Tasting - Beringer White Zinfandel

Name: Beringer White Zinfandel

Variety: Zinfandel

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2010

Price: $10.00

Wine Critic's Review: "King of the zinfandels, all hail. A full-sensory experience, this zinfandel has a fragrance, color and taste in its pocket. Not only does the wet wine wash well with just about any meal you can prepare, t also doubles as a stand-alone treat with a unique strawberry aftertaste. Completely skipping over the bitterness of other zinfandels, it tingles the sweet buds of the tongue. IF there are better our there, I'd welcome to try them, but haven't found any that measure up so far." -snooth.com

My Review: Right after the bottle was opened there was an overwhelming smell of strawberries. Once it was poured in the glass I smelled plenty of strawberries, but also a fruity blend. In the background I could smell a slight hint of grapes. The color of the wine was a pinkish color. The wine tasted like pear, strawberry and a mix of grape. There was a little bit of heat in the wine and gave a little tingle in your mouth. The wine was just alright to me, the taste and smell of strawberries was too strong for me.

I did not eat food with this wine.

Tasting - Chateau Morrisette Sweet Mountain Laurel

Name: Chateau Morrisette Sweet Mountain Laurel

Variety: Sweet, white table wine

Region: Floyd County, Virginia

Country: USA

Year: Not available

Price: $9.99

Wine Critic's Review: "A distinctive styled wine with a pleasant bouquet of freshly picked grapes. A wonderful balance of natural sugar and soft acidity produces a refreshing wine to be enjoyed as a dessert or whenever the mood strikes you." -winetravelr.com

My Review: The initial smell I sensed a powerful smell on concord grapes. It smelled just like grape juice. The first sip was smooth and light. It was a sweet taste with a large grape taste with a hint of honeysuckle. It had a good aftertaste that was suttle, but had a tingle when I swallowed the wine. I left the wine bottle open for a couple hours, refilled my glass and noticed that there was even a stronger scent of grapes coming from the wine.

I did not drink this wine with food.

Tasting - Trader Joe's Reserve Syrah

Name: Trader Joe's Reserve Syrah Paso Robles

Variety: Syrah

Region: California's North Coast

Country: USA

Year: 2009

Price: $9.99

Wine Critic's Review: Initially very aggressive tannins with blackberry and licorice flavors. With aeration smoky, mineral and bacon elements prominently join join understated licorice. Shows really well on night two with the tannins softening and the savory components on display. Tried some on the third day out of curiosity to find a wine filled with jammy plum and modest tannins that bore little resemblance to its prior self. This could obviously use some bottle age to shed some of the tannins, but it's a great value right now with aeration and appropriate food." -Cellartracker.com

My Review: The aromas I got from initially first sniffing the wine was a savory and meaty aroma, with a hint of fruit. I could smell a little bit of strawberries coming through. On my palate I noticed the meaty flavors and the fruity flavors actually blended well. When I first sniffed the wine I was unsure as to how the different scents would mix on the palate. I enjoyed this wine.

I did not eat anything when trying this wine.

Tasting - Terrenal Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Terrenal Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Yecla

Country: Spain

Year: 2010

Price: $6.99

Wine Critic's Review: "A pleasant, forward nose is followed by a slightly bitter initial attack. Then, a bitter grapefruit flavor remains throughout the palate and finish, which in addition, is somewhat tart. Medium dryness on the palate. Nice flavor overall, though the bitter component is to be noted. Some correspondingly strong food would probably do the trick." -Fruit of the Vine Blog

My Review: When initially smelling the wine, I noticed a slight licorice smell with a hint of blackberry and spice. On the palate was a slight hint of sweet, but the taste immediately turned bitter and a little dryer than I would like. The little taste of grapefruit added a little bitter, yet mildly sweet taste.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting - Reggiano Lambrusco

Name: Reggiano Lambrusco Rosso Dolce Le Grotte Italy Consorzio Vini Reggiani

Variety: Red Wine, Lambrusco

Region: Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Country: Italy

Year: No Year

Price: $5.99

Wine Critic's Review: "It had a blackberry, blueberry and faint spice aromas on the nose. The palate followed exactly and was very smooth. It was only mildly sweet and a bit bitter on the finish." -Cellartracker.com

My Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this wine. It was a medium ruby color. On the nose there was a sweet, yet spicy punch to the smell. I could smell some ripe cherries and plums, along with some blueberries. When taking the initial sip, you could definitely feel the fizz flow through your mouth. It wasn't too sweet of a Lambrusco, but a good balance between sweet and fruity.

I tasted this wine with a sausage, peppers and onion sandwich for dinner. A couple sips of the wine was all I needed during dinner. I noticed I enjoyed the wine more after dinner, more for what seemed like a dessert.

Tasting - Crane Lake Gewurztraminer

Name: Crane Lake California 2011 Gewurztraminer

Variety: Gewurztraminer, white wine

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2011

Price: $4.59

Wine Critic's Review: "Even after a big dinner, there's room for this amazingly rich dessert wine. With residual sugar of 15.3%, it's extremely sweet, but vibrant acidity fives it nerve and zest. Shocks the palate with massive flavors of apricot essense, peaches, creme brulee, honey and vanilla bean. Tantalizing and exotic." -S. H. buyingguide.com

My Review: I noticed a great balance between sweet, but during the midpalate there was a dryer taste to help make this particular wine less sweet. When I first swirled and smelled the wine I noticed a honeysuckle smell with a hint of peach. When I tasted the wine I got a peachy, grapefruit taste, possibly accounting for the sweet yet dryer and taste with a bite to it.

I tasted this wine on its own without food.

Wine Tasting - Poggio Vipere

Name: Poggio Vipere Chianti Classico

Variety: Chianti, Red Wine

Region: Tuscany, Italy

Country: Italy

Year: 2008

Price: $12.99

Shop Review: "Ruby red color, it has a good body and persistent aroma with hints of cherry spice. In the mouth, it reveals itself as soft, fresh and pleasantly balanced." -Vias Import Limited

My Review: This red wine was a little dryer than I had liked with a decent amount of heat that came with each sip. I did enjoy the blackberry flavor and a hint of sweet raspberries. The immediate and middle taste tended to be dryer but the lingering taste was sweeter. I prefer sweeter wines, but there was a decent mixture between a dry and sweet taste.

I drank this wine with cheese and crackers. The cheese helped make the wine have less lingering heat with the after taste. The wine had a dry after taste, also, so the cheese and crackers helped to change up after taste and make the wine more enjoyable.