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: The color is a cranberry color, with some frizante/bubbles. The nose of this wine shows cranberry, cassis, and currant. The palate has a nice refreshing, bubbly flavor. It is fruity, crisp, and sweet. A great alternative to the typical sparkling wine.

Tasting- 2011 Tres Ojos Granacha

 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: This wine has a ruby color. The nose of this wine smells like fresh drilled plastic. On the palate the wine starts out fruity, gets a full body with some heat on the mid-palate, and finishes dry. 

Tasting- 2010 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 Montebuena Tempranillo has a nice dark ruby color. The nose has elements of cassis, plum, and blackberry. The palate starts hollow, transitions into some heat and spice, and then finishes dry.

Tasting- 2011 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: This Rose style wine has a light tan/pink color. The nose is very floral with hints of fresh cut celery. On the palate this wine starts out light and fruity, transitions with some spice on the mid-palate, and finishes medium-dry.

Tasting- 2011 Canyon Road Chardonnay

Name: Canyon Road Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: United State
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: The color of this chardonnay is a very light golden color. On the nose there are hints of sweet green grape, lime and peach. The palate of this wine starts out fruity, and finishes with a little heat. The wine is not dry, but any sweetness is masked by the hot finish.

Tasting- 2010 Potluck Sweet Malbec

Name: Potluck Sweet Malbec
Variety: Malbec
Region: Medoza
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: This wine has a dark cranberry, ruby color. The nose of this wine hints at its sweetness with notes of cranberry cocktail, and a jammy aspect. The taste is a semi-sweet, fruity palate that is very easy to drink. This wine is very interesting because it is not overpowering with sugar like a moscato is, but also is not dry. It would be good for those just beginning to drink reds.

Tasting- 2011 Domaine de Grange

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: This wine has a nice ruby color. The nose of this was extremely light, I had a hard time distinguishing anything. On the palate it was very smooth, yet slightly hollow and void of flavor. It was definitely dry, but there was surprisingly no heat for a 15% ABV wine. I think this one may be better in a couple years, it seems a tad too young to drink.