Tasting - Shiraz

 

Name: Winking Owl Shiraz

Variety: Shiraz/Syrah

Region: California

Country: United States

Price: $5

Description: Subtle flavors of black cherry, blackberry and a hint of spice. Pairs well with pasta, roast beef and steak.

Online Reviews: "Suprisingly decent with blackberry, cherries, vanilla and a touch of spice. Certainly not complex, but a nice bottle for a cheap price."

"Not that bad. Spicy and has some tannin structure. Lots of sweet fruit that lingers a bit on the finish. A little smoky. For the price point a decent wine."

Wine Folly: On page 173, the primary tasting notes are boysenberry, blackberries, jam, plum, cherry, dried cranberry, star anise, black pepper, and licorice. Some of the secondary and tertiary notes are graphite, leather, tobacco, and vanilla. 

My Review: I was surprised to read the reviews and see very few mentions how smoky this wine was. It was an overwhelming flavor that I could not get past. It did not have a lot of fruity flavors. I got a little bit of blackberry and cherry at best. Many reviews said it was sweet but I did not find any sweetness in this wine. The taste was pretty muted which I did see in a lot of reviews. I am not a fan of earthy, peppery, and smoky flavors so I did not enjoy this wine at all. I will defintely not be drinking it again.

Here's me with the bottle!

Tasting - White Zinfandel

 

Name: Winking Owl White Zinfandel

Variety: Zinfandel

Region: California

Country: Unites States

Price: $5

Description: Cranberry and watermelon flavors with notes of fresh strawberry and cherry. Pairs well with salads, spicy Asian and Latin cuisine. 

Online Review: "Very pale pink in color. Nose is identical to a watermelon Jolly Rancher hard candy. Flavors of cherry and watermelon, with a faint hint of acidity and pink grapefruit. Finish is slight tart and pretty short. Definitely not a bad white zin for $3 a bottle."

"Not too shabby. The nose is clean and fresh with, floral hints, tropical fruit, and candied fruit. Thin and acidic mouthfeel. Sourbelt candy, and raspberry on the palate. Finish is short, but crisp. Absolutely worth 3 dollars."

Wine Folly: On page 190, the primary tasting notes are blackberry, blueberry, jam, strawberry, raspberry, peach, and raisin. Some of the secondary and tertiary notes are barbecue, gravel, leather, dill, tobacco, and vanilla. However, this was a white zinfandel so the notes are not going to line up exactly.

My Review: This definitely tasted like a $5 wine. I did not hate it, but did not love it by any means either. I would drink it again if it was offered or my only option, but I would not go out of my way to drink this wine again. The tasting notes were cranberry, watermelon, strawberry, and cherry. I tasted cranberry and strawberry the most, with a hint of watermelon. It was very floral to me, very rosy. It was quite smooth and a bit sweet. It was not very strong and had little aftertaste which was nice. 

Here's me with the bottle!

Tasting - Sweet Red

Name: Ménage à Trois Dolce Sweet Red Blend

Variety: Moscato, Zinfandel, and Syrah

Region: California

Country: United States

Price: $10
 

Description: Prepare for sweet surrender — Ménage à Trois Dolce Sweet Red Blend will surely win you over. Brimming with decadent blackberry and raspberry flavors accented by warm notes of cherry vanilla, this rich wine is lively on the palate, lifted by delicate, light carbonation and crisp acidity. Go from the everyday to the extraordinary in just one sip.

Vineyard Notes: To bring our fantasy of Dolce to life, winemakers searched California’s best vineyards for grapes that offered exceptionally indulgent flavors and body. Moscato, with its sweet notes, is the decadent foundation for this red blend. Zinfandel’s jammy fruit flavors add richness, and Syrah’s bold, dark fruit character adds intensity and depth. To preserve the wine’s character and intensity our winemaker’s use gentle grape processing techniques and a cold fermentation at 50º F to maintain the rich, sweet flavors and aromas. Additionally, 90% non-malolactic fermentation maintains crisp acidity, a perfect counterpoint to the wine’s extravagant flavors. To make the Dolce experience even more unique, we elevated the carbonation and enhanced the wine with natural raspberry and blackberry flavors.

Rating: This wine was awarded 90 points by the Tasting Panel in the April/May 2021 issue. 

Wine Folly: On page 138-139, moscato has a 5/5 sweetness and its tasting notes are tropical fruits, melons, and citrus as well as vanilla bean and honey. 

On page 189-190, zinfandel is not super sweet and its tasting notes are blackberry, plum, strawberry, raspberry, jam, cinnamon, and pepper. 

On page 172-173, syrah is a rich and powerful red wine and its tasting notes are black berries, jam, cherry, dried cranberry, star anise, and pepper.

