Tasting- Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling

Name:  Heinz Eifel Shine

Variety:  Riesling

Region:  Pflaz

Country:  Germany

Year:  2010

Price:  $8.95

Review:  Flint and mineral notes accent pineapple and lime aromas, while on the palate, the wine shows plenty of ripe, citrusy fruit flavors. Tangy acids on the long finish provide balance.

My Review:  This wine has that typical sickly sweet smell that I don’t always care for.  It tasted like a fruit medley of pear, apples, citrus, and lime.  I thought I might have been detecting a few flavors from the red wine I drank before it too, which might have contributed to this wine tasting better than I expected.  There was not any heat, and nothing was super heavy or sticking on my tongue.  It was tart rather than sickly sweet, and definitely worth trying again. 

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Don Ramon Tinto

Name:  Don Ramon

Variety:  75% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo

Region:  Camp de Borja

Country:  Spain

Year:  2008

Price:  $7.95

Review:  75% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo. Aged 3 months in American Oak

casks. Ruby red in color, with creamy aromas of earth and cherry. Flavor turns toward deeper and darker black cherry and raspberry on a medium framework. A subtle earthiness underneath the bright fruit adds some depth and complexity.

My Review:  This dark red wine smelled of oak and dark fruit.  There was some heat upon tasting along with blackberry, cherry, and raspberry flavors.  It was okay, but definitely not my favorite. 

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Resonata Nero D'Avola

Name:  Resonata

Variety:  Nero D’Avola

Region:  Sicily

Country:  Italy

Year:  2010

Price:  $6.95

Review:  Dense ruby red with violet reflections. Lush and ripe bouquet full of mulberries, blackberries and spice. Harmonious and well balanced with good berry fruit in a spicy background.

My Review:  This wine had a nice burgundy color and an interesting floral bouquet- violet buds mixed with dark berries.  It tasted like blackberries with some other subtle spices.  It was heavy on my tongue, but not the rest of my mouth.  It was a little hard to uncover everything about this wine with only a few sips, and I’m still not sure how I completely feel about it. 

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Protocolo Blanc

Name:  Protocolo Blanc

Variety:  70% Airen, 30% Macabeo

Region:  Castilla-La Mancha

Country:  Spain

Year:  2010

Price:  $6.95

Review:  "Greenish gold. Subtle aromas of mint, lemon and orange, with a hint of honeysuckle. Dry, understated and focused, offering clean citrus and melon flavors and slow-building sweetness. Finishes dry and brisk, with an echo of lemon. As usual, this is an outstanding value." 87 Points, Stephan Tanzer

My Review:  This wine was very clear with little color.  It did not have much to offer on the nose end either, but I thought of mellow fruits sort of like those big red apples that are not very flavorful and maybe a little apricot.  The taste was muted as well, but still very tart on my tongue like it was trapped inside a lemon.  After watching one of Gary V’s videos it makes me think of over water with extra lemons. 

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Santola Vinho Verde

Name:  Santola

Variety:  Non-varietal White Blend

Region:  Vinho Verde

Country:  Portugal

Year:  Not Vintage

Price:  $7.95

Review:  Soft and creamy, although with just the right Vinho Verde bite, this is a crisp and clean wine, boasting light pear and pink grapefruit flavors.  Off dry and very fresh.

My Review:  This was my favorite wine of the day’s tasting.  It was a little bubbly with a crisp fruit smell of fresh green apples.  When tasting, the tart granny-smith flavors were present along with pears and a nice acidity.  It was a bit sour in a good was- like a lemon warhead candy with a nice finish.  I also really liked the label on this wine- a crab- because my zodiac sign is cancer. 

I tried this without food.   

Tasting-George Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Name:  George Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Variety:  Gamay

Region:  Beaujolais

Country:  France

Year:  2011

Price:  $12 (sale: $3.95)

Review:  "A wine showing good balance between taut structure and forward fruit. Red cherries dominate this easygoing light and fruity wine." - Joseph Drouhin, 85

My Review:  This wine had a light, grape/berry smell and had a pretty purplish pink color.  It tasted semi-dry with nice berry flavors, and a little bit of petrol.  Pretty much what I think of as a classic red wine taste.  Good but nothing striking about it. 

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Los Alisos Chardonnay

Name:  Los Alisos Chardonnay

Variety:  Chardonnay

Region:  Santa Barbra, California

Country:  USA

Year:  2007

Price:  $20 (sale: $7.95)

Review:  “With a ripe, rich, tropical and creamy texture, our Chardonnay displays characteristics that are the hallmark of the Los Alamos Valley winegrowing region. Produced from grapes that come from cool-climate, sandy hillside and benchland sites, our Chardonnay is vinified using traditional Burgundian techniques including barrel fermentation, full malolactic fermentation and regular lees stirring.

My Review:  This wine had a strong petrol smell and did not leave much of an impression.  After the other wet wood tasting wines this one still did not taste great. 

I tried this wine without food.