Tasting - Reserve Grand Veneur Côtes du Rhône

Name: Reserve Grand Veneur Côtes du Rhône

Variety: 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault

Region: Rhone Valley

Country: France

Year: 2010

Price: $14.95 per bottle, $38.95 per box

Shop Review: As for their other values, the 2010 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Reserve (70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Cinsault) displays loads of ripe flavors. It is very concentrated for a Cotes du Rhone,
and is actually an amazing wine. Classic garrigue, black cherry liqueur, lavender, licorice and spice box are all present in this fullbodied, intense, and rich Cotes du Rhone. This is a sensational effort to drink over the next 4-5 years, although it might last even longer.

My Review: This wine comes in a box! I found that to be extremely exciting.  The wine had a berry taste on the nose, but it came off as extremely dry.  Despite the nose, the wine is actually very sweet and not dry at all.  There was even hints of oaking in the wine.

With Food? No

Tasting - Lobetia Tempranillo

Name: Lobetia Tempranillo

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: La Mancha

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $10.95

Shop Review: Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the varietal and the terroir to stand out cleanly. It shows a nice cherry color with a violet shade because of its youth. Red berries and cherries on the nose. On the palate it is fresh, slightly astringent, and harmonious with a long finish.

My Review: This wine, on the other hand, smelled oaked on the nose.  This wine came off as hot, but tasted sweet despite the dry texture.  The berries in the wine came off in the taste, helping add to the sweet flavor.

With Food? No

Tasting - Lobetia Chardonnay

Name: Lobetia Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: La Mancha

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $10.95

Shop Review: Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the varietal and the terroir to stand out cleanly. Clean, bright color with a greenish-yellow tone. On the nose, exotic fruits like pineapple. Full flavored, fresh, with good acidity in the mouth, it finishes with tropical fruits.

My Review: I could tell that this wine wasn't oaked, as it didn't have a smooth, buttery flavor.  The wine smelled a bit like pizza on the nose, definitely being good to go with Italian food.  The wine tasted like a sweet grape juice, with a hint of pear.

With Food? No

Tasting - Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele

Name: Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region: Veneto

Country: Italy

Year: NV

Price: $7.95

Shop Review: Named after the famous restaurant in Italy! This is their house white wine! Coppery color from extended skin contact, round and rich texture with juicy melon aromas and flavors with a sweet fennel note on the ultra smooth finish. Great value Grigio! Drink now.

My Review: This wine had a strong scent of peaches on the nose, and even more in the taste.  While this wine is a Pinot Grigio, it came off as extremely tropical.  I really enjoyed it.

With Food? No

Winery Visit - Chateau Morrisette

Welcome to Chateau Morrisette!

I was extremely excited to visit a larger scale winery, as I didn't even know the first winery I visited existed.  Chateau Morrisette's winery is located in Floyd, Virginia, right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  From Virginia Tech, it was about an hour long drive, through beautiful country scenery.

Patrick and I outside of the Tasting Room / Shop

When we arrived, we parked between the tasting house and the restaurant.  Heading over to the main building, we were welcomed with a large display of award winning wines. We headed to the tasting bar, where we tasted a multitude of wines and got to keep a souvenir glass.  For the wine tasting, we had:

• Angel Chardonnay
• Our Dog Blue
• Blushing Dog
• Sweet Mountain Laurel
• Muscadine
• Blackberry Wine
• Apple Wine
• 2011 Dry Rose
• Liberty
• 2011 Cabernet Franc
• 2008 Merlot
• 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2009 Petit Verdot
• The Black Dog

My favorites were the Dry Rose and the Blushing Dog.  It was amazing the array of wines they offered, anything from an extremely sweet wine such as the Peach Wine or the Frosty Dog, to a run of the mill Chardonnay.

After a tasting, Chateau Morrisette tour guide Rachel took us through a quick tour of the building.  Starting at the front door we had originally entered, Rachel explained how the building was built almost completely out of recycled wood.  Some of the logs were from an old sunken ship in Seattle, and were shipped to the site to build a "green" building.

