A more ruby hue with aromas of rich black berry, savory spice,
Palate--Silky foundation with flavors of bold, ripe blackberry, rigid acidity, with finish of dark unsweetened chocolate, and more brighter dark cherry and strawberry on the end.
I paid $12 for this Zin wishing I had bought more. It's a solid Zin worthy of pairing of all manner of bold cuts of meat, italian cuisine, or all by itself. I am grilling venison burgers on charcoal! Raise a glass!
Gentle straw hie with aromas of subtle, apple, baby powder and tropical fruit.
Palate--Lively "spritzig" in the mouth with gentle spicing of apples and a fleeting finish.
This is a marginal example of how glorious Riseling can be. It is fresh, fruity, drinks easily, and with a chill on it is an all purpose kind of wine sticking with appetizers, of a milder sort and would also do OK with Asian cuisine.
BUT--Riseling can be a big, wonderful memorable quaff with palate cleansing acidity. This is not that wine. I think I paid under $10 for this "Qualitatswein" Riesling which is the lowest "title" on a German label. There are better ones out there at the same price point so use your discreation.
Straw hue with aromas of fresh lively fruity bouquet hints of lime, sweet baby powder, but the temperature is too cold to appreciate all what's there.
Palate--Flabby first impression, with clove suggestion, tepid fruit, (again perhaps due to the temp.) overall weak in all characteristics...
The label over states the assessment of the wine. It is a very light, refreshing kind of chilled down Chard but is pretty much devoid of any real character. The fact of being a NAPA company I thought there might be a value here but meah... nothing offensive and nothing notable. About $10 so...........
A day later I had left overs with sauerkraut and pork chops and this Chard was quite good with it!
Nearly opaque dark purple hue with aromas of a tightly wound bouquet of dark plum, sweet/savory spice gently on the end.
Palate--Silky first impression with loads of ripe dark berry and plum fruit right out of the gate.
This McLaren Vale Aussie wine comes with a good pedigree but this wine is just opened and needs to breath not to mention a couple more years to be really ready to enjoy. It needs to breathe, and air out for a couple hours. At the price point of $10 it is a drinkable Shiraz (known as Syrah) in other parts of the world but not a good representation of the grape.
I am grilling on my (charcoal) Weber grill and end cut ribeye. It is winter in Maine but I grill through the winter. This will be a good enough pairing for an "economy" meal... Raise a glass!
Brick red with slight notes of age at the rim. Aromas of cherry, spiced apple rings, violet, and grape.
Palate--Acidic foreground as expected with puckerey tannins, mature dark fruit (plum) with intense savory spice.
I would have expected this Tuscan "Riserva" to be a touch more integrated and classy at this stage of its age. It drinks atypical for Sangiovese but for the $10 Trader Joe's price point it is a nice wine at this price point.
I will pair it with my own creation of shrimp in a tomato base with italian spices served over pasta and it will be grand. Raise a glass!
Palate--Slightly effervescent with lively structure giving a foundation for a tropical fruit melange, and green apple which begins well and ends quickly.
Normally a regular "summer" quaffing wine pool side but can't resist the $8 price point for spicy food accompaniments. My wife is making baked spiced pork loin with some hot spices so we'll see how this does.
A Trader Joe's offering at $8 and always a bargain so raise a glass!
It has been frustrating to me over the years to have reviewed thousands of wines and such a small percentage of them are remarkable. That is they stand out from all the others. This evening I reviewed anb $8 Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles California. It was drinkable, it was worth the $8 but if I had to identify this wine in a blind tasting I would not be able to tell you what I was drinking.
I suppose you could assert, "You have a bad palate..." I am getting up there in years I admit but the issue is really that when all you ever drink are the $10 price point wines, while there are a handful of standouts here and there, for the most part they all rather taste the same broadly speaking.
Sure you can tell a Pinot Noir from a Zinfandel, a Chardonnay from a Sauvignon Blanc but that is about as far as you can go. The price point of the wine is where you separate the exquisite from the mundane; the distinctive from the ho hum everyday varietal.
Since I stopped monetizing my blog (many years ago) I have to be realistic about how much I pay for a wine. I am after all retired... And the point here is that inexpensive wines are inexpensive precisely because they are mundane, ho hum, and predictable.
Meaning "these" are NOT the kind of wines you sit down to with the bottle hidden from you and you try and guess the grape, the vintage, the part of the world they came from and the maker.
So all this is to say, with rare exception, pay more attention to my final judgement on every wine. Basically, "Would I buy it again?" Is it worth what I paid for it? Which is to say pay attention to the "Raise a glass" tag on put on the wines I taste if they are worth the money and and worth buying again.
Stay tuned for Christmas wine suggestions!
Palate--Interesting first impression and not sure what to make of it. Fruit is more subtle than I expected and the structure more sedate than anticipated. Flavor is confusing and non descript.
I would not be able to ID this wine for the grape that it is supposed to be. It's not that it is a bad wine; just nondescript which is not a surprise for an $8 Cabernet.
The grapes are sourced from Paso Robles which is a wide open consideration regarding the quality of the grapes. It is drinkable but unremarkable with a fleeting finish which is to say no finish and yet I want to take another sip. It will go well with my wife's pan seared chicken legs with tomato sauce and noodles etc.
Deep dark garnet/purple hue with aromas of lovely even perfumy red berry fruit with with intense black berry and a hint of blueberry with savory spices and after breathing a touch of cola.
Palate-Rather gentle first impression with a plush structure and loads of dark rich berries mid palate, with big bold finish and lingering spices with blackberry edges.
This is a California sourced blend of Petite Sirah and Syrah with Zinfandel in the mix. The inky dark color is classic of the Sirah varietals and the spicy Zin is a nice complement to the other grapes.
Bogle is one of the growing, reliable California vintners that know how to make popularly structured wines at a value price. For $10 you cannot go wrong so raise a glass!
Beautiful Rich, dark magenta hue with musty aromas of spicy red berry and spiced plum with notes of cocoa cream.
Palate--Tart, mouth watering acidity, nearly overpowering the fruit that is trying to break out. Spicy mid palate with bitter cranberry rescues this structurally BIG wine.
This is a BIG wine, that needs to come into its own which could take a few more years. The acidity is overpowering at this time. I will be pairing it with dinner which is oven roasted, salted chicken thighs with roasted root vegetables. It will handle everything quite well but is certainly not backing down.
I would love to try this wine in another 5 years. I paid $14 for it which is a nice price point. Raise a glass!
Lighter garnet hue with aromas of faint strawberry with fresh cherry near the rim.
Palate--*Chewy lump of something in my mouth with unremarkable sort of Pinot flavor but basically plonk.
I really didn't want to buy this but I did and I should have listened to that inner voice. This is throw away worthy and the "chewy lump was a fly that was still alive. (We heat with wood and flies tend to come alive with the heat so.....) At any rate don't bother with this $8 crap.
