Wine Tasting: Lost Vineyards Spumante Italiano

Name; Lost Vineyards Spumante Italiano
Variety: Moscato
Region: Piedmon
Country: Italy
Year: NA
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: Fruity nose with peaches, pineapples, and melons coming through well. Mild acidity on the palate; tasted much like it smelled. A very subdued but tasty wine.

I did not have this wine with food.

Wine Tasting: Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz/ Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Jip Jip Rocks
Variety: Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Padthaway
Country: Australia
Year: 2013
Price: Regular $19 on sale $8.95

Winery Review: 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: Woods like smell on the nose with hints of pepper. Licorice on the palate with some dark berries and maybe event a hint of a nice thick chunky steak. Smooth and delicious.

I did not have this wine with food.

Wine Tasting: Cavit Alta Luna Pinot Noir

Name; Cavit Alta Luna
Cariety: Pinot Noir
Region: Vigneti delle Dolomiti
Country: Italy
Year; 2011
Price: Regular $20 on 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: Spicy on the nose with cherry aromas. Also hints of pepper or the smell of a freshly opened bag of beef jerky. Smooth on the palate, tasted peppery and like dark fruits. 

I did not have this wine with food.

Wine Tasting: El Cortijillo Verdejo

Name: El Cortijillo
Variety: Verdejo
Region: La Monacha
Country: Spain
Year: 2014
Price: $5.94

Winery 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: Fragrant on the nose with fruity scents like apples. Smooth and subtle body, but very tasty.

I did not have this wine with food.

Wine 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: Strong on the nose with juicy fruits like peaches and pineapple. Spicy and crisp on the palate, tasted kind of syrupy or honey-like.

I did not have this wine with food. 

Wine Tasting: Fetzer Gewurztraminer

Name: Fetzer Gewurztraminer

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2014

Price: Regular $12 on sale $8.95

Winery 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: Wet rocks on the nose, kind of flinty with an aroma of sweet fruits and flowers. On the palate the fruits come through much stronger; apples, peaches, and pineapple are all present. Very crisp on the palate due to its medium acidity.

I did not have this wine with food. 

Wine Tasting: Maipe Malbec

Name: Maipe Malbec

Variety: Malbec

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2015

Price: Regular $12 on sale $6.95

Winery Review: "The 2015 Maipe Malbac 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." - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (March 2016), 87 points-- Excellent Wine Values for Under $25

My Review: On the nose it smelled like cherries and plum, maybe a hint of blackberry. On the palate it was a little spicy but earthy at the same time. Smooth on the finish but not my favorite style of wine.

I did not have this wine with food.