Tasting - Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz

Image credit: Vintage Cellar

Name: Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: South Eastern Australia
Country: Australia
Year: NV
Price: $9.95 (Vintage Cellar)

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:
Sparkling shiraz...

The shop keeper that was poring our wines mentioned as she was poring the wine that most people, when they here the word sparkling in the name of a wine, they immediately think welches grape juice.  From my experience with wine, I haven't found that to be the case at all, ...until now. On the nose this wine offers aromas of red fruits. It was fresh and bubbly in the nose, which lead right into the taste. The flavors in the wine were exactly like a dry welches grape juice. It was very refreshing.

Tasting - Tres Ojos Garnacha

Image credit: Vintage Cellar

Name: Tres Ojos Garnacha
Variety: Garnacha
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop 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. 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:
On the nose this wine offers aromas of dark berries, bark and a nice little spice. In the tongue this wine is very DRY and quite bitter. The flavor profile was very unique. It was as if I took a glass and dragged it half under the bed of a small, old creek. Take the mud, stones, water, and whatever else was in the cup, swirled the glass and took a big gulp. Very interesting to say the least.

Tasting - Montebuena

Image credit: Vintage Cellar

Name: Montebuena
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
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:
Recently I have been smelling the same things over and over, and tasting what I am about to just start calling "wine" flavors. Nothing really standing out among the rest. But when I run across a wine, like the Montebuena, with very unique aroma and flavor profiles, it gets me interested in wine tasting again. This was a 100% tempranillo. I have seemed to struggle with this varietal, but this one was interesting enough to draw me back. On the nose, this wine offers a very dark black cherry flavor profile, but at the same time leaving you with a crisp feeling. But on the tongue this wine offers a much different story. This wine is heavy in the chocolate flavors. It felt like drinking a dark chocolate milk made with chocolate powder. It leaves your tongue feeling creamy yet like you still have chocolate powder in your mouth. Overall a very interesting and  well crafted wine. (I love tasting new wines!)

Tasting - Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence

Image credit: Vintage Cellar

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

Shop 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.

My Review:
I found this blended white wine sweet on the nose, with a powerful sweet peach aroma that made me excited for this wine. However, on the palate, I found this wine to be dry, and offered a little heat on the mid. The taste was OK, but nothing spectacular.

Tasting - Canyon Road Chardonnay

Image credit: Vintage Cellar

Name: Canyon Road Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95 (Vintage Cellar)

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:
This Chardonnay had aromas of sweet peaches and a hint of citrus, in the form of orange peels. On the palate this wine had a nice bitter sweet component. I enjoyed this wine, but feel, as the review says, that I would have enjoyed it even more paired with a chicken or pasta dish.

Tasting - Valle Las Nencias Malbec Reserve

Image credit:
http://www.klwines.com

Name: Valle Las Nencias Malbec Reserve
Variety: Malbec
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $14.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
This plush red delivers sweet raspberry and boysenberry fruit, with ample toast caressing the full-bodied finish.

My Review:
I usually do these posts a days or two after the tasting, so I have to refer back to my tasting notes for everything I felt in the moment. I say this because I have written in my notes "moldy mossy forest floor." I remember this wine and it did smell just like a forest floor. Some people desire this in a wine, but it's not on my list of what I look for. On the palate this wine is acidic and dry, with not much to show, and not lingering on the tongue. Overall a simple and short wine.

Tasting - The Deck Royal Flush

Image credit:
http://beveragetradenetwork.com

Name: The Deck Royal Flush
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Central Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2008
Price: $15.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
A lively and purple red color. It shows great varietal character in a young and refreshing approach: rich fruit notes of cherry, plum, and strawberry.

My Review:
This pinot noir brought back the red fruity jam smells. I haven't had very many of them, but this one was outstandingly jammy on the nose. On the palate I got hints of cherry and plum hidden under a thin layer of dark chocolate. More of a semi-sweet chocolate, because this wine is a little dry. Over all a good wine, but not one of my favorites.

Tasting - Waimea Chardonnay

http://directory.cruvee.com

Image credit:

Name: Waimea Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: South Island
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2009
Price: $19.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
Classic aromas of crisp apple, pear and lemons with a hint of vanilla and toast. It's rounded and creamy without forgoing the mineral texture born of those alluvial soils.

My Review
The nose was full of fruits, both crisp and acidic. There was a warm toast over the fruits bringing the two together very well. On the palate, this wine delivered a mouth full of crisp  fruits. In the mid palate I found the acidic fruits and the vanilla flavors of the toast. The chardonnay finished with an acidic creamy flavor, of a lemon or key lime yogurt. This was a very complex wine and was outstandingly crafted.

Tasting - Tierras Guindas Rueda

Image credit:
http://www.pifema.es

Name: Tierras Guindas Rueda
Variety: Verdejo
Region: Rueda
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $13.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
Sweet notes of ripe fruit, with good intensity are distinguished in this white wine from Rueda. Roses, apple, pear. Also crisp aromas of fresh hay are perceived. On the palate it is dry but with great softness in its passage. Aroma not reminiscent of fruits and flowers. Something mineral. The end in the mouth is resounding and full-bodied.



