay, I) have here today is lovely bottle of red wine. It's name is obvi in the title, but I will repeat that here for all of you lovelies. The company (brand? maker? vineyard? bottler?) is Marqués de Taute. The wine is a crianza, a deep red wine bottled in 2011. It's from La Rioja, known worldwide as the wine country in northern Spain. Learn more about wines from La Rioja here and check this graphic about them taken from the same website (Wine Folly). THE BOTTLE SAYS: "Wine made from selected grapes of the indigenous varieties of the area: Tempranillo, Red Grenache and Mazuelo. Once the malolactic fermentation is completed, the wine ages for 12 months in French and American oak barrels, then rests in bottles for at least 6 months to complete its maturing process and roundness. Wine with an intense, brilliant ruby red color with slight purplish hues." I SAY: First things first, the smell. You know how some wines smell super vinegary as soon as you open the bottle? Ugh, I hate that. Not this one! It was really smooth with the faintest hint of fruit. Oddly enough, it also smelled faintly like caramel. Now, guess how much I paid?? €5,85 (that's $7.83 US dolla dolla bills and change). I decided to class it up more than my €1,85 bottle from yesterday because that was beyond awful. I mean, I drank it, of course, but blegggh. Also another reason to write reviews: now I can go back and see what I like/don't/want to try again because I know for sure all of this stuff is going to blur together. Staying at a hostel, probably (yet to be determined) overpacked my luggage, and living on a super budget leads me to drink out of only the most respectable receptacles (how clever am I for coming up with that?!!?!) aka today's cup is fun-sized, party polka-dot plastic cup. Where there are polka dots, there's a party. Kudos to me for not just drinking straight out of the bottle as per usual, but the night is still plenty young. Taste: Deliciosa. Not sweet, and not too sour/vinegar tasting. I don't taste anything resembling the caramel I smelled, so I was probably on crack earlier (JK mom and everyone else, I don't do crack, promise). It's pretty mellow and feels like it would pair well with a lot things on the Thanksgiving table.
Mouth feel: It didn't make my mouth super dry after taking a sip. Also, it's not exactly light, not exactly medium. I would say on the lighter side of medium. I should probably taste something medium and heavy though to be more sure.. Drinkable: Super. Another round or five and I'm fine with that. Hangover factor: TBD. I've paced myself during the writing of this article and haven't even finished the glass, though don't praise me for my restraint just yet, it's mostly due to my inability to multitask. My grade: B. Solid and middle of the road. Not supremely memorable and OMG fantastic, but something I would drink again and buy if I'm feeling kinda classy on a date (side note: take me on a date and provide me with better wine than this and I will definitely call you again).
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