She then went in to the history of Chateau Morissette, where the story behind the dog theme is all due to Hans, a black lab originally owned by the family founding the winery.  When the family began making wine, Hans always drank wine out of a specific vat of red wine, now known as "The Black Dog".  Curious to why Hans always drank from the same vat, they moved the wine overnight, to see if Hans could find the distinct flavor.  He could.  He found that specific wine the next day.  Hans had the wine named after him, and the property has had a black lab named Hans running around ever since.

Wooden and Stainless Steel barrels

We then entered the fermentation room, where all the wine is stored in a mixture of American, Hungarian, and Stainless Steel barrels.  Wines can take on a mixture of different fermentation styles, mixing the wooden and stainless steel barrels.

Chateau Morrisette's Bottling Machine

Chateau Morrisette doesn't grow all the grapes on property; in fact, most grapes are grown other places in Virginia.  But all the grapes are fermented and bottled here in this building, making it a major central headquarters for the company.

This basically ended Rachel's tour; she said she likes to make them short and sweet.  We went back into the shop, bought our bottles of wine, and were on our way.

We actually had dinner at the on property restaurant when we were finished with the tour.  We split a bottle of Sweet Mountain Laurel, a white table wine that is popular with the winery.  This wine seemed like it would have been better suited for dessert as it was extremely sweet.  I had vegetable lasagna for dinner, and it was quite delicious.  For dessert, we split a piece of hazelnut chocolate cake.  It was a really delicious dinner, and I definitely want to come back again.

Dinner - Homemade (Spain)

The Final Product: Chorizo and Manchego on baguette, Spanish Meatballs with Brie and baguette, and Tortilla Espanola

Last summer, the boyfriend went to Spain on a study abroad trip across El Camino de Santiago. (He's also in this class...you can find him at hokiewino.blogspot.com)  During the trip, they visited multiple towns, eating at different cafes and restaurants along the trail.  When we chose a wine region for our dinner, he was excited to make all the tapas he enjoyed during his trip while pairing wines from the region.

Dried Chorizo, Gran Queso Manchego cheese, and a fresh baguette

The first tapas we had wasn't necessarily special in my mind, but paired well with the wines non the less.  Dried chorizo, with a Spanish Manchego cheese, on top of a fresh French baguette.  While the bread might not be Spanish by origin, he says a lot of the tapas they had were on bread similar to that.

Cooking the meatballs

The next tapas was Spanish meatballs in a gravy, with Brie cheese on top of the French baguette.  The meatballs were made from scratch, as a combination of ground beef and ground pork.  The gravy was a mix of chicken stock, olive oil, onions, garlic, and flour.  After cooking the meatballs, we put them all in the oven to heat them in the gravy.  This tapas was really good, as it melted the Brie onto the bread.

Cooking the Tortilla Espanola

Our last tapas was Tortilla Espanola.  This ended up being my favorite food out of the three options.  First, we fried some potatoes and onions in canola oil.  Once they were fried, we mixed the potatoes and onions with eggs, and put the whole mix in a frying pan.  This cooked for about 5-7 minutes, then we flipped the tortilla, cooking the other side for about 5-7 minutes.  This basically came out like an omelette or a quiche without the crust.  It was so good.

Spanish Varietal Olive Oil

One of the things that helped give this dinner a truly Spanish taste was using a Spanish variety of olive oil.  Back home over the summer, we found a store that sells olive oils and other spices from different parts of the world.  We had bought this Castile Style olive oil over the summer because it was delicious, and it really helped add a Spanish flair to our dishes.

We had three different wines for our dinner: A white, a red, and a dessert.

Wine #1: A Verdejo

The first wine we had was a Palacio de Bornos Verdejo from the Rueda region of Spain.  Before trying it with food, I tried the wine.  It smelled like a basic white wine, with a slight hint of apple.  There was a citrus taste in the wine, almost like a Riesling.

The taste changed drastically with food.  First, with the choritzo and manchego, the wine got more acidic with time, also enhancing the sweetness.  The aftertaste still stayed acidic, overpowering any sweetness left in the wine.

