Tasting Villa Jolanda Brut

Name: Villa Jolanda Brut

Variety: Prosecco

Region: N/A

Country: Italy

Price: $8.95

Year: N/A.

Shop Review: Brilliant straw color with emerald reflections. Fresh and floral bouquet with a hint of pears, apricots and bananas. Fresh and inviting with bright fruit and an easy drinking style with a pleasing hint of almonds in the aftertaste.

My Review: I loved this sparkling wine and was loving the light pear smell but it was definitely not as strongly smelling as many other sparkling champagnes I have tried. It had a crisp taste with pear and apricots throughout the mid palette and ended with an apple finish, like a macintosh taste! I would have this sparkling wine again!

I did not have this with food but would serve it with light appetizers!

Tasting Alvarez de Toledo Godello

Name: Alvarez de Toledo Godello

Variety: Godello

Region: Bierzo

Country: Spain

Price: $7.95

Year: 2013

Shop Review: Clean pale yellow color. Nose fruity, persistent and elegant aromas. Good backbone on the palate.

My Review: This wine was extremely pale and almost looked like water. I could smell a tiny bit of a fruity aroma, like citrus but to me the vegetable smell was overwhelming. It was almost like a tomato or perhaps a leafy green veggie. The taste was lemon like and sour but not in a bad way.

I did not try this with food but would like to do so in the future, perhaps with a chicken dish.

Name: Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region:Veneto

Country: Italy

Price: $7.95

Year: N/A

Shop Review: Named after the famous restaurant in Italy! This is their house white wine! Coppery color from extended skin contact, round and rich texture with juicy melon aromas and flavors with a sweet fennel note on the ultra smooth finish. Great value Grigio! Drink now.

My Review: This wine was interesting and I enjoyed the tangerine like smell with a mix of cantaloupe scent. I expected it to be more acidic and while it was tart, I was happy about it's balance and undertone of sweetness. I felt like there was a bit of a crisp, granny smith apple finish as well!

I drank this wine with a light pasta dish with shrimp and really enjoyed the combo!

Tasting Monte Degli Angeli Sangiovese

Name: Monte Degli Angeli Sangiovese

Variety: Sangiovese

Region: Puglia

Country: Italy

Price: $7.95

Year: 2013

Shop Review: The aromas are rich and dark, with lots of black cherry and a hint of balsamic. In the mouth the wine is round and energetic, with cherry and black raspberry fruit complemented by hints of damp earth. If you like Sangiovese-based wines like Chianti or our best-selling Colsanto from Umbria, you'll love this! The wine is ripe, fresh, and fruit-driven with a wonderful dash of earthy complexity at the end. Buy it by the case and drink with pizza, grilled poultry, and pasta.

My Review: The initial smell I got from this wine was a bit of vegetables, like broccoli and peppers in a  salad. When I read about the label mentioning it had balsamic, it did remind me of what I tasted, almost like a dressing with a purely vegetable salad. I could also feel a bit of an earthy smell, like dirt. The taste itself was black currant with a hint of black pepper. The after taste hit me with wet rock and I wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. Overall,  I think I might prefer this wine with food.

I did not try this with food but I would like to try it with some pasta or pizza!

Tasting Bolla Moscato

Name: Bolla Moscato

Variety: Moscato

Region: Pavia

Country: Italy

Price: $9.95

Year: N/A

Shop Review: Loaded with juicy exotic fruit, mature apricot, yellow peach and tangerine flavors, this sweet and delightful wine is perfect for Sunday brunch or picnics.

My Review: As a huge Moscato drinker I was excited about what this wine had to offer and was very disappointed by it. It smelled like a mixture of freshly mowed lawn and gasoline from the lawn mower itself. I tried to keep an open mind, since the taste doesn't often match the smell but was still upset by the flavor. It hit me like bad grape juice, the type that was made with bad grapes. It also had a bit of grapefruit undertone and leeche taste. I would not drink this wine again.

I did not eat anything with this wine and probably wouldn't want to ruin food with it.

Tasting Villa Pozzi Moscato

Name: Villa Pozzi Moscato

Variety: Moscato

Region: Sicily

Country: Italy

Price: $8.95

Year:

Shop Review: Loaded with juicy exotic fruit, mature apricot, yellow peach and tangerine flavors, this sweet and delightful wine is perfect for Sunday brunch or picnics.

