Tasting - Heinz Eifel Shine

Heinz Eifel Shine

Riesling

Germany

2012

$9.95

Wine review: This drier-styled Riesling is bright, fruity and floral with crisp acidity and clean flavors of apple, pear and peach that compliment its stony minerality and earthy complexity. It serves well as an aperitif and matches a wide variety of foods, like lighter salad dishes, shellfish, cream sauces and also anything with a touch of spice.

My review: Light pink and very light clear color. Crisp and clean with sweet plum like aroma and bouquet on the nose. Sweet and lemon flavors come forward on the palate. Light and medium body and short, crisp, and acidic finish. Acidic fruit component lasts long throughout the smooth finish with hint of  sweet strawberries at the end. It was very fresh wine that will be well paired with any light appetizer or light desert. Also it will go well with seafood dishes with light cream sauce and non spicy Asian dishes with seafood or chicken with light cream sauce.

Tasting - Atlas Cumbres

Altas Cumbres

Cabernet Sauvignon

Argentina

2010

$6.95

Wine review: Intense red color with violet highlights, with clean, fresh and complex aromas of berries, plums, figs and pepper. Strong personality is in perfect balance with a medium body and pleasant tannins.

My review: Dark blackberries color. Mocha and burnt Oak aroma come out on the nose, also subtly buttery aroma comes out at the very end. Full body with long and dry finish. Strong acid and Oak aroma and flavor on the palate with black pepper at the end. Smooth textured butter with acidic blackberries components are well structured throughout the entire palate with smooth finish. It will be well paired with pork bbq dishes with savory sauce and beef brisket dishes with heavy and thick sauce.

Tasting - Georges DuBoeuf

Georges DuBoeuf

Beaujolais Nouveau

France

2013

$3.95

Wine review: Balanced and lightly creamy, offering pretty flavors of plum sauce and raspberry coulis threaded with hints of ground spice. Elegant, with a floral finish.

My review: Dark cherry and plum color. Earthy and leathery cherries bouquet on the nose. Strawberries and hint of banana come out at the end of the nose. Medium body with unexpected short, but smooth and dry finish. The tannic component lasts long with hint of banana flavor and texture stay throughout the finish. The banana flavor and aroma are very subtle, but enough to notice at the end of the palate. This wine will go well with any read meat dishes, such as red meat steaks and pork chop with medium sauce. Also it will go well with any seafood pasta with heavy cream sauce.

Tasting - Bricco dei Tati

Bricco dei Tati

Rose

Italy

2013

$7.95

Wine review: Fresh with aromas of strawberries, cherries and rose petals. This is ideal with shellfish, salad, chicken, and with appetizers

My review: Light cherry color. Crisp and fresh strawberry bouquet comes out on the nose. Acidic lemon and sweet strawberries are well balanced on the palate. Acidic components covers/blocks hint of sweet fruity components, but they are well balanced, so it's not entirely just acidic. Light and crisp body with medium finish. Lemon component lasts longer than any other aroma and taste. This wine will go well with any light seafood appetizers or just by itself. Also, light to medium spicy food will go well with this wine as well.

Tasting - Frascati Colpetti

Frascati Volpetti

Malvasia, Trebbiano, Greco

Italy

2012

$7.95

Wine review: Straw yellow in color with a soft, delicate perfume, fruitful flavor, dry and harmonious taste. Perfect with appetizers, soups, and fish.

My review: Light and clear yellow color. Light green, acidic lemon and fruit with hint of petro on the nose. Subtle, but noticeable amount of honey aroma and flavor on the palate with light body and short finish. I was able to pick up honey and acidic fruit component on my palate and the honey flavor along with the texture lasted for a long time on my palate throughout the finish. Very clean and smooth finish, and it will be well paired with light appetizer snacks, such as strawberry, and light finger food appetizers

Tasting - Toso

Toso

Moscato

Italy

blend wine

$9.95

Wine review: This Moscato is reminiscent of honeysuckle and rose petal. The quality is equivalent to a top level Asti Spumante DOCG. Sweet sparkling wine obtained from a careful selection of the Moscato grapes. It has a pale straw yellow color with fine foam and bubbles. Tropical fruit flavors, refreshing.

My review: Clear light pink with lots of bubble. Clean and crisp with sweet fresh fruit forward on the nose. Super sweet and hint of acidic component, such as sweet lemon covered with honey and sugar. Light and short finish with sweet and clean sparkling component. This wine will be very good desert wine that will go really well with any light to medium desert, such as chocolate covered fruits, sweet cookies, and even ice cream.

Tasting - El Sierro

El Sierro

Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon

Spain

2011

$7.95

Wine review: Dark ruby in color with rich aromas of red fruit and light spices. It is a real knock-out with delicious flavors of dark cherries, blackberries and vanilla all perfectly integrated. the Tempranillo provides wonderful spice and fruit, while the Cabernet Sauvignon gives structure and depth with the beautiful use of Oak.

My review: Dark purple color. Smokey and pepper aromas on the nose. Full and dry with well structured body followed by long finish. Hot and spicy and acidic components on the palate with leathery texture lasts long on the palate to the finish and more. Dark cherries and berries come forward with spicy and dry components. The acid and fruity components forward followed by hot and spicy kick and then dry finish complete the structure of this wine. It will go really well with greasy prime rib or steak dishes.

