Tasting - Morada Sangria

Morada Sangria

Variety:  Sangria

Region:  N/A

Country:  Spain

Year:  NV

Price:  $4.95

Shop Review:  Morada Sangria is a traditional Spanish drink made with red wine and citrus extracts. Garnet color and fresh on the palate. Pasteurization preserves the color, aromas and flavors. 7% Alc. It is a very refreshing Sangria with around 85 grams of sugar. Sangria is now one of the hottest items in the beverage industry and it's growing exponentially year to year. Serve well chilled, on its own or with lemonade and slices of fruit like peach, banana or apple.

Personal Review:  Smell is intoxicating of multiple fruits.  Tastes of lemons and many, many fruits.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

 

Tasting - Lost Vineyards Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon

Lost Vineyards Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety:  60% Shiraz 40% Cabernet Sauvignon

Region:  N/A

Country:  Argentina

Year:  NV

Price:  $3.95

Shop Review:  It is dry and contains subtle tobacco undertones with a black licorice, cherry, scent. The oak is in the background. Would pair well hamburger or a steak rather than stand alone.

Personal Review:  Powerful Smell.  Awful, oak taste.  Tobacco taste on finish is horrible.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

 

Tasting - Villa Pozzi Nero D'Avola

Villa Pozzi Nero D'Avola

Variety:  D'Avola

Region:  Sicily

Country:  Italy

Year:  2010

Price:  $8.95

Shop Review:  Very dark purple, with a reddish-violet edge, typical of this grape. Black plums, a hint of licorice and subtle spice, not overly complex but appealing. A big mouth full of juicy black fruit is well structured by tart acidity and soft but distinct tannins.

Personal Review:  Smells of banana and berries.  Bitter slightly, but also dry.  Tastes and smells very similar to a dark red from another week.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

 

Tasting - Tres Ojos Rose

Tres Ojos Rose

Variety:  50%Tempranillo 50% Garnacha

Region:  Calatayud

Country:  Spain

Year:  2009

Price:  $3.95

Shop Review:  This medium rose-colored rosado boasts a spicy red cherry/plum nose with a soft lush attack of red berry fruit flavors and a crisp dry finish. Simple and refreshing and a natural for tapas.

Personal Review:  Smells sweet and perfumesque.  Taste of berries and bitter, but less so in second taste, which is okay.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

Tasting - Les Perles Piquepoul

Les Perles Piquepoul

Variety:  Piquepoul

Region:  Cotes de Thau

Country:  France

Year:  2011

Price:  $7.95

Shop Review:  Light and young, this is a straightforward but enjoyable selection that would be an ideal match for light fare such as grilled chicken salads or fluke. Apple flesh, nectarine, and sweet citrus oil aromas and flavors appear on the nose and palate, while the short finish is infused with a flavor of green melon rind.

Personal Review:  Light, fresh smell.  Not too dry.  Apple and citrus taste with a short finish.  Actually rather tasty.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

Tasting - Gabriella Chianti

Gabriella Chianti 

Variety:  Chianti

Region:  Tuscany

Country:  Italy

Year:  2008

Price:  $7.95

Shop Review:  This beautiful wine has the very deep red, almost purple, color that you would expect in a Chianti. The first thing you notice is the fruit, balanced by a bit of spice. It’s a good dry wine with a bold flavor. Even with it’s boldness, this Chianti is velvety smooth.

Personal Review:  Smell is kind of overpowering but can't place it, almost alcoholic.  Absolutely awful.  Dry and leaves feeling parched.  Definitely taste of spice but bad.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

Tasting - Lavarini Valpolicella Classico

Lavarini Valpolicella Classico

Variety:  65% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella and10% Molinara

Region:  Valpolicella Classico

Country:  Italy

Year:  2010

Price:  $6.95

Shop Review:  The red ruby color and the dry taste give this wine joviality and cordiality. It is fresh and fruity, with lovely strawberry and cherry aromas and flavors, with nice spice and a silky texture.

