Zen of Zin Zinfandel 2009 (about $12)

About the Wine:  For some reason it has become something of a tradition for Zinfandel makes to give their products strange names based on bad puns.  I have seen Earth, Zin, and Fire, Seven Deadly Zins, XYZin, and now Zen of Zins.

About THIS Wine:  Zen of Zin has a dark center that fades to a violet rim.  Spice and indistinct red fruit are prominent on the nose and they deliver on the palate.  The palate is very smooth.  The fruit taste is jammy but not overbearing.  The finish is spicy and mildly dry.  In a blind test I would have mistaken this for a light Cabernet.

Drinking This Wine:  Zen of Zin would be fine as a sipping wine or with  grilled steak.  Sirloin steak comes to mind as an especially good pairing.  I would not let this wine age much.  Wines at this price point are not usually meant to be aged and my suspicion is that this particular wine will keep getting drier over time, losing its flavor and character.

Overall Impression:  It is a nice wine for a nice price.  At twelve dollars Zen of Zin is a good value.

La Puerta Alta Torrontes 2010 (about $11)

About the Wine:  Torrontes is an obscure white wine known for it floral nose and palate.  It grows well in Chile and Argentina but has never really caught on in America. 

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is light and luminous. The nose is strong with citrus, reminiscent of a dry Riesling.  Minerality is sharp on the palate and lingers for an almost salty finish.

Drinking This Wine:  The taste is not altogether pleasant by itself.  Paired with white fish it could make an excellent meal.  The mineral taste of the wine would reduce the need to salt the fish.

Overall Impression:  I am not all that impressed but it is a decent wine.  At eleven dollars it is reasonable for the price.

Starborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (about $13)

About the Wine:  Marlborough, New Zealand is well known for the Sauvignon Blancs that grow there.  The terroir gives the wine a grapefruit flavor unique to the region.  The most common complaint is that all the Sauvignon Blancs from the region all seem to taste the same.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is light with no distinct rim.  The nose is fruity with citrus and grapefruit.  The flavors delivers on the palate, though the finish is very light.

Drinking This Wine:  Easy drinking as a sipping wine, Starborough would also go well with fruit dishes or fish.

Overall Impression:  This is a ten dollar bottle.  It is overpriced.

Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (about $20)

About the Wine: Cabernets come in a variety of styles that can range from fruity to dry to heavily oaked.  This can make it  difficult wine to buy.  Asking for a "good" Cabernet is likely to confuse the salesman more than anything else (or give him the opportunity to recognize you as a neophyte and dump something undrinkable on you.)  Part of what separates average Cabs from exceptional ones is whether they capture a range of the Cabernet Sauvignon  experience or whether the wine maker only scratched the surface of the grape's potential.

About THIS Wine:  It is dark in the glass with a violet rim.  The nose is spicy and also heavy with dark red fruit and just a hint of green pepper.  The fruit delivers on the palate.  It is luscious with the taste of raspberry and black cherry which linger and mix with spice in a dry, lasting finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This wine needs to be opened at least an hour before drinking.  The wine is complex and it needs to breath and open up.  It does well as a sipping wine and would also be good with any kind of red meat in heavy sauce or heavy Italian food such as a meaty lasagna or even good old spaghetti and meatballs.

Overall Impression:  Chilean wines have a reputation for being under priced.  This complex yet approachable Cab is no exception.  At twenty dollars it is a good value.

Firesteed Riesling 2008 (about $13)

About the Wine:  Riesling is the sweetest of the noble grapes.  It is traditionally grown in Germany but good representations of the grape can be found in Canada, New York, Missouri, and Oregon, to name a few.  While excellent sweet wine can be made from Riesling, many wine makers prefer dryer interpretations and it is not at all uncommon to see Riesling makers produce multiple lines with varying levels of sweetness.

About THIS Wine:  Firesteed is light and luminous in the glass.  The nose is crisp and has a lot of citrus, reminiscent of a good Sauvignon Blanc.The palate is very crisp with strong citrus and is not sweet at all, though neither is it especially dry.  The flavor is sharp and bold.  The finish is very light.