My Review: I love Moscato and this was right up my alley! It smelled very floral with an accent of sweet fruits. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it but it smelled a bit like sweet plums or some crisp pineapple. I could taste a sweet papaya and tangerine touch, along with a Motts White Grape juice feel.

I did not try this with food but it would be interesting to pair it with a spicy food to offset all the sweetness!

Tasting Bodegas Atalaya Laya

Name: Bodegas Atalaya Laya

Variety: 70% Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) and 30% Monastrell

Region: Almansa

Country: Spain

Price: $8.95

Year: 2013

Shop Review: 88 Points – Stephen Tanzer. A blend of 70% Garnacha Tintorera, a.k.a. Alicante Bouschet, and 30% Monastrell; fermented in stainless steel, followed by four months in French oak.  Bright purple.  Cassis, blueberry, pungent herbs and mocha on the nose.  Smooth and open-knit on the palate, displaying fresh cherry and dark berry qualities and a hint of black pepper.  Finishes with gripping tannins and good length, leaving a subtle floral note behind.

My Review: I could tell it was going to be an intense wine by it's deep purple hue and on the nose, the mocha and earthy, herb like nature really overwhelmed me. I could kind of smell a blackberry smell, maybe cassis but I can't really tell the difference, and almost smelled a bit like espresso, burning my nose. The taste was really weird, but I could pick up on some dark fruits, like a black raspberry or unripe blueberry. The black pepper finish at the end was off putting since the smell was like coffee and at the end I felt like I ate something doused in pepper. I would definitely prefer this wine with food.

I would definitely prefer to match this wine with some food, as it was very strong and not a type of wine I would just sip on. I might try it with a steak or some other type of meat to offset it.

Tasting Mars and Venus Chardonnay

Name: Mars and Venus Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: La Mancha

Country: Spain

Price: $5.95

Year: 2013

Shop Review: A very nice value Chardonnay that comfortably over-delivers vs. its modest price tag. No oak here, just bushels of clean, crisp, Chardonnay apple and stone fruit with a hint of caramelized pineapple. Juicy and clean, this is a mid-weight white that's just perfect for parties or weeknight sipping.

My Review: This wine was a bit too dry for my taste and I expected that from it's crisp, like color since many other whites I have tried with this color gave this impression. It wasn't extremely dry but I felt like it's apple like taste made it seem a bit too bitter. The pineapple aftertaste was more sour than sweet and as a sweet wine lover, I was disappointed that I couldn't really sense a tad of sugar. I think if I paired this wine with food, it would improve.

I did not pair this with food but it seems like something that could go well with a bunch of different platters!

Tasting Cortenova Pinot Grigio

Name: Cortenova Pinot Grigio

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region: Veneto

Country: Italy

Price: $6.95

Year: 2013

Shop Review: Brilliant straw color with emerald reflections. Fresh and floral bouquet with a hint of pears, apricots and bananas. Fresh and inviting with bright fruit and an easy drinking style with a pleasing hint of almonds in the aftertaste.

My Review: The first thing that caught my eye about this wine was it's green-ish tint, which I haven't seen in to many other white wines. On the nose, it smelt very crisp and fresh but I still got more of rose, or dried flower smell. It did have a bit of a dried apricot smell as well. The taste was more fruit like, which was pleasant because I was worried it would taste like dried flowers as well. To me it tasted a bit like dried bananas and I did pick up a bit on the almond as well.

I did not try this wine with food but would like to pair it with a light dish, like fish or chicken!

Tasting Rubus Rosado Prieto Prudo

Name: Rubus Rosado Prieto Picudo

Variety: Rosado Prieto Picudo

Region: Tierra de Leon

Country: Spain

Price: $14, $4 on sale

Year: 2013

Shop Review: Bright clean strawberry rose color.　In the nose it is intense and fresh, with strawberry aromas and slight citric hints. In the mouth it is fresh, strong and tasty, emphasizing a delightful tingle due to its carbonic residuals. The name Prieto Picudo means "tight & pointy" (more or less). This is due to the tightly formed bunches and the slightly oval/pointy shape of the grapes. The bunch shape is reminiscent of Tempranillo; the berries are thick skinned, and dark blue-black in color. Prieto Picudo is well adapted to the difficult growing conditions in Castilla y León province - not a lot of rain, very cold winters and scorching hot summers. The vines tend to relatively low yields, with lots of color, concentration and good acidity. Also, it's the same grape as Alfrocheiro Preto in Portugal. Alfrocheiro is an important variety in Dão region of Portugal.

