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always on the lookout for a bargain red, i picked up this bottle for $6 at the local grocery store. i have tried the chard and sauv blanc from this label and both were nice budget wines. the merlot is in that same category. the nose had lots of plum and black fruit notes with a little touch of pencil lead. the palate was fruit-forward with cherry and plum flavors. a bit tight at first taste, the wine opened up and revealed some nice vanilla and cordial flavors. on the second day i also picked up some interesting eucalyptus notes in the finish. good with pizza, burgers or pasta dishes. nice every day, budget red.
i had the pleasure of visiting viking vineyards winery in kent, ohio recently, tasting some very nice ohio wines. the chardonnay was one of the standout wines for me. this is aged in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation with, so the wine is true to the flavor of the grape. nice and crisp a fruity, without the oak and butter you get from a california style chard. the nose was peaches and a little mango. the palate was more of the same, with some nice mineral notes as well. beautifully crisp and fruity. nice price too, selling for about $15. if you ever get the chance to visit, the winery is open year round and is in a gorgeous setting. great weekend get-away! thanks to our host dana and jeff nelson at viking and to the comely brunette, nati-lite and the crabby grape and the feisty tomato for the company. sorry for the lack of a label picture. subbed in a picture of the deck at the winery.
here is a link to the viking web site: http://www.vikingvineyards.com/index.php
from western australia, this shiraz sells for about $12. the nose is very fruity with red and black fruits and some typical aussie pepper and spice notes. nice and juicy on the palate with black raspberry and black pepper leading the way. tannins were silky and the finish was medium in length. a good food wine that you could grill some shrimp and enjoy with. also would work with burgers or pizza. very much what you would expect from an australian shiraz.
blends always intrigue me and a good white blend like this one is no exception. not sure of the percentages, but it is made up of chardonnay, semillon and sauvignon blanc. the nose was filled with citrus and tropical fruit. a little mineral note in the nose too. nice start. the palate is much of the same with a crisp flavor of citrus, mostly lime and some tropical fruit flavor of passion fruit. this is a real nice deck wine that will work with all your warm weather foods. sells for about $12.
i was walking through my local grocery store wine department recently and they had a manager's special shelf. i casually looked at what was available and found this lovely beauty for the very nice price of $7. i have raved about zaca mesa wines before and to find one at this price and this vintage was a treasure. i only hoped that the wine had not been sitting somewhere in a back room in extreme temperatures or was corked. the blend was 45% grenache, 30% mourvèdre. 16% syrah, 9% cinsault. opened it slowly in case there was a dried cork. nose was good with some barnyard and nice fruity blueberry and some spice. the palate was still good, although i think it may have started to fade just a bit. flavors of raspberry, herbs and smokey earthy. still a beautiful wine and at this bargain price, a real steal. good food wine but enjoyed this one with the comely brunette all by itself.
we recently enjoyed this beautiful red with a grilled filet mignon and smashed potato dinner and it was an excellent dinner companion. the nose was blackberry, black cherry, floral aromas of violet and a little raspberry. the palate was very spicy and tannic when the bottle was first opened. as the wine opened up, the fruit flavors started to come through. black cherry and blackberry, with some nice anise and leather notes. sells for about $30 and is an excellent red meat wine.
i finally found a rosé that really impressed me. i had to go to new york to do it. thanks to the folks at zachys wine store for the suggestion on this one. slightly orange in color, this rosé is a blend of grenache, tibouren, and mouvedre in equal parts. the nose is very floral, with lavender and a little raspberry. i also got a little orange peel in the nose. the palate is more of the floral notes, with some almond and a little berry flavor. crisp and refreshing on the palate, this worked very well with boiled shrimp and greens and i would like to try it again with a grilled shrimp dish with a bit more spicing which it would work well with. sells for the nice price of about $13.
looking for a fruit forward malbec in the under $15 price point? i had this one with the comely brunette and our good friend, brooklyn, with a filet mignon potato and salad meal. the wine sells for about $12 and has a nose of blackberry and a little spice and earth. the palate was full of ripe blackberry and a little bite of peppery spice. the spicy bite did ease after the wine opened up, allowing more fruit flavor to come through. i got a little earthy note in the finish as well. medium tannins and a nice finish. good with steak or other grilled meats or pasta dishes.
i have never been a big rosé lover but i think i found one that will work for me. this one comes from portugal and is really priced nice at about $7. with just a little effervescence, this can be a nice, refreshing warm weather deck wine. on the nose, strawberries and floral aromas with a little sweet candy smell. the palate was crisp and somewhat dry with flavors of strawberry, citrus and a little mineral note near the finish. i enjoyed this with baked fish and veggies. it would also work well with light summer meals like salads and also with dishes with some spice as well.
we are getting into that warm weather white wine season and i saw this new offering on my local grocery chain shelf for the really nice price of $8. tall horse is from south africa and i don't remember having a south african sauvignon blanc before. time to try one. the nose was minerals and a little herbs and grass. interesting yellow color on this one by the way. the palate was light and crisp, with nice mineral and light tropical fruit notes. nothing like the grapefruity new zealand sauv blancs. i really liked this one a lot. great patio pounder for this summer. serve it with grilled shrimp or just salads and lighter cheese. well worth a try.
