Shine Riesling

Name: Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling
Variety: 100% Riesling

Region: Trittenheem, Mosel Valley

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: On the nose, there was a fruity and floral scents. I tasted apples and peaches with a hint of mineral and earthy flavors. This was, also, sweet and crisip. It was easy to drink and the combination of earth and fruit was great! 

Food Pairing: None

Altas Cumbres Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Altas Cumbres Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2010

Price: $15 --> $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: On the nose, I could only smell coffee. It was a super overwhelming smell. When I tasted the wine there were flavors of cherry, pepper, and plums. I tasted hints of coffee but the cherry flavor was the major flavor. This wine was, also, dry and tannic. I didn't really enjoy this wine. 

Food Pairing: None

Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais

Name: Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau
Variety: 100% Gamay

Region: Beaujolais

Country: France

Year: 2013

Price: $14 --> $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: On the nose, the wine had scents of strawberry and banana. When I tasted, there were flavors of peach, strawbeery, raspberry, and tropical fruits. This wine was acidic and tannic. I didn't really enjoy this wine that much. 

Food Pairing: None

Bricco dei Tati Rose

Name: Bricco dei Tati Rose
Variety: 100% Barbera

Region: Piemonte

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: On the nose, I smelled scents of strawberrt and rose. When I tasted the wine, a cherry flavor was present along with hintes of strawberry. This was very refreshing and smooth. This has been one of my favorite wines to taste. 

Food Pairing: None

Frascati Volpetti White Blend

Name: Frascati Volpetti White Blend
Variety: 50% Malvasia, 40% Trebbiano, 10% Greco

Region: Frascati

Country: Italy

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: On the nose, it was not very powerful scents. But I did smell tropical fruits, such as pineapple and mangos. I tasted mango, pineapple, and papaya. This was a simpler wine and was very easy to drink. I enjoyed this wine. 

Food Pairing: None

Dinner with the Parents

I went home this weekend for Easter with my family. Last night, we decided we would make our dinner a "Wine Dinner". For our dinner we picked three different glasses of wine with 3 different coures. The courses being appetizer, entree, and dessert. Every one picked their own entrees but we split the desserts and appetizer.

Fried calamari

My mom having the Dry Riesling

W

For the appetizer, we picked the Fried Calamari paired with Trefethen Dry Riesling 2011 from Napa Valley, California. I love fruity wines, which most Rieslings are fruity and sweet. However, this was a dry Riesling that was very crisip but I could still taste fruits. On the nose, the wine smelled like peaches and honeysuckle. It, also, tasted like that but also had some mineral flavors to it. I actually really liked this wine. The pairing with the calamari was perfect. I felt like I could taste the flavors of the calamari more profoundly. They paired perfectly together. I would not drink the dry Riesling without having the calamari because alone I didn't really enjoy the flavors. My mom and dad both agreed that the wine tasted better paired with the calamari than by itself. 

My dad having the Sauvignon Blanc

BBQ Flat Beard Pizza

For my entree, I had a BBQ flat bread pizza with Sileni Sauvignon Blanc 2010 from New Zealand. On the nose, this wine had scents of tropical fruits, such as pineapples and mangos. When I tasted the wine, it has tropical fruit flavors but also an acidic taste to it. The were some citrus flavors as well and there was an acidic lingering aftertaste. The comination of the pizza with wine was not very good. It was interesting but I think it made me enjoy the wine less. I kept having this BBQ flavor from the pizza and citrus flavor from the wine combined on my tastebuds. It was strange and I wouldn't recommended it. My mother, however, had a Asian Chicken Salad and enjoyed the combination of the wine and the salad.

Me having the Clean Slate Riesling

Dessert 

For desserts, we had a chocolate lava cake and banana pudding beard with Clean Slate Riesling 2012 from Germany. On the nose, I smelled scents of pear, green apple, and honey. When I tasted it, it had flavors of honey, apple, and a hint of lemon. There was, also, an acidic, which was very light. It was crisp, clean, and balanced. Not overwhelming amounts of flavors but still very good. The pairing with chocolate and banana bread was great. Together, the acidic flavors of the wine were more domiante and the wine was even crisiper.

