Tasting-HRM Rex-Goliath Pinot Noir

This wine is called Rex-Goliath and it is a Pinot Noir. It is from Madera, California. This wine did not have a vintage label oddly. Its cost is $5.75. It is rated top in the under $15 category wines in the United States. For a wine that costs so little it does pack a large flavor. This is honestly a pretty good wine. Its nose is deep with cherry and musky aromas. Its taste is velvety yet it leaves a tingle on your tongue after. It is much like many other Pinots, but I will say that I have had a much more expensive Pinot Noir that didn't taste as good. For the price you are getting a good wine. Most reviews that I found because I was not provided with one said that this wine was a good wine, especially considering the price. Rex-Goliath packed a heavy punch as a 47 pound rooster and so does the wine named after him. This is most definitely worth the money.

Tasting-Gabbiano Chianti

This wine is called Gabbiano. It is a Chianti with a vintage of 2011. It  is from the Tuscany wine region of Italy. It is made from sangiovese grapes. It's cost stays around $10 in most places. It is a bold and beautiful wine. It has beautiful color as well as flavor. The nose of the wine has cherry, citric, and oaky aromas. This follows along with an abundance of flavors. Its taste is oaky, bready, cherry, musky, and woody all at one time. It tingles on the palate just enough to tingle your taste buds. This wine is delicious. My father is not a wine drinker, but when I purchased this wine and made him try he had to have more than one glass. Many reviews I have found have been saying similar things to mine. There is a lot of lovers of this wine. I was not provided with a concrete review so I sought out my own. DELICIOUS!

Tasting-Charles Shaw Chardonnay

This wine is called Charles Shaw. This particular one is a Chardonnay with a vintage of 2010, made with the Chardonnay grape. It is from the Napa Valley in California. It's cost varies. This wine in Virginia costs $3.29, in California it is still at its original price of $1.99, and most other states other than Ohio it is $2.99, but Ohio is $3.79. You may have heard of this brand dubbed "Two Buck Chuck". I believe this is an excellent Chardonnay. It has aromas of floral hints and with a bitter essence of oak to the nose. The taste is very smooth and inviting. It has a nice body and isn't too bitter as some Chardonnays can be in my opinion. It's really a very drinkable wine that is settled well on the palate. The light oaky hints make it just perfect. For the price as well, you can not beat it. Many wine reviews on the web stated that this wine is comparable to a $200 bottle of wine. They say that Charles Shaw wines are just so drinkable and delightful, and I have to agree. This is a very good Chardonnay. Cheers!!

Tasting-Laya Spanish Red Blend

This wine is Laya Spanish Red Blend. Its vintage is 2010. It is made  from 70% Garnacha and 30% Monstrell. It is from Almansa, Spain. It costs around $7. They did not specify in the Gourmet Pantry and I could not find it to find out the definite cost. I did however find it on the web, each time around $7. This wine threw me off a bit. Its aroma is that of a fruity nature. I picked up on rasberry, cherry, and lemony hints. So, I expected to taste these aromas as well. When I tasted the wine it was extremely woody. It had a very leathery taste that made it seem like a more rustic type wine. It made my palate tingle. I enjoyed the experience, but this wine may be a little too much for me. As my wine palate extends, I may come back to this wine again. It's just a very strong taste. It is very bold. Many of the reviews I have read said that this wine is an easy drinking wine, and that they love the woody flavoring. The Gourmet Pantry did not provide me with a review so I searched on my own. Most of what I can tell people really like this wine, particularly for the price. If you like French Oak flavored wine, then this wine is for you.

Tasting-The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc

This wine is called The Crossings. Its vintage is 2011. It costs $16.99 at the Gourmet Kitchen. It is a Sauvignon Blanc. It is from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, in what is called the Awatere Valley. In this wine I detected hints of melon as well as apple. It had a very floral aroma with along with taste. The wine was a bit bitter in a refreshing way. Its acidity really makes it stand out when chilled. This makes it have a very ripe flavor. There was no review given by the Gourmet Kitchen, but on the web I found plenty of reviews stating that it is a nice refresher. If you like acidity and brightness to your wine then you will like this wine. They state that you can really detect the grapefruit in it. This is something that I didn't think that I picked up on until now. I am not a huge fan of grapefruit because of its bitterness, but now I see why I thought the wine was bitter. Unknowingly I picked up on the grapefruit. This is a nice wine. It really seems to me like it is a palate cleanser. If you like potent wines this wine is for you.

