Tasting: Emeri de Bortoli

• Name: Emeri de Bortoli
• Variety: Sparkling Shiraz
• Country: Australia
• Region: South East
• 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: This wine is a very dark red color. It is very carbonated (a bit too carbonated for me) and smelled of dark berry. The mid taste was specifically raspberry and blackberry. I tasted chocolate truffle on the finish.

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting: Tres Ojos Garnacha

• Name: Tres Ojos Garnacha
• Variety: Garnacha
• 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 a gread depth, ripe tannins, length but yet with wonderful elegance and lightness. Enjoy with sausages, roasted meats, aged cheeses ect.

My Review: This wine has a high alcohol content at 14.5%. It has a fruity and fig smell with a sweeter mid taste and an almost vegetal finish. There were so many tastes in this wine, however they complemented each other well. If all of these flavors had been present throughout the tasting I would not have liked it, but they came one after another, complementing each other nicely and smoothing out the alcohol.

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting: Montebuena

• Name: Montebuena
• Variety: Tempranillo
• Region: Rioja
• Year: 2010
• Country: Spain
• Price: $8.95

Shop Review: 100% tempranillo. Ripe cherry and blackcurrant 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 well with an hour or so of decanting; it’s an excellent value for Rioja.

My Review: This wine is 14% alcohol but did not taste that strong. It has a candy apple and dark cherry nose. I tasted an almost yogurt taste on the finish with not as much of a mid taste as I would have expected. Thus it was not as rounded out as I would have liked. It was not decanted, so maybe that would have changed my opinion.

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting: Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence

• Name: Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence
• Year: 2011
• Price: $8.95
• Region: Provence
• Country: France
• Variety: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsoult

Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault. Bring salmon pink; typical or the fresh but warm Provence style. Refined and complex on the nose, with summer fruit and floral notes. Dry and crisp, with a delicate flavor and full texture.

My Review: The color of this wine is almost clear, one of the lightest pinks I have seen in a wine. This wine had a very sugary smell. I tasted honey and flowers in the mid taste. It had a short finish. 

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting: Canyon Road Chardonnay

• Name: Canyon Road
• Variety: Chardonnay
• Region: California
• Year: 2011
• Country: United States
• 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: There were hints of ripe pear on the nose. I found the wine to be lightly acidic, but still well balanced. I definitely tasted a light oak in the finish. 

I did not try this wine with food

Tasting: Potluck Sweet Malbec

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• Name: Potluck Sweet Malbec
• Variety: Malbec
• Region: Mendoza
• Year: 2010
• Country: Argentina
• Price: $7.95

My Review: I smelled a strawberry and cherry scent. I had never had a sweet malbec and I thought that the combination of dry and sweet was very interesting. There was almost a V8 juice flavor combination on the mid palate. I defnitiely liked it more than a bitter malbec.

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.

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting: Domaine de Grange de Payan

• Name: Domaine de Grange de Payan
• Variety: Blended, Grenache
• Region: Côtes du Rhône
• Year: 2011
• Country: France
• Price: $8.95

My Review: I smelled a spice and another scent I could not place, possibly vegetal. I was surprised when a berry flavor came through on the mid taste. This wine was full bodied and the finish was a bit more earthy.

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. 

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting: Tinto Figaro

• Name: Tinto Figaro
• Variety: Garnacha
• Region: Calatayud
• Year: 2009
• Country: Spain
• Price: $6.95

My Review: This wine had a blackberry scent that I expected from the dark purple color. I tasted a surprising spice on the mid palate. The finish was very smooth.

Shop 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.

I did not try this wine with food but I would have liked it with a red sauce pasta dish.

Tasting: Maipe Malbec Rose

• Name: Maipe Malbec Rosé
• Variety: Malbec Rose
• Region: Mendoza
• Year: 2011
• Country: Argentina
• Price: $7.95

My Review: The smell of this wine was light and sweet with  some cherry and berry scents. I almost smelled a bubble gum scent as well. It tasted very similar to the smell with definite strawberry. The finish had a bit of plum in it. I did like the combination of sweet and dry finish however this wine was a bit too sweet for my taste.

Shop 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.

I did not try this wine with food but I thought it would be nice by itself or with brunch.

Tasting: Cortenova Pino Grigio

 

• Name: Cortenova
• Variety: Pinot Grigio
• Region: Veneto
• Year: 2012
• Country: Italy
• Price: $7.95

My Review: I was attracted to the color of this wine as I usually like a light crisp looking pino grigio. It was floral on the nose, with hints of carnation. The mid taste had a subtle lemon taste. There was a short but refreshing finish. This wine would be nice on a hot summer day.

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.

I did not try this wine with food, but it would nice with some melon, a light salad, or shrimp scampi.

Tasting: Monte Aman

• Name: Monte Aman
• Variety: Tempranillo
• Region: Arlanza
• Country: Spain
• Year: 2009
• Price: $5.95

My Review: I smelled a black cherry and currant on the nose. The palette was surprisingly strong. It had an almost vegetable taste with some peppery spice. The finish was sweeter with the toasted vanilla flavor from the oaking coming through. This wine has many different flavors that I thought clashed a bit.

Shop Review: Fermentation of selected grapes in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature. Aging in American oak casks for 5 months followed by 3 months in the bottle before being released in the market. 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.

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting: Corenova

• Name: Cortenova
• Variety: Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo
• Region: Veneto
• Country: Italy
• Year: 2010
• Price: $6.95

My Review: This wine has a light berry scent with a blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry mid taste. It is lightly acidic, and a bit dry. The finish was well balanced, the acidity was not overwhelming.

Shop Review: Deep ruby red color with violet highlights and a pleasant and fruity bouquet. Full bodied, soft tannins and good acidity. Excellent with pasta dishes and red meats.

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting: Maipe Chardonnay

• Name: Maipe Chardonnay
• Variety: 85% Chardonnay, 15% Viognier
• Region: Mendoza
• Country: Argentina
• Year: 2012
• Price: $7.95

My Review: I smelled green and sour apple scents, the pear that I smelled was more of the rind than the fruit. There was very little acidity. The finish was full and the flavor lasted for awhile. I have had Maipe Pinot Grigio before and did not like it, but I actually enjoyed the Chardonnay.

Shop Review: 30% malolactic fermentation, 30% was aged in French oak barrels. Brilliant yellow golden color with green hints. The wine is crisp and filled with white peach, pear, green apples flavors, toasty vanilla. Elegant and luscious wine, well balanced. Crisp and long finish. Pairs well with creamy soups, pork, veal, vegetables.

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting: Villa d' Orvieto

• Name: Villa d’ Orvieto
• Variety: blend of Grechetto, Procanico (Trebbiano), and Malvasia.
• Region: Umbria
• Country: Italy
• Year: 2011
• Price: $6.95

My Review: I barely smelled anything on the nose. There are hints of citrus and orange in the mid taste. I found this wine a bit watery, but it was easy to drink and finished smoothly.

Shop Review:Fresh and crisp, it has a beautiful, floral bouquet. It is wonderful with appetizers, fish, chicken, and salads.

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting: Dibon Cava Brut

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

My Review: This wine has a peachy smell. I did pick up the floral smell, but it was one of a honeysuckle. The carbonation was overwhelming for me. I know there was a sweet flavor underneath it, but I could not detect that. The finish was dry and shorter than I expected.

Shop Review: Light gold with plenty of bubbles, this wine has aromas of apples and pears with pleasant floral notes. Crisp and light-bodied on the palate, stone fruit flavors are accompanied by a mild minerality and balanced acidity. A delicious sparkler for a great price!

I did not try this wine with food.