Next was the pairing withthe Tortilla Espanola.  This time, the wine's acidity basically disappeared, and we were left with just a very sweet wine.  The egg meshed really well with this wine, keeping it extremely sweet. As this was a breakfast dish, maybe the light, sweet wine was a perfect combination.

The last tasting was with the meatballs.  I didn't like this combination.  All sweetness disappeared, and the wine almost went sour.  I've always heard that red wines go with red meats, white wines go with chicken and fish.  I'd believe that with this pairing, as I felt this duo didn't go together well.

Wine #2: A Garnache

Our second wine we had actually tasted in a wine tasting before, loved it so much, that we bought it again.  This Tres Ojos Garnacha wine was from the Calatayud region of Spain.  This wine seemed oaked, as it was smooth and almost buttery.  There was still a touch of sweetness though, which I really enjoyed.

First, we paired it with the chorizo and cheese.  This made the wine come off as extremely overpowering.  The wine was extremely hot, extremely bitter, and way too strong.  I was surprised that these two didn't go together.

Second, we tried it with the Tortilla Espanola.  The wine was more acidic here, but held its fruity undertones.  There was a bite to this wine, as some spices seemed to stand out.  This wine was good with the egg, as it really, again, seemed to enhance the flavor.  After trying the light white wine with this same dish, I was interested to see how both wines complimented the dish well.

The last pairing here was with the meatballs.  Honestly, out of the entire tasting, this was my favorite pairing.  The meatballs with the Garnacha wine was a perfect combination.  The wine wasn't too sweet, but also wasn't too acidic either.  You were able to enjoy the fruit and sweet taste of the wine while also enjoying the bold and meaty flavor of the meatball.  If I could have stopped here, I would have been happy.

Wine #3: A Cava

This last wine was what I understand to be a Spanish champagne.  This was a sparkling Cava, super bubbly, and with hints of apples and citrus.  Honestly, as I feel with most sparkling wines, the bubbles overpower the rest of the wine, making it hard to taste.  When I tried tasting it, I really just felt that the wine was a sparkling white wine.

First, we had the wine with the chorizo and cheese.  This is where it got weird.  I honestly thought the wine tasted like chocolate and cinnamon when I tried it with this dish.  I felt like it was Christmas in my mouth.  I want to say that the taste happens because of the cheese in the dish.

Second, we had the dish with the Tortilla Espanola.  With this, the bubbles in the wine seemed to decrease.  The potatoes made the wine come out as very sweet, and I understood here what people mean by a dessert wine.  It really was a lot better to drink with food.

Lastly, we had the Cava with the meatballs. WARNING: NEVER TRY THIS COMBINATION.  It was truly awful.  The wine and the meatballs were fighting with eachother.  It tasted like vomit together.  I strayed away from even doing a second tasting with this one.

Time to Eat!

In all, I felt that the first two table wines went best with food, though pairing a dessert wine with food helped me to understand what a dessert wine could truly do.

The Garnache and meatball was by far my favorite pairing, as it complimented eachother so well.  I'm excited to do this in the future with other wines, as pairing wine with food really does change the outcome of the taste.

Delicious dinner ends in a sink full of dishes

Tasting - Concannon Shiraz

Name: Concannon Shiraz

Variety: Shiraz

Region: Central Coast California

Country: United States

Year: 2008

Price: $7.95

Shop Review: This is an extremely rich, full-bodied wine with a dark fruit core. Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cassis and dark cherry are followed by more berry fruits and chocolate and mocha on the palate

My Review: Again, with a lot of wines this week, I wasn't necessarily blown away by any, as most were just typical wines.  The cherries came through in this wine, and it was fairly dry as well.

With Food? No

Tasting - Ksana Bonarda

Name: Ksana Bonarda

Variety: Bonarda (Charbono?)

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2008

Price: $9.95

Shop Review: The bouquet is floral and lightly jammy, with berry aromas and a savory note or two. To the uninitiated, this is a great introduction to Bonarda. Finishes solid. Very sweet, berry smell with some rooty undertones. Kind of dry, makes your lips pucker.

