Atlas Cumbres

Name: Atlas Cumbres

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2010

Price: $15; Sale - $6.95

Professional Review: Intense red color with violet highlights, with clean, fresh and complex aromas of berries, plums, figs and pepper. Strong personality is in perfect balance with a medium body and pleasant tannins. Ideal for red meats, cheeses and strong sauces.

My Review: I got spices, charred wood and earthy vegetables on the nose. Lots of spices on the palate. It was mideum to light in texture and had a wonderful finish. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Name: Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Variety: Gamay

Region: Beaujolais

Country: France

Year: 2013

Price: $14; Sale - $3.95

Professional Review: Balanced and lightly creamy, offering pretty flavors of plum sauce and raspberry coulis threaded with hints of ground spice. Elegant, with a floral finish. Drink Now.

My Review: Lots of leafy vegetables with hints of sweet, light spices on the nose. No fruit on the palate. Tannins are good. It was light to medium bodied and there was almost no finish at all. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Bricco dei Tati

Name: Bricco dei Tati

Variety: Barbera

Region: Treiso

Country: Italy

Year: 2012

Price: $7.95

Professional Review: Fresh with aromas of strawberries, cherries and rose petals. THis is ideal with shellfish, salads, chicken, and with appetizers.

My Review: I got roses and strawberry syrup on the nose. It was dry, acidic and almost vinegar like on the palate. It was light bodied and wasn't balanced. I didn't like the finish. It was dry, light and acidic. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Frascati Volpetti

Name: Frascati Volpetti

Variety: Malvasia, Trebbiano

Region: Greco

Country: Italy

Year: 2012

Price: $7.95

Professional Review: Straw yellow in color with a soft, delicate perfume, fruitful flavor, dry and harmonious taste. Perfect with appetizers, soups, fish.

My Review: I got hints of peaches on the nose. It smelled like the peach syrup/water in those peach cans. On the palate I got hints of lemon, melon, citrus peel and orange peel. It was not acidic on the palate. It was light and well balanced with a great acidic finish. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Heinz Eifel Shine

Name: Heinz Eifel Shine

Variety: Riesling

Region: Mosel Valley

Country: Germany

Year: 2012

Price: $15; Sale - $6.95

Professional Review: This drier-styled Riesling is bright, fruity, and floral with crisp acidity and clean flavors of apple, pear and peach that compliment its stony minerality and earthy complexity. It serves well as an aperitif and matches a wide variety of feeds, like lighter salad dishes, shellfish , cream sauces and also anything with a touch of spice.

My Review: There was hints of apple and pear on the nose. As usual, I got dish soap on the nose for this Riesling. It was semi-sweet, hints of lemon, apple, minerals on the palate. It was light in texture and finish. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Bellafina Pink Moscato

Name: Bellafina Pink Moscato

Variety: Raboso, Muscat

Region: Veneto

Country: Italy

Year: N/A

Price: $9.95

Professional Review: A blend of Moscato and Rabosos grapes it has a pale rose color, notes of red berries (strawberry and raspberry), with the characteristic and fragrant bouquet and palate that is typical of the Moscato grape.

My Review: This moscato smelled like red berries, raspberry, rose and fragrant bouquet. On the palate, it tasted like a light lemon/lemonade, sprite, Italian soda. It was acidic on the front and light in texture. It had a great light finish. I really liked this wine and the fact that its sparkling made it even better. I enjoyed it. Then again I enjoy most of the moscatos I've ever tasted. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Weinert Carascal

Name: Weinert Carascal

Variety: 40% Malbec, 35% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot - Bordeaux Blend

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2008

Price: $13.95

Professional Review: Aged for two years in cask. It has a rustic blackberry, scorched earth and leather-scented bouquet with touches of pressed flowers. The palate is well balanced with crisp tannins, expressive black tarry fruit and a Bordeaux-like finish.

My Review: Interesting nose. I smelled what seemed like leather or wet/sweat leather, like a leather glove that was on your sweaty palms all day while you were moving cattle from Texas to Oklahoma. I also got hints of formaldehyde/the liquid that organs and dead bodies are stored in. You remember high school biology where you disected that fetal pig? Or ever visit that medical/body museums? Yea, it smelled like that. On the palate I got burnt wood and a TON of tannins. Interestingly enough, even with all that tannins, it was light bodied and I personally didn't like the finish. I wouldn't pay the $13.95 for this 2008 vintage wine. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Santa Julia Malbec

Name: Santa Julia Malbec

Variety: Malbec

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2012

Price: $8.95

Professional Review: The nose is full of mellow raspberry and cherry, while the palate is fleshy and round, with blackberry and a touch of raisin. Plump, not edgy, and ready to drink, with coffee and mocha notes on the finish.