My Review:
I found this wine to be very floral, but also having a sweet side on the nose. Not necessarily of fruits, as the shop review notes, but more of just a slight hint of sugar on the flower petals. On the palate this wine is quite dry, but turns on the finish to be a very refreshing wine.

Tasting - Michael Shaps Petit Verdot

Image credit:
http://www.virginiawineworks.com

Name: Michael Shaps Petit Verdot
Variety: Petit Verdot
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2008
Price: $26.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Winemaker's Notes:
Becoming one of Virginia’s rising stars, Petit Verdot is well suited for the Virginia climate and soil. A mall lot production of a very dark aromatic red, this wine has wonderful spice and floral notes.  The color is reflective of the concentration of flavors. Having been in French oak for eighteen months, the wine is rich, with bold tannins, a lot of structure and depth. This is a young wine that has great aging potential.

My Review:
The first, and only other, petit verdot wine I have ever had was my dad's homemade petit verdot. I mentioned this to my professor, which led him to promptly questioned me saying, "That's not a grape you see very often." This made me think that I wouldn't run across it much in the future. Contrary to my belief, here I am facing another petit verdot, wondering what awaits me in the bottle. I found this wine to have a very floral nose, with a light sprinkle of earth, like the florist pulled the flowers leaving the roots on. The palate was earthy with tannins, and a slight oak flavor. This petit verdot continues to leave me very pleased with the varietal, and further solidifies the deep complexity I have found to love in this wine. 

Tasting - Michael Shaps Cabernet Franc

Image credit:
http://www.virginiawineworks.com

Name: Michael Shaps Cabernet Franc
Variety: Cabernet Franc
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2008
Price: $26.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
Made in a traditional old world style, this is a heavily extracted wine designed to highlight the aging potential of Cabernet Franc. The grapes were harvested at ultimate maturity (25 brix) and the wine went through an extended maceration for six weeks. This Cabernet Franc has rich dark fruit aromas and a hint of spice. The tannin extraction is evident, but does not overwhelm the wine. The concentration of fruit, balanced by oak provides for a lengthy finish. This wine will be evolving for the next ten years.

My Review:
I found this Cabernet Franc to have a light aroma of dark fruits. On the tongue this wine plays back and forth with a nice tannic and oaky structure and an earthy complement. This lead into a lingering bitter finish that I required a piece of bread to prep for the next wine in the tasting.

Tasting - Wineworks Merlot/Malbec

Image credit:
http://www.virginiawineworks.com

Name: Wineworks Merlot/Malbec
Variety: 60% Merlot, 40% Malbec
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $15.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
Our “Wineworks Purple,” the Merlot/Malbec is a fresh and invigorating pick. Full of luscious, bright fruits on the palate and a clean finish. This is a perfect wine to transition the seasons– with enough tannin to stand up to hearty Winter soups and a delicate complexity that will not overpower fresh Spring and Summer meals.

My Review:
I found this wine to be what I would expect from a Merlot/Malbec blend. On the nose there was a typical red fruit smell, with a little herb thrown in on top. On the palate there was a very obvious earthy note. Overall a good wine, but nothing that stuck out among the rest.

Tasting - Shaps & Roucher Sarrazin Cotes de Nuits Villages

Image credit:
http://skatandthemisc.blogspot.com

Name: Shaps & Roucher Sarrazin Cotes de Nuits Villages
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Cotes de Nuits
Country: France
Year: 2007
Price: $19.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
A rounded, mouthfilling wine. At the beginning, it seems very soft, but then it is possible to discern rich tannins through the concentrated red fruits and black plums. The acidity is there the whole time, a fine counterpoint to the seductive, rich fruits and dry tannins.

My Review:
This Old World Pinot Nior had a rich red fruit smell. Almost like sticking your nose in a jar of jam. On the front end of the palate, this wine is light and playful, delivering a bright red fruit flavor. On the mid palate and into the finish I found this wine slightly dry, surprisingly to say the least, balanced well with the tannins of the red grape.

Tasting - Shaps & Roucher Sarrazin Meursault Les Vireuils

Image credit: http://www.cellartracker.com

Name: Shaps & Roucher Sarrazin Meursault Les Vireuils
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Meursault
Country: France
Year: 2006
Price: $19.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
A powerfully rich wine that brings in delicious white and yellow fruit flavors. It is unctuous, rounded, made richer with toast then given a boost by a streak of fresh citrus acidity. Good, plump white Burgundy.

My Review:
I liked this wine. It was a good fruitful smelling chardonnay, full of citrus fruits. Crisp on the nose and on the tongue. Some say that this wine is over oaked, but I found it to be rather enjoyable. I would have loved to try this wine in a food paring with cheese and bread.

Tasting - Wineworks Viognier

Image credit:
http://www.virginiawineworks.com

Name: Wineworks Viognier
Variety: Viognier
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 209
Price: $15.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
A bright floral and citrusy wine made from the official wine variety of Virginia. Made in stainless steel tanks to highlight the fruit character, this wine is like drinking in a Virginia summer day. The aromatic intensity is very inviting; the palate dry and crisp with enough acidity to match up to many food pairings.