My Review: This wine was very dry, as the shop noted.  What I believe is black currants came through on the taste, helping make the wine dry.  You could almost get hints of raspberries when tasting the wine.

With Food? No

Tasting - Black Ridge White Zinfandel

Name: Black Ridge White Zinfandel

Variety: Zinfandel

Region: California

Country: United States

Year: NV

Price: $3.95

Shop Review: This fruit forward White Zinfandel displays fresh aromas and crisp flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. It is incredibly food friendly and will pair well with burgers, sandwiches, fruit salad, and more.

My Notes: I was quite surprised to find a White Zin in the tasting this week.  But by giving it out in the tasting, I noticed only 3 bottles were left on the shelf, so maybe they know what they're doing.  The wine was very light and fruity, with the strawberries standing out.

With Food? No

Tasting - Chandon Sweet Cuvée

Name: Chandon Sweet Cuvée

Variety: Blended Sparkling Wine (Cuvée)

Region: California

Country: United States

Year: NV

Price: $9.95

Shop Notes: This wine is an innovative sparkling wine style revealing vibrant stone fruit and floral aromas with rich, luscious mouth feel. This wine enlivens the senses and sparks spontaneous moments, complementing your passion for a good life.

My Notes: I felt like the effervescence of this wine took away from the flavor a lot, as all I could focus on was the pop rock feeling in my mouth.  On the nose, there was a floral hint to the wine.

With Food? No

Tasting - Wilson Daniels Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Wilson Daniels Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Central Coast California

Country: United States

Year: 2010

Price: $7.95

Shop Notes: Orange blossom and citrus permeate the aromas. Alluring flavors of orange and grapefruit dominate the palate. Bright acidity balances the plush mouth feel, resulting in a clean finish.

My Notes: Knowing from class that Sauvignon Blancs typically smell like cat pee, I was expecting cat pee on the nose.  I didn't get that with this wine.  Honestly, it did nothing for me, and kind of just smelled and tasted like a white wine, with no special indicators.

With Food? No

Tasting - Caprice de Bastor-Lamontagne

Name: Caprice de Bastor-Lamontagne

Variety: 60% Semillon, 36% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Muscadelle

Region: Sauternes

Country: France

Year: 2004

Price: $7.95

Shop Review: Very clean, with lemon, mineral and honey aromas that follow through to a medium body. Shows vanilla, apple and melon flavors, with a medium finish. Lightly sweet.

My Review: At first on the nose, the wine smelt like really rotten lemonade that had gone bad a while ago.  After another try, the sugars definitely came through.  It was a super sweet wine, almost like an extremely sweet apple juice.  This wine reminded me more of a fruit wine than a grape wine.

With Food? No

Tasting - Torre Castillo Alegre

Name: Torre Castillo Alegre

Variety: 100% Monastrell

Region: Jumilla

Country: Spain

Year: 2010

Price: $9.95

Shop Review: 4 months in new American oak barrels Bright ruby-red. Dried cherry, pipe tobacco and rose aromas, with a hint of woodsmoke. Sweet and fleshy on the palate, with blackberry and cherry flavors complimented by licorice and a suggestion of dried herbs. The cherry and smoke notes repeat on the finish.

My Review: On the nose, I swore this wine smelt like Beggin' Strips that I give to my dog.  Maybe it was because I was thinking about Beggin' Strips, but I thought the wine kind of tasted like it too.  The wine was very bold and very dry.

With Food? No

Tasting - Wilson Daniels Merlot

Name: Wilson Daniels Merlot

Variety: Merlot

Region: Central Coast of California

Country: United States

Year: 2010

Price: $7.95

Shop Review: Made predominantly from Paso Robles grapes, the wine is fullbodied and silky yet robust, with aromas of black cherry and plum and a palate of blackberry, raspberry and blueberry jam laced with vanilla and toast.

My Review: On the nose, this wine was very fruity, jammy, with a smokey smell too.  The wine wasn't necessarily fruity, though there were hints of the Merlot grapes.  I thought there was definitely a raw bell pepper taste in the wine.

