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.