Tasting: Emeri de Bortoli

Name: Emeri de Bortoli
Variety: Sparkling Shiraz
Region: South East
Country: Australia
Year: None listed
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: This wine smells like concord grape juice. I detected hints of chocolate and cassis. The wine was extremely mineral (to be expected of a sparkling wine) and had a creamy finish.

Food:  None

Tasting: Tres Ojos Garnacha

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

Winery review: This 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. Enjoyw with sausages, roasted meats and cheeses, etc.

My review: This wine was earthy and has a sharp bite. Despite this bite, it is fresh tasting. The aftertaste is lemony and left me with a dry mouth. I would consider pairing this wine with steak.

Food:  None

Tasting: Montebuena

Name: Montebuena
Variety: 100%  Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95

Winery review: Ripe cherry and blackcurrant on the nose and in the mouth. Pilant and seamless in texture, with good heft and back-end energy. Finishes smooth and sweet, with fine-grained 

My review: On the nose this wine is very complex but, surprisingly, tastes much lighter than it smells. The most distinct flavor is white pepper. The Montebuena has a tart finish.

Food:  None

Tasting: Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence

Name: Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence
Variety: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault (Rose)
Region: Provence
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95

Winery 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: The very first thing that I noticed about this wine was that it was a peach color- very unusual. Even more unusual was that the first flavor that really jumped out at me was peaches, followed by a hint of melon. The flavors of the wine led me to believe that it would be slightly fizzy/mineral but it is not. The finish is sharp at first and then mellows out. I opted to purchase a bottle of this wine!

Food:  None

Tasting: Canyon Road Chardonnay

Name: Canyon Road Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
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: This wine was light and refreshing but had a bit of tartness as well as a touch of creaminess. I was not able to get any distinct flavors out of it.

Food:  None

Tasting: Arrow Creek Pinot Grigio

Name: Arrow Creek Pinot Grigio
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2010
Price: $7.99 (on sale)

Winery review: Bright citrus aromas on the nose are accentuated by flavors of a crisp Braeburn apple, heightened by the essence of ripe melon. 
My review: This PG left me underwhelmed. It was light and fruity but extremely flabby, almost tasteless.  I would only select this wine again if it were a hot summer day, before a meal.

Food:  A variety of cheeses

Tasting: Jacob's Creek Shiraz

Name: Jacob's Creek Classic Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: Barossa Valley
Country: Australia
Year: 2010
Price: $8.99 

Winery review: Medium depth with crimson-purple hues. Displaying aromas of ripe, spicy black fruits, with hints of chocolate and well-handled cedary oak. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, vibrant fruit flavours. It has an attractive sweet mid-palate, and soft, silky Shiraz tannins through to a 
long, satisfying finish

My review: I thought that the Jacob's Creek Shiraz was very tannic but ended with a light, easy finish. The flavors that stuck out to me were berry and maple.

Food:  A variety of cheeses

Tasting: 2009 Kamiak Rock Lake Red

Name: Kamiak Rock Lake Red
Variety: 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 24% Syrah, 5% Sangiovese
Region: Columbia Valley, Washington
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $14.95

Winery review: The interplay of four grapes come together in the 2009 Rocklake Red to make an extraordinary wine. Aromas of rose petal, raspberry, strawberry-rhubarb, cola and green tea playfully intertwine with hints of bramble.  The entry of this wine is soft and silky--lots of bright fresh fruit flavors combine effortlessly with savory elements.  The gentle tannins in this wine are firm but approachable and give the wine a sensation of lingering freshness.

My review: I found the Kamiak Rock Lake Red to be very sweet compared to many red blends- I liked it! It has a sugary, fruity beginning with notes of pear and berry, an acidic mid palette and is all wrapped up with an extremely creamy finish.

Food: Shrimp Scampi over orzo

Tasting: Peter Mertes Platinum Riesling Spatlese

Name: Peter Mertes Platinum Riesling Spatlese
Variety: Riesling
Region: Mosel
Country: Germany 
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95

Winery review:   Peter Mertes' Spatlese Riesling offers a breezy balance of sweetness and acidity perfect for relaxing at the end of the day. Enticing notes of green apple, melon, and citrus are balanced by a hint of minerality on the palate. Try pairing with bold, spicy foods!

My review: The aroma of this Spatlese is very simple but the flavor is astonishingly complex for a sweeter white wine. The sugar-acid balance is close to perfect (one of the most balanced that I have ever tasted) but the sugars do dominate. Flavors that I found to be present were fruit and violets and there was a distinct mineral quality to the wine. 

Food: pork & leek dumplings

Tasting: Rondel Brut Cava

Name: Rondel Brut Cava
Variety: Cava
Region: Cava
Country: Spain 
Year: None listed
Price: $8.99

Winery review:   "More fruity than dry, this "extreme brut" is filled with soft peach and nut flavors, their fragrance lifted by white pepper and floral tones of white lilies. Briny and fresh, the flavors last.".

My review: This is a fantastic sparkling wine, perfect to enjoy with appetizers before a meal. It is light and clean with a mineral taste. The Rondel Brut Cava is very well balanced, not too sweet or too dry and leaves no unpleasant aftertaste. 

Food: On its own and mixed a second glass with orange juice.

Tasting: Figaro Vino Tinto

Name: Figaro Vino Tinto
Variety: "Other Red" (blend)
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2009
Price: $12.99

Winery review: Calatayud, Spain- Fresh red fruit flavors on the nose and palate are framed with a hint of spice which is followed by a long lasting finish. Grown by a multi-agricultural Co-op on hillsides 800-100m above sea level this is an excellent selection for enjoying pasta and cheese dishes

My review: What I first noticed about this wine was that it smelled very synthetic as opposed to the earthy or fruity smell that many wines have. On its own, the Figaro Red Wine was very flabby with a poor backbone but when I paired it with different kinds of cheeses it took on a woody, cherry flavor. The finish was very tart- it made my mouth pucker- and was short and dry. For containing 14.5% alcohol, this wine was extremely mild.

Food: On its own and with cheese (havarti and mild cheddar)