With Food? No

Tasting - Bricco Dei Tati Rosè

Name: Bricco Dei Tati Rosè

Variety: 100% Barbera

Region: Piedmont (Barbaresco DOC)

Country: Italy

Year: 2012

Price: $6.95

Shop Review: Fresh with aromas of strawberries, cherries, and rose petals, this an ideal wine with shellfish, salads, chicken, and appetizers

My Review: Unfortunately, I was swirling to hard, and a lot of this wine ended up on the table, so I wasn't able to get a full sniff.  On the nose, however, the wine almost smelt like metal, some sort of metallic smell, but it wasn't a gross smell.  The wine had a taste of strawberry and grains.

With Food? No

Tasting - Smoking Loon Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Smoking Loon Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: California

Country: United States

Year: 2009

Price: $7.95

Shop Review: This bleached blonde beauty is reminiscent of fresh green apples, pineapple and has hints of hibiscus blossoms. The concentration of zesty lemon and gooseberry fills your mouth leaving notes of thyme and melon behind. The bright acid in this wine gives you a zing while the fruit keeps your mouth watering for more. This wine pairs beautifully with a grilled prawn salad with a grapefruit vinaigrette, veggie spring rolls or grilled tilapia with mango salsa.

My Review: On the nose, this wine was very grapey and juicy.  Knowing Sauvignon Blancs have a history of "cat pee" smells, I was expecting the worst.  I wasn't too surprised about anything in this wine, it had a fairly bland taste.  There was a bit more flavor of fruit in the aftertaste.

With Food? No

Winery Visit - Black Ankle Vineyard

Me, Dad, Pat's mom, and Patrick in front of the tasting room

A few weeks ago, I, along with my dad, my boyfriend (who is also in this class) and his mom all went to Black Ankle Vineyards while visiting home for the weekend, in Mt. Airy, Maryland.

Black Ankle started in 2003 an old 146-acre farm property in Mt. Airy, where their first vintage year wasn't until 2006.  While on the tour, the guide said that the property was for sale because nothing would grow, and that was perfectly fine with the owners of Black Ankle, because that meant their vines would grow even better.

 

Early March -- no grapes yet!

Black Ankle is an estate winery, which means that all of the grapes used in their wines are grown on property.  Black Ankle has a different approach to planting their grape vines than other wineries; their vines are 6 feet between rows of vines, 3 feet between vines.  Most wineries plant their vines 10 feet between rows, 6 feet between vines.  These grapes are hand picked 6-7 times a year.  Due to this close planting, these grapes provide an exponentially higher sugar content, causing a higher alcohol content for their wines.  While most east coast grapes reach a sugar content level around 20%, Black Ankle is able to get their grapes to a level as high as 25-26%.

Black Ankle Vineyards were really eco-friendly.  They had cows on property who ate the skins of the grapes after they've been crushed, as well as chickens roaming freely, providing insect control.

The barreling house was also naturally insulated, made of mud and hay on the walls, and the building built with wood and stone found and grown almost exclusively on the property.

Outside of the newest addition of the fermentation building, where the barrels are stored

Black Ankle uses both French Oak barrels and South African Stainless Steel barrels to age their wine.  When we asked why the   Due to their rapid growth over the past few years, they recently added more on to the barreling house, now housing the oak barrels, while the stainless steel are stored in the original section.  They try to keep the house at 55 degrees, which unfortunately for us, was warmer than it was outside.

After the tour, we were able to taste wine at their tasting room, where they had a large bar, and lots of tables to enjoy wine, and tables outside as well (I'll definitely have to come back to visit this summer!)

It was super busy when we visited...even a bachelorette party was there!

