21 Feb Tasting - Morada Sangria

Name: Morada Sangria
Variety: Sangria
Region: Spain Country
Country: Spain
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $4.95

Wine 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% alcohol. 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, and apple. 

My Review: Super sugary. The color was a nice light red, but I mean, it was essentially juice.  7% alcohol? And 85 grams of sugar? Yeah, it smelled like that sounds...like candy.  It reminded me of sweet tarts without the tarts...so just sweet.  Not for me, the sangrias I've liked have tasted more like wine and less like  sweets, but maybe someone else likes this stuff better.

I did not have food with this.

21 Feb Tasting - Lost Vineyards Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Lost Vineyards Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: 60% Shiraz, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Argentina Country
Country: Argentina
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $4.95

Wine 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 with hamburgers or a steak rather than stand alone. 

My Review: Like the last one, I felt like it had a black licorice smell.  I like black licorice so I liked both of these wines.  I was curious to see how the shiraz and the cab sauv would work together, and I think this was actually a really good one.  Like the last one, I would want to try it again, and for $4.95, I might go back and pick up a bottle.

I did not have food with this.

21 Feb Tasting - Villa Pozzi Nero D'Avola

Name: Villa Pozzi Nero D' Avola
Variety: Nero D' Avola
Region: Sicily
Country: Italy
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95

Wine 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.

My Review: Nice dark red plum color to this wine.  Most apparent to me on the nose was the black licorice smell.  The mouth-feel was pretty astringent, but not too bad.  I was glad to try this grape variety since I had never tried it.  The most apparent flavors were the licorice and plums.  Overall a good wine that I would love to try again, I rated this 8 out of 10 and it was my favorite wine of this tasting.

No food with this one.

21 Feb Tasting - Tres Ojos Rose

Name: Tres Ojos Rose
Variety: 50% Tempranillo, 50% Garnacha
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2009
Price: $1.95

Wine 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. 

My Review: $1.95 a bottle.  So far the cheapest wine we've tasted, but still not awful.  I got a strawberry flavor on the nose, and other than that it was just kind of an alcohol flavor that were the most present.  And it was 14.5% alcohol , so that was also something that was pretty noticeable in the taste.  The cherry flavor was also noticeable, but not really powerful.  For 1.95, we ended up buying a case....even though it wasn't necessarily our favorite.  but it's cheaper than 40s, so we decided we would buy some.

Since we had a case of it, we had a chance to try it with some cheddar cheese, some feta cheese, and some Mediterranean blend  of cheese.  It softened the stronger alcohol flavors a bit, but still nothing special.  not bad though...because it was $1.95.

21 Feb Tasting - Les Perles Piquepoul

Name: Les Perles Piquepoul
Variety: Piquepoul
Region: Cotes de Thau
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $7.95

Wine 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. 

My Review: This was a nice white for this week; it had an appealing nectarine flavor on the nose.  It had a light yellow color, and both the apple and nectarine flavors came through in the taste.  Overall pretty satisfying, and I gave it a 7 out of 10.

No food with this, but it would be nice with a picnic.

14 Feb Tasting - Gabriella Chianti

Name: Gabriella Chianti
Variety: Chianti Blend
Region: Tuscany
Country: Italy
Year: 2008
Price: $7.95

Wine 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. 

My Review: I haven't had many Chianti wines so I was excited to try it.  As my friend pointed out, it had an aroma like a brand new shoe, which I found really unique; it's always interesting to experience smells that you wouldn't expect from grapes.  It was a really smooth wine, very drinkable, and I felt like this one also had a cocoa flavor.  Decent wine, but nothing really special for me.  

I did not have food with this.

Name: Lavarini Valpolicella Classico
Variety: 65% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella, 10% Molinara
Region: Valpolicella
Country: Italy
Year: 2010
Price: $6.95

Wine 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.

My Review: This wine had a really pungent, spicy nose, and also what seemed to me to be almost a cocoa smell.  I was intrigued by this one because I had never tried any of these grapes...of course, since it was a kind of motley blend, I didn't really identify any specific flavors that I think would define these grapes.  I'll have to try some varietals again to see if any flavors really stand out in the varietal.  The taste was kind of unexpected, I found it to be a smoky, barbecue flavor.  It was almost too smoky though, and not necessarily what I hoped for.  

I did not have food with this, but frankly, it might be cool to try this one with some barbecued steak or something.

14. Feb Tasting - Dom de Mirail Cabernet/Merlot Rose

Name: Dom De Mirail Cabernet/Merlot Rose
Variety: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot
Region: Gascony
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $5.95

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

My Review: Nice light pink color to this rosé, but I didn't care for the nose at all - to me it smelled like diapers, which is something I've experienced before with rosé wines.  After the nose I wasn't looking forward to the tasting, and it was pretty much what I expected.  It had a playground-wood chip and dirt flavor, so really not my thing.  Of all the wine we tasted today, this was my least favorite.  

