Tasting - Lost Vineyards Spumante Italiano Moscato

Name: Lost Vineyards
Variety: Spumante Italiano Moscato
Region: Piedmont
Country: Italy
Year: N/A
Price: $6.95

Winery Review:
Pale color. Confected, fruity aromas of yellow apple, honeysuckle, pear tartlet, and honeydew melon with a satiny, shy, spritzy, moderately sweet light-to-medium body and a sleek, fast yellow apple, candied pear, honeycomb and sweet papaya finish with no tannins and no oak. Simple and approachable with sweet apple, melon and candied pear on a framework of gentle, delightful bubbles.

My Review:
Generally I love the sweet wines at the end of these tastings, but this one was pretty disappointing. The smell was off putting to me - kind of like a rotting fruit smell but also kind of like a fruit roll up that has been in its shiny package for a while. There was also an earthy flower aspect to the smell. When tasted, it just tasted exactly like soda to me. If I were to shut my eyes and blindly taste this, I would assume it was just Sprite with a little bit of grenadine. There were not layers in this taste at all. This was tasted without food.

Tasting - Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Jip Jip Rocks
Variety: Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Padthaway
Country: Australia
Year: 2013
Price: $19 (Sale $8.95)

Robert Parker:
This red wine is a well above average effort with lots of flavor as well as Australia's so easily obtainable, lush fruit. The 2013 Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon (55% and 45% respectively) exhibits a dark ruby/purple hue along with a layered, peppery, berry fruit-scented nose revealing licorice and meaty notes. From a much lighter vintage, it is a supple, easygoing red to enjoy now and over the next several years.

My Review:
This was a very pretty blood garnet color. The smell was pretty potent with dark bitter raspberry flavors and a little bit of peppermint at the end of the nose. It kind of smelled like it had been sitting in a dark and musty cellar for a while before we went to taste it. When tasted, there were a lot of layers in the taste which was cool to taste. Some dark fruit tones, with still that slight mint aspect were tastable. The wine was not overly bitter and had a clean finish. This was tasted without food.

Tasting - Cavit Alta Luna Pinot Noir

Name: Cavit Alta Luna
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Vigneti delle Dolomiti
Country: Italy
Year: 2011
Price: $20 (Sale $9.95)

Winery Review:
On the nose cherry, plum and berry aromas mingle with notes of spice and tobacco. On the palate soft, supple tannins and refreshing acidity are beautifully balanced by ripe cherry fruit flavors on the finish which is dry, harmonious and elegant.

My Review:
This was a super "loose" wine and was very flowy in the glass. It smelled like cherry with hints of tobacco, and a little bit of pomegranate with raspberry. When tasted, this wine was fruity, beginning more bitter but was very smooth. This wine seems like it would cut through heavy food well, if you were serving it with a rich dinner meal. There were slight hints of pomegranate in the taste, but overall the finish was very nice. This was tasted without food.

Tasting - El Cortijillo Verdejo

Name: El Cortijillo
Variety: Verdejo
Region: La Monacha
Country: Spain
Year: 2014
Price: $5.95

Beverage Testing Institute Review:
Golden straw color. Bright, attractive, tropical aromas of creme brulee and fruit tart with a silky, bright, dry-yet-fruity light-to-medium body and a smooth, intriguing, snappy lime and apple finish with crunchy, fruit tannins and light oak. A super smooth and pure white sipper.

My Review:
This wine smelled like pears to me, but not sliced pears, pears that still are completely intact. This wine was a little crisp smelling and smelled fresh. When tasted, there was a clean ended on the back pallete and had flavors that were grapefruit and tarte. This wine was dry, plain, and one dimensional. Not to say this wine was bad, because it was good, it was just forgetful and nothing special. This was tasted without food.

Tasting - Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Pinot Grigio

Name: Trattoria Busa Alla Torre
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: 2014
Price: $7.95

Winery Review:
A Venetian favorite: It is crisp and dry, rich and spicy with hints of peach and honey... perfect with salads, pasta, chicken and fish! Musaragno is an organic wine estate near Venice, Italy.

My Review:
This beautiful golden colored wine seemed to have more substance to it and was less "watery" when swirled around. The wine almost looked more like syrup in the class, instead of a white wine. It smelled rich and right of the vine with hints of tangerine and bread that smelled like it was freshly baked. When tasted, it was not directly full of heat but had a little bit of a metallic aftertaste. I really enjoyed this wine but the aftertaste was slightly different and definitely unexpected. This wine had hints of apple on the pallete and was not too sweet. This was tasted without food.

