Tasting - Heinz Eifl Shine Riesling

Name: Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling
Variety: Riesling
Region: Pfalz
Country: Germany
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95

Critic Review: Flint and mineral notes accent pineapple and lime aromas, while on the palate, the wine shows plenty of ripe, citrusy fruit flavors. Tangy acids on the long finish provide balance.

My Review: This wine smelled very much like minerals and wet rocks.  It was very acidic, very tangy and had a strong citrus flavor with some hints of pineapple.  It had an overall sweet flavor, despite the acidity.  The stark contract between the taste and the smell was interesting.  It liked the taste, but I didn't care for the smell at all.  I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting - Don Ramon Tinto

Name: Don Ramon Tinto
Variety: 75% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo
Region: Campo De Borja
Country: Spain
Year: None Given
Price: $7.95

Critic Review: 75% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo. Aged 3 months in American Oak
casks. Ruby red in color, with creamy aromas of earth and cherry.
Flavor turns toward deeper and darker black cherry and raspberry
on a medium framework. A subtle earthiness underneath the bright
fruit adds some depth and complexity.

My Review: This wine had a very interesting smell of charcoal mixed with cherries.  It smelled like barbequed fruit.  It had an earthy taste with a smoky aftertaste.  After the first taste, the aroma became more fruity and less smoky.  I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting - Resonata Nero D'Avola

Name: Resonata Nero D'Avola
Variety:Nero D'Avola
Region:Sicily
Country: Italy
Year: 2010
Price: $6.95

Critic Review: Dense ruby red with violet reflections.
Lush and ripe bouquet full of mulberries, blackberries and spice.
Harmonious and well balanced with good berry fruit in a spicy
background.

My Review: This wine had a dark cherry color and smelled like raspberries and cranberries.  It tasted spicy and a little hot, with a bitter aftertaste.  It was very full bodied.  I didn't taste this wine with food.

Tasting - Protocolo Blanc

Name: Protocolo Blanc
Variety: White Blend: 70% Airen and 30% Macabeo
Region: San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Laguardia
Country: Spain
Year: 2009
Price: $6.95

Critic Review: 87 Points, Stephan Tanzer
Greenish gold. Subtle aromas of mint, lemon and orange, with a hint of honeysuckle. Dry, understated and focused, offering clean citrus and melon flavors and slow-building sweetness. Finishes
dry and brisk, with an echo of lemon. As usual, this is an outstanding value.

My Review:  This wine had a greenish yellow coloring, with a citrus aroma.  It was mostly dry, but with a slightly sweet finish.  It was very light in body, but I could detect a hint of hotness coming through. I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting - Santola Vinho Verde

Name: Santola Vinho Verde
Variety: White Blend
Region: Minho
Country: Portugal
Year: None given
Price: $7.95

Critic Review:  Soft and creamy, although with just the right Vinho Verde bite, this
is a crisp and clean wine, boasting light pear and pink grapefruit
flavors. Off dry and very fresh.

My Review: This wine had a sweet aroma of pear and apple.  It was very acidic, but creamy at the same time.  I didn't get too many flavors out of it, it tasted mostly of apple.  I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting - Castano Monastrell

Name: Castano Monastrell
Variety: Monastrell
Region: Yecla
Country: Spain
Year: 2009
Price: $8.00

Critic Review: Bodegas Castano's 2009 Monastrell was aged for 6 months in neutral French oak. Produced entirely from estate fruit and now bottled in screw-cap for the USA market, it is a dark ruby-colored wine with a fragrant nose of underbrush, blueberry, and plum. Super-juicy on the palate and densely packed, this is a pleasure-bent effort for drinking over the next 2-3 years. " 88 - points The Wine Advocate.

My Review: This wine smelled like dried cherries, currants and a little bit like cranberries.  It was very dark in color.  The taste was yeasty and little like cherries with a bitter slightly oak-flavored aftertaste. It was full bodied with a blast of flavor initially. I did not try this wine with food. 

Tasting - Into Zin Zinfandel

Name: Into Zin Zinfandel
Variety: Zinfandel
Region: Lodi, California
Country: U.S.
Year: 2008
Price: $7.95

Critic Review: Spicy, jammy, ripe round plum with juicy soft finish. Goes well with marsala chicken, peppered steak or broiled lamb shank.

My Review: I haven't tried very many types of red wines before but this zinfandel is the first one that I've tried that I actually liked.  It was the color of cherry juice and smelled of strawberry jam initially.  It was creamy and soft to taste.  After the first taste the aroma changed to a creamier smell, almost like strawberry jam mixed with butter.  It had an oak finish.  I didn't taste this wine with food.

Tasting - Tres Ojos Garnacha Tempranillo Rose

Name: Tres Ojos Garnacha Tempranillo Rose
Variety: Blend  of Tempranillo and Garacha
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95

Critic Review: A 50-50 blend of Tempranillo and Garacha, this medium rose-colored rosado boasts a spicy red cherry/plum nose with a soft lush attack of red berry fruit flavors and a crisp dry finish. Simple and refreshing and a natural for tapas.

My Review:  This wine did not smell very good to me. It had an unpleasant spicy aroma.  It was also a little too dry for my taste.  However, it did have a nice cherry mid palate.  The finish tasted of raspberries mixed with straw. I didn't taste this wine with food.

