- Name: Crane Lake
- Variety: Riesling
- Region: California
- Country: United States of America
- Year: 2014
- Price: Regular Price $5.95
- Vintage Cellar Review:The trademark German red grape varietal Dornfelder has a
lovely purity of soft red berry fruit. Integrated soft tannins combined with
forward fruit flavors make for a perfectly balanced everyday sipping wine. Great with grilled red
meat, sausage and chicken. Best served slightly chilled.
- My review: On the nose this wine was very fruity. But it also had a peppery smell and a smell or dirty broccoli. This wine was very confusing as it had notes of being a white wine but it also had notes of being a red wine. On the palate the wine was very sweet. There were flavors of peach, apples and pears. In addition there was a tartness that was like unripe fruit. The wine was very weird. I could not determine if it was good or bad to me it just tasted weird and confused.
- Food Pairing: I had no food with this wine.
- Name: Crane Lake
- Variety: Shiraz
- Region: California
- Country: United States of America
- Year: 2013
- Price: Regular Price $5.95
- Vintage Cellar Review: Beautiful
ruby appearance, with blackberry and pepper notes. Tannins and fruit marry well
for a soft finish. This wine pairs well with sharp cheddar cheese and
hazelnuts. Also try it along with roast lamb at Easter time, veal marsala, or
grilled salmon
- My review: On the nose this wine has a lot of smells that are not pleasant at all. There were smells of pepper, dry earth and clay. My nose wanted to turn away from the glass because it also smelled like dirty diapers and moly barn hay. I really did not want to taste this wine based on the smells. On the palate there was a dry acidic heat. Instead of it being balanced with some lighter flavors I was met with the taste of mushy moldy expired vegetables. This wine was unpleasant to smell and unpleasant to drink. I would not recommend.
- Food Pairing: I had no food with this wine.
- Name: Georges Duboeuf
- Variety: Nouveau
- Region: Beaujolas
- Country: France
- Year: 2015
- Price: Regular Price $12 Sale Price $5.95
- Vintage Cellar Review: George Duboeuf is THE king
of Beaujolais. His wines are full of
pop, charm and great flavor and his Beaujolais Nouveau is no exception. A cornucopia of expressive fruit wrapped in
an almost-bubblegum-like frame; it is the flagship Nouveau.
- My review: On the nose this wine there is a strong licorice smell. There was also aromas of pepper and clay making it a very deep smelling wine overall. On the palate the wine was very dry overall. There was no fruit flavors that I was able to detect. There was however a strong puckering flavor of the wine which combined with the dryness made me wish I had a juicy steak to go with it.
- Food Pairing: I had no food with this wine.
- Name: Maipe
- Variety: Torrontes
- Region: Mendoza
- Country: Argentina
- Year: 2014
- Price: Regular Price $14 Sale Price $7.95
- Vintage Cellar Review:
The
wine has a spring-like nose of fresh white peaches, pears, green apple, green
melon and hints of jasmine and rose petals. On the palate, it has a beautiful
structure and acidity along with fruit flavors and plenty of body.
Well-balanced, this wine displays a pleasant freshness with citrus notes and a
long finish.
- My review: On the nose this wine has a very strong floral aroma. There was a distinct rose petal smell along with many other floral smells. There were notes of peach and apple along with a citrus smell to living the aroma up. On the palate there was no fruit taste at all. This wine was all acid with a strong bad burn. It was hard to swallow the wine as the sip hurt the entire way down my throat. This wine was absolutely terrible to taste and I had to dump the rest of my glass out. Would not recommend even with food.
- Food Pairing: I had no food with this wine.
- Name: Tonnino
- Variety: Pinot Grigio
- Region: Sicily
- Country: Italy
- Year: 2014
- Price: Regular Price $14 Sale Price $7.95
- Vintage Cellar Review: Tonnino’s
exotic example of Pinot Grigio has a straw to pale gold color. It is fresh and
clean on the nose with fruity notes of pear, green apple and white peaches. The
palate is true to the nose with a fresh acidity, coriander and lime notes
followed by a crisp finish. This wine pairs well with youthful aperitifs, clams
or mussels, pastas and risotto dishes.
