Tasting- Protocolo Blanc

Date of Tasting: Thursday, February 23, 2012

Variety: Airen (%) Macabeo (%)

Region: Castilla- La Mancha

Country: Spain

Year: 2010

Price: $6.95

Shop Preview: Greenish gold. Subtle aromas of mint, lemon and orange, with a hint of honeysuckle. Dry, understand 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: This has quite the dry finish for a white table wine, but it was still enjoyable. With not much of a fruit body, this would probably be a good cooking wine or just an everyday drinking wine.

With or Without Food: Without food

Tasting- Resonata Nero d'Avola

Date of Tasting: Thursday, February 23, 2012

Variety: Nero d'Avola (100%)

Region: Sicily

Country: Italy

Year: 2010

Price: $6.95

Shop Preview: 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: Not my cup of tea (or wine), this was a bit to dry for my liking. Although a mix of ripe berries was extremely evident, the finish it left on my palate was unpleasant. Would probably be best with red meat.

With or Without Food: Without Food

Tasting- Don Ramon Tinto

Date of Tasting: Thursday, February 23, 2012

Variety: Grenache (75%) Tempranillo (25%)

Region: Campo de Borja

Country: Spain

Year: 2008

Price: $7.95

Shop Preview: 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: Agreeing with the shop preview, the first tastes I experience were that of the black cherry and raspberry, followed by a hint of black pepper. Medium-bodied. Needed to be tried with food.

With or Without Food: Without Food

Tasting- Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling 2010

Date of Tasting: Thursday, February 23, 2012

Variety: Riesling (100%)

Region: Pfalz

Country: Germany

Year: 2010

Price: $8.95

Shop Preview: 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: Riesling has always been one of my favorite variety of wine, and this did not stray. This slightly sweet and bright wine was pleasing throughout. I tasted a crisp flavor of green apple, peach and pear.

With or Without Food: Without Food

Tasting- Santola Vinho Verde

Date of Tasting: Thursday, February 23, 2012

Variety: Non-Varietal White Blend

Region: Minho

Country: Portugal

Year: 2011

Price: $7.95

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

My Review: This wine was extremely light and refreshing. It had a bit of a sparkle to it and was very pleasant to drink from beginning to end. I could also taste a hint of lemon, giving it a beachy/summer feeling.
With or Without Food: Without Food

Tasting- Morro Bay White Oak Estates Chardonnay

Date of Tasting: Thursday, February 16, 2012

Variety: Chardonnay (100%)

Region: Lodi (Central Coast, CA)

Country: United States

Year: 2009

Price: $5.95

Shop Review: Vanilla cream soda nose with a slice of 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 7 months. A versatile style of wine that can be served chilled with fine cuisine or a glass with friends.

My Review: Citrusy notes on the nose, with a little bit of lemon. Nice flavors of grapefruit and caramel on the palate, with good acid. Finishes very clean, but not very satisfying. Can't beat the price though if you are just drinking for fun.

With or Without Food: Without Food

Tasting- Coreto Tinto

Date of Tasting: Thursday, February 16, 2012

Variety: Portuguese Red (100%)

Region: Lisboa

Country: Portugal

Year: 2008

Price: $6.95

Shop 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 easy to drink. Red currant and juicy acidity.

My Review: This wine was a red I could take down with pleasure. Attractively light, it showed off its cool climate origin with the red currant fruit and juicy acidity. Probably would be best drank during the summer or warm weather.

With or Without Food: Without Food

Tasting- Charles Thomas Cotes-du-Rhone

Date of Tasting: Thursday, February 16, 2012

Variety: Syrah (50%) Grenache (40%) Mourvedre (10%)

Region: Rhona

Country: France

Year: 2009

Price: $8.95

Shop Review: Wine Advocate, 87 points: From a 140+ acre estate near the well known Cotes du Rhone village of Point Saint Espirit emerges this juicy Cotes de Rhone. Well-made, 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 two years.

My Review: This clear ruby win has tremendous overtones of red berry fruits. It is smooth during the entire tasting, including the smooth subtle aftertaste. I agree that this wine would be best with eat and poultry courses.

With or Without Food: Without Food

Tasting- Lost Vineyards Spumante Dolce

Date of Tasting: Thursday, February 16, 2012

Variety: Moscato (50%) Malvasia (50%)

Region: Asti

Country: Italy

Year: 2009

Price: $4.95

Shop 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: This blend was especially crisp with a sparkle and fruity flavor without being too sweet. Could be great with a special occasion celebration of a fun gathering! 

