Tasting - Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz

Name: Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: South Eastern
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.

My review: Due to its sparkling nature, this wine was fizzy with a heavy nose of blackberry and other dark fruits. The blackberry lingered quickly on the palate, fleshing out into chocolate and vanilla. 

Tasting - Tres Ojos Garnacha

Name: Tres Ojos Granacha
Variety: Grenache
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95

Winery Review: The 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 cheeses, etc.

My review: Not a very strong nose, rather dry and subtle. As it was very simple, it was hard to pick out a specific flavor. Due to this wine's unassuming nature, it would probably pair well with most foods, especially heavier entrees. 

Tasting- Montebuena

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

Winery Review: Ripe cherry and black current 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 tannis 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: The nose on this wine reminded me of barbecue and my grandmother's spice cabinet. The currant was a strong presence, yet not overpowering. It was the sweetest wine I'd tried that also had a intense spicy counterpart, likely because of the balance the tannins provided. 

Tasting - Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence

Name: Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence
Variety: 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Cinsault
Region: Provence
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95

Winery Review: Bright salmon pink; typically of the fresh but warm Provence style. Refined and complex on the nose, with summer fruits and floral notes. Dry and crisp, with a delicate flavor and full texture.

My review: The nose was extremely fruity, with a good balance of bitter and sweet. The taste was rather acidic, yet not particularly bitter. It had a surprisingly dry finish for a rose. 

Tasting - Canyon Road Chardonnay

Name: Canyon Road Chardonnay
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.

My review: Light in color, this wine smelled mostly of green apple. The initial sip was rather bitter at first, mostly because of the intensity of the apple, but faded into more of a citrus flavor akin to grapefruit.The cinnamon spice flavor definitely wasn't present until the other favors faded, as I found the apple overwhelmed almost everything else. 

Tasting - Potluck Sweet Malbec

Name: Potluck Sweet Malbec
Variety: 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.

My review: Does anyone remember Dimetapp, the grape-flavored cough medicine? I made up excuses to take it all the time when I was younger because the flavor reminded me of grape soda. This Malbec was just the same. It was strange to sip a sweet red wine, as we usually finished the tasting with a light white, like Moscato. Personally, the sweetness was this wine's downfall, because although it smelled delicious, it tasted like cheap communion wine. 

Tasting - Domaine de Grange de Payan

Name: Domaine de Grange de Payan
Variety: Grenache
Region: 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 is deeper and more powerful, offering cherry and black raspberry qualities lifted by zesty minerality.

My review:
If I thought the previous wine was spicy, I was definitely wrong. I smelled the black pepper more than anything else, and it was particularly dominant towards the end of my first sip, extinguishing the rest of the fruit. 

Tasting - Tinto Figaro

Name: Tinto Figaro
Variety: Grenache
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.

My review: Like the rose, when I sniffed this wine, I immediately thought of dark fruit again, but with a hint of vanilla. There was a spicy kick I did not expect at the end, which lingered past the initial raspberry and cherry flavors. The acidity was low, which I appreciated since the previous wine had been rather dry. 

Cortenova Pinot Grigio - Tasting

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

Winery Review: Cortenova Pinot Grigio 2012 is made from 100% Pinot Grigio. 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.

My review: This was a good wine to start off with: clear and light, nothing too heavy on the palate. It smelled mostly like strawberries, almost with a cough syrup-like scent. Just like the smell, it was light on the tongue but tasted more of pear than strawberries. 

Tasting - Maipe Malbec Rosé

Name: Maipe Malbec Rose
Variety: Malbec
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
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.

My review: It had been awhile since I tasted a rose, so this was a nice change. Upon the first smell, I was immediately reminded of darker frutis - plum, blackberry, etc. However, despite the fruity nose, it was rather dry, which was too much of a contrast for me. 

Tasting - Monte Aman

Name: Monte Aman 

Variety: 100% Tempranillo

Region: Arlanza

Country: Spain 

Year: 2009

Price: $5.95


Vintage Cellar 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.

My Review: 

"Ooh what is that?" was my first comment. This wine was heavy nose with a scent that I couldn't quite place, but then I realized it: dark chocolate, or more like cocoa powder. The chocolate was more obvious than I expected, as it lingered even after the fruits faded. My wine-tasting partner hated it, but I liked the surprise of chocolate. 

Tasting - Cortenova Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Name: Cortenova Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Variety: 100% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Country: Italy 

Year: 2010

Price: $6.95


Vintage Cellar 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.

My Review: 

Our first red of the night smelled rich and acidic with notes of cherry, so I was definitely expecting a robust wine. As I sipped it, it wasn't too strong at the front of my palate, but once it moved back and sat in my mouth, I got the full experience. The soft tannins exposed more of the fruit, whereas with some red wines, I've been so turned off by the acidity that I can't taste anything else. 

Tasting - Maipe Chardonnay

Name: Maipe Chardonnay

Variety: 85% Chardonnay, 15% Viognier

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina 

Year: 2012

Price: $7.95


Vintage Cellar Review: 

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.

My Review: 

We were definitely moving into the heavier wines with this chardonnay. As it was aged in oak barrels, the oak was at the forefront, yet some vanilla came through too. It was even, not too strong in acidity or flavor, but the guys next to me thought it smelled like cat urine. Maybe I'm losing it. 

Tasting - Villa d'Orvieto

Name: Villa d'Orvieto

Variety: Grechetto, Procanico (Trebbiano), and Malvasia

Country: Italy 

Year: 2011

Price: $6.95


Vintage Cellar Review: 

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

My Review: 

My first impression was honey - in both taste and smell. My friend noted, "This tastes like if I just chewed on flowers." This wine was light and very simple, not overwhelming in flavor or body. I struggled to pinpoint an exact taste, but found myself returning to honey, particularly the taste of honeysuckle flowers. It was nice, but didn't leave a lasting impression.