Middle Sister Wine Tasting Party

Last evening, my friend Chris hosted a Middle Sister wine tasting party. I saw the idea on the Middle Sister Facebook page. They have it all lined up for you: wines to get, food to serve, tasting notes. The full list if all 12 Middle Sister wines aren't available in Billings, so we did what we could!

 

We started with Drama Queen Pinot Grigio. A beautiful yellow-green, we could really taste the apples and pears. Chris heard about putting your hand over your glass and swirling before smelling or tasting, which really brought out the aroma of those crisp fruits. Tori brought a wonderful appetizer of Gorgonzola, pears, and thyme that went beautifully with the Grigio!

 

Next we moved to the Reds. We blinded the reds as many tend to dismiss the reds thinking they don't like one grape or another.

Our first red was Forever Cool Merlot. We decided this is a "gateway" Merlot. With The taste of summer berries and a hint of vanilla, the clean finish pleased most everyone. This was one of my favorites of the night and is definitely on the purchase again list.

The 2nd red was my top pick for the evening, and it really didn't surprise me as I do love blends. Rebel Red is a blend of 4 grapes: Zin, Merlot, Cab, and Syrah. The fruity taste was similar to the Merlot, but The peppery finish gave it enough oomph to take over the Merlot for me.

 

Our final red of the evening was the Mischief Maker Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a pretty burgundy color with a jammy aroma and dry finish.

 

We ended the evening with the Sweet & Sassy Moscato. This is a typical moscato, sweet and thick with a long finish. I'm not sure the end of the evening was the best time for the moscato as most of us felt it was too sweet at that point. Not sure when would have been the right time for it. I think I would enjoy it more on its own on a hot summer afternoon. We did get a chance to see some great moscato legs though!

The best part about these wines is they retail between $9.99 - $11.99 and can be found at Target and Wal-Mart. Target has the best selection in Billings.

We all had a great time trying the different wines and coming up with the words to describe what we were smelling, tasting and feeling. We learned a more about how to taste and most of us decided that we prefer to just drink wine while enjoying the snacks and great company!