Name: Emeri de Bortoli
Variety: Sparkling Shiraz
Region: Southeastern
Country: Australia
Year: NV
Price: $9.95
Winery 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. - Vintage
Cellar 3/28/2013
My Review: Very interesting combination of the warm, syrupy, cranberry fruitiness of a Shiraz with a sparking edge. The best part about this wine was the carbonation, it was extremely stimulating on the tongue. I'm not sure how I felt about the combination in this wine, it felt like something much-needed was missing to round it off.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Tres Ojos
Variety: Garnacha
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95
Winery 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 great depth, ripe tannins, length but yet with wonderful elegance and lightness. Enjoy with sausages, roasted meats, aged cheese etc. - Vintage
Cellar 3/28/2013
My Review: Tres Ojos is warm and light with a spicy edge. Flavors of redberries are easily detectable, yet this wine has a bitter finish on the back of the throat. I was not a big fan of this wine.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Montebuena
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95
Winery Review: Ripe cherry and blackcurrant on the nose and in the mouth. Pilant 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. - Vintage
Cellar 3/28/2013
My Review: Wow, not sure how to start critiquing this wine. On the nose Montebuena is fabulous. It is syrupy and warm with flavors of blackcurrant and berries. However, to the tongue this tempranillo is extremely bitter and with a long aftertaste. I was not a fan of this wine, and struggled to get the bitterness out of my mouth.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence
Variety: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault
Region: Provence
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95
Winery Review: Bright salmon, pink; typical of 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. - Vintage
Cellar 3/28/2013
My Review: Sainte Victoire's peach color is representative of its fresh, warm, floral qualities. Though not very sweet in taste, it is warm and syrupy on the nose. This wine also has a strange bight to it that is hard to describe; it almost tastes carbonated. Not a huge fan of this wine, but it is tolerable.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Canon Road
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95
Winery 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. - Vintage
Cellar 3/28/2013
My Review: Descent Chardonnay with a yellow color. Though there wasn't much dynamic to this wine, it was light and sweet with a spicy finish. I liked this wine and found it's apple and citrus components refreshing, something I easily drink on a summer day.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Potluck
Variety: Sweet Malbec
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $7.95
Winery 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. - Vintage Cellar 3/21/2013
My Review: Not a big fan of this wine, it lacked a back bone. Ruby in color, this sweet malbec contains flavors and aromas of cranberry, apple, and cherry. Though it had a nice spice to it, it was overly sweet. This is something I got sick of drinking, and wished it had more pucker.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Domaine de Grange de Payan
Variety: Grenache
Region: Cotes du Rhone
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95
Winery 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. - Vintage Cellar 3/21/2013
My Review: I really enjoyed drinking this wine. Purple in color, Domaine was sweet while retaining mouth clenching flavor. Strong on the nose and tongue with flavors of mixed berries, this wine offered spicy and a mouth puckering bitterness that added dimension to the wine.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
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. - Vintage Cellar 3/21/2013
My Review: Characteristic of it's plum color, Tinto Figaro is full of jammy, dark berries. Traces of plum, cherry and boysenberry are easily detectable in the taste. Though slightly acidic, this wine maintains a warmness through its spice and sweetness. Not a bad wine.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Maipe
Variety: Merlot
Region: Mendoza
Country: Malbec Rose
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. - Vintage Cellar 3/21/2013
My Review: Decent Rose that's spicy and fruity on the nose. Easily detectable hints of tomato juice and strawberry in its aromas. The taste was acidic but retained its freshness with a spicy strawberry sweetness.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Cortenova
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Venezie
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $7.95
Winery 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 aperitif. -Vintage Cellar 3/21/13
My Review: What a fruity and refreshing wine! This pale golden wine is slightly floral with strong green apple and pear flavor. Though it has a small acidic bite, it is sweet, simple and refreshing!
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Cupcake Red Velvet
Variety: Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2009
Price: $8.99
Winery Review:
The wine was a darkish red in the glass with hints of violet
streaking through that were really only visible when I swirled the wine.