My Review: The tasting notes of this wine are blackberry, raspberry, and vanilla and they were incredibly accurate. I feel like some wines have a bunch of notes that are mostly there, but the notes for this wine were exactly what I tasted. I really enjoyed this wine. I think sweet reds are my favorite type of wine now. It was smooth and a little bit fizzy. It had slight notes of a smoky or oak flavor which paired well with the sweet notes. I would recommend this wine to others and would definitely drink it again!

Here's me with the bottle!

Tasting - Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Sunshine Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Südsteiermark, Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

Year: 2023

Price: $8

Description: Blended from select estate vineyards in the Wairau Valley of New Zealand's world famous Marlborough wine region, the tropical guave and passion fruit flavors of this Sauvignon Blanc are balanced perfectly with crisp aciditiy, stony minerality and citrus notes. This lively, fresh and dry wine is aged in 100% stainless steel tanks and is best served chilled. Light in body this style of wine ise excellent with fresh seafood, poultry, light cheese or simply on its own. 

Online Reviews: "A light refreshing wine with passionfruit overtones. One I will certainly buy again."

"A lovely crisp and tart Sauv Blanc! Very citrusy with a hint of tart green apple."

Wine Folly: On page 166, it lists some of the primary tasting notes as passion fruit, guava, pear, peach, lemon, grapefruit, gooseberry, and lemongrass. It also lists some interesting secondary tasting notes such as cat pee, chalk, slate, saline, and minerals which do not sound enjoyable. 

My Review: I did not enjoy this wine. Definitely one of my least favorites. I am not huge on white wines to begin with as I prefer sweet flavors. This wine was especially tart and crisp. I smelled mostly passion fruit. I tasted notes of passion fruit, citrus, mango, and grapefruit. Unfortunately, what masked these flavors was a sour note. I'm not sure if this was an intended flavor as I tried this wine after it had been open but left in the fridge for a day. I don't think it would have gone bad that quickly though. I may recommend this wine to others who want a dry and crisp white wine, but it was not the right wine for me.

Here's me with the bottle!

Tasting - Malbec

 

Name: Specially Selected Uco Valley Malbec

Variety: Malbec

Region: Uco Valley, Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2023

Price: $8

Description: This Single Vineyard Malbec was handpicked from the highest altitudes and cool weather of the prestigious Valle de Uco. This exceptional terroir provides this expressive Malbec bold and fresh fruit characters, with hints of spices and floral notes. 

Online Review: "The 2023 Specially Selected Uco Valley Malbec opens with aromas of fresh tart black cherry, cranberry and maybe a touch of spice. It's simple, but attractive. Tasting reveals more dark and juicy fruit that is quite tart in the mouth. It doesn't really have a lot more going on than that but it does have good depth and it's nice and dry, so it's still pretty satisfying. It ends with decent length and a little grippiness on the dry finish. It also held up just fine on day 2 where it tasted very similar."

Wine Folly: On page 125, malbecs are loved for their bold fruit flavors and smooth chocolaty finish. Some of its primary tasting notes are blackberry, plum, raspberry, raisin, and licorice. 

My Review: Unfortunately, this may be the worst wine I have had so far. The scent was not anything crazy or strong, but not good either. The flavor was almost straight vinegar and very bitter. It quite literally had a hint of fruit flavor. It was pretty dry and not in a good way. It was watery and strong at the same time which was interesting. It was 13.5% so it was not outrageously high but tasted very strong. I would not recommend this to anyone unless they specifically wanted a strong and bitter wine. 

Here's me with the bottle!

Tasting - Sangue di Giuda

 

Name: Terra Sangue di Giuda

Variety: Barbera 25-65%, Croatina 25-65%, Uva Rara, Vespolina and/or Pinot Noir 45% max

Region: Oltreò Pavese, Piedmont

Country: Italy

Year: 2022

Price: $10

Description: Also known as "Blood of Judas" or more quickly "Blood Wine." A sweet wine, bright ruby red with purplish reflections. Smooth, full bodied, vinous and fruit forward with notes of raspberry and blueberry. Local legend has it that the name "Sangue di Giuda" was given by friars who disapproved of its stimulating and "aphrodisiac" effects.

Recommendation: This wine was recommended to me by a worker at Kroger. I was browsing and he offered to help me find something. I told him I like wine that is light, fruity, and most importantly, sweet. This was the first wine he thought of. I was a bit hesitant to try a red, but it was a sweet red so I took a chance. He also told me about the legend surrounding the wine which was very intruiging.