With or Without Food: Without Food

Tasting- Cantina Villafranca Frascati

Date of Tasting: Thursday, February 16, 2012

Variety: Malvasia del Candia (45%) Trebbiano Toscano (15%) Malvasia del Lazio (25%) Grechetto (15%)

Region: Frascati

Country: Italy

Year: 2010

Price: $7.95

Shop Review: Produced from a selection of the best grapes located in the Frascati Doc production area. 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: Very light yellow color, with a lemon drop/ripe apple sent to dominate the nose. Highly drinkable with a creamy texture. The wine had a medium finish, would recommend for the price, but it wasn't quite for me.

With or Without Food: Without Food

Tasting- Cellar No. 8 Pinot Grigio

 

Date of Tasting: Monday, January 30, 2012

Variety: Sangiovese (100%)

Region: Napa Valley

Country: United States

Year: 2010

Price: $5.95

Shop Review: Cellar No. 8 Pinot Grigio displays notes of pineapple and jasmine on the nose. Crisp and light, this wine has grapefruit and lime flavors that open to a refreshing finish with balanced acidity. Cellar No. 8 Pinot Grigio is perfect on its own, anytime, and it reflects the rich wine-making tradition at Asti.

My Review: The Cellar No. 8 Pinot Grigio opens with aromas of honeysuckle flowers, white peach and fresh pineapple. I can also taste subtle hints of spice lead to a crisp, clean finish.
With or Without Food: Feta Cheese and Bread

Tasting- Ed Hardy 2008 Chardonnay

Date of Tasting: Monday, January 30, 2012

Variety: Chardonnay (100%)

Region: Languedoc

Country: France

Year: 2008

Price: $3.95

Shop Preview: Rather than coming from the heart of Burgundy, this wine comes from the new vineyards in the south eastern part of France called the Languedoc. There Christian found a wine that fits his very critical requirements. The Ed Hardy 2008 Chardonnay seems to explode with the flavors and aromas of green apples and pears with a suggestion of citrus on the background. There is also a very pleasant under flavor of oak, which when combined with a near perfect acid level results in a wine of classical dimensions.

My Review: Not the best Chardonnay I have ever tasted, but for the price, you really can't beat it. The wine started off a bit bitter with a taste of fruit on the side. The tropical flavors tend to get a little less enjoyable as the wine finishes, ending with an additional bitter and "cheap" taste.
With or Without Food: Feta Cheese and Bread

Tasting- Waterbrook Sangiovese Rose

Date of Tasting: Monday, January 30, 2012

Variety: Sangiovese (100%)

Region: Columbia Valley

Country: United States

Year: 2010

Price: $5.95

Shop Preview: This gentle rose is shocking pink in color but subdued in its strawberry and melon flavors with balanced acidity and lingering raspberry notes. Flavors pick up intensity on the dry finish. Drink now.

My Review: This was was extremely crisp from start to finish. For a Rose, it was not as sweet as I had expected but that was a pleasant surprise. The watermelon aroma and taste was evident throughout the tasting. Paired excellently with the Feta and bread slice.
With or Without Food: Feta Cheese and Bread

Tasting- Duck Duck Goose

Date of Tasting: Monday, January 30, 2012

Variety: Chardonnay (100%)

Region: Barossa

Country: South Australia

Year: 2009

Price: $7.95

Shop Preview: Pale golden straw color, highlighted with vibrant Lime hues. The bouquet is flowing with ripe peach and Nectarine which leads to the mouth-watering palate. Fresh fruit driven with melon and citrus overtones. Goes beautifully with light foods such as fish, shellfish and cheeses.

My Review: When I began my tasting of the Duck Duck Goose, I was going in expected a very dry white wine flavor, but received something a bit different. The full fruit flavors were so abundant that the dry white was overwhelmed with tropical fruit and lime. Although recommended with light foods, the heavy Feta cheese and bread snack went perfect. 
With or Without Food: Feta Cheese and Bread

Tasting- Palos Verdejo

Date of Tasting: Monday, January 30, 2012

Variety: Verdejo (100%)

Region: Castilla y Leon

Country: Spain

Year: 2009

Price: $4.95

Shop Preview: Castellana's 2009 Palos Verejo is medium straw-colored with a nose of fennel, spring flowers, citrus, and apple. Crisp and vibrant on the palate, this tasty offering is a good value that will deliver pleasure over the next 12-18 months.

My Review: I can taste lots of floral fragrances on the nose, almost perfume like (in a good way). Taste is lighter than anticipated given the nose. Light in texture, well balanced, salt and sweetness, and taste of fully ripe apples.
With or Without Food: Feta Cheese and Bread