Drinking This Wine:  It is a perfect compliment to spicy food such as Indian or Thai.  It also makes a nice sipping wine for warm weather.

Overall Impression:  This is not a wine for the connoisseur.  It lacks complexity and the finish is light for the body.  But it is very pleasant and easy to drink.  For those with more plebeian tastes (and I cheerfully include myself in that group) it is a good value.

Primus The Blend (about $18)

About the Wine: Many wines are meant to be easy and accessible to novice drinkers while others are more specific.  Some are only good with certain foods, or have to be open for a specific period of time before they can be drunk, or are simply too heady for those with undeveloped palates.  This wine is an example of one the more difficult wines to sample.  It requires a fairly developed palate and has to be open for at least and hour before drinking for the maximum experience.
About THIS Wine:  In the glass Primus is violet with a garnet rim.  The nose is remarkably heavy for the lightness of the color.  Spice is dominant with strong notes of jammy raspberry, raisins, earth, smoke, and cherries.  It is heavy and deeply layered.  The palate is rich with syrupy smooth red fruit, spices, and a meaty flavor.  Spice lingers on the palate along with supple tannins and mild dryness.
Drinking This Wine:  Experienced red wine drinkers will enjoy as a sipping wine.  Those with less developed palates should enjoy with red meats.
Overall Impression:  This is not a wine for the novice drinker.  For those with more developed palates and an appreciation for dry red wine it is a steal.

Chalone Merlot 2009 (about $12)

About the Wine: Fun fact about the wine business; owners of stores will sometimes take things in as a favor to their sales reps.  The distributors occasionally buy products that no one especially wants and add them to their sales staff's quotas.  This results in comically desperate sales reps pleading with store owners to take in wines that no has ever heard of.
About THIS Wine: It is violet in the glass with a pinkish rim.  On the nose the wine has dark red fruits and slight acidity.  The taste is mild and very smooth with just a touch of bitterness on the finish that does not linger.
Drinking This Wine:  Too light for a food wine and not flavorful enough to be a good sipping wine.  The promotional material that came with the wine said that it is good with duck.  Let's go with that.
Overall Impression:  I'm not impressed.  There is nothing objectively wrong with this wine, it just has nothing to recommend it.  It is unimpressive for the price.

Rancho Zabaco Reserve Zinfandel 2010 (about $19)

About the Wine: Terroir, the taste of a place, is crucial to wine making.  Napa Valley California is the unchallenged king of most California reds but Sonoma County in general and the Dry Creek region in particular are fast developing a reputation for superior Zinfandels.
About THIS Wine: The wine has a burgundy center with a violet rim, a coloration I would expect of a Pinot Noir.  The nose is almost overpowering with the smell of blackberry with hints of tobacco and blueberry.  The palate is smoother and lighter than the nose would indicate but still fairly robust.  Blackberry is prominent along with hints of cherry and clove.  The finish is light and does not linger.
Drinking This Wine:  I happened to be having calzone for lunch when the vendor brought the wine to our store.  It was a good pairing.  I think this wine would also be good for a sipping wine.
Overall Impression:  It is very good, but a bit overpriced.

Carroll's Mead Honey Wine, no vintage on the bottle (about $12)

About the Wine:  Honey can be fermented and even a very rudimentary knowledge of human nature and history teaches that if it will ferment, people will make a drink out of it.  Carroll's Mead is said to come from an Irish family recipe developed some time in the Middle Ages.

About THIS Wine:  The wine is light yellow in the glass and has no distinct rim.  The nose is acidic and slightly earthy, reminiscent of lagered beer (aka Budweiser.)  The palate is like a Riesling without the citrus, just a tart sweetness.  The finish is more sugary sweet.  I personally like sweet things, so this palate and finish did not bother me.  When I gave it to a dry drinker she made a face similar to a cartoon character that has just an anvil dropped on its foot.