Overall,  it was a good dinner and I was happy to be home with my family! These are the pictures of the wine bottles

Wine 2: Sauvignon Blanc

Wine 3: Clean Slate Riesling

Wine 1: Riesling

Avery Quinn Chardonnay

Name: Avery Quinn
Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Napa, California

Country: USA

Year: 2011

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: On the nose, I could smell apples, vanilla, and pineapple, which was an odd combination of scents. The wine tasted very creamy and buttery with hints of fruity flavors. This was refreshing and appealing. I enjoyed the creamy aspect to this wine.

Food Pairing: None

Atlas Cumbres Torronotes

Name: Atlas Cumbres
Variety: Torrontes

Region: Veneto

Country: Italy

Year: 2010

Price: $13.95 

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: The smell of this wine centered around floral and fruity scents. The taste of the wine was sweet and fruity. I tasted peaches and apples. I liked this wine a lot!

Food Pairing: None

Omo Ze Bel

Name: Omo Ze Bel
Variety: Merlot

Region: Sicilia

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 was an interesting wine. On the nose, scents of cherry and blackberry were present. When I tasted the wine, it was simple and light on the palate. There were not a lot of tannins, so this was not very bitter. I actually enjoyed the simplistic taste to this wine. It was not overpowering or too dry. 

Food Pairing: None

El Sierro

Name: El Sierro
Variety: Tempranillo and Caberney Sauvignon

Region: Valencia

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: On the nose, there were scents of plums, blackberries, and cherries. I liked the smells of this wine. The taste of the wine, I sort of enjoyed. It was not great but I, also, am not a huge fan of red wines. I could taste the blackberries/plums and there a presence of tannins. The tannins made the wine bitter and I didn't like that. Plus, there was a dry after taste that was too much for me. This was an ok wine, not my favorite 

Food Pairing: None

Toso Moscato

Name: Toso Moscato
Variety: Moscato 

Region: Cossano Belbo

Country: Italy

Year: 2008

Price: $13.95 

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: This wine smelt very sweet and fruity. It, also, had a little citrus, specifically orange and grapefruit.The taste of the wine was very similar and I could taste the orange. I liked the intense and overwhelming taste of sweetness. This was my favorite wine from this group of 5 wines!  

Food Pairing: None

Bellafina Pink Moscato

Name: Bellafina
Variety: Moscato and Rabosos

Region: Veneto

Country: Italy

Year: N/A

Price: $13.95 

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: The wine had scents of strawberry and flowers. It was a very strong and nice scent given by the wine. The slightly acidic body of this wine was very enjoyable and the combination of strawberry and sweetness was great! The wine was easy to drink and I really liked the floral smells and fruity flavors! I loved this wine!

Food Pairing: None

Weinert Carascal

Name: Weinery Carascal
Variety: 40% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot

Region: Mendoza

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: The wine scent focused on a leathery (specificially cigars) and blackberry smell. It was very strong and powerful. The taste of the wine had leathery flavors and was very acidic. I didn't enjoy this wine at all. The combination of cigars, leathers, and acidic made this wine throughly unenojyable. I was not a fan of this at all.
Food Pairing: None

Santa Julia Malbec

Name: Santa Julia Malbec
Variety: Malbec

Region: Mendoza

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: On the nose, the wine had scents of blackberry, cherry, and raspberry. The taste of the wine centered around the blackberry flavor with a hint of coffee aftertaste. The combination of those flavors, for me, made the wine a little bitter and unenjoyable. I don't think coffee at all, therefore the aftertaste of coffee was not something I liked. This was my least favorite wine for this week. 

Food Pairing: None

Gougenheim Torrontess

Name:  Gougenheim
Variety: Torrontes

Region: 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: The smell of the wine centered around fruity and floral scents. I couldn't decided which fruits I smelled because I was overwhelmed by the combination of fruits and floral that I took in. The smell was very strong and sweet. The wine, itself, had a sweet, fruity taste with a hint of lemon. I enjoyed the wine up until the end. The wine left a bitter aftertaste that I didn't enjoy at all.
Food Pairing: None

Santa Julia Pinto Grigio

Name: Santa Julia
Variety: Pinto Grigio

Region: Mendoza

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: When I smelt the wine, there were hints of peach and orange. The taste of the wine was bitter and centered around an orange taste. There was a slight citrus finish, which I enjoyed. Good wine! 
Food Pairing: None