My Review: For a Spanish wine, I was very surprised by how light it was but I guess it was because it's a pink wine. I could smell lime at first but was instantly hit with how it burned my nose. After the overwhelming acidic smell, I could kind of smell a raspberry or strawberry undertone. In taste, I assumed it was sweet but was hit by acidity instead. It reminded me a bit of many other Spanish wines I have tried before. It was very hot but also had a tart strawberry margarita taste, just one that was made a bit too strong. I liked it, and for the price value, I would definitely drink it again!


I paired this with some spicy foods, including rice and spicy hummus and chips! I would also love to pair it with pizza sometimes, like the bottle suggests!

Tasting Crane Lake Petite Sirah

Name: Crane Lake Petite Sirah

Variety: Sirah

Region: California

Country: USA

Price: $5.95

Year: 2013

Shop Review: Shows a certain rustic simplicity now, with youthfully jammy flavors of blackberries, cherries and currants, sprinkled with cocoa and pepper and wrapped into dusty tannins.

My Review: I could smell the fruity, blackberry or raspberry like jam. This wine was drier than I expected and almost had an earthy complex. I could taste a few hints of pepper but the wine was pretty tannic and it overwhelmed my senses. I am not sure if I would drink this again but it might be better with food!

I did not pair this with food but would like it try it with some cheese and cured meat.

Tasting Yellowtail Reserve Merlot

Name: Yellowtail Reserve Merlot

Variety: Merlot

Region: South Eastern

Country: Australia

Price: $12

Year: 2010

Shop Review: Round, velvety and mouthfilling, this is a satisfying Merlot at a bargain price. Aromas of black cherries and herbs fold in hints of cinnamon and mocha, while the flavors are generally fruity, but with a slightly tomatoey note. Soft on the finish. Drink now.

My Review: I immediately noticed the presence of some types of spices in this, including a smell of spicy cinnamon. I also did notice the black cherry scent. I thought this tasted just like espresso coffee, which was something I didn't expect but actually enjoyed. I could also taste some spicyness similar to a pepper but I couldn't pinpoint which one. I enjoyed this Merlot and would definitely drink it again.

I did not pair this with food but would like to try it with a steak or some type of meat!

Tasting Takutai Pinot Gris

Name: Takutai Pinot Gris

Variety: Pinot Gris

Region: Nelson

Country: New Zealand

Price: $21

Year: 2009

Shop Review: Since the wine weighs in at %14, the fruit was clearly very ripe. That ripeness is reflected in the flavors as well, which feature nectarine and honey accented by hints of white pepper. It's full bodied and lush, with a long finish that mingles the sensations of sweet spicy.

My Review: It smelled like honey but also a bit like pineapple or pear. When I tasted it, I was disappointed about the taste. Since it is higher in concentration of alcohol, it tasted a bit like gasoline and was spicy. I would not drink this wine again.

I did not pair this with food and probably won't try doing so anyways.

Tasting Mars and Venus Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Mars and Venus Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: La Mancha

Country: Spain

Price: $10

Year: 2013

Shop Review: Citrus and gooseberry aromas are mild but typical of the variety. A basic citrus palate delivers modest tangerine and nectarine flavors which lead to a mild, pithy finish showing light citric notes.

My Review: I didn't really feel the initial nectarine smell. To me, from initial smell, it smelled a bit like pee or apple juice gone bad. The taste was surprising though, with a dry kick of an almost ripe pear. It also had a bit of an apply taste. I don't think I would drink this wine again.

I did not pair this with food but next time I might try to because I think this wine would definitely taste better with food.

Tasting Michelle Brut Rose

Name: Michelle Brut Rose

Variety: 93% Pinot Noir, 7% Pinot Meuiner. Sparkling wine.

Region: Colombia Valley, Washington

Country: USA

Price: $15.95

Year: 2013

Shop Review: "A blend of 93% Pinot Noir, 7% Pinot Meuiner the Michelle Brut Rose is a beautifully blush sparkling wine, with essences of berries in the nose and on the palate. The initial impression is dry with a soft and fruity aftertaste. Great with fresh berries & melons, Asian- inspired cuisine.

My Review: From my first smell, it seemed very fruity with hints of ripe apricot, peaches, and strawberries. It was a bit drier than I expected after the initial smell. It tasted just like peaches to me and I definitely had an after taste of some really ripe strawberries and blueberries. I really enjoyed the dry vs. sweet contrast and would definitely drink this again!

I did not pair this with food but would like to try it with some spicy food, as the makers suggest.