- My review: On the nose there is a strong smell of citrus that lightened by aromas of flowers. There is a tart sour smell although that was burning on my nose. On the palate the wine was a bit watery and not too flavor packed. That being said by the time it got to the midpalate and finish there was not much of that watery consistency left. Instead the wine stuck to my palate and mouth like a syrup. It was almost like a citrus candy syrup taste. It was a weird tasting wine because of the change in texture.
- Food Pairing: I had no food with this wine.
- Name: Peter Mertes Sweet Red
- Variety: Dornfelder
- Region: Rheinhessen
- Country: Germany
- Year: 2014
- Price: Regular Price $12 Sale Price $6.95
- Vintage Cellar Review: The trademark German red grape varietal Dornfelder has a
lovely purity of soft red berry fruit. Integrated soft tannins combined with
forward fruit flavors make for a perfectly balanced everyday sipping wine. Great with grilled red
meat, sausage and chicken. Best served slightly chilled.
- My review: This has to be one of the most confusing wines that I have ever smelled. The notes were very hard to separate and I was left with a muddled mess of smells. There was a wet dog smell as well as a baby diaper that made me quickly remove my nose from this glass. Based on these smells alone I was ready to give up on this wine and not even try it, however I was glad that I took the sips. On the palate the flavors were completely different from the smell. There was a yummy fruity taste that was blended like a jam. The wine was very sweet throughout the entire sip. It almost was a like a fruity NyQuil blend that was very enjoyable on the palate. Despite the off putting smell I would drink this wine again.
- Food Pairing: I had no food with this wine.
- Name: Castello Sonnino
- Variety: Blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Trebbiano and Malvasia del Chianti
- Region: Chianti
- Country: Italy
- Year: 2010
- Price: Regular Price $15 Sale Price $8.95
- Vintage Cellar Review: A
blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Trebbiano and Malvasia del Chianti. Rich and
modern, with a dark, saturated color and aromas of graham cracker and lemon
rind. A juicy palate packed with plum and raspberry is carried by a creamy
texture that’s rather toasty in terms of flavor. The finish is round, full and
chocolaty.
- My review: On the nose there is not much smell. By trying really hard I was able to detect a small hint of orange. There is a strong peppery smell that makes the orange smell. There is also a very weird acetone smell that makes me think this wine was getting to the point of turing bad. My intuition was right this wine was either beyond spoiled or terrible to start. It was a big nope on the palate and I had to pour the rest of my glass out. All there was on the palate was tastes of tobacco and pepper. This caused there to be a burning taste on my palate. The wine was also very dry and make me gasp for anything to get the taste out. I would never recommend this wine even if it was free.
- Food Pairing: I had no food with this wine.
- Name: Bolla Bardolino Magnum
- Variety: Bardolino Blend of: 60%
Corvina, 30% Rondinella, 10% Molinara
- Region: Bardolino
- Country: Italy
- Year: 2013
- Price: Regular Price $18 Sale Price $9.95
- Vintage Cellar Review:
A blend of 60%
Corvina, 30% Rondinella, 10% Molinara this bright ruby red wine has hints of
black cherry on the nose. It is soft and
fruit-forward, with black-fruit flavors followed by a bright and fresh finish.
Serve it as the Italians do – young and lightly chilled. Pairs perfectly with
fleshy fish, beef, lamb, red-sauced pastas and pizza.
- My review: On the nose there is not much of a smell. All I am able to detect are pepper and alcohol which is not to pleasant on the nose. On the palate there is a very sour puckering taste. This wine is very dry and left me wanting a glass of water. It was very hard to drink as the combination of the dry and sour wine made my mouth contort in weird ways. This wine has to go with food otherwise it is undrinkable.
- Food Pairing: I had no food with this wine.
- Name: Tenuta le Velette Berganorio
- Variety: Blend of 30% Trebbiano, 30% Grechetto, 20% Malvasia, 15% Verdello, and 5% Drupeggio
- Region: Orvieto
- Country: Italy
- Year: 2011
- Price: Regular Price $18 Sale Price $6.95
- Winereivew Review:
"The Berganorio
Orvieto is a subtle wine with a bright palate. It shows white flowers on the
nose and light citrus notes in the mouth. Its neutral character means it can
accompany a wide range of foods. A blend of 30% Trebbiano, 30% Grechetto, 20%
Malvasia, 15% Verdello, and 5% Drupeggio. The estate has 103 hectares on the
hill opposite the hill town of Orvieto."