 They offered light hor d'voeuvres, and we all split a cheese try to have with our wine after the tasting. (The cheese and bread was all local too, sticking with their eco friendly theme)

The wines we were able to taste were:

• 2011 Bedlam 58% Viognier, 39% Gruner Veltliner, 1% Albarino, 1% Chardonnay, 1% Muscat
• The 2011 Bedlam boasts a bright nose of spring flowers, honeysuckle, apricot and lavender.  Its silky and rounded texture compliments flavors of Asian pears, mineral, and white peach.  This is the first Bedlam since our 2006 vintage that was not co-fermented

• 2011 Passeggiata Syrah variety (Rose)
• With bright raspberry and vanilla on the nose, the 2011 Passeggiata's light to medium texture and body is food friendly and smooth.  Fermentation in French Oak brings hints of butterscotch and cedar supporting the lively fruit flavors of this unique wine.

• 2010 Rolling Hills 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot
• This bright, vibrant and full-bodied Bordeaux style blend opens with aromas of black currant, black cherry, and toasty vanilla spice followed by notes of sweet tobacco and cedar.  This vintage is rich and complex, outlined with clean and ripe flavors of cassis, black raspberry and cherry, finished with spice and eucalyptus.

•  2010 Leaf-Stone Syrah 100% Syrah
• Fans of the 2007 Leaf-Stone should be excited about this wine.  With a droughty summer and long hot fall, the resulting wine is rich with dark fruit and aromas of smoke, leather and tobacco.  It is ready to drink now, but should continue to age well into 2020.

Last few bottles of limited edition wines for sale

 Black Ankle is definitely an up and coming winery in Maryland, already holding multiple awards, including:

• 2011 Maryland Governor's Cup for Slate
• 2009 Maryland Governor's Cup for 2007 Crumbling Rock
• Best Syrah in the 2009 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition for 2007 Leaf-Stone Syrah
• 2008 Maryland Governor's Cup for 2006 Crumbling Rock

I can't wait to come back and visit this winery during the summer, sitting on the patio, and drinking a nice, local bottle of wine.

Tasting - Ruta 22 Malbec

Name: Ruta 22 Malbec

Variety: Malbec

Region: Patagonia

Country: Argentina

Year: 2011

Price: $7.95

Shop Review: Stout and dense from the beginning, with blackberry and violet aromas. Despite being a bold and dark Malbec, this is fresh and composed, with sweet blackberry and cassis flavors. Good on the finish, with candied fruit and caramel sweetness.

My Review: Honestly, the nose of this wine wasn't anything to write home about.  It just smelled like any other wine to me.  There was a chlorine taste to the wine, and it was definitely fruity, as the blackberries came through.  After the wine we had before this, though, I still couldn't get the barnyard theme out of my head, and had trouble really tasting this one.

With Food? No

Tasting - Château Serres Sainte Lucie Corbières

Name: Château Serres Sainte Lucie Corbières

Variety: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre

Region: Corbières

Country: France

Year: NV

Price: $4.95

Shop Review: Superb dark garnet color with a few reflections of dark orange. Intense nose of ripe fruits, spices, and roasted coffee. The palate is rounded and full, with silky matured tannins and hints of vanilla. This wine is rich and powerful with layers of tannins.

My Review: I don't know what the person who wrote the review was thinking, but this wine smelt straight up like a barnyard.  Like a mix of horse poo and hay.  Maybe that's why I was so afraid to go ahead and taste it afterwards.  The wine was bitter, with very little fruit flavor to it.  I felt that it was really acidic, but there was also a floral component to it.

With Food? No

Tasting - Cresta Azul

Name: Cresta Azul

Variety: Moscatel, Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel-lo

Region: Aguja

Country: Spain

Year: NV

Price: $5.95

Shop Review: Peach, orange cream and vanilla flavors mingle in this softly bubbly white. Off-dry, but with crisp acidity and a clean finish.

My Review: A floral, perfumy scent to this wine, it has an effervescent body.  The wine tasted like a juice, with flavors of apple and pear.

With Food? No

Tasting - Veleta Tempranillo Rosado

Name: Veleta Tempranillo Rosado

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: Granada

Country: Spain

Year: 2010

Price: $3.95

Shop Review: Fresh in flavor and crisp in texture, this dry rosé offers berry, tart cherry and light herbal flavors, with firm acidity and a clean finish. Focused and juicy.