My Review: I liked this Malbec. I got cedar, cherry and light hints of oak on the nose, with cherry, plum and light hints of oak on the palate. It was lighter in body than I would really like with a lighter finish. A good Malbec under $10. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Gougenheim

Name: Gougenheim

Variety: Torrontes

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2012

Price: $9.95

Professional Review: The 2012 Torrontes comes from Chilecito in La Rioja. It has a light floral nose with touches of lemon peel and nectarine. The palate is crisp and taut, showing far more vivacity and fruit that the nose implied, finishing with a flourish of apricot and white peach.

My Review: I got light floral and cool, crisp, sugar cube with an interesting hint of old velvet fabric on the nose. I got hints of granny smith, tartaric, apples. This was medium bodied and had a light finish. This was a lot more welcoming than the Santa Julia Pinot Grigio that I tried before this one. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Santa Julia Pinot Grigio

Name: Santa Julia Pinot Grigio

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2013

Price: $8.95

Professional Review: Light and clean, which compared to other Argentine Pinot Grigios in not something to dismiss. Feels solid and punchy, with orange and mango flavors. Has nice overall clarity and balance, with a citric finish.

My Review: I got think orange peel on the nose with hints of vegetation. It seemed like I just took a bushel of oranges with the leaves and stems and everything and took a deep breath. I enjoyed it. On the palate, the acids were overpowering. I got hints of grapefruit and orange as well. It was medium bodied and has a great acidic finish. I just wished it wasn't so acdic on the palate. It should help cut through any thick, heavy, fatty food pairings. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Jam Jar

Name: Jam Jar

Variety: Muscat

Region: Western Cape

Country: South Africa

Year: 2011

Price: $8.95

Professional Review: Soft floral hints add depth to the otherwise straightforward ripe peach and nectarine aromas. There's a good balance in the mouth, with a nice acidic lift and slightly lime edge to cut the sweetness on the finish and close with the faintest hint of honeydew melons.

My Review: Very floral and fruity on the nose. Even though its stated as being a sweet wine, I'd consider it a semi-sweet. Its lightly higher on the alcohol content at 10% meaning more of the sugar in the fruit has been converted into alcohol. It was sweet on the front palate and dry on the mid and back. It was medium to light in body and had a dry finish. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Entrada

Name: Entrada

Variety: Malbec

Region: Nancagua

Country: Chile

Year: 2013

Price: Sale - $5.95

Professional Review: Firm and structured, this is a solid wine, laced with mineral acidity and tight tannins. It has a juicy, blackberry fruit component cutting through the texture.

My Review: Now this was an interesting wine. I got grassy wet veggies on the nose and got okra on the palate. I was not a fan. It was light in body but did have a pretty good finish. I probably wouldn't try this wine again for a long while. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Vina Borgia Borsao

Name: Vina Borgia Borsao

Variety: Garnacha

Region: Campo de Borja

Country: Spain

Year: 2012

Price: $20; Sale - $9.95

Professional Review: 86 Pts - Robert Parker - the 2012 Vina Borgia was fermented and aged in stainless steel. Its medium dark ruby color is followed by abundant notes of strawberries and black cherries offered in a straight forward, medium-bodied, soft, hedonistic, round style. Enjoy for the next 1-2 years.

My Review: I got dark black cherries and hints of spices. I liked the nose of this wine. On the palate, I got what tasted like pomegranate. Tannins were high  and felt like it was a bit bitter/sharp. It was light to medium bodied with a light finish. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Peter Lehmann

Name: Peter Lehmann

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Barossa Valley

Country: Australia

Year: 2010

Price: $20; Sale - $9.95

Professional Review: The 2010 Chardonnay presents subtle notes of spiced apple slices and ripe peaches with hints of freshly baked bread and melon. Light bodied, clean and refreshingly crisp in the mouth, it offers just enough apple and pear flavor concentration, finishing with medium-long persistence. Drink it to 2014.

My Review: Right off the bat, this chardonnay smelled like a Riesling to me. I got hints of sugar cubes and melon. It was sweet on the front palate, dry on the mid and back. It was medium bodied and didn't have much of a finish. This Chardonnay heavily reminded me of a Riesling on the nose and palate. I liked it. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.

Protocolo Vino de la Tierra de Castilla

Name: Protocolo Vino de la Tierra de Castilla

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: Castilla

Country: Spain

Year: 2012

Price: Sale - $6.95

Professional Review: Greenish gold. Subtle aromas of mint, lemon and orange, with a hint of honeysuckle. Dry, understated and focused, offering clean citrus and melon flavors and slow-building sweetness. Finishes dry and brisk, with an echo of lemon. As usual, this is an outstanding value.

My Review: I got hints of citrus/lemon acids on the nose. On the palate I got lots of acids and minerals. This must have been one of the most acidic wines I've tasted in a long while. I can tell its fresh and that might have been what the wine maker was going for but I can easily this as something people might think has perhaps started to go bad and is getting a little too sharp. The amount of acidity was large enough to give it a medium body vs a light body which you might expect from a white. There was a good acidic finish. I had this wine at a tasting without a meal.