Tasting - Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling

Name:  Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling
Variety: Riesling
Region: Pfalz
Country: Germany
Year: 2010
Price: $9

Winery review:  Flint and mineral notes accent pineapple and lime aromas, while on the palate, the wine shows plenty of ripe, citrusy fruit flavors. Tangy acids on the long finish provide balance.


My review: Citrus, grapey nose with hints of mud and dirt. The earthy flavors were most present as I tasted this wine, and there was a level of acidity that did not please me as I swallowed. I was a little disappointed as most of the other Rieslings I have tasted of late have been great. Not this one.


I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Don Ramon Tinto

Name:  Don Ramon Tinto
Variety: 75% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo
Region: Campo de Borja
Country: Spain
Year: 2008
Price: $8

Winery review:  75% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo. Aged 3 months in American Oak casks. Ruby red in color, with creamy aromas of earth and cherry.  Flavor turns toward deeper and darker black cherry and raspberry on a medium framework. A subtle earthiness underneath the bright fruit adds some depth and complexity.


My review: Big earthy nose with hints of spice and woodiness. Picked up the oak as I tasted along with hints of some dark berry mix. I wasn't a fan of this one, but the label looked cool.


I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Resonata Nero D'Avola

Name:  Resonata Nero D'Avola
Variety: Nero d'Avola
Region: Sicily
Country: Italy
Year: 2010
Price: $7

Winery review:  Dense ruby red with violet reflections. Lush and ripe bouquet full of mulberries, blackberries and spice. Harmonious and well balanced with good berry fruit in a spicy background. 


My review: Smells of dark berries and earth were followed with tastes of dark berries, roasted meat, and a little bit of the described spice. I was impressed enough to pick up a bottle after the tasting.


I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Protocolo Blanc

Name:  Protocolo Blanc
Variety: Did not specify.
Region: Castilla
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $7

Winery review:  87 Points, Stephan Tanzer. Greenish gold. Subtle aromas of mint, lemon and orange, with a hint of honeysuckle. Dry, understated and focused, offering clean citrus and melon flavors and slow-building sweetness. Finishes dry and brisk, with an echo of lemon. As usual, this is an outstanding value.


My review: Citrusy, flowery nose. Did not get any mint when smelling the wine. Lots of citrus flavors but I could feel a little bit too much of the heat of this wine. It just did not go down well for me.


I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Santola Vinho Verde

Name: Santola Vinho Verde
Variety: Did not specify.
Region: Mealhada
Country: Portugal
Year: Did not specify. Likely 2010.
Price: $8

Winery review: Soft and creamy, although with just the right Vinho Verde bite, this is a crisp and clean wine, boasting light pear and pink grapefruit flavors. Off dry and very fresh.


My review: Light, citrus smells. Had pronounced lemon and citrus flavor that went down smooth. Not a bad wine, but not my favorite at the tasting.


I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Lost Vineyards Spumante Dolce

Name: Lost Vineyards Spumante Dolce
Variety: Spumante Dolce
Region: No idea.
Country: Italy
Year: Did not specify
Price: $5

Winery review: Pale silvery straw color. Floral aromas of apples, peaches, and potpourri follow through on a round, frothy entry to a fruity medium bodied sweet wine with good depth and tangy peach fruit and a breezy, harmonious green apple kissed finish.


My review: Sweet scent; smelled like apple juice. This is not a complex wine, but damn, it was good. Essentially carbonated grape juice for 5 dollars. I picked up a bottle with a friend and it was worth the money.


I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Charles Thomas Cotes-du-Rhone

Name: Charles Thomas Cotes-du-Rhone
Variety: 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre
Region: Rhone
Country: France
Year: 2009
Price: $9

Winery review: From a 140+-acre estate near the well-known Cotes du Rhone village of Pont Saint Esprit emerges this juicy Cotes du Rhone, a blend of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre. Wellmade, with loads of berry fruit and a heady, meaty, peppery nose with a hint of Provencal herbs, the wine is fresh, lively, and best drunk over the next 2 years.