Personal Review:  Awful.  Smells kind of good and warm.  But is too dry and not fresh and fruity like the description.  Extensively dry aftertaste after a few sips.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

Tasting - Dom de Mirail Cabernet/Merlot Rose

Dom de Mirail Cabernet/Merlot Rose

Variety:  Cabernet/Merlot Rose

Region:  Cotes de Gascogne

Country:  France

Year:  2011

Price:  $5.95

Shop Review:  There is a fresh, crisp character to this light rosé. It is eye-watering in its refreshing character, with balancing acidity, smoothing out the edges with a touch of caramel.

Personal Review:  Smells like hints of dirty diaper (not kidding).  Taste is much less sweet than expected based on the varietal.  Tinge of acidity but kind of watery in taste.  Didn't get the caramel taste at all.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

 

Tasting - Norton Torrontes

Norton Torrontes

Variety:  Torrontes

Region:  Mendoz

Country:  Argentina

Year:  2011

Price:  $5.95

Shop Review:  Greenish yellow with hints of gold, this Torrontés has intense aromas of white peach, rose petal, and jasmine. Norton Torrontés 2011 is pleasant and well balanced on the palate.

Personal Review:  Smells like jasmine and tastes dry, but not terribly try.  Can't quite place taste.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

 

Tasting - Dibon Cava

Dibon Cava

Variety:  Xarel-lo, Parellada and Macabeo

Region:  Barcelona

Country:  Spain

Year:  NV

Price:  $9.95

Shop Review:  The nose offers regal yeast and richness, while the palate has complexity to prop up apple, citrus and grapefruit flavors. Solid from front to back, with health and freshness.

Personal Review:  Smells citrusy.  A little tart but overall not bad.  I didn't think I could like tart in a wine, but with the taste of this wine is seems promising because of the good blend of tart with other flavor (I tasted mainly apple and citrus).

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

Tasting - Opera Prima Pink Moscato

Opera Prima Pink Moscato

Variety:  Muscat

Region:  La Mancha

Country:  Spain

Year:  NV

Price:  $5.95

Shop Review:   This fine sparkling presents and intense aroma of fresh berries and tropical fruits with hints of white flavor petals. Delicate bubbles caress the palate offering a silky and pleasant sweetness well balanced by a crisp, refreshing finish. Ideal on it own, as an aperitif or with all types of sweets and desserts.

Personal Review:  Smells of exotic flower petals.  Pleasant taste and experience of bubbly that makes it seem less sweet.  However, more semblance to a softer soda than a good wine and something I would drink but not purchase myself.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

 

Tasting - Black Opal Shiraz

Black Opal Shiraz

Variety:  Syrah

Region:  South Eastern Australia

Country:  Australia

Year:  2011

Price:  $5.95

Shop Review:  The Black Opal wines are sourced from vineyards found in South Australia along the Limestone Coast, at Langhorne Creek and in the infamous Barossa Valley. Black Opal Shiraz is rich red in the glass. Aromas of blackberry, pepper and spice followed with rich plum flavors round out the palate. Soft tannins give structure to the fruit-driven palate.

Personal Review:  Same deep red, rich color as the Sokol Blosser Meditrina.  Smells of blackberries but has an overwhelmingly pepper taste that takes over the entire wine.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

 

Tasting - Sokol Blosser Meditrina

Sokol Blosser Meditrina

Variety:  Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel

Region:  Willamette Valley, Oregon

Country:  United States

Year:  NV

Price:  $7.95

Shop Review:   It's created from the finest Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Zinfandel. The taste is lush and velvety with expressive notes of raspberry and cherry. It pairs nicely with pasta and anything off the grill.

Personal Review:  A deep red wine that smells fantastic.  Full of raspberry aromas and not too bitter on the taste for a red, but still not something that I would buy myself (or maybe just to smell it!).

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

Tasting - Wine Men of Gotham Chardonnay Semillon

Wine Men of Gotham Chardonnay Semillon

Variety:  Chardonnay/Semillon

Region:  South Australia

Country:  Australia

Year:  2008

Price:  $5.95

Shop Review:  Gotham’s 2008 Wine Men of Gotham Chardonnay Semillon is a blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Semillon. It gives a moderate intensity of melon, guava, apricot and butterscotch aromas. The medium bodied palate provides attractive acidity along with plenty of tropical fruit flavors and a medium-long finish.

