Intro: My Wine Tasting Reviews

As I’ve mentioned a couple times, one of the activities I’m looking forward to in retirement is wine tasting outside of California. And sharing my thoughts on them. I don’t think of myself as a wine snob (you’ll never hear me mentioning hints of earth, pears or mushrooms), but I am definitely very particular. I know what I like and what I don’t.

This post is to help (1) give you context for what I do like so you can calibrate for your own tastes, (2) introduce the Dina (Wine) Meter, and (3) apologize to any wine makers who might read my reviews and be offended by my comments (because let’s be real, snarky is more fun). Reviews will be organized by the regions we visited, with some detailed notes on the individual wineries.

First, the apology:

Wine is all about individual taste and these reviews are going to be all about mine (well, and a little bit about Craig’s) - my apologies in advance if I offend with my opinions/tone.

Speaking of Snackies - this was a potato chip pairing we did in St Helena, CA! Yum!

Context for my taste in wine: Unfortunately for our retired pocket book, my favorite wines are Napa region Cabernet Sauvignons. What can I say, the richer and bolder the tastes the better. I also love Sangiovese/Chianti (especially with food) and Bordeaux blends. I don’t enjoy white wines nearly as much, but when I do, I tend to like Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. Especially on a hot summer day, with a view, and maybe some appropriate snackies.

Last, here is the newly developed rating system. Cheers!

Dina (Wine) Meter:

Summary Notes:

😍 = Loved it

👍 = Overall, enjoyed the experience

😐 = Experience was fine, but not great

❌ = We will not be back

Ambience Notes:

Were we comfortable? Was it pretty? Did it have a good vibe?

🏰 = Great tasting room

🌅 = Nice view

🎶 = Music (live or otherwise)

🧀 = Snacks available

⛲️ = Outside seating

Presentation Notes:

The wine, the staff, the stories. If I’m going wine tasting, I want the full package, not just some wine handed to me at a bar or dropped off at my table. I can go to a restaurant for that.

‼️ = Great

⚠️ = Mediocre

❌ = Poor

Individual Wine Notes:

(If I end up reviewing specific wines)

✅ = liked

👍👍 = we both liked this one

💯 = loved it, no notes

$/🍷 = Cost benefit doesn’t make sense. Tasted good, but was priced above value.

🍕 or 🧀 = will be great with food

☀️ = great for a sunny day

😐 = meh

👎 = did not like