Drinking This Wine:  Definitely a food wine.  It is just too sweet for most drinkers to enjoy by itself.  I had it with roasted chicken and the pairing was quite nice.  It would also work well with spicy food.

Overall Impression:  Not really blown away by this wine.  As novelty for the sweet drinker it is reasonable for the price.

Rutherford Rhiannon 2010 (about $16)

About the Wine:  Rhiannon is a signature red blend from the Rutherford winery.  The 2005 vintage goes for upwards of thirty dollars a bottle.  The winery stopped making the blend for a time but has released it again.
About THIS Wine:  The wine is a beautiful violet color in the glass and fades to the edges.  Jammy red fruit is prominent on the nose with hints of smoke and oak.  The fruit delivers on the palate with a thick, almost syrupy texture.  The palate is both rich and smooth and finishes with mild tannins and spice.
Drinking This Wine: This would make an excellent compliment to a nice, meaty chili.  It would also be good for a sipping wine.
Overall Impression:  Smooth but also robust, this wine is good for the price.

Avalon Merlot 2010 (About $12)

About the Wine:  Napa Valley is the premiere wine growing region in California and it is unusual for reds from there to go for less than about fifteen dollars a bottle (the price if this brand's Cabernet).  This will be either a very good deal or an experiment that did not quite work out.
About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is velvety purple and fades toward the edge.  The nose is heavy with jammy red fruits, black currant, and just a hint of oak.  On the palate it is thick and dry with hints of cherry and pomegranate.  The finish is tannic, fruity, and lingering.
Drinking This Wine:  Good as a sipping wine or as a compliment to seasoned steak or lamb.
Overall Impression:  It's pretty good and the price is right.  I'll call it a good value.

Cold Creek Riesling 2010 (about $17)

About the Wine:  Most Rieslings made for the American market are very sweet.  Late harvest (wine made from grapes left on the vine long enough to develop more sugar) and ice wine (made from grapes picked after the first frost) are usually the most accessible the American palate.  Dry and semi dry Rieslings offer a dryer version of the taste and flavor of this distinctive wine.
About THIS Wine:  Light and luminous in the glass, Cold Creek has a nose of lemon, orange, and pear.  The palate is dry with crisp lemon, melon, and mango notes.  The finish is light but lingering.
Drinking This Wine:  Very good with white fish or as a sipping wine.
Overall Impression: This is not the most approachable wine I have ever had, but it is a good representation of a semi dry Riesling.  At seventeen dollars it is good for the price.

Casa Merlot 2008 (about $12)

About the Wine: Lapostolle is one of the best vineyards in Chile.  It was founded by a direct descendantt of the creator of Grand Marnier and produces some of the best wines made in South America, maybe the world.  Casa is one of their lower end productions.
About THIS Wine:  Casa Merlot is nearly opaque at the center with a dark purple rim.  This is usually a sign of a particularly full and heavy wine.  The nose is thick, but jammy red fruit, blueberry, and hints of smoke come through.  The palate is very thick and dry, reminiscent of a heavy Cabernet.  Notes of raspberry are present.  The finish is spicy and tannic.
Drinking This Wine:  I would not recommend this as a sipping wine or a wine for a novice drinker.  It is good but not especially approachable.  Enjoy with red meat or lasagna.
Overall Impression:  Wines of this style tend to go for at least fifteen dollars a bottle.  It is a good value.

Aramis Shiraz Cabernet Blend 2008 (about $14)

About the Wine:  Australia is well known for its signature grape, Shiraz.  They also make some remarkably good Cabernets so it is only natural that winemakers would blend them in the hopes of capturing the best of both.
About THIS Wine:  This wine has a very dark center and a garnet rim, which are both a good sign in a robust red.  The nose is heavy with raspberry.  Mild spice is present in the background, as are hints of oak.  Red fruit is prominent on the palate but the palate is also very smooth.  The wine is both smooth and fruit forward.  The classic peppery taste of Shiraz comes through in the finish along with subtle tannins.
Drinking This Wine:  Aramis is not overly dry or tannic and would thus be fine as a sipping wine.  It would also pair well with grilled meats.
Overall Impression:  I like this wine, but it is not the best I've ever had for the cost.  It is reasonable for the price.