My review: Peppery, smokey nose as described. Not overpowering, but definitively the most powerful nose of any of the wines tasted at the sitting. I enjoyed the strong tastes of wooded meat and seasoning and imagined that it would go well with any barbecue or steak. The wine had a slight hotness to it, but nothing I couldn't handle.


I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Coreto Tinto

 
Name: Coreto Tinto
Variety: From the winemaker's website:

• Touriga Nacional
• Tinta Roriz
• Castelão
• Alicante Bouschet
• Caladoc

Region: Lisboa
Country: Portugal
Year: 2008
Price: $7

Winery review: This red from the Coreto range has loads of dark berry fruit with a hint of new oak creating a soft, velvet structure that makes it very to easy drink. Red currant and juicy acidity.

My review: Lots of cherry, raspberry, and general berry characteristics on the nose. Not a harsh wine; I was not overpowered by tannin and I did not have any trouble drinking it as I tasted. I picked up those same berry flavors in the palate and managed to pick up some kind of pepper taste in the background as I tasted. It is not a bad wine, and I would drink it if offered no problem. 


I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Morro Bay White Oak Estates Chardonnay

 
Name: Morro Bay White Oak Estates Chardonnay
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Lodi, California
Country: United States
Year: 2009
Price: $6

Winery review: Vanilla cream soda nose with a slice of fresh cut pineapple. Full body, tropical fruit, spice and pleasing vanilla oak note linger in the finish. Sweet flavor on the palate is from sur-lie aging the wine on the primary yeast lees for 7months. A versatile style of wine that can be served chilled with fine cuisine or a glass with friends. Certified Green by Lodi Rules Sustainable Winegrowers.

My review: I got the aforementioned hint of vanilla on the nose as well as the standard generic fresh fruit smell that most of the wines I taste seem to have. I picked up a smokey meat flavor on the palate that I was not expecting and I quite frankly was not overjoyed with the wine itself. Not one I would buy, but I guess that is why you go to tastings.


I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Cantina Villafranca Frascati

Name: Cantina Villafranca Frascati
Variety: 45% Malvasia di Candia, 15% Trebbiano Toscano, 25% Malvasia del Lazio,15% Grechetto (Greco)
Region: Frascati
Country: Italy
Year: 2010
Price: $8

Winery review: Produced from a selection of the best grapes located in the Frascati Doc production area. Made from 45% Malvasia di
Candia, 15% Trebbiano Toscano, 25% Malvasia del Lazio,
15% Grechetto (Greco). Intense yellow color with greenish
reflections. Characteristic persistent fresh and fruity aromas.
Excellent as an aperitif and paired with fish, seafood or white
meat.


My review: This wine was not particularly unique on the nose; the only fruity aromas I picked up were those of grape. However, I found this wine to be smooth as the standard grapey tastes hit my mouth. I found nothing particularly unique about this wine, but enjoyed drinking it.


I tasted this on its own with no food.

Name: Legaris Crianza
Variety: 100% Tinta Fina
Region: Ribera del Duero
Country: Spain
Year: 2003
Price: $9

Winery review: 90 Points, Wine Spectator. A silky texture carries plum, tobacco, coffee and mineral flavors over ripe tannins in this balanced red. Berry and vanilla notes linger on the finish. Drink now through 2013.  –T.M.

My review: Hard to believe I was 13 when they bottled this guy. Nose had a hint of vanilla and coffee, as suggested. Mainly I picked up earthy scents, but pleasing overall. The taste of the wine was probably more complex than my wuss palate could handle because I just wasn't too fond of it. It was relatively smooth, but something about the earthy flavors just didn't do it for me. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Into Zin Zinfandel

Name: Into Zin Zinfandel
Variety: 100% Zinfandel
Region: Lodi, California
Country: USA
Year: 2008
Price: $8

Winery review: Spicy , jammy, ripe round plum with juicy soft finish. Goes well with marsala chicken, peppered steak or broiled lamb shank.

