Jackson Free Press

It's spring time, so that means it's time for the Jackson Free Press' second annual wine tasting. Thanks to sommelier and Briarwood Wine & Spirits Store Manager Laura Collins for sharing her knowledge with us and Briarwood for providing the wine. Here are our findings.

Wine: Gruet Brut

Age: 2014

Red or white? White

Type: Sparkling wine

Price: $19.99

Aroma?

Zilpha Young: Tart, green apple.

Imani Khayyam: Green apple; white pear; white grapes; vitamins.

Tim Summers Jr.: Fruit; a little pear.

Sierra Mannie: Pear; white grapes.

Mary Osborne: Pear.

Micah Smith: Very light sweetness; very fresh; a light scent; a little sourness.

Amber Helsel: Strong smell; green apple; white pear; white grapes; circus peanuts; Flintstones vitamins.

Kimberly Griffin: Green apple.

Arielle Dreher: Pear; green apple.

Taste?

ZY: Tart; dry. I K: Tart but goes down smooth.

TS: Sharp.

SM: Tart; kick in the back of the throat; green apple.

MO: Tart.

MS: A little tart but also smooth; not quite as sweet as the scent made me expect.

AH: Buttery; like salad; tart.

KG: Green apple.

AD: Fabulous but also fresh.

Body?

TS: Light.

SM: Smooth.

MO: Bubbly.

MS: Smooth; light.

AH: Bubbly; light; clean; tingly.

AD: Light; bubbly.

It reminds me of:

TS: Parties; friends.

MO: A simmering, sexy night.

MS: A day at the beach following a light rain.

AH: Salad.

AD: Summer time; parties.

Wine brand: Alexander Sirech

Age: 2012

Red or white? Red

Type: Bordeaux (cabernet-franc)

Price: $15.99

Aroma?

ZY: Woody; pomegranate.

IK: Full body; vinegary; black licorice; pomegranate; grape jelly.

TS: Rind emphasis; orange on the exhale.

SM: Like sweaters; dying Easter eggs; vinegar.

MS: Apple scent; a sour smell, yet fruity.

AH: Cough syrup (but not the bad kind); rubbing alcohol; subtle; hamburger; syrup; root beer.

KG: Apple cider vinegar; black cherry.

Taste?

ZY: Briney; bitter.

TS: Sharp at the front; smooth.

MO: Pomegranate.

MS: Very bitter; sourness, especially on the front; not as fruity.

AH: Sweet; bitter; briney.

KG: Orange; marmalade; not smooth.

Body?

MS: Dry dry dry, but pleasant.

AH: Light for a red.

KG: Strong; fills your mouth.

It reminds me of:

MS: A field of cotton on a dry day.

AH: Drinking wine at a pub; drinking wine at my apartment.

Wine: Elk Cove Vineyards

Age: 2014

Red or white? White

Type: Riesling

Price: $17.99

Aroma?

ZY: Floral; pineapple; honeydew melon.

IK: Cologne; floral; mango; honeydew melon.

TS: Sharp, tangy aroma.

SM: Clean; pineapple.

MO: Light Vaseline.

MS: Clean, almost like an actual cleaner; a light, tangy smell.

AH: Clean; Pine-Sol smell.

KG: Super clean smell, barely any aroma.

AD: Floral; petrol.

Taste?

ZY: Dry; white grapes; mint?

IK: Dry and bitter.

TS: Melon.

MO: Dry; bitter.

MS: Drier; much less sweetness; a sour taste, especially in comparison to the previous wine.

AH: Dry; bitter; like sugarless grape juice.

KG: Drier than normal for a Riesling.

AD: Fruity.

Body?

ZY: Light; dry.

MO: Dry.

MS: Really smooth; kind of lingers in your mouth.

AH: Smooth.

AD: Dry; smooth.

It reminds me of:

ZY: The beach.

IK: Being on a yacht in the south of France, dressed in all white.

TS: Warm summer afternoons.

SM: Fruit juice—no added sugar.

MS: A house party with a few friends, hanging out on the patio.

AH: Pine-Sol.

KG: The beach.

AD: A yacht in France.

Wine: Charles & Charles

Age: 2015

Red or white? Rose

Type: Rose

Price: $15.99

Aroma?

ZY: Cherry; Starburst; sweet.

IK: Melon; rose; grapefruit.

TS: Watermelon.

SM: Oriental flowers; grapefruit.

MO: Fruity.

MS: Cherry smell; an apple-like smell; very strong scent and sweet; makes me expect a very sweet taste.

AH: Savory; floral; strawberries; watermelon.

AD: Chanel; floral; peonies.

Taste?

ZY: Grapefruit; bitter; sour.

IK: The reverse effect of Sour Patch Kids.

TS: Fruity end; grapefruit?

SM: Drier than expected.

MO: Watermelon; bitter; citrus; dry.

MS: Lighter flavor; very little sweetness.

AH: Suprisingly dry; citrusy; bitter; burns going down.

KG: Bitter on the end; not a lot of sweet on end.

AD: Not too sweet; honey hint.

Body?

ZY: Very full; hard hitting.

TS: Fuller body than other whites.

MO: Dry.

MS: Smooth; dry; full-bodied.

AH: Bubbly and pink.

AD: Light but not too late.

It reminds me of:

ZY: A summer evening.

IK: Summer; porch-drinking wine.

SM: Oriental flora; grapefruit; Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle; "You Da One" by Rihanna.

MO: Sexy summer day.

MS: A wedding reception.

AH: Sitting under a tree in spring time.

KG: Summer.

AD: Summer; it needs to be drank cold on a hot day.

Wine: Matua

Age: 2014

Red or white? Red

Type: Pinot Noir

Price: $12.79

Aroma?

ZY: Earthy; spicy.

SM: Christmas.

MO: Glue.

MS: Sweetness, almost chocolatey; stronger, earthier smell; almost like a Coca-Cola smell.

AH: Dark chocolate; acetone; purple; sour grape juice; woody; cherry sucker.

KG: Chocolate.

AD: Moss; cocoa; oak; earthy.

Taste?

ZY: Dry; sour.

TS: Thick, spicy.

SM: Not as tart.

MO: Sour; tart.

MS: Sour, a bit bitter; very little sweetness.

AH: Sweet and sour; not as dry as I thought; vinegary.

KG: Smooth on the front, strong on the back.

Body?

TS: Full; drinkable.

SM: Smooth.

MS: Very smooth and light.

AH: Medium.

It reminds me of:

ZY: A bonfire next to a lake.

TS: Warm evenings; long velvet curtains.

SM: Christmas.

MO: Cozy, wintery night by the fireplace.

MS: Sitting around a fireplace in a log cabin.

AH: Wine you'd drink while eating a grilled cheese.

KG: Fancy dinner.

Scenes

from Imani Khayyam

"I'm at an old plantation home. I walk back to a screened-in porch. A fan is going. This is 'porch-drinking' wine." (rose)

"I'm Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in the '90s. I'm in an extravagant mansion with Nina Simone singing in the back. There's fur on the chairs. There's an ottoman and a fireplace. There's no TV. The windows are open." (pinot noir)

"I'm horse-riding with my lady, and then we pull up to a dinner table for two in the middle on nowhere." (Bordeaux)