Frisk Prickly 2011 (about $11)

About the Wine: Frizzimo is a designation for wines that are slightly carbonated but not truly sparkling in the way that Champagne, Prosecco, and other, similar styles are.  Frisk Prickly is a blend of Riesling and Moscato.  The aim seems to have been to bring Moscato's frizzimo qualities to a Riesling.
About THIS Wine:  Frisk is white and visibly bubbly in the glass.  Citrus is prominent on the nose with hints of grapefruit.  The palate is pleasant but not especially complex with mild lemon, tangerine, and grapefruit.  The finish is slightly tart.
Drinking This Wine:  This is a very easy drinking wine.  It would be fine as a sipping wine and is one of the few wines I have had that would go well with potato chips and other snack food.
Overall Impression:  Tasty and easy to drink, this wine is good for the price.

Amber Hill Secret Blend 2010 (about $12)

About the Wine:  Red blends are a force in the wine market.  Because there are so many varietals available and so many possible percentages in which to mix them, there is practically no end to the number of variations a good vitner can make,
About THIS Wine:  In the glass this wine is fairly light, fading to the edges for a pink rim.  The nose is heavy with tart, jammy red fruit and hints of smoke.  On the palate the fruit comes through with both tartness and sweetness.  The fruit lingers with mild tannins for a pleasant finish.
Drinking This Wine:  Amber Hill is good as a sipping wine.  It would also go well with a burger or a hot dog, something savory to balance the sweetness.
Overall Impression:  I would not bring this to a formal dinner or anything, but it is fine for everyday drinking.  At twelve dollars a bottle it is good for the price.

Eroica Riesling 2010 (about $20)

About the Wine: Winemakers occasionally get together to produce collaborations, wines of superior quality to the ones they make independently.  Eroica is a collaboration of Dr. Loosen, a noted German winemaker, and Chateau St. Michelle, one of the better American Riesling makers.
About THIS Wine: Eroica is straw colored and slightly luminous in the glass, essentially possessing the ideal visual qualities for most whites.  The nose is heavy with orange and tangerine with notes of lemon and mango.  The flavors carry through on the palate with additional, subtle hints of grapefruit.  A mild tartness balances the finish.
Drinking This Wine: The pleasant balance makes this a good sipping wine.  It would also pair well with spicy food, especially bratwurst or other spiced sausage.
Overall Impression:  Twenty dollars is more than I generally want to part with for a bottle of wine.  But for the experience of the taste and flavor of Riesling without the cloying sweetness I would say this wine is worth the price.

Galil Shiraz 2009 (About$14)

About the Wine: Israel is one of the newest frontiers of wine growing.  Most of the country is too hot for vineyards but the hill and mountain regions do have a climate conducive to wine making.  This has created a strange situation in the Kosher wine market.  Traditional Kosher wines are made from cheap wine that is artificially sweetened and the palate of the Kosher wine drinker has grown to expect that.  This complicates things for anyone trying to sell Kosher wines made in the standard, non Kosher fashion.
About THIS Wine:  It has a dark center with a garnet rim, fairly standard for a Shiraz.  The nose is earthy with strong oak, jammy red fruit, and a musty smell that I can only describe as "forest floor."  Bold red fruit is prominent on the palate with notes of plum and pepper that progress into a spicy, tannic finish.
Drinking This Wine: It could be drunk by itself or with hearty but mild food to balance out the spices.  Steak and potatoes or hearty rice dishes would do well.
Overall Impression:  This is a very good wine and fourteen dollars is reasonable.  It is a good value

XYZin Zinfandel 2009 (About $13)

About the Wine: The label of this wine advertises that it comes from a ten year old vine. This is encouraging, as many lesser Zinfandels describe themselves as "old vine" without specifying the age of the vines is question.
About THIS Wine:  XYZin is a fairly light plum color in the glass.  The nose is surprisingly rich, given the light color.  Smoke is prominent along with oak and jammy fruit.  The fruit delivers on the palate with a thick, almost syrupy texture with just a touch of sweetness and mild spice.  The spice and sweetness linger in a pleasant finish.
Drinking This Wine:  This would be fine as a sipping wine.  It would also go well with unfrosted cake or any other moist bread.
Overall Impression:  Very good wine and good for the price.