On the nose I got blackberries and red fruit, but didn’t really pick up
the chocolate that the tasting notes claimed would be there. In the
mouth the fruit and berry continued on with a hint of what I can only
call cola (no brand names here) and a bit of tartness on the finish that
I actually enjoyed.
Paired with my simple dinner of rice and meatballs it was a pretty
good compliment, though with the cola and berry flavors I would love to
pair this with with a BBQ bacon cheeseburger – the mixture of sweet and
tangy would be great from both the wine and the food. - The Wine Guru 2/24/2011
My Review: I am absolutely in love with this wine! On the nose this wine is warm, chocolatey and decadent with an edge of plum and berries to liven it up. Tasting Red Velvet I found it almost gritty in texture, it definitely is not a smooth, light wine. Mildly acidic, the sweet. sensual combination of varieties made this wine my favorite I have tried thus far!
Food: I did not try this wine with food, but would love to alternate with both savory and sweet options!
Name: Windsor
Variety: Merlot
Region: North Coast, California
Country: United States
Year: 2008
Price: $14.00
Winery Review: Layered flavors of jam, black cherry and plum delight the senses in this
approachable and food-friendly wine. Hints of toasted oak complement
the rich fruit flavors for a well-rounded finish. Pair with steak,
spaghetti or simply good company.
- windsorvineyards.com
My Review: This ruby-red Merlot is very sweet on the nose. Fruity flavors of dried cranberries, raspberries and cherry can be detected. Windsor has a heavy consistency on the tongue, but has an after taste of cherry cough syrup. Absolutely hated this wine, its medicinal edge ruined it for me.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Red Guitar
Variety: Tempranillo/Granacha
Region: Navarra
Country: Spain
Year: 2009
Price: $11
Winery Review: Wine from Spain is my newest value red wine – Olé
(Spanish for “there you have it” – loosely translated). It is a classic
Spanish Rhone style wine – Tempranillo and Garnacha – and is very tasty
– Olé. Normally I like Spanish Rioja wines that remind me of a dry, hot
summer. However, this one from Navarra is refreshing and interesting
-Olé. Rich and smooth but not too easy or sweet with medium tannis and
a slight funky odour that isn’t unpleasant. Besides, I like the funk –
Olé. - Travis Oke, pullthecork.wordpress.com 2/1/2011
My Review: This Spanish wine is very bold on the nose with a strong acidic bite. Upon further inspection aromas of sweet berries, cranberries, and apples can be detected. Dark purple in color, this is a bold wine that is surprisingly smooth on the tongue. This wine grew on me; it was bold to start off, but lightened and sweetened as I continued to drink it. Once I got used to Red Guitar it was enjoyable, but it isn't one to take lightly.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Fortediga
Variety: Cabernet/Syrah
Region: Maremma, Tuscany
Country: Italy
Year: 2008
Price: $9.95
Winery Review: A wine that reveals considerable richness and depth while maintaining a pure, crystalline quality in its dark, varietal fruit. This is 40% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Franc and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 6 month in used French oak barrels. - Vintage Wine Cellar 02/23/2013
My Review: This ruby red wine has an aroma of red, fruit punch candy. Though Fortediga has a warm syrupy aspect to it, the wine is light on the tongue. I enjoyed this wine; it was warm with a nice body, but not overly acidic.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Cascina Gilli Bonarda
Variety: Bonardo
Region: Piedmont
Country: Italy
Year: 2009
Price: $11.95
Winery Review: Nose of red berry fruit enriched by nuances of spice, subtle but recognizable. The slight effervescence of Moye increases the appeal of its palate, bringing out its freshness without comprising its complexity. Served chilled, it is wonderful with marinates and stews, or with Piedmont's traditional fritto misto.. - Vintage Wine Cellar 02/23/2013
My Review: One the nose I was able to detect a spring acidic, grapefruit edge to it in contrast to it red berry description. There was also an aspect of spiciness to the wine as well. Unfortunately I was not a fan of this wine; I didn't get too much out of it in.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
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