Personal Review:  When I heard Australian take on the Chardonnay Semillon blend I was intrigued but was quickly disappointed upon smelling it.  It smelled like I would not like it and I did not.  It was bitter and the aromas and tastes of butterscotch mixed with melon and apricot were confusing and did not complement each other well.  I am not sure what the guava did to this as I do not know what guava tastes or smells like.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

 

Tasting - Beringer Riesling

Beringer Riesling

Variety:  Riesling

Region:  Napa Valley, California

Country:  United States

Year:  2009

Price:  $5.95

Shop Review:  This wine is the perfect balance of honeysuckle and bright peach flavors. A perfect  compliment to light fare, appetizers, or just sharing with friends.

Personal Review:  The smell is very distinct, but hard to put your finger on (not exactly like honeysuckle or peach).  It actually tastes like honeysuckle though, however I did not like the blend in wine form.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

Tasting - Primo Amore Moscato Puglia

Primo Amore Moscato Puglia

Variety:  Muscat

Region:  Puglia

Country:  Italy

Year:  2012

Price:  $10.95

Shop Review:  On the nose subtle shadings of white stone, peach and honey make this a fresh, no-fuss wine that goes fantastic on a hot afternoon.  On the palate this delightfully sweet Moscato with flavors of pear and Golden Delicious apple backed by honey and stone fruit offers sweet texture and a fine point of acidity on the close that breaks through the rich sweetness.

***NOT the Moscato from the list (Bartenura Moscato Italy, 2010, Spain) because they ran out.  However, clerk this new Moscato was better than the original.

Personal Review:  Fruity and creamy aroma.  Tastes of peaches and cream with other subtle indistinguishable flavors.  Most delicious wine I've had to this date and thus purchased a bottle to sample again later.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

tasting - Finca del Castillo Tempranillo

Finca del Castillo Tempranillo

Variety:  Tempranillo

Region:  La Mancha

Country:  Spain

Year:  2011

Price:  $4.95

Shop Review:   Rooty, spicy and baked on the nose, with aromas that lean towards raisin. The palate is more gritty and acidic, with raisin, cola, and spic flavors. Darkens up on the finish, which is long and peppery, with adequate juiciness and a final note of tomato.

Personal Review:  Bitter, but better than the La Cappuccina Soave, Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau, and Mars and Venus Chardonnay.  Could not quite place the aroma, but in hindsight possibly because raisins do not have a strong fragrance.  Root esque taste that was pleasant, but the ending flavor was not as good.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

Tasting - Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Variety:  Gamay

Region:  Beaujolias, Eastern France

Country:  France

Year:  2012

Price:  $3.95

Shop Review:  Bright and tangy, offering a classic banana note on the nose, with flavors of raspberry, wild strawberry and light spice. Modest finish.

Personal Review:  Smells much better than it tastes.  Aroma of bananas that was very pleasant.  However, taste is not smooth.  Left a feeling/texture in the mouth like after eating a banana (unpleasant, kind of like a film covering).

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

Tasting - Mars and Venus Chardonnay

Mars and Venus Chardonnay

Variety:  100% Chardonnay

Region:  Central Valley

Country: Chile

Year:  2011

Price:  $5.95

Shop Review:  A very nice value Chardonnay that comfortably over-delivers vs. its modest price tag. No oak here, just bushels of clean, crisp, Chardonnay apple and stone fruit with a hint of caramelized pineapple. Juicy and clean, this is a mid-weight white that's just perfect for parties or weeknight sipping.

Personal Review:  Could not place the aroma.  Grape taste was not good.  Too bitter.  Could not taste the apple and stone, nor the pineapple.  Generally disliked all around.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food

Tasting- La Cappuccina Soave

La Cappuccina Soave

Variety:  100% Garganega

Region:  Veneto (Soave)

Country:  Italy

Year:  2011

Price:  $7.95

Shop Review:  Bright straw yellow in color. Delicate on the nose, with notes of flowers and almonds. Dry, well-structured and delicately fruity, with hints of bitter almonds on the finish that is typical of Garganega-based wines.

Personal Review:  Slightly floral aroma.  Any fruitiness was overtaken by the far too bitter end.  Not sure if I got the hint of almond at all or if the almond was the bitterness I tasted and I just could attach it to almond.

Food Paring:  Not tasted with food