Brazin (B)old Vine Zinfandel 2009 (about $15)

About the Wine:  It is commonly accepted that the best Zinfandels come from older vines and thus the designation "Old Vine" has become a mark, or at least a claim, of quality among Zinfandel makers.  There is not really an official definition of what constitutes an "old vine" so the label does not really mean much.  The designation also serves to distance traditional Zinfandel from the more popular but less esteemed blush version, White Zinfandel.
About THIS Wine: It is very light in the glass, more the color one would expect from a Pinot Noir than from a Zinfandel.  The nose smells of oak, leather and tobacco.  Those flavors are mild on the palate (this is more pleasant than it sounds) and the finish is all but nonexistent.  For all the mildness, it is fairly tannic.
Drinking This Wine:  The mild flavor and heavy tannins make it a good food wine.  It would pair well with smoked salmon.
Overall Impression:  While not a bad wine this is also not impressive in any way.  For fifteen dollars I expect to be impressed.  This wine is good but overpriced.

Massimo Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (about $11)

About the Wine:  Sauvignon Blanc is a classic white used in French blends such as White Bordeaux but is also drunk by itself.  New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has a grapefruit taste that has made it very popular, surpassing the French product in some markets.
About THIS Wine:  Massimo is very light in the glass and slightly luminous.  A nose of heavy grapefruit with hints of lemon delivers into a strong grapefruit palate with a mild lemon finish.  Neither the palate nor the finish really linger, but both are pleasant.
Drinking This Wine:  This is fine as a sipping wine.  It would also pair well with white fish or lemon chicken.
Overall Impression:  There is nothing spectacular about this wine.  It is a good Sauvignon Blanc and at eleven dollars it is good for the price.

Altas Cumbres Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (About $10)

About the Wine:  Argentina is best known for its earthy, fruity Malbecs.  They do also make some very good Cabernet Sauvignon.
About THIS Wine: In the glass it has a ruby center fading to a pink rim.  Tobacco is strong on the nose with notes of tart red fruit.  The palate is both dry and fruity with strong notes of jammy cherries.  It finishes mildly, dryly, and with continuing notes of cherry.
Drinking This Wine:  A bit dry for a sipping wine, Altas Cumbres would go well with juicy red meat, steamed rice dishes, or pasta.
Overall Impression:  This is not a spectacular wine but it is good and the price is certainly right.  At ten dollars it is a good value.

Bridgeview Blue Moon Pinot Noir 2008 (about $19)

About the Wine:  Oregon is one of the best, some would say the best region in America for growing Pinot Noir.  The climate is nearly ideal for the grape and the soil is so good that some French producers prefer it the more prestigious Burgundian earth.
About THIS Wine:  The color is light in the glass, almost like a blush wine.  Pinot Noir is not supposed to be very dark but the lightness of this wine was discouraging.  The nose had strong hints of both smoke and cedar.  Red fruit is light on the palate and vanishes quickly, leaving no finish to speak of.
Drinking This Wine:  It could be a good sipping wine for someone who prefers something light and mild.  It would also pair well with unseasoned or very lightly seasoned white meat.  Alternatively, the mild taste might make a nice counterpoint to spicy Thai, Indian, or Mexican food.
Overall Impression:  I'm not impressed.  Even lighter wines can have depth, complexity, and character.  This has none of them.  I would not be overly impressed with it at ten dollars a bottle, let alone nineteen.  It is mediocre and badly overpriced.