Tasting-Allegrini Renacer Enamore

This wine is called Allegrini Renacer Enamer. It was another 2009. It costs $29.95 at the Vintage Cellar.It is a blend of Malbec (60%), Cabernet Franc (20-25%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%), with minor proportions of Syrah and Bonarda. This is actually a Bordeaux blend typically. It is from the Mendoza region of Argentina. This was another first for me. I had never had this type of wine before. Its smell was very full. It had aromas of fruit, sweetness, floral, spice, and plum. Its taste was just as full. It is a smooth wine that isn't that bitter. It has a hint of sweetness. It also is sort of spicy. I had never had a wine that was sweet and spicy. The Vintage Cellar review said that is is a ripe, concentrated red, with nauances of cocoa, sweet spice and licorice accenting a core of jammy blackberry, raspberry and plum skin notes, which linger through the long, savory finish. I didn't really pick up on the fruit in the taste but in the aromas I did. I enjoyed this wine because it was different. It has a lot of flavor, but it wasn't too strong. Very nice finish on it as well.

Tasting-Ksana Bonarda

This wine was a type that I had not tried before. Bonarda is made up of 4 different types of varieties of red grapes, 3 from northern Italy and one from Argentina. Mendoza is the region that this wine is produced, and it is the largest wine region in Argentina. It was a 2009 vintage. At the Vintage Cellar it costs $12.95. It is an interesting wine. It has a scent of fruity, floral, berry. Its taste it bitter and has a bite. It is a wine that will almost "wake you up". For me it seemed sort of like a strong instant flavor. It is dry and tingles on the tongue. I don't know if I loved this wine right away. It is possible that it will grow on me though. The Vintage Cellar said this wine is floral and lightly jammy, with berry aromas and a savory note or two. To the uninitiated, this is a great introduction to Bonarda.  I will try this again one day so that it may grow on me. I'll be more prepared for it next time.

Tasting-Takutai Pinot Noir

The variety of this wine is pinot noir a red grape of Burgandy. It is from the Nelson region which is in the South Island of New Zealand. When I sniffed the wine I got hints of floral, cherry, and rasberry. It was full of potency. The taste was even stronger. It had a smooth taste with a spiciness to it. Undertones of woody smokiness stood out to me. It made my tongue tingle even though it was a rather dry wine. This wine was full of flavor, but I warn you, if you are not into full bodied wines, this wine is not for you. This wine has no real sweetness to it. It is a 2009 vintage that seems that it has aged nicely. I love Pinot Noirs so this wine was right up my alley. I usually have this with food, but I did not in this case. The Vintage Cellar says that this wine exhibits soft fruit tannins, delicate structure, and a good balance. They said it was a highly likable, flavor packed wine for consumers new to the delights of the Pinot grape. I would agree with this statement. If you are not too "hot" on bold flavors then this is not for you, but this wine could ween you into liking Pinot Noir. It's sort of like the "bold coffee" of the wine world. At the vintage cellar this wine costs $14.95.

Tasting-Takutai Riesling

Takutai Riesling is made of the Riesling grape variety which is a light-skinned, aromatic grape. This particular wine came from the Nelson wine region, which is located in the South Island of New Zealand. It's year was 2009. I really enjoyed this wine. One reason may be because I enjoy sweet wines. This wine has a sweet feel yet a floral one. It had it's acidity as well even being sweet. It is a very refreshing wine that I think would be very enjoyable in the summer. This wine would probably be good anytime, but I can just picture myself out on the back porch, enjoying a nice chilled glass of this while listening to birds chirping and the water in the pond running. It is that sort of wine that makes you have happy thoughts. I really enjoyed it. The Vintage Cellar describes this wine as a wine that tickles your palate and makes you ask for more. They said that the sweet entry is balanced by a bright acidity and retained spritziness. They said the wine is lovely and refreshing. I would agree with them. It is delicious and they seem to be enthusiastic about this wine, so that is always a good sign as well. I did not have food with this wine. I tasted it on its own. Goes just fine on its own, but I am sure it would be paired nicely with many foods. This could be a nice desert to the end of your meal even. At the Vintage Cellar this wine costs $14.95.

Tasting-Takutai Sauvignon Blanc

This is a white wine, of the white grape variety sauvignon blanc, that doesn't seem overly acidic.  It is fruity with combinations of lemon, pear, and apple flavors and I could smell the pears coming through in the scent of the wine. As you breathe in after tasting the wine you can detect some herbiness to it as well. It was very refreshing. I believe that it would pair up nicely with some rather salty cheeses and also bread, along with shrimp or another type of seafood, and salads. I did not have any food with this wine though. This was made in Marlborough, in the south island of New Zealand. The year of the wine was 2011. The review of the Vintage Cellar is that it is a juicy and vibrant white, that it delivers spiced pears and apple flavors that have a mouthwatering lemony note. That shades of herb and fresh-cut grass chime in at the finish. To drink now! I on the other hand didn't really detect the "grassy" finish. The herbs were subtle and not overpowering which left you with a nice, fresh taste in your mouth. The cost of this product at the Vintage Cellar was $14.95.