Heinz Eifel Shine

Name:Heinz Eifel Shine

Variety:Riesling

Year: 2012
Price: $9.95

Country:Germany

Vintage Cellar 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: The nose of this wine had a hint of apple and strong peach.  The taste is sweet and light bodied with a short finish.  Good simple wine for food pairing.  Great balance of bitter not to sweet or too much heat.  I would try this wine again.  I did not taste this with food.  

Atlas Cumbres

Name:Atlas Cumbres

Variety:Cabernet Sauvignon

Year: 2010
Price: $6.95

Country:Argentina

Vintage Cellar 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 has a DEEP DEEP red color.  It has a very strong sweet berry nose.  It was hard to pinpoint an exact taste on this wine.  It seemed vegetal or earthy.  The mouth feel is acidic and very tannic.  Not a wine I would try again.  I did not taste this with food. 

Georges DuBoef Beaujolais Nouveau

Name:Georges DuBoef Beaujolais Nouveau

Variety:Gamay

Year: 2013
Price: $3.95
Region:Beaujolais

Country:France

Vintage Cellar 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: The nose is like raspberry jelly.  The initial taste is very peppery, and spicy maybe earthy as well.  The finish is very long and very tannic.  I did not taste this with food.  

Bricco dei Tati

Name:Bricco Dei Tati

Variety:Rose

Year: 2011
Price: $7.95

Country:Italy

Vintage Cellar Review:Fresh with aromas of strawberries, cherries and rose petals. This is ideal with shellfish, salads, chicken, and with appetizers.

My Review: This is the first non sweet Rose I have ever tried. (The graphics on the label are great too)  The nose is exactly like Maraschino cherries.  The initial taste is sweet but quickly into the mid palette turns more acidic.  It has little heat and is pretty tannic on the finish.  It is a light simple wine that would combine well with more complex foods.  I did not taste this with food.

Frascati Volpetti

Name:Frascati Volpetti

Variety:Malvasia and Trebbiano

Price: $7.95

Country:Italy

Vintage Cellar Review:Straw yellow in color with a soft, delicate perfume, fruitful flavor, dry and harmonious taste. Perfect with 

appetizers, soups, fish.

My Review: The pollen came out this week so I had a hard time getting the nose and taste from this week's tastings.  I think this also effected how much I liked the wines since I was not too excited about any that I tasted.  The nose of this was citrus, and grapefruit.  It was surprisingly dry, and some heat came through as well.  It had an orange or clementine finish.  This is a nice simple citrus wine.  I did not taste this with food,

Toso Moscato

Name:Toso Moscato

Variety:Moscato

Price: $9.95

Country:Italy

Vintage Cellar 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: I really enjoyed this wine.  The nose is sweet strawberry and honey.  The mid palette brings out more tropical fruit flavors quickly followed up with short not overly sweet finish that leaves a buttery creamy taste in the mouth,  I did not taste this with food, this would be a great wine for dessert.  

el Sierro

Name:El Sierro

Variety:Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon 

Year: 2011
Price: $8.95

Country:Spain

Vintage Cellar 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: I did not enjoy this wine.  The nose has hints of Vanilla.  The initial taste is light and berries.  The sweetness and alcohol heat are well balanced.  It has a light body and very little tannins.  I did not taste this with food.  

Name:Omo ze Bel

Variety:Merlot 

Price: $6.95
Region:Scicilia

Country:Spain

Vintage Cellar 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 Merlot was not my favorite.  The nose has hints cherry, pepper, and something vegetal like sauted mushrooms.  The taste is spicy earthy, it was also a little too hot for my taste.  The finish was sweet and bitter.  I did not taste this with food.

Atlas Cumbres Torrontes

Name:Atlas Cumbres Torrontes

Variety:Torrontes

Year: 2010
Price: $5.95

Country:Argentina

Vintage Cellar 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 is not a Torrontes I liked.  There was very little nose which made it hard to taste.  A very simple wine that tastes light clean and grassy.  The finish had a little bit of sweetness.  I can see this pairing well with a complex food with some spice in it.  I did not taste this with food.  

Avery Quinn Chardonnay

Name:Avery Quinn Chardonnay

Variety:Chardonnay

Year: 2011
Price: $6.95
Region:Napa

Country:California

Vintage Cellar 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: I enjoyed this wine a lot.  The nose has hints of pears and crisp granny smith apples.  The body has a little heat but it was balanced by a long buttery finish.

Bellafina Pink Moscato

Name:Bellafina Pink Moscato

Variety:Moscato and Rabosos

Price: $9.95

Country:Italy

Vintage Cellar 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 is very sweet!  A great dessert wine, or summer wine.  The nose has a strong berry smell.  The finish is great, it is creamy and very sweet.  I did not taste this with food.  I think this would pair well with a brie cheese dish.

Weinert Carascal

Name:Weinert Carascal

Variety:40% malbec 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% merlot

Year: 2008
Price: $13.95

Country:Argentina

Vintage Cellar 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:This had a smell that I could not identify, it was almost gassy?  I also had a hard time detecting the tastes, I got a strong unripe tomato taste, lots of tannins, and body.  This wine is intriguing but I would not try to taste it again.  I did not taste this with food. 

Santa Julia Malbec

Name:Santa Julia Malbec 

Variety:Malbec 

Year: 2012
Price: $8.95
Region:Mendoza

Country:Argentina

Vintage Cellar 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: I really enjoyed this wine, and even got a bottle to enjoy during the week.  The nose has a strong raspberry smell and the finish is creamy.  This is a well balanced full bodied wine, with little tannins.  I did not taste this with food. 

Gougenheim Torrontes

Name:Gougenheim

Variety:Torrontes

Year: 2012
Price: $9.95

Country:Argentina

Vintage Cellar 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: The nose is floral and lemony.  It is clean and light with an acidic citris finish.  I liked this wine, but would most likely not try again.  I did not taste this with food.  

Santa Julia Pinot Grigio

Name:Santa Julia Pinot Grigio 

Variety:Pinot Grigio

Year: 2013
Price: $8.95

Region:Mendoza

Country:Argentina

Vintage Cellar 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:  The nose has hints of tangerine or citrus.  The initial taste is sweet , then acidic to balance the wine.  Clean and light wine that would be great with shellfish.  I did not taste this with food.