Tasting - Omo Ze Bel

Omo Ze Bel

Merlot

Sicilia, Italy

2011

$6.95

Wine review: This bright, soft Merlot comes from a hilly vineyard on the Alcesti family estate in beautiful Sicily. It has hints of red cherries and freshly cut hay. Exceptional value

My review: Dark cherry color. Oak, butter, and petro forward on the nose. Full body with long finish, but the finish is really smooth and buttery. I guess this wine is aged in Oak barrels, hence the dry and smooth buttery/vanilla components are well balanced. It has well structured body with long finish, and the tannic aroma and taste last long for about a minute or two. This wine will go well with any red meat dish with medium sauce or seasoning. Also, baby back rib bbq with light seasoning will be very well balanced with this wine.

Tasting - Altas Cumbres

Altas Cumbres

Torrontes

Argentina

2010

$5.95

Wine review: yellow colour with greenish nuances. Very intense aroma of fresh grapes, flower perfume and mature peaches. Fresh in the mouth. Light and easy to drink. Ideal with seafood, Thai and Chinese food.

My review: Light and clear yellow color. Crisp, clean, and sweet green apple on the nose. Medium body with long finish. This wine has distinctive sweet forward on the nose, but it's not sweet on the palate. The acidic components last longer than expected. It's like having a piece of lemon on my mouth for a while, and it's not extremely sour, but you can still taste the acidic component in your mouth for a long time. This will go well with some spicy seafood or spicy Korean seafood dishes since the spicy and acidic component will balance well each other.

Tasting - Avery Quinn

Avery Quinn

Chardonnay

Napa, California

2011

$6.95

Wine review: The aromas feature creamy, mellow, golden apple, pineapple, fresh butter and a touch of vanilla. Then rich, ripe, flavors of yellow pear, pineapple, fresh apple, cream and buttered toast swell up and fill your mouth before a juicy, apple and caramel inflected finish makes your mouth water

My review: Light and golden color. Lemon and hint of butter and vanilla forward on the nose. Light body with butter and vanilla on the palate with medium finish. The finish is very smooth with hint of lemon and some more acid component that I couldn't tell because it was very subtle. Well balanced acidic and buttery components will go really well with any seafood dishes, such as baked salmon with fresh salad with vinaigrette dressing.

Tasting - Bellafina

Bellafina

Pink Moscato

Italy

$9.95

Wine review: A blend of Moscato and Rabosos grapes it has a pale rose color, notes of red berries (strawberry and raspberry), with the characteristic and fragrant bouquet and palate that is typical of the Moscato grape.

My review: Clear and light pink/strqwberry color. Strange but pleasant sweet green onion aroma on the nose. Crisp and sweet sparkling component hit the palate with nice light and short finish. Sweet strawberry taste with clean and sparkling component make this wine to be a very good desert that will clean your mouth and leave only fresh and crisp palate at the end.

Tasting - Weinert Carrascal

Weinert

Carrascal

Mendoza, Argentina

2008

$13.95

Wine review: Aged for two years in castk, the 2008 Carrascal is a blend of 40% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. It has a rustic blackberry, scorched earth and leather-scented bouquet with touches of pressed flowers. The palate is well-balanced with crisp tannins, expressive black tarry fruit and a Bordeaux-like finish

My review: Dark cherry color. I was able to pick up dark cherry and alcohol aroma on the nose. Fruit and tannins forward balances well with each other on the palate as well as oak and leathery bouquet come out at the end. Full body with big dry finish, but it also provides long and smooth at the end. Very well structured wine that will be pared really good with thick cut steak and pork bbq dishes with thick and savory sauce.

Tasting - Santa Julia (Malbec)

Santa Julia

Malbec

Mendoza, Argentina

2012

$8.95

Wine review: The nose is full of mellow raspberry and cherry, while the palate is fleshy and round, with blackberry and a touch of raisin, plump, not edgy, and ready to drink, with coffee and mocha notes on the finish.

My review: Dark purple and red color. Hint of coffee and dark cherry on the nose. Black current forward with full body followed by long and big finish. I was able to pick up earthy and green components with smooth and long finish. It has good balance between dark berry and tannic components that will go really well with steak dishes and pork chop with medium sauce.

Tasting - Gougenheim

Gouguenheim

Torrontes

Argentina

2012

$9.95

Wine reveiw: It has a light floral nose with touches of lemon peel and nectarine. The palate is crisp and taut, showing far more vivacity and fruit that the nose implied, finishing with a flourish of apricot and white peach.

My review: Light yellow color. This wine has light lemon and spicy on the nose. Light fruity component forward with well balanced sweet and tannic component hit the palate. Medium body and long finish with smooth and slightly dry components last long on the palate. It provides well balanced dry and fruity acidic aroma and taste. This wine will go well with red meat steak dishes and medium cream sauce seafood pasta. 

Tasting - Santa Julia (Pinot Grigio)

Santa Julia

Pinot Grigio

Mendoza, Argentina

2013

$8.95

Wine review: Light and clean, which compared to other Argentine Pinot Grigios is not something to dismiss. Feels solid and punchy, with  orange and mango flavors. Has nice overall clarity and balance, with a citrusy finish.

My review: Light golden and plum color. Acidic and lemon on the nose. This wine is acidic and light bodied with spicy and strong lemon aroma/taste on the palate. This wine finishes light and short, but it is well balanced between acidic and fruity component. not too acidic nor not too fruity. Acidic fruit forward component will hit your palate with clean and fresh aroma and taste. This wine will go well with fresh fruit desert or light creamy seafood pasta dishes.