Wine Tasting (Week 12)

Name: Frascati
Variety: Volpetti
Region: Malvasia Trebbiano
Country: Greco
Year: 2012
Price: $7.95
Winery Review: "Straw yellow in color with a soft, delicate perfume, fruitful flavor, dry and harmonious taste. Perfect with appetizers, soups, fish.

My Review: This wine had a very fruity and honey nose to it however the wine did not have much taste to it. It was a litte buttery and silky but that is it. 

Name: Bricco Dei Tati
Variety: Rose
Region: Italy
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $7.95
Winery Review: "Fresh with aromas of strawberries, 
cherries and rose petals. This is ideal with shellfish, salads, chicken, and with appetizers."

My Review: This wine had a heavy nose to it with smells of fruit, brown sugar and cherry. The taste was not the same however. I could not pick out anything from the taste except wine.

Name: Georges DuBoeuf
Variety: Beaujolais Nouveau
Region: France
Country: France
Year: 2013
Price: $3.95
Winery Review: "Balanced and lightly creamy, offering 
pretty flavors of plum sauce and raspberry coulis threaded with hints of ground spice. Elegant, with a floral finish. Drink now."

My Review: This wine had a creamy and sugar smell to it. The wine was a little dry but had a nice plum taste to it. 

Name: Atlas Cumbres
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Argentina
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $6.95
Winery Review: "Intense red color with violet highlights, 
with clean, fresh and complex aromas of berries, plums, figs and pepper. Strong personality is in perfect balance with a medium body and pleasant tannins. Ideal for: red meats, cheeses and strong sauces."

My Review: This wine had a very interesting nose to it. It smelled like toast and a big juicy steak that has not been cooked yet. The taste was again plum and a tad dry.

Name: Heinz Eifel Shine
Variety: Riesling
Region: Germany
Country: Germany
Year: 2012
Price: $9.95
Winery Review: "This drier-styled Riesling is bright, fruity and floral with crisp acidity and clean flavors of apple, pear and peach that compliment its stony minerality and earthy complexity. It serves well as an aperitif and matches a wide variety of foods, like lighter salad dishes, shellfish, cream sauces and also anything with a touch of spice."

My Review: This wine had a nice fruit and apple to the nose. The taste was of honey, sugar and pear however this wine was not as sweet as other rieslings I have had in the past. 

Wine Tasting (Week 11)

Name: Atlas Cumbres
Variety: Torrontes
Region: Argentina
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95
Winery Review: "Yellow colour with greenish nuances. Very intense aroma of fresh grapes, flower perfume and mature peaches. Fresh in the mouth. Light and easy to drink. Ideal with seafood, Thai and Chinese food."

My Review: This wine was very interesting as it had a smell of fruit loops cereal. The taste was initially sweet but then packed a little heat on the mid-pallet. 

Name: Avery Quinn
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Napa Valley, California
Country: United States
Year: 2013
Price: $6.95
Winery Review: "The 2011 vintage marks a return to form for this great value Chardonnay. The aromas feature creamy, mellow, golden apple, pineapple, fresh butter and a touch of vanilla. Then rich, ripe, flavors of yellow pear, pineapple, fresh apple, cream and buttered toast swell up and fill your mouth before a juicy, apple and caramel inflected finish makes your mouth water (and smile!)." 
My Review: The wine had aromas of apple to it. This did not trend send to the pallet however as I got no fruit component. The taste has hint of butter.

Name: El Sierro
Variety: Tempranillo/Cab
Region: Spain
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $7.95
Winery Review: "Dark ruby in color with rich aromas of red fruit and light spices. It is a real knock-out with delicious flavors of dark cherries, blackberries and vanilla all perfectly integrated. The Tempranillo provides wonderful spice and fruit, while the Cabernet Sauvignon gives structure and depth with the beautiful use of oak."   
My Review: This wine had a black currant smell to it, that of dark fruit. This wine did not have a lot of body to it and the only taste i could pick out was smokey.

Name: Omo Ze Bel
Variety: Merlot
Region: Scicilia
Country: Italy
Year: 2011
Price:$6.95
Winery Review: "This bright, soft Merlot comes from a hilly vineyard on the Alcesti family estate in beautiful Sicily. It has hints of red cherries and freshly cut hay. Exceptional value."
My Review: This wine had a rubbery smell to it. The wine was very dry but did have hints of vanilla and blackberry to it and was a full body wine.

Name: Toso
Variety: Moscato
Region: Italy
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $9.95
Winery Review: "This Moscato is reminiscent of honeysuckle and rose petal. The quality is equivalent to a top level Asti Spumante DOCG. Sweet sparkling wine obtained from a careful selection of the Moscato grapes. It has a pale straw yellow color with fine foam and bubbles. Tropical fruit  flavors, refreshing. Excellent to match desserts, fruit and dried pastries "   
My Review: As a traditional moscato, this wine had a huge fruit component on the nose. I tasted a honey component as well as a lot of grape fruit, which made the wine very sweet.

Wine Tastings (Week 10)

Name: Bellafina
Variety: Pink Moscato
Region: Italy
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $9.95
Winery Review: "A blend of Moscato and Rabosos grapes it has a pale rose color, notes of red berries (strawberry and raspberry), with the characteristic and fragrant bouquet and palate that is typical of the Moscato grape."
My Review: This wine had a lot of fruity aromas. The taste was extremely sweet and had many fruit components, especially strawberry.

Name: Gougenheim
Variety: Torrontes
Region: Chillecito in La Rioja
Country: Argentina
Year: 2012
Price: $9.95
Winery Review: "The 2012 Torrontes comes from Chilecito in La Rioja. It has a light floral nose with touches of lemon peel and nectarine. The palate is crisp and taut, showing far more vivacity and fruit that the nose implied, finishing with a flourish of apricot and white peach. Drink now."
My Review: This wine had hints of flowers to the smell. The wine was also very crisp and had a nice full body. The flavors were lemon and peach.

Name: Santa Julia
Variety: Malbec
Region: Argentina
Country: Argentina
Year: 2012
Price: $8.95
Winery Review: "The nose is full of mellow raspberry and cherry, while the palate is fleshy and round, with blackberry and a touch of raisin. Plump, not edgy, and ready to drink, with coffee and mocha notes on the finish."
My Review: This wine had a big coffee component to the smell. The flavors were of cherry and blackberry. I found this wine very easy to drink.

Name: Santa Julia
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Argentina
Country: Argentina
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95
Winery Review: "Light and clean, which compared to other Argentine Pinot Grigios is not something to dismiss. Feels solid and punchy, with orange and mango flavors. Has nice overall clarity and balance, with a citrusy finish."
My Review: This wine did not have much on the nose as well as the pallet. However this wine had a citrusy, silky and acidic feel to it.

Name: Weinert
Variety: Carascal
Region: Argentina
Country: Argentina
Year: 2008
Price: $13.95
Winery Review: "Aged for two years in cask, the 2008 Carrascal is a blend of 40% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. It has a rustic blackberry, scorched earth and leather-scented bouquet with touches of pressed flowers. The palate is well-balanced with crisp tannins, expressive black tarry fruit and a Bordeaux-like finish. Drink now-2016."
My Review: I absolutely hated this wine. The smell was of rubber and new leather as well as it was very dry. I hated everything about it.