My Review: Tart and fruity, this wine was very similar to the Brut Vino we tried before.  Perhaps its mostly the same wine?  While I haven't been a big fan of Tempranillos, I did like the rose version.

With Food? No

Tasting - Veleta Brut Vino Espumoso Rosado

Name: Veleta Brut Vino Espumoso Rosado

Variety: Blended

Region: Granada

Country: Spain

Year: NV

Price: $3.95

Shop Review: Rosé salmon with copper reflections. Slow rising fine bubble that forms “lace” and “rosary”. In the nose is complex and elegant with red fruit, citric, exotic, fresh flowers, and notes of dry fruits and dry flowers. Fresh, gentle, and alive. Perfectly integrated “perlage” with serious and subtle flavors of dry fruits, pomegranate and lemonade. Long lasting scent of flowers and herbs.

My Review: Spicy tones on the nose, with some floral hints as well.  If you ask me, it honestly thought this wine smelt like skunk.  A floral tasting wine, very similar to a champagne since it has a bitter bite.

With Food? No

Tasting - Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz

Name: Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz

Variety: Shiraz

Region: South Eastern Australia

Country: Australia

Year: NV

Price: $9.95

Shop Review: A relatively light, fresh style of sparkling Shiraz, with berries and hints of chocolate picking up just a touch of sweet vanilla on the finish.

My Review: I don't think I've ever had a sparkling Shiraz before.  I really liked this wine.  Even though there is no hints to this in the provided review, I felt the wine smelt like citrus, but maybe that was the C02.  The berry flavor was present, though I felt the sparkling aspect took away from the wine's taste.

With Food? No

Tasting - Tres Ojos Garnacha

Name: Tres Ojos Garnacha

Variety: Grenache

Region: Calatayud

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $6.95

Shop Review: This wine has a brick red color with a bouquet of red raspberries, spice, and white pepper.  The palate is incredibly concentrated and rich.  The modern styles of Garnacha in Spain are continuously being perceived worldwide as wines of extraordinarily good quality.  This wine is fruity, juicy, and shows great depth, ripe tannins, length, but yet with wonderful elegance and lightness.  Enjoy with sausages, roasted meats, aged cheeses, etc.

My Review: On the nose, this wine came off as spicy.  A bit buttery in the mouth, you could definitely pick out the raspberries.  This wine had a bitter aftertaste.

With Food? No

Tasting - Montebuena

Name: Montebuena

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: Rioja

Country: Spain

Year: 2010

Price: $8.95

Shop Review: Ripe cherry and black currant on the nose and in the mouth.  Pliant and seamless in texture with good heft and back end energy.  Finishes smooth and sweet with fine grained tannins providing shape and grip.  Still on the young side, but this wine drinks very will with an hour or so of decanting; it's an excellent value for Rioja.

My Review: On the nose, this wine smells like a stick of butter.  The aftertaste of this wine is spicy and dry.  The currants come through in the mouth.  Perhaps this wine would have been better had we followed the decanting recommendation.

With Food? No

Tasting - Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence

Name: Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence

Variety: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault

Region: Provence

Country: France

Year: 2011

Price: $8.95

Shop Review: Bright salmon pink; typical of the fresh but warm Provence style.  Refined and complex on the nose, with summer and floral notes.  Dry and crisp, with a delicate flavor and full texture.

My Review: While this wine is classified as a rose, it looks extremely much more white than other rose wines; there was no pink tint really at all.  On the nose, the wine smelt like a mixture of grass and feet.  It had a sugary sweet taste with a floral overtone.

With food? No

Tasting - Canyon Road Chardonnay

Name: Canyon Road Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: California

Country: United States of America

Year: 2011

Price: $6.95

Shop Review: Medium-bodied wine with notes of crisp apple and ripe citrus fruit with a hint of cinnamon spice.  Delicious complement to grilled chicken, lighter pasta dishes or mild cheeses.

My Review: I actually had bought this wine a few weeks ago after a tasting due to its low price.  I really liked this wine, and you can definitely get the apple notes on the nose.  The wine tasted slightly oaked, as there was a slight buttery flavor, and there were hints of pear as well.