I did not have food with this.

14 Feb Tasting - Norton Torrontes

Name: Norton Torrontes
Variety: Torrontes
Region: Mendoz
Country: Argentina
Year: 2011
Price: $5.95

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

My Review: This wine had a really distinct floral nose and despite the fruit flavor, it was a dry white.  The clearest smell on the nose was the white peach flavor, which came through on the taste as well.  Even though I haven't gotten really get excited about whites, I was really pleased with this one, and I would probably give it a 7 out of 10.  We ended up getting a Norton Torrontes, but from 2008 rather than the 2011 that we tasted, so I'm eager to see how I like it.  

I did not have food with this.

14. Feb Tasting - Dibon Cava

Name: Dibon Cava
Variety: 45% Macabeo, 25% Xarel-lo, 30% Parellada
Region: Penedes
Country: Spain
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $9.95

Wine 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.

My Review: The first wine we tasted this week was a sparkling brut reserve wine.  It had a nice honey smell and in that respect I was expecting a slight sweetness, but it was actually dry.  It had a mild fruit flavor, kind of like apple.  On a scale from 1-10 I found this one to be a 5.  

No food with this one.

Feb 7th Tasting - Opera Prima Pink Moscato

Name: Opera Prima Pink Moscato
Variety: 97% Muscat, 3% Tempranillo
Region: Spain
Country: Spain
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $5.95

Wine Shop Review: This fine sparkling presents an 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 its own, as an aperitif or with all types of sweets and desserts.

My Review: Light pink color to this one, which kind of foreshadowed the sweetness.  I thought the smell was really powerful, a great grapefruit flavor, but it was as if it had brown sugar all over the grapefruit.  I enjoyed the smell, but I knew that when it came down to it, it was going to be sweet, and I was right - super, excessively, verging on syrupy sweet.  Moscato has never been my thing, and while I liked the nose (especially if it had been juice), it was just too sweet for me.

I did not have this with food.

Feb 7th Tasting - Black Opal Chiraz

Name: Black Opal Shiraz
Variety: 100% Shiraz
Region: South Eastern Australia
Country: Australia
Year: 2011
Price: $5.95

Wine 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 spce followed with rich plum flavors round out the palate. Soft tannins give structure to the fruit-driven palate. 

My Review: I thought this one was great - it had a dark violet plum-like color to it.  We even bought a bottle of this, and we had a chance to try it in 2 different glasses, a champagne glass, and a bordeaux glass.  We all agreed that there was a real difference in aroma, coming through much stronger in the bordeaux glass.  Nice dark fruit flavors came through (particularly in the bigger glass) and I felt like this had a caramel taste to it as well.  Really good red wine, I was happy that we had a chance to try it again and drink a full glass as opposed to just the tasting.  

I did not have this with food.

Feb 7th Tasting - Sokol Blosser Meditrina

Name: Sokol Blosser Meditrina
Variety: 50% Syrah, 22% Zinfandel, 8% Pinot Noir
Region: Oregon
Country: USA
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $7.95

Wine 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. 

My Review: This one did not really make a huge impression with me - I got a decent cherry flavor from the nose, which also came through in the tasting most prominently.  This also had kind of a musty quality to it which I found pretty nice. Overall a decent, drinkable wine.

I did not have this with food.

Feb 7th Wine Tasting - Wine Men of Gotham Chardonnay/Semillion

Name: Wine Men of Gotham Chardonnay/Semillion
Variety: 80% Chardonnay; 20% Semillion
Region: South Australia
Country: Australia
Year: 2008
Price:$5.95

Wine Shop Review: Gotham's 2008 Wine Men of Gotham Chardonnay Semillion is a blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Semillion. 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. 

My Review: This chardonnay had a slightly darker gold color than the Riesling we tasted today, possibly fermented in oak giving it the darker color.  With regards to the nose, there was an apparent butterscotch aroma, and a really light melon quality as well.  This was somewhat different from other chardonnays that I've tasted, probably because of the 20% semillion - I felt like this one had a hollow taste, not quite as full of a chardonnay kick that I like.  Great label though.

I tried this at a tasting bar, and I did not have any food with it.  

Feb 7th Wine Tasting - Beringer Riesling

Name: Beringer Riesling

Variety: 100% Riesling

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2009

Price: $5.95

Wine 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.

My Review: Personally I’m not a big Riesling fan, so I wasn’t that jazzed about this one to begin with.  Unexpectedly though, I liked this one more than I initially thought I would; it wasn’t quite as sweet as some other Rieslings that I’ve had.  Very light, pale yellow color to this white wine.  A nice peach aroma came out pretty clearly on the nose, and that combined with a light honeysuckle flavor taste.  I don’t usually get in to the sweeter wines, but I would drink this one again.

Didn’t have this one with any food.