Tasting - Legaris Crianza

Name: Legaris Crianza
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Ribera del Duero
Country: Spain
Year: 2003
Price: $8.95

Critic Review: 90 Points, Wine Spectator.  A silky texture carries plum, tobacco, coffee and mineral flavors over ripe tannins in this balanced red. Berry and vanilla notes linger on the finish. Drink now through 2013. –T.M.

My Review: Legaris Crianza had a dark fruity smell, resembling cherry.  It might have been a little off balance, I could definitely detect the alcohol coming through when tasting it.  I couldn't really pick out any distinct flavors though, it tasted like any other typical red wine. I didn't taste this wine with food. 

Tasting - Lazzaro Chardonnay

Name: Lazzaro Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $6.95

Critic Review: Opens with mellow peach and melon aromas and some oak.  The palate is round, creamy, and full.  Tastes of spiced, dried apple with a stalky, pithy accent.

My Review: I don't drink wine very often but this is one of the few white wines I've tried for which I actually liked the aroma.  It smelled of very sweet melon.  It has a creamy consistency when tasting with a slightly bitter aftertaste. I didn't taste this wine with food. 

Tasting - Coastal Vines Brut

Name: Coastal Vines Brut
Variety: Sparkling French Colombard, Chardonnay, Mixed Whites blend
Region: California
Country: US
Year: Not given
Price: $6.95

Critic Review: Coastal Vines Sparkling Wine is a light colored wine with aromas of apple and citrus.  On the palate there are flavors of melon and pear.  The finish is crisp and clean. Pair with cheeses, like brie, for appetizers; grilled garlic shrimp over a bed of pasta; or with a light white cake for dessert.

My Review:  This sparkling wine had a nice apple smell.  It was heavily carbonated, a little too much for my taste.  I couldn't pick out any distinct flavors tasting it, it was hard to get past all of the carbonation.  It was slightly sweet to the taste.  I think perhaps it would have been better if I had tried it with food.

Tasting - Opera Prima Sparkling Moscato

Name: Opera Prima Sparkling Moscato
Variety: Sparkling Blend
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $7.99

Critic Review: This distinctive sparkling wine boasts beautiful rose petal and lychee fruit aromas and luscious, silky-sweet flavors balanced by a crisp, refreshing finish. Lovely to sip on its own, it's also delicious with a wide range of desserts.

My Review: This sparkling wine has a light sweet smell, with a hint of apricot.  The taste lasts much longer than the pink sparkling moscato by Opera Prima.  It's a very light taste, with citrus tones.  I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting - Opera Prima Pink Moscato

Name: Opera Prima Pink Moscato

Variety: white Moscato and red Tempranillo blend

Region: Vino de Tierra de Castilla

Country: Spain

Year: Non-Vintage

Price: $7.99

Critic Review: This fine sparkling presents an intense aroma of fresh berries and tropical fruits with hints of white flower petals. Delicate bubbles caress the palate offering a silky and pleasant sweetness well balanced by a crisp, refreshing finish. Ideal on its own, as an aperitif or with all types of sweets and desserts.

My Review: This wine was sweet and slightly floral smelling.  It was not too sweet tasting, actually slightly tangy and definitely fruity.  It was not over carbonated; the carbonation was very smooth. This was my favorite of all the wines I tasted that day.  I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting - Le Lapin Paso Robles Multiplicity

Name: Le Lapin Paso Robles Multiplicity
Variety: Zinfandel Blend
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: Non-vintage
Price: $6.95

Critic Review: I’m not sure what’s in the water in Paso Robles, California, but it seems to inspire both cross-language puns and some interesting ideas in wine making.  Nowhere else would you find someone making wine from a blend of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and – wait for it – Refosco!  Leaves you scratching your head, and then you take a sip and do a double take.  Wow, this stuff’s delicious – and cheap! Multiplicity is a ripe, round, friendly wine that offers up ample aromas of red cherry and plum fruit with notes of cocoa butter, chocolate and spice.  Then generous flavors of red and black fruits, graphite and a touch of menthol for complexity and lift.  Nicely concentrated and softly ripe on the finish.  The whole thing reminds you of cookouts at the beach somehow, so toss on some burgers and have a party!

My review:  Paso Robles Multiplicity has a deep oak and cherry smell, but also smells a little hot; you can detect the alcohol coming through.  It's a little bitter tasting and has a very interesting aftertaste, almost as though you can taste the yeast.  I did not try this wine with food but I think that it would taste better if paired with cheese. 

Tasting - Villa Pozzi

Name: Villa Pozzi

Variety: Nero D’Avola

Region: Avola

Country: Sicily

Year: 2010

Price: regular $14.99 on sale for $9.99

Critic Review: A rich red grape, sometimes called Italy's Shiraz, Nero D'Avola is grown on the island of Sicily with great success. Villa Pozzi sources it's Nero D'Avola from vineyards in the hills on the western side of the island. Elevations of 1,000 to 1,300 feet and clay soils give these grapes the balance they need to mature fully without becoming overripe. The result is a full, succulent wine with rich fruit, spice and deep color. A tremendous value, enjoy this wine with all of your favorite Italian dishes.

My Review: This wine tasted tangy and a little bitter at first with a slight oak taste but not very woody.  It was smoother than other red wine’s I’ve tasted before.  It was balanced well, and the aftertaste was pleasant.  I did not try this wine with food. Overall, I liked it.