American reds – 2020, plus home wine-making

Still unable to get back to France due to the current situation. Not sure when I will be able to go next. I am almost out of red wine. During the winter months, I was mainly drinking reds. I do tend to drink more reds during the darker colder seasons, and more whites and roses during the lighter summer seasons. So when I am in Florida, I rarely drink red wine. Also my mother often finds red wine a bit too acidic for her.

But I did buy two when I was there at Winn Dixie. Unfortunately I only got round to drinking one of them.

Guenoc Petite Sirah

• Guenoc
• Californian Petite Sirah 2017
• $5.99 Winn Dixie

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Aroma: Nice and rich

Taste: Good. Nice and smooth, but not bland. No specific fruits. Slight bitter kick.

Paul

Aroma: Not acidic (which I don’t like). As if near the sea. (Not sure why).

Taste: Very nice but a little bit sweet. Grows on you as you drink it more.

Ellen

Although I did not get round to tasting the other red that I bought there, my mother sent me a photo with the following glowing comments. If I recall correctly, this was a bit more expensive at around $6.99 or $7.99.

Opened 2nd bottle of red wine you’d bought in Winn Dixie & it is EXCELLENT, one of the best. It is “Crane Lake” Pinot Noir 2016. Mellow, smooth, warm, goes down a treat!

Ellen

My mum preferred the Pinot Noir and I really wish that I had tried this. I will on my next visit. So instead, I decided to read up a bit on both Pinot Noir and Petite Sirah. Links to information provided

Pinot Noir is more known. It has its own Wikipedia entry, whereas Petite Sirah does not. Reading the Wikipedia page, it does say that this wine produces ‘mostly lightly colored, medium-bodied and low-tannin wines‘. I know that my mother is not keen on high tannin wines so this could be why she liked this one so much. And from one of my favourite sites, Wine Folly has this to say about Pinot Noir. ‘Pinot Noir is the world’s most popular light-bodied red wine. ‘It’s loved for its red fruit, flower, and spice aromas that are accentuated by a long, smooth finish.’ I will definitely be trying more of these wines in future.

Wine Folly has two pages with more details Petite Sirah (sometimes spelt Syrah). Under grapes it says ‘Petit Sirah is loved for its deeply colored wines with rich black fruit flavors and bold tannins. The grape related to Syrah and the rare French grape, Peloursin. The French call it “Durif” but this wine is rare outside of California.‘ Wine Folly has more detail on their deep dive page where they explain the difference between Petite Sirah and Syrah.

Guenoc also has its own website with details about their Petite Sirah.

‘Full-bodied and rich, our 2016 Petite Sirah boasts fruit-forward flavors of blueberry, red raspberry, and blackberry complemented by hints of soft clove, and cinnamon. Its velvety tannins and oak notes round out the palate, adding to the long finish of bright berry fruits and cocoa. Pair this wine with a juicy grilled burger, or spicy Italian sausage.‘

To be honest, I did not get all of this. It was a nice wine, and maybe got some blueberry flavours. Maybe their own description was a bit pretentious. I have found this to be quite common in wine reviews.

When I am next in France I will look out for Pinot Noir wines, but the Petite Sirah seems to be mainly a Californian wine. As I am stuck in lockdown for a while for now, I have tried out a home wine-making kit that I bought at Wilkos.

I have just made a start and will keep you updated on how it goes.