My Review:
This wine was definitely full of floral and citrus fruit smells. Very crisp, warm and inviting on the nose. Unlike the last Viognier, this one was not bad. On the palate the fruits really stuck out. It wasn't as rotten flavored as the previous Viognier. I found this wine to stick to the crisp citrus flavors, and have a nice balance of acidic and sweet. On the finish I got a little spice, just enough to draw you in for another sip. Overall a good wine, but I still have a little warming up to do to this varietal.

Tasting - HB-807 Sauvignon Blanc

Image credit:
http://www.rjscraftwinemaking.com

Name: HB-807 Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Ontario
Country: Canada
Year: NV
Price: N/A

Shop Review:
This medium-bodied and expressive wine presents bold herbal tones and fresh citrus flavours. Straw in colour with a refreshing grassy nose, it delights with a long and fruity finish.

My Review:
This Sauvignon Blanc is a home made wine from a kit. Hal Bell (my dad) made this wine from a kit found here, and followed the instructions in the kit. It is an un-oaked wine with grapes imported to Ontario. I was excited for this wine, as the last Sauvignon Blanc I had was delicious. The aromas in this wine were nothing like any wine I have ever had. It reminded me of waking up in the morning to a freshly baked alcoholic cinnamon raisin bread. My parents looked at me funny, but that's exactly what I smelled. The wine was a little bubbly, which added a crispness that I didn't mind. On the pallet, this wine had a little spice, and a citricy grassy taste. I tried this wine with a home made chicken Thai soup. This kicked the spice up a little and made the wine very enjoyable. I really liked this wine, and will be asking my dad for any extra bottles and when he'll be making it again.

Tasting - Sutter Home White Zinfandel

Image credit: Samantha Yeh

Name: Sutter Home White Zinfandel
Variety: White Zinfandel
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $5.95 (Kroger)

Shop Review:
A delicate blush pink color introduces this fresh, lively wine. On your palate, light creaminess surrenders to a refreshing crisp finish of strawberries and melon. Enjoy chilled as an aperitif, or partnered with all types of foods, particularly those with a slight spiciness, such as Asian or Latin cuisine.

My Review:
I guess now I should mention that I have had a stuffy nose all day, and am not sure if it is affecting my tastings. I found this wine to smell almost like the Sutter Home Riesling, with an added strawberry undertone. I've been told that it smells nothing like the Riesling, but that's what I smell, so live with it. However on the pallet, I get a the feeling of drinking a strawberry daiquiri. The finish is nice and sweet leaving me longing for another sip.

Tasting - Sutter Home Riesling

Image credit: Samantha Yeh

Name: Sutter Home Riesling
Variety: Riesling
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $5.95 (Kroger)

Shop Review:
Gorgeously gold in the light, lush, tropical fruit fragrances leap from the glass, while satiny summer peaches and fresh melons rain down on your palate. This is 24-carat bliss.

My Review:
The Sutter Home Riesling smells almost like the Yalumba Viognier, just a little fruitier. The aromas are strong of lychee with a subtle hint of apricot. I wasn't excited to get into this wine straight away because it reminded me of the viognier, but I quickly got over that and tasted. Tasting the Riesling was like biting into a cross breed of peaches, apricots and lychee, picked straight off the tree. The mid pallet offers a little spice, while keeping its fruitiness.  And it finishes with a melon-y pineapple flavor in the back of the mouth. Overall a delicious wine.

Tasting - The Naked Grape Pinot Noir

Image credit: Vintage Cellar

Name: The Naked Grape Pinot Noir
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: NV
Price: $6.49 (Kroger)

Shop Review:
Medium bodied and rich with aromas of black cherry and blueberry.

My Review:
From the shop review, I was able to find the black cherry and blueberry, but there was something else I can only note as "blech". On the nose this wine starts out sweet and fruity, and then something happens in my nose, and I don't like it.  Even though I don't find this wine aromatically enjoyable, the Pinot Noir went down very smooth. The front end is very creamy and on mid pallet, the cream softens even more and the fruit comes out to play. At first I found myself heavily disliking this wine, but after a few days, the creamy flavor mellows out, and the harshness in the finish goes away and leaves a quite enjoyable wine.

Tasting - Gallo Family White Merlot

Image credit: Vintage Cellar

Name: Gallo Family White Merlot
Variety: Merlot
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: NV
Price: $4.95 (Kroger)

Shop Review:
Our White Merlot offers all the flavor of the Merlot grape - ripe plum, blueberry, and hints of cranberry - in a lighter-bodied, brighter style.

My Review:
The bouquet in White Merlot was strong of buttered plums and raisins. Because of this, I was not warmed up to this wine like most other wines. The thought of butter in some wines is fine, but the thought of pouring butter over plums just doesn't seem appetizing. The aromas of the raisins carried over strongly into the flavor of the wine, and was accented with cherries and topped off with a sprinkle of sugar. This White Merlot is a semi-sweet wine, but I think the smell is enough to keep it of my return to list.