Kenwood Jack London Zinfandel 2009 (About $20)

About the Wine:  Not every grape that comes out of the same field is equal.  Some are too small at harvest, some are not mature, some affected by any of the multitude of pests and maladies that can attack the vines or the grapes themselves during the growing season.  This presents a dilemma for growers.  Throwing all the grapes together will result in a mediocre wine.  Throwing all the substandard grapes away would represent a massive loss  Another solution is to sort grapes into different lines, sometimes called "productions."  This allows wineries to produce high quality wines while still using the lesser grapes to make cheaper wines.  Large winemakers may also base productions on location to create a variety of brands that capture different terroirs.  In this case Kenwood is the winery and Jack London is one of their productions.
About THIS Wine:  The wine is dark, almost black in the center with a dark purple rim.  Giving the glass a swirl results in a light coating with thick drips ("legs" in wine lovers' terms) running down the inside of the glass.  Jammy red fruit is prominent on the nose, along with layers of figs, minerals, smoke, leather, and raisins.  Every time I inhaled, I smelled something new.  The palate delivers on everything present in the nose, along with subtle hints of almond.  In both smell and taste this is a remarkably complex wine.  The palate is mildly dry but the finish is just a touch sweet with light spice and hints of plum.
Drinking This Wine:  I would prefer this as a sipping wine because of its depth and complexity.  It would pair well with roasted poultry, especially anything honey roasted.
Overall Impression:  This is a delicious wine with great complexity and a remarkably easy drinking experience.  It is pricy, but well worth it.

Ghost Pines Red Blend 2009 (About $19)

About the Wine:  Just about every maker is coming out with a red blend these days.  Zinfandel-based blends are especially popular.  Zinfandel by itself can be a difficult drink.  It is often jammy, heavy, and has very little consistency from one vineyard to the next.  Blends are a good way to tame it into something more accessible.
About THIS Wine:  The center is nearly opaque with a garnet rim.  The nose has a sweet coffee smell that I have only ever found in Zinfandels and Zinfandel-based wines.  Red fruit is also prominent on the nose.  The palate is heavy with strawberry, cherry, and licorice.  The sweet red continues and blends with mild spice on the finish.
Drinking This Wine:  A pleasant sipping wine, it would also go well with a cheeseburger.
Overall Impression:  I really do like this wine, but I also really like paying with a twenty and getting change back.  It is fair for the price, but not exceptional.

Liberty Creek Chocolate Red ($9)

About the Wine:  Chocolate wine has gained popularity over the last few years.  It is usually not made from the highest quality chocolate or particularly good wine.  The lack of a vintage on this bottle was particularly distressing.
About THIS Wine: The rim is darker than the center in the glass.  This is the reverse of what red wine is supposed to look like.  The nose is reminiscent of the cherry cordial chocolates they sell at dollar stores.  A palate of burnt chocolate leads into a lingering (and I mean lingering) finish of cherry cough syrup.
Drinking This Wine:  It gave me a strange craving for White Castle burgers.
Overall Impression:  This wine is hilariously awful.  The vendor who tasted us on it got really mad when I told her I would be doing this review.  At nine dollars bottle it is in no way worth it.

Apothic White 2010 (About $13)

About the Wine:  Apothic Red is a mildly sweet red blend that has grown rapidly in popularity since its release.  The same company has produced a white wine that is a blend of Chardonnay, Riesling, and Moscato.
About THIS Wine:  The wine is straw-colored and slightly luminous in the glass, which is a very good sign for most whites.  The nose is complex with smells of chalk, citrus, and melon.  The palate is a bit sweet but not overly so and has strong flavors of pineapple and citrus.  The finish is very short.  That is unusual as sweeter wines tend to end with finishes that are dry, bitter, or cloying.
Drinking This Wine:  This would make a very good sipping wine.  It would also go well with salad.
Overall Impression:  The wine is very good.  For thirteen dollars it is a good value.