With Food?: No

Tasting - Potluck Sweet Malbec

Name: Potluck Sweet Malbec

Variety: Malbec

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2010

Price: $7.95

Shop Review: Deep red brilliant with violet hints. Complex, fruity, and predominant red fruits. Easy to drink, round with persistent sweetness, very well balanced with sweet tannins.

My Review: I really enjoyed this wine.  There was a buttery taste in this wine along with the sweet flavor.  You could definitely taste the berries, especially a cherry taste, that helped add to the sweet flavor of the wine.

With Food? No

Tasting - Domaine de Grange de Payan

Name: Domaine de Grange de Payan

Variety: Grenache (mostly)

Region: Côtes du Rhône

Country: France

Year: 2011

Price: $8.95

Shop Review: Intensely spicy and precise, with lively red berry flavors and a hint of black pepper. The Grenache, which makes up the majority of the wine, is deeper and more powerful, offering cherry and black raspberry qualities lifted by zesty minerality.

My Review: I didn't know wine could be this spicy!  Even on the nose, you could pick up the spices in this wine.  There was a very complex taste to this wine, with a very peppery overtone.  The aftertaste of this wine was very bitter and tart.

With Food? No

Tasting - Tinto Figaro

Name: Tinto Figaro

Variety: Garnacha

Region: Calatayud

Country: Spain

Year: 2009

Price: $6.95

Winery Review: Figaro is 100% Garnacha, made from a selection of the best grapes grown in the oldest vineyards. While not truly an "oaked wine", a short stay in oak barrels provides a nice spicy flavor boost. Bright violet. Dark berry and cherry aromas show a jammy aspect. Supple and gently sweet, with good lift to its black raspberry and boysenberry flavors. Smooth and broad on the finish, leaving behind a hint of spiciness. Extremely easy to drink and an excellent value.

My Review: Hello oaked flavor!  You could definitely taste the buttery, oak-y flavor from the first sip of this wine.  There was also a hing of raspberry.  This wine was dry.

With Food? No

Tasting - Maipe Malbec Rose

Name: Maipe Malbec Rose

Variety: Malbec

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2011

Price: $7.95

Winery Review: Intense pink color with violet hints. Fresh red fruit bouquet, strawberry and cherry flavors, balanced acidity, dry and lingering finish. Excellent with tuna or green salad, pasta, spicy Asian dishes.

My Review: This wine was different than other rose wines I have tried in the past.  There was an acidic flavor, even in the nose, of berries.  The taste was sweet up front, but left a bitter aftertaste, again keeping an acidic taste in your mouth.

With Food? No

Tasting - Cortenova Pinot Grigio

Name: Cortenova Pinot Grigio

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region: Veneto

Country: Italy

Year: 2012

Price: $7.95

Shop Review: Brilliant straw color with emerald reflections. Fresh and floral bouquet with a hint of pears, apricots and bananas. Fresh and inviting with bright fruit and an easy drinking style with a pleasing hint of almonds in the aftertaste.  Pairs well with seafood dishes, risottos with scampi, spaghetti with clams, sole in white wine Perfect also as an aperitif.

My Review: At first sniff, this wine reminded me a lot of champagne, with a hint of a pear scent.  The wine seemed a bit buttery, perhaps meaning there was oaking at some point?  There also seemed to be a slight acidity, perhaps an apple type flavor.

With Food? No

Tasting - Monte Aman

Name: Monte Aman

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: Arlanza

Country: Spain

Year: 2009

Price: $5.95

Shop Review: Inky ruby. Ripe cherry and plum on the nose. Smooth and fleshy, with deep dark fruit flavors complicated by bitter chocolate and anise. A spicy quality adds lift and focus to the weighty fruit. Offers an appealing mix of power and energy and drinks very well right now.

My Review: This wine tasted very acidic to me.  I haven't been a fan of the Tempranillo wines so far, and stand by this feeling with this wine as well.  There was an oak flavor to the wine, and the plum fruit flavor stood out with the grapes.

With Food?: No