Chalkboard Moscato 2013

Name: Chalkboard Moscato 
Variety: Moscato
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $12

Winery Review: Try this sweet, full-flavored wine with dessert! Its lemon-yellow color, floral nose full of orange blossom and hints of peach, and crisp, balanced acidity make it an ideal after dinner drink.

My Review: I keep picking the wine's I try by their similarity to the 14 Hands mentioned in an earlier blog. This one definitely has the sweetness that I much prefer! I feel like more sophisticated pallets may feel it is a bit too sweet and purely a dessert wine. I pick up a lot of bright citrus on this one and 

Nitty Gritty Chardonnay 2012 Napa Valley

Name: 2012 Nitty Gritty Chardonnay Napa Valley
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Napa Valley, California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $16

Winery Review: A good, if fairly standard wine, showing all the popular Chardonnay elements. It’s dry, crisp and creamy, with fruit and buttered toast flavors. (8/1/2013)

My Review: I am trying not to get stuck in the land of fruity moscatos and berry wines so I picked a chardonnay this time. I did not particularly enjoy this chardonnay, I picked up a bit of spices and what I think people describe as buttery. It was not my cup of tea but I must reiterate I don't seem to like wines that aren't fruity. I drank this alone without food.

Chateau Morrisette Orchard Series Blackberry Wine

Name: Chateau Morrisette Blackberry Wine
Variety: Blackberry
Region: Floyd County, VA
Country:USA
Year: none given
Price: $10

Winery Review:  Winemakers at Château Morrisette just couldn’t leave well enough alone. Not content with only grapes, they have crafted a delicious new fruit wine from summer’s bounty of sun-ripened blackberries. One of life’s simple pleasures here in our little part of paradise.

Sweet and smooth, this Blackberry Wine is packed with the vibrant fruitiness of succulent, sun drenched berries. Try it lightly chilled with most any grilled or spicy food. --Radford Florist

My Review: I LOVE this wine!! It comes in heavy and sweet with the blackberry from the first sniff to the aftertaste. There were also some hints of peach that were detectable upon tasting. I tasted this with strawberries, which made me realize how smooth the wine was compared to the acidity of the berries.

Tasting - Greenlip 2014 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Greenlip 2014 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2014
Price: $12

Winery Review: Screams out of the glass, with super fresh aromas of ocean breeze, lime leaf, and tropical fruit. Succulent, juicy citrus and passion fruit flavors on the palate, with a hint of minerality and an electric finish. An absolutely fabulous refresher and sipper that’s perfect for pairing with creamy pasta, seafood, or our personal favorite.

My Review: When I smelled this wine I got a bit of a briney type smell along with some fruit that threw me off. The same smell that threw me off came through when tasting and for me it was not quite fruity enough to cover up that off scent I was smelling. I tasted this alone without food, but wish I had some cheese to eat with it.

Tasting - Mirassou Moscato 2013

 Name: Mirassou Winery California Moscato 
Variety: Moscato
Region: Santa Clara Valley, California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $10

Winery Review: Mirassou Moscato captures the essence of summer. From the moment the bottle is opened, intense fruit aromas of orange blossom, peach, ripe pineapple and citrus overwhelm the nose. These bright and fruit-forward aromas extend to the palate through luscious flavors of sweet tropical fruit, mandarin orange and honey, all wrapped in a delightful acidity.

My Review: Someday I will say I actually enjoyed something other than light fruity wines, but today is not that day. I chose this Moscato because it was supposed to be similar to the 14 Hands Moscato that I tasted last week. I could definitely smell the citrus on the nose of this one. Upon tasting I could pick up some more exotic flavors that I was later able to identify as pineapple and honeysuckle. I tasted this on its own without food.

Tasting - Grayson Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 10

Name: Grayson Cellars 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 10
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $12

Winery Review: The 2013 Grayson Cabernet Sauvignon shows a dark ruby color with a rich nose of blackberry, raspberries and hints of black pepper. This intense Cabernet is full of artful fruit, provides a round mouth feel and a soft lingering finish with hints of toasted French oak. From the Winemaker

My Review: I chose this wine at Kroger because it was given a really high score compared to the other at this price. Unfortunately, I think the bottle may have been corked. Given my lack of experience I could be wrong but the cork basically crumbled into the bottle when we opened it and we could smell a faint musty smell. We still gave it a quick taste to be sure, the only flavors I was able to pick up was graphite. I tasted this wine on its own without food.

Tasting- 14 Hands 2012 Moscato

Name: 14 Hands Moscato 2012
Variety: Moscato
Region: Columbia Valley, WA
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $10
Winery Review: Off-dry and slightly sugary, this fruity, candied sipper mixes orange blossom, orange candy and baby aspirin flavors into a concentrated midpalate. Moscato is on fire these days, and this wine will surely please those who love the style. (3/1/14)

My Review: I tend to prefer fruity flavors to bitterness and this Moscato was just that. While being slightly dry, the sweet flavors came through on this wine. Definitely fruity however it was difficult for me to pin point the fruits because of the dry element. I tasted this wine on its own without food.

Tasting-Onmium Mendoza Malbec 2012

Name: Omnium Viniterra Mendoza Argentina Malbec
Variety: Malbec
Region: Mendoza, Argentina
Country: Argentina
Year: 2012
Price: $10

Winery Review:Extremely popular, Argentinian Malbec is an inky, medium-bodied, dry red wine with strong impressions of dark fruits on the nose and palate. This wine tends to have mellower tannins than its French counterpart.

My Review: I tasted this on its own, without food. I am very new to wine and struggle with red wines. I do not like the bitterness that seems to dominate and the heat on the back end of each sip makes it hard for me to differentiate individual flavors. I feel maybe drinking this with food such as beef or something spicy might change my experience.