Tasting - Fetzer Gewurztraminer

Name: Fetzer
Variety: Gewurztaminer
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2014
Price: $12 (Sale $8.95)

Wine Enthusiast Review:
A rainy minerality on the nose of this sweet wine manages to cut through the sugared oranges, honeysuckle and ripe, tropical white fleshed fruit, from peach to cherimoya. The palate is full of honeyed apples, white peach and pineapple, but the decent acidity and chalky element stops it short of treacly.

My Review:
This wine smelled exactly like a fresh cut meadow and was terrific. It smelled like the middle of a spring day that hadn't gotten too war. There were not really any fruits coming out because the main focus was on a grassy smell that was not too earthy. It tasted like carbonated with the fizziness with hints of strawberry. I would like to eat pretzels with this wine to even out the super sweetness. It had a clean finish here the aftertaste didn't linger too long. This was tasted without food.

Tasting - Maipe Malbec

Name: Maipe
Variety: Malbec
Region:  Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2015
Price: $12 (Sale $6.95)

Robert Parker Review:
The 2015 Maipe Malbec is another 100% Malbec, with a deep purple color and a style similar to the Lexicon, with chocolaty, blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, as well as touches of licorice and earth. It is delicious, soft and round. 87 points.

My Review:

This wine smelled sweet with a hint of rubber sole from a shoe. There seemed to be a hint of cinnamon smell as well, except there was not outward spiciness that hits you. I would say that it was more sweet smelling like sugar rather than fruity. When tasted there were little hints of rotten strawberries with the heat on the end with a sub par aftertaste. I felt like I needed a piece of gum after drinking that because it did not end the best way it could have. There was an overall smooth flavor, but no sugar flavor. 

Tasting - Manoir du Carra Beaujolais Nouveau

Name: Manoir de Carra
Variety: Beaujolais Nouveau
Region: Beaujolais
Country: France
Year: 2014
Price: $12 (Sale $4.95)

Winery Review:
A pretty, floral wine, with a rose petal note underscoring the rich pomegranate and sweet plum flavors. The fresh acidity is balanced, and a light spice note lingers on the finish.

My Review:
This wine smelled just like the wash/soap you can buy and use to wash vegetables with, except with hints of cherry. The wine was almost chemical smelling but not quite fully there. There was also a little bit of burnt aspect on the nose. When tasted it was super bitter which is hard for me to get past and it seemed to cover up a lot of flavors. There was no residual sugar taste and I was not getting any fruit flavors. This was not an enjoyable wine to me. This was tasted without food.

Tasting - Mapreco Vinho Verde

Name: Mapreco
Variety: Vinho Verde Rose
Region: Vinho Verde
Country: Portugal
Year: 2015
Price: $10 (Sale $7.95)

Winery Review:
The cherry color reveals a slightly fizzy wine that is a very fruitful rose made from the traditional vinho verde white grapes. Adding a splash of red to offer flavors with notes of strawberry, cherry, and berries. A delightful twist on the original.

My Review:

The smell of this wine had a hint of smelly feet, but mainly I smelled less sweet peaches - almost like peaches that were not fully ripe yet. This pretty peach colored wine had no heat on the nose which was a nice change from the Chardonnay. When tasted, you could taste rose petals and the aftertaste was like sour cream and onion yogurt dip. The aftertaste seemed to over power the other tones on the beginning of the taste. There were no real strong flavors overall, but a little bit of grapefruit and citrus in the taste. This was tasted without food.

Tasting - Marz & Venus Chardonnay

Name: Mars & Venus
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2014
Price: $5.95

Winery Review:
A very nice value Chardonnay that comfortable 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 definitely smelled like some sort of muted grapefruit. It had a weird heavy smell at the beginning - that heavy smell wasn't anything specific, but that smell muted the rest of the nose. You can also smell the heat on the end of the sniff with a touch of vanilla. One tasted, the sour smell was the only thing that stuck out. It tasted like a sour bath towel that you left in your bathroom for a while. It was super tarte and dry, and over all I did not find this wine to be enjoyable. This was tasted without food.

Tasting - The wine that opened my eyes (special edition)

Name: Alvear Solera
Variety: Pedro Ximinez 
Region: Andalucia
Country: Spain
Year: 1927
Price: $27

In the movie Sideways they talk about a bottle of wine that opens your eyes and changes your view, for me this was it. Every week this semester, my roommates and I go to Vintage Cellar for their wine tastings, and this time we got a store manager (possibly the owner) to administer our tasting. While the people at the rest of the table seemed to hurry through the tasting, we took our time, striking up a conversation with this man. At the end of it, he started talking about different wines and asked us if we wanted to taste 90 year old wine.

So I tasted this $90 year wine, in sweatpants.

And it completely changed my viewpoint on wine. The way they age it, where it comes from - these were all things that I was completely interested in. The fact that 90 years of other people have drank this wine literally blows my mind, and I am utterly in love with it. I felt the intense need to shake the administrators hand and say thank you after I drank it - I cannot stress how cool an experience this was.