The Legend: It seems that Judas, after his death, very much regretted having betrayed Jesus. In order for Judas to be allowed to redeem himself, the Lord resurrected him and called on him to do a good deed as penance. Judas reappeared in Broni, a small village in the Oltrepò, where an epidemic was ravaging the local vineyards. The wise man of the village had prophesied that only a blood sacrifice could save the vines. So Judas decided to offer himself as a scapegoat. Just as the head of the village was about to plunge the knife into Judas, he was held back by a dark force and was unable to complete the sacrifice. Nevertheless the vineyards became luxuriant and full of fruit again. To thank Judas, the inhabitants of Broni named the sweet red wine they produced after him. (lacucinaitaliana.com) 

Wine Folly: On page 79, barbera is the everyday drinking red wine of Piedmont, Italy. It's first tasting note is tart cherry. While cherry was definitely present in this wine, it was much sweeter than the barbera variety. The other varieties of this wine were not listed in the Wine Folly. 

On page 85, brachetto is a rare, sweet wine from Piedmont that is also frothy. This wine is not a brachetto, but is very similar to it. It pairs well with chocolate. It's tasting notes are strawberry, black currant, and orange zest. 

My Review: This may be one of my favorite wines yet. I was hesitant when he recommended a red wine, but since it was sweet, I held out hope that I would like it. The smell was like any other red wine and not super sweet. It had an oak and raisin scent. However, the taste was completely different. In a weird way, it almost tasted like a cherry coke. It was definitely sweet, a little fizzy, and only slightly dry. I mostly tasted notes of black cherry, oak, and vanilla. I would recommend this wine to anyone and will absolutely have it again!

Here's me with the bottle!

Tasting - Riesling

 

Name: Landkastel Riesling

Variety: Riesling

Region: Mosel

Country: Germany

Price: $8

Description: This exquisite, well balanced Riesling has a fruity bouquet with flavors of apricot and peach. Perfect accompaniment to light meals, desserts or simply on its own.

Online Review: "Emerald straw color. Aromas and flavors of light petrol and tangerine, brettanomyces, candied grapefruit, and soft green herbs with a silky, vibrant, dry-yet-fruity light-to-medium body and a snappy finish with overtones of canned pineapple, dried kiwi, thai basil, and apple juice and grapefruit. A fresh German Riesling that lingers on the palate and washes the day away."

Wine Folly: On page 158, it mentions that Germany is the most important producer of Riesling in the world.

On page 158-159, it lists the primary tasting notes as white cherry, green apple, apricot, lemon, and honeysuckle. 

My Review: As a white wine, I was hesitant to try this. I don't normally like white wine because I don't like dry wine and prefer sweet. However, this wine shocked me and I really enjoyed it. The tasting notes were apricot and peach which tasted very accurate. This wine was not super strong or dry, but still had a distinct flavor. I enjoyed this wine with sharp white cheddar cheese and I think they paired well together. The flavor of the wine was brought out by the cheese pairing. This wine was recommended by a friend and it was a great choice. I would drink this wine again!

Here's me with the bottle!

Tasting - Passion Fruit Moscato

 

Name: Tropical Passion Fruit Moscato

Variety: 95% Moscato and 5% passion fruit pulp

Country: Italy

Price: $12.99

Description: Made from 95% Moscato grapes and 5% passion fruit pulp, this delicious blend adds up to 100% real fruit! Tropical Passion Fruit is fresh, bright and intensely aromatic, with notes of peaches, powdered sugar and tropical passion fruit. These flavors carry through to the palate, where the wine shows soft bubbles and a refreshing mouthfeel. A bright finish will keep you going back for sip after sip. There are 2 real Brazilian passion fruits inside.

Serve as an aperitif or with your meal – this wine pairs well with spicy foods! You can also end your meal with the sweet-tart taste of Tropical Moscato – serve with soft or aged cheese and fresh fruit with honey.

Online Reviews: "I got this from my caterer with my prepared a charcuterie board and individual homemade cheese cake The Premiere Pallette she brought the wine and now it’s our favorite we will definitely buy this again!"

"It tastes great with a hint of fruit, light wine and can be mixed to be cocktail."

Wine Folly: On page 138, the Wine Folly says that moscato can be in all styles dry to sweet, still to sparkling. This moscato was very sweet and sparkling. 

On page 139, it lists some of the primary tasting notes as fresh grape, passionfruit, pineapple, lychee, and mango. I mostly tasted a mango flavor.

My Review: I enjoyed this wine! As I mentioned from the Wine Folly, I tasted more mango than passionfruit. It tasted like a sparkling juice and was very refreshing. It was not a super strong wine, but enough that you could tell it was wine. I did not enjoy this wine with any food. I would recommend this wine to others and would drink it again!

Here's me with the bottle!