Terra d'Oro Zinfandel 2008 (about $14)

About the Wine: My last post was about Zinfandel, so I won't beat it to death here.  It is important to note the difference between Zinfandel and White Zinfandel.  Zinfandel is rich, complex, and variable.  White Zinfandel is not any of those things, but it is sweet.
About THIS Wine:  It is dark purple, almost opaque, with a garnet rim.  Red fruit is prominent on the nose and is balanced with smoke and raisins.  The fruit delivers on the palate with a layered taste of cherry and figs that blends into a mildly spicy finish.  The wine is not sweet, but neither is it really dry.  The fruit taste is one that I would describe as "bright."
Drinking This Wine:  Terra d'Oro would work as a sipping wine.  It would also pair well with sweet sausage or hamburger.
Overall Impression:  This Zin is versatile and delicious.  At fourteen dollars a bottle is a good value.

Folie a Deux Zinfandel 2009 (About $18)

About the Wine: Zinfandel is a classic red grape known for its richness, complexity, and variation.  Zins range from the cloyingly sweet to painfully dry.  Sweeter Zins are used to make White Zinfandel, a blush version that is popular among drinkers with a less developed palate.
About THIS Wine:  The center is purple with a lighter rim, as is standard for most reds.  Heavy oak is prominent on the nose with hints of syrupy cherry.  The cherry delivers on the palate with a jammy texture that ends in a very spicy finish.
Drinking This Wine:  The spiciness of the finish makes this difficult as a sipping wine.  It would pair extremely well with pork steak.

Overall Impression:  It is good, but at eighteen dollars a bottle it is overpriced.

Blanco Nieva Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (About $14)

About the Wine:  Sauvignon Blanc is a dry white wine that is generally bolder than Pinot Grigio and sharper than Chardonnay.  It is a traditional ingredient in White Bordeaux and is also cultivated in Spain and the New World.
About THIS Wine:  Blanco Nieva has a pale straw color and is slightly luminous in the glass, similar in appearance to an excellent Pinot Grigio.  The nose is very rich.  Cirtus notes are dominant but pineapple, cut grass, minerals, and smoke are also present.  My coworker smelled butter, but I did not.  The complexity is such that I suspect that additional tasting and smelling would yield further results.  The palate is strangely but pleasantly creamy with strong citrus notes.  My coworker did not taste the cream but did taste pineapple that I did not.  Again, I attribute this to the wine's complexity.  The finish was mild, tingling, lingering, and I did taste the pineapple there.
Drinking This Wine:  This is a good sipping wine.  It would also go very well with crab legs, crab cakes, or other shellfish.
Overall Impression:  I'm not usually a Sauvignon Blanc Drinker.  My coworker is.  We both loved this wine.  At fourteen dollars a bottle this wine is a very good value.

Kunde Estate Merlot 2006 (about $14)

About the Wine:  Merlot is one of the three red Noble grapes.   It is often drunk by itself but is also used in blends.  The most venerable of these is probably Bordeaux, a classic blend that must be at least seventy percent Merlot.  When drunk by itself, Merlot is usually considered fruitier and more approachable than Cabernet Sauvignon and more full bodied than Pinot Noir.
About THIS Wine:  The color is very dark, nearly opaque toward the center and it abruptly fades to a thin rim of garnet around the edge.  The nose is quite strong.  In fact it was so potent that I was concerned that the wine might have madeirized, as sometimes happens with older vintages or the occasional bad bottle.  When I actually took the time to smell the wine I realized that it was good, but very potent.  Jammy fruits are prominent on the nose with hints of spice and minerals.  The jam delivers on the palate, which is remarkably dry.  This may be the driest Merlot I've had which made it surprising that it was also so fruity.  The finish is spicy, tannic, and has strong notes of cherry.  The cherry finish also surprised me.
Drinking This Wine:  I would strongly recommend opening the bottle at least an hour prior to drinking.  This is a wine that really needs to breath.  The nose and palate open with a little time.  I would normally recommend red meat with something this dry, but I had it with a ham sandwich (because that's what I had handy) and it did quite well.

