Tasting- Varas (Box Wine)

Name:  Varas

Variety:  Vinho Tinto

Region:  Lisbon                                 

Country: Portugal

Year:  Non Vintage

Price:  $21.95 for 3 Liter Box = 4 bottles ($5.49/bottle)

Review:  This smooth Portuguese red is a blend of Castelão (45%), Tinta Roriz (25%), Tinta Barroca (20%) and Pinot Noir (10%). The vineyards are located near Lisbon, planted in sunny gentle slopes of clay and

limestone soils. The wine was aged in oak barrels.

My Review:  I was excited to try this wine, because I’ve never had a boxed wine before.  It had a spicy, oak smell.  It was pretty smooth and dry with a good amount of oak flavor.  I thought it would make for a good, casual everyday drinking wine.  Not world turning, but not bad at all. 

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Oveja Negra

Name:  Oveja Negra

Variety:  Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon, Rose

Region:  Maule Valley

Country:  Chile

Year:  2010

Price:  $6.95

Review:  Oveja Negra Reserva Rosé is bright cherry-red in color and has an attractive nose with aromas of raspberries and strawberries as well as plum and a bit of green apple. Crisp and juicy on the palate with a slight sweetness that accompanies the red fruit flavors. Pleasing natural acidity with medium high intensity, nice persistence, and a fresh finish.

My Review:  This wine was a very pale pink.  There wasn’t a whole lot on the nose.  It just smelled clean with a hint of green apples.  There was a little fizz to the taste that I liked with a little fruit flavor.  This wine wasn’t really sweet either, but more just acidic. 

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- gPG

Name:  gPG

Variety:  Garganega and Pinot Grigio

Region:  Delle Venezie

Country:  Italy

Year:  2010

Price:  $8.95

Review:  gPG is from the delle Venezie regions of northeastern Italy. A clean and crisp palate with plenty of texture and weight follows aromas of apples and zesty lemons. It's perfect with grilled white fish or light risotto.

My Review:  This wine smelled clean and crisp with apple and lemon flavors.  It was not really sweet, and was even a little bitter.  It almost tasted like some type of chemical cleaner without the fruit flavors I smelled. 

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Primo Amore Moscato

Name:  Primo Amore Moscato

Variety:  Moscato

Region:  Puglia

Country:  Italy

Year:  Non-Vintage

Price:   $8.95

Review:  Straw-yellow with golden reflections and a delicate mousse. Fruity and very inviting, with intense scents of peaches and exotic fruit. Fresh and pleasantly sweet with a taste that reveals its varietal characteristic.

My Review:  This wine was my favorite of the tasting.  It smelled fruity and sweet like apricots.  It had a pleasant bubbly sensation in my mouth when I sipped it and was fruity and sweet to taste.  I even bought a bottle so that I could enjoy more at home.

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Faraway Farms Shiraz

Name: Faraway Farms Shiraz

Variety:  Shiraz

Region:  Western Cape

Country:  South Africa

Year:  2008

Price:  $5.95

Review:  Fresh, modern style, with lots of plum pudding, sweet chocolate, mocha, blackberry and boysenberry flavors supported by round, sweet tannins and toast

My Review:  This wine was a nice, deep burgundy, red color.  I could detect a faint coffee smell among the spices.  It was sweeter than the Garnacha, but still had a pepper, spice taste.  It was still a dry wine but it had that bitter dark chocolate flavor.  Interesting. 

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Tres Ojos Old Vines Garnacha

Name:  Tres Ojos

Variety:  Grenacha

Region:  Aragon                               

Country: Spain

Year:  2009

Price:  $6.95

Review:  Bright ruby color. Primary dark berry aromas are simple but offer very good purity and focus. Juicy blackberry and bitter cherry flavors are youthfully tangy, with good back-end acidity adding snap. The clean, brisk finish leaves behind notes of sweet dark berry preserves and cracked pepper

My Review:  This wine did not have a huge nose but I did get some pepper and spice smells.  The taste was a little overpowering with pepper.  There was a hint of blackberry flavor, but it was dulled by the pepper.   It was dry as well.  A pass for me.

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Fox Hollow Chardonnay

Name:  Fox Hollow Chardonnay

Variety:  Chardonnay

Region:  California, Napa and Sonoma Valley

Country:  USA

Year:  2009

Price:  $5.95

Review:  Quite an interesting Chardonnay, in an era when so many are too sweet and extracted. There’s plenty of orange and apricot fruit flavor, but also a brilliant streak of minerality, like a lick of cold steel, and the overall taste is dry. Really easy to like, with lots of complexity to warrant repeated sipping

My Review:  This wine had a light citrus smell of apples and pears.  It tasted like lemon juice squirted over apples.  It was slightly tart and I feel like there was more going on that I could not quite describe.  Not as good as the Sauvignon Blanc though.

I tried this wine without food.