My review: I enjoyed this wine, if only because it was unique compared to most other wines I have tasted. There was a good nose filled with spices and herbs, and a strong, bold flavor to follow it. I felt the tannin in the wine as I tasted, and a smokey meat flavor behind the puckering. I think this wine would go well with steak, as suggested by the winery review. I thought about buying, but I am a cheap bastard, and am not about to eat steak anytime soon, so that did not happen.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Tres Ojos Garnacha Tempranillo Rosé

Name: Tres Ojos Garnacha Tempranillo Rosé
Variety: 50% Tempranillo, 50% Garacha
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $6

Winery review: A 50-50 blend of Tempranillo and Garacha, this medium rosecolored 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: I sensed something akin to black raspberry on the nose. One of the more fragrant wines I had at the tasting; I definitively sensed the spices. I got flavors of sour berry on the tongue, and a slight tartness, but I still found the wine enjoyable, especially at its price point.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Lazzaro Chardonnay

Name: 

Lazzaro 

Chardonnay

Variety: 100% Chardonnay

Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $7

Winery review:  Opens with mellow peach and melon aromas and some oak. The palate is round, creamy and full. Tastes of spiced, dried apple with a stalky, pithy accent

My review: Not bad. I was able to smell the fruityness described; I sensed pineapple. This wine was slightly heavier in body than I was expecting. I tasted something more akin to burnt berries (or burnt something) than "spiced, dried apple." It was bearable, however. Not something I enjoyed all that much.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Coastal Vines Brut

Name: Coastal Vines Brut
Variety:  55.7% French Colombard, 35.7% Chardonnay, 8.6% Mixed White
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2010
Price: $7

Winery review: Coastal Vines Sparkling Wine is a light colored wine with aromas of apple and citrus. On the palate there are flavors of melon and pear. The finish is crisp and clean. Pair with cheeses, like brie, for
appetizers; grilled garlic shrimp over a bed of pasta; or with a light
white cake for dessert.


My review: Not a strong nose, but did sense a level of fruitiness. I guess apple, but only because I did not get much out of it. This wine tasted really good, however. I did sense the pear, and it really did seem like sparkling grape juice in more ways than one. I bought a bottle after tasting. Would drink again, obviously.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Risata Moscato d'Asti

Name: Risata Moscato d'Asti
Variety: 100% Moscato Bianco
Region: Piedmont, Italy
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $16

Winery review: This Moscato d'Asti is fresh, fragrant, and frizzante with vibrant flavors and aromas of ripe stone fruit, tangerines, and honey. The wine is concentrated and flavorful, but not overly rich or heavy; sweet, yet balanced.

My review: Damn. Tasty stuff right here. Very sweet wine, with a citrus smell and tastes of apricots, tangerines, and other fruits. And it is sparkly. Would drink again, easily.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - DeLoach Pinot Noir

Name: DeLoach Pinot Noir
Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Region: Russian River Valley, California
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $13

Shop review: On the nose, savory aromas of smoked meats and fragrant herbs are touched with the scent of mouthwatering ripe berries. Flavors of liquer-soaked dark cherries, with pancetta and rosemary support smooth tannins that precede a long, silky finish.

My review: First impression was the smell of smoke and wood that hits the nose. Supposedly this wine got 88 points from wine enthusiast but I was not too fond of it; with the right food I am sure I would have enjoyed this wine more. I picked up what I can at best call smoked herbal tastes; maybe even licorice. This wine would have to be paired with food if I was to drink it again.

And, too reiterate for class, I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - One Hope Chardonnay

Name: One Hope Chardonnay
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Newport Beach, California
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $12

Winery review:  WINEMAKER ROB MONDAVI JR. - ONEHOPE California Chardonnay is hand-crafted with a blend of grapes from select vineyards throughout Napa, Sonoma and the Central Coast of California. Our Chardonnay is blended with Muscat and Chenin Blanc displaying a pale gold color with aromas of fresh apple blossom and honeysuckle. Flavors of crisp pear and apple are vibrant on the palate, while its balanced oak and bright acidity makes this wine a great match with broiled or grilled seafood, poultry dishes and a wide assortment of cheeses.  

My review: My first impression at the nose was that flowers; I guess you could say honeysuckle was dominant as the winemaker mentioned. Very pleasing aroma overall. A little hotter than I expected based off that, but the fruity flavors balanced out and I would drink again.


I tasted this on its own with no food.