Overall Impression: Kunde is rich, full, and interesting. At fourteen dollars a bottle it is a good value.

The Show Malbec (about $13)

About the Wine:  Malbec is a dry red with an unusually dark color.  It was traditionally blended with Merlot to improve the appearance of the latter.  A late frost in 1956 all but decimated the French Malbec crop and the grape has since lost popularity there.  It had been planted in Argentina in the 1800s and has gradually come to be the signature grape of that country.  Malbec is dark, tannic, and full bodied.  It is sometimes referred to as Merlot's rustic cousin because the former is more earthy, heavy, and generally blunt than Merlot.
About THIS Wine:  The nose is a pleasing aroma of raisins.  The palate tastes of blackberry and mild spices.  The spice continues on the finish along with moderate tannins.
Drinking This Wine:  Though light enough to make a good sipping wine, The Show Malbec is best enjoyed with red meat cooked rare or medium rare.  It is not as overly dry as some other meat wines, but something about it gave me the urge to eat something meaty and juicy.
Overall Impression:  The wine is not spectacular but it is good.  At thirteen dollars a bottle it is reasonable for the price.

Lyeth Fleur De Lyeth 2010 (About $12)

About the Wine:  I have written about red blends before.  They are a huge part of the past, present, and future of red wine.
About THIS Wine:  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec.  The nose is pleasantly fruity with the smell of red berries and has hints of spice.  The fruitiness continues in a remarkably smooth palate finishing with soft tannins.
Drinking this Wine:  This is an excellent sipping wine.  The smoothness of the palate and mildness of the finish make for a drinking experience that does not require food to moderate the taste.  That said, this wine would go very well with lamb.
Overall Impression:  Fleur De Lyeth is not overly bold but neither is it very weak.  At twelve dollars a bottle it is good for the price.

Vendange White Zinfandel 2009 ( About $10 for the really big bottle.)

About the Wine:  White Zinfandel is the blush version of Zinfandel.  Blush wines are made by separating the juice of the grapes from their skins earlier in the wine making process than is done when making reds.  Zinfandel is naturally sweeter than many other reds.  Removing the skin early makes a light, sweet wine that is approachable for many who are not sophisticated when it comes to wine drinking.
About THIS Wine:  Though blush wines are supposed to be pink, this one is sort of an off orange in the glass.  It is the color of an especially smoggy sunset in a badly polluted urban area.  The nose is dominated by scents of rotting pineapple with hints of moldering strawberry.  The palate has a strong, fruit forward taste of unsweetened Kool Aid that gives way to a finish of sour lemonade.
Drinking This Wine:  It would go well with fast food, twinkies, or those moon pies they sell in Midwestern gas stations.
Overall Impression:  At ten dollars a bottle (for a 1.5 liter, twice the size of a normal wine bottle) it is absolutely not worth it.

Domini Douro 2003 (About $15)

About the Wine:  What caught my eye on this one was the vintage.  Some wines can age in the bottle for decades with no ill effect.  Most become madeirized (ruined by contact with air, even if its just the air in the bottle) or develop mold on the cork within  five to ten years of bottling.  Wine affected this way is not usually harmful, but it is utterly unpalatable.  Wines that keep in the bottle for an extended period undergo development in the bottle than can enhance their natural flavors and make for a very pleasant drinking experience.
About THIS Wine:  Burnt oak is prominent with hints of red fruit on the nose.  Both aromas are pleasantly mild.  The front palate is very smooth and gradually opens up into a taste of red fruit.  The finish is mild and balanced between light spice and soft tannins.
Drinking This Wine:  Domini Douro is a good sipping wine.  It is one of the few reds I have ever had that would go well with light vegetarian dishes or with chicken and rice.  It is not going to be a favorite of those who prefer full-bodied Cabernets, but if you like Pinot Noir or other mild reds then it is a good choice.
Overall Impression:  The wine is good and the cost is not outrageous.  At fifteen dollars it is reasonable for the price.