- My review: On the nose I am hit with tones of tropical fruit flavors, mango and guava are two big standouts. There are also hints of watermelon along with fresh cut grass. On the palate there are none of the tropical fruits tasted, the only fruit flavor there is pear. There is also an acid feel from lemon on the palate. The finish however is very strong with an acid burn that remains long after the sip has been swallowed.
- Food Pairing: I had no food with this wine.
- Name: Avelda Vinho Verde
- Variety: Vinho Verde: 40% Arinto, 30% Loureriro 20% Trajadura and 10%Azal
- Region: Praia
- Country: Portugal
- Year: Non Vintage
- Price: Regular Price $10 Sale Privce $8.95
- Wine and Spirits Review: A
blend of 40% Arinto, 30% Loureiro, 20% Trajadura and 10% Azal. Full of fruit, a lasting
peach flavor targeted with laser like acidity through the finish. It has the
bite of salty ocean air and a lot of zing. For langoustines.
- My review: On the nose there are strong peach fruity notes. There is also a strong acidic smell from lemons as well as hints of dandelion and hay. On the palate there is an initial crisp apple and pear taste. There is no heat which is very refreshing without food. There is a tart acidic finish that has a nice sweet lime taste. This wine was very nice and light although I wish there were more fruit flavors to cut the acidity down.
- Food Pairing: I had no food with this wine.
- Name: Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon
- Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
- Region: California
- Country: United States of America
- Year: Non Vintage
- Price: Regular Price $5.99
- Barefoot Website Review: Tastes and Delights, Quick! The berries are coming! Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon is full of big berry flavors, making this traditional wine a standout sensation. Currant, raspberry and blackberry jam mix with a velvety vanilla finish to make up this delicious red wine. Lush and lasting, it’s sure to make a big impression. Always stomps out a good time with beef, lamb, and red sauce pasta dishes. And did we mention cheeseburgers? What do you enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon with?
- My review: And thus this bottle ended the Barefoot tasting week. I choose it because Cabernet Sauvignon is my favorite red grape variety and I thought it would be a nice wine to end on. On the nose there is a strong pepper smell along with raspberries and blackberries on the nose. There are also notes of red currant and an earthy mud smell on the nose but they all fail in comparison to the smell of the pepper. On the palate there is a lot of berries tasted from blackberries and raspberries to even a slight blueberry taste. There is a pepper taste on the midpalate that breaks up the berry sweetness. This wine is very dry and tastes very good with red meat.
- Food Pairing: I had this wine with dinner which was prime rib and stuffed baked potatoes. This wine tasted very good with the prime rib and made the meat have an even better flavor than by itself. The potato lost a bit of its flavor as it was stuffed with bacon and cheese and the peppery flavor in the wine masked all of these flavors.
- Name: Barefoot Pinot Grigio
- Variety: Pinot Gris
- Region: California
- Country: United States of America
- Year: Non Vintage
- Price: Regular Price $5.99
- Barefoot Website Review: Tastes and Delights, Barefoot Pinot Grigio is light-bodied with a bright finish, perfect for the warm days of summer or enjoyed year-round. Tart green apple flavors mix it up with a white peach undertone. Floral blossoms and citrus aromas do the tango. Perfect Partner, Great with the three P’s: poultry, (spicy) pasta and pizza! What do you enjoy Pinot Grigio with?
- My review: On the nose this wine had a very strong citrus smell of lemon, lime and orange. There are floral notes and those of fresh cut grass as well an earthy mud smell. On the palate the wine is very buttery and coats the mouth. There is an acidic taste flavor of lemon and lime is very tart to cut the buttery flavor. There is a floral taste of rose water as well, there is also a significant amount of heat on the finish. This wine needs to be paired with food to cut the heat down and the buttery flavor goes well with food to give it more flavor.
- Food Pairing: I had this wine with a chicken pasta. It was a very nice combination and the wine paired nicely with the food.