This desert wine smelled fantastic. It smelled rich with a scent that lingered in your nose for a long time. But the taste is the best part. The flavor was coffee and toffee and chocolate all rolled into a great flavor that was rich and syrupy and heavy and supremely enjoyable. The administrator said that often when he and his wife are eating simple things like nuts and chocolate they will have a little bit of this and it pairs so nicely. This desert wine can only be drunk in small batches because of its extreme richness, but I am obsessed with it. This wine changed my view on wine.

Tasting - Beringer Chenin Blanc

Name: Berginer
Variety: Chenin Blanc
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2014
Price: $5.95

Winery Review:
A fresh green-apple aroma an vivid citrus and crisp apple flavors are supported by vibrant acidity in this medium-bodied wine. The texture is smooth but crisp, making lots of good food pairings come to mind, from pre-meal cheese, to salads, seafood and veggie pastas.

My Review:
This wine tasted like pears, apples, and like grapes who have sat out in the heat that day. It has a more richer smell for a chenin blanc than I expected. The color was very translucent. When tasted it was sweet with a more bitter en taste to it. It seems like a good dessert wine cause it doesn't taste like sugar water, it actually has some substance. The aftertaste was nice as well, not too sweet or bitter. This was tasted without food.

Tasting - Carraia Aglianico

Name: Carraia
Variety: Aglianico
Region: Campagna
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $15 (Sale $9.95)

Winery Review:
Produced in the Campania region of Italy, this Aglianico has delicious black fruit flavors with hints of licorice, volcanic soil and tar notes. Classic in nature, yet in a lighter, more crowd-pleasing style, the Carria is made of the ancient Aglianico grape. This black grape originated in Greece and today is widely grown in Basilicata and Campania.

My Review:
This had a more richer smell with hints of tobacco. The best descriptor would be a stale smell of an old man who had smoked for real. The label on the bottle was also pretty attractive and classic. When tasted it was super bitter with a sweet touch. The wine seemed to taste just like it smelled and they correlated. There was a tarte blueberry aftertaste. This wine seems to go bitter to sweet to sour. Not my favorite wine, and this was tasted without food.

Tasting - Siema Vino Rosso

Name: Siema Vino Rosso
Variety: Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo
Region: Piemonte
Country: Italy
Year: Unknown
Price: $10 (Sale $6.95)

Winery Review:
Intense ruby red with soft garnet nuances in the glass, the Rosso is intriguingly fresh, fruity and spicy on the nose. Perfectly round and balanced, the wine is particularly soft and dry. Pair with simple dishes like fresh cheese, ham, salami, or pizza for a divine culinary experience.

My Review:
To me, there was a lot of heat in this smell, but that is distracting from the rest of the smells that this wine has to offer. There is a little chocolate and little bit of dark red fruit like pomegranate in the smell, but those smells are very small. When sipped. there was a bitter beginning with a sweet taste on the mid palate. This wine almost had an earthy flavor, like the floor of a forest. It was enjoyable. This was tasted without food.

Tasting - Dom de la Foret

Name: Dom de la Foret
Variety: Grenache Cinsault Rose de Mediterranee
Region: Provence
Country: France
Year: Unknown
Price $13 (Sale $8.95)

Winery Review:
A stony, pure style, with a warm paving stone note framing the dried cherry and rose water notes. The long, watermelon rind - inflected finish is finely tuned. Shows length and cut, staying lacy in feel. 50% Cincault and 50% Grenache.

My Review:
This wine smells almost of bubble gum but not quite. It smells like a pretty peach color with a sweet pleasing hint of watermelon. It was a nice smell but nothing special, nothing really stuck out. The taste was more dry for a rose with a clean finish that is very nice. When you finish this sip, the wine is gone and the flavor does not linger. There was a little bit of watermelon flavor, but just a touch. Overall it seems this wine would pair nicely with light lunch food. This wine was tasted without food.

Tasting - Bricco dei Tati

Name: Bricco dei Tati
Variety: Cortese
Region: Piemonte
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $10 (Sale $6.95)

The Washington Post Review:
Great value! Treat this terrific little white like a red: Don't chill it too much, then let it open for a half-our to develop its enticing tropical fruit flavors. It's dry, but the fruit gives an appealing illusion of sweetness. Great as an aperitif or with light seafood dishes.

My Review:
This wine smelled greatly of grapefruit and orange peel. This was not an outwardly fruity smell, but you can definitely smell the heat on the end of it. The taste is entirely too tarte with almost a sour flavor. So there are not any noticeable fruit flavors. This wine was pretty one dimensional and smelled better then it tasted in my opinion. This was tasted without food.