Tasting-Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz

Name:  Emeri de Bortoli Sparking Shiraz
Variety:  Shiraz
Region:  South Eastern Australia
Country:  Australia
Year:  NV
Price:  $9.95

Vintage Cellar Review:  A relatively light, fresh style of sparkling Shiraz, with berries and hints of chocolate picking up just a touch of sweet vanilla on the finish.

My Review:  This wine smells light and fruity.  The finish has a hint of dark chocolate.  This wine tastes delicious!  I was not eating any food while at the wine tasting.

Tasting-Montebuena

Name:  Montebuena
Variety:  100% Tempranillo
Region:  Rioja
Country:  Spain
Year:  2010
Price:  $8.95

Vintage Cellar Review:  Ripe cherry and blackcurrant on the nose and in the mouth. Pliant and seamless in texture, with good heft and back-end energy. Finishes smooth and sweet, with fine-grained tannins providing shape and grip. Still on the young side but this wine drinks very well with an hour or so of decanting; it’s an excellent value for Rioja.

My Review:  This is the best selling wine at the vintage cellar in the last three years.  This wine has a very strong black cherry smell.  The taste reminds me of a sweet tart because it is sour and sweet at the same time.  The wine was delicious.  I feel like it would taste good with spaghetti.  I was not eating any food while at the wine tasting.

Tasting-Tres Ojos Garnacha

Name:  Tres Ojos Garnacha
Variety:  Garnacha
Region:  Calatayud
Country:  Spain
Year:  2011
Price:  $6.95

Vintage Cellar Review:  The wine has a brick red color with a bouquet of red raspberries, spice and white pepper. The palate is incredibly concentrated and rich. The modern styles of Garnacha in Spain are continuously being perceived worldwide as wines of extraordinarily good quality. This wine is fruity, juicy and shows a great depth, ripe tannins, length but yet with wonderful elegance and lightness. Enjoy with sausages, roasted meats, aged cheeses etc.

My Review:  The wine had a raspberry smell.  The taste was very different.  It made my tongue dry when I was drinking it.  I think it would taste a lot better with food.  It had a sour bite at the end.  I was not eating any food while at the wine tasting.

Tasting-Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence

Name:  Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence
Variety:  50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 20% Cinsault
Region:  Provence
Country:  France
Year:  2011
Price:  $8.95

Vintage Cellar Review:  Bright salmon pink; typical of the fresh but warm Provence style. Refined and complex on the nose, with summer fruit and floral notes. Dry and crisp, with a delicate flavor and full texture.

My Review:  The first thing I noticed with this wine is that it has a salmon color in the bottle, but does not look pink in the glass.  The wine smells of flowers and fruits.  A strong black cherry smell comes through.  The smell reminds me of a spring morning at the country side with clean linens blowing in the wind. The taste is crisp and light.  It has a very nice flavor.  I was not eating any food at the wine tasting.

Tasting-Canyon Road Chardonnay

Name:  Canyon Road Chardonnay
Variety:  Chardonnay
Region:  California
Country:  United States
Year:  2011
Price:  $6.95

Vintage Cellar Review:  Medium- bodied wine with notes of crisp apple and ripe citrus fruit with a hint of cinnamon spice. Delicious complement to grilled chicken, lighter pasta dishes or mild cheeses.

My Review:  This wine is very common in most restaurants because it tastes like a $15 bottle of wine.  This wine has a hint of apples, light, and clean smell.  There was not much of any taste to this wine.  It was easy to drink.  It reminds me of a starter wine.  I was not eating any food while at the wine tasting.

Tasting-Potluck Sweet Malbec

Name:  Potluck Sweet Malbec
Variety:  Malbec
Region:  Mendoza
Country:  Argentina
Year:  2010
Price:  $7.95

Vintage Cellar Review:  Deep red brilliant with violet hints. Complex, fruity, and predominant red fruits. Easy to drink, round with persistent sweetness, very well balanced with sweet tannins.

My Review:  This wine smells like sweet grape jelly.  The taste is very delicious.  There is a touch of berry and acidity on the palate. I was not eating any food while at the wine tasting.

Tasting- Domaine de Grange de Payan

Name:  Domaine de Grange de Payan
Variety:  Grenache
Region:  Cotes du Rhone
Country:  France
Year:  2011
Price:  $8.95

Vintage Cellar Review:  Intensely spicy and precise, with lively red berry flavors and a hint of black pepper. The Grenache, which makes up the majority of the wine, is deeper and more powerful, offering cherry and black raspberry qualities lifted by zesty minerality.

My Review:  When swirling the wine the legs were noticeable.  This wine had a very strong smell of black pepper.  The taste was very faint.  Hard to really taste anything.  It was very acidic and dry though.  Overall, I thought the wine was boring, not one of my favorites.  I was not eating any food while at the wine tasting.

Tasting-Tinto Figaro

Name:  Tinto Figaro
Variety:  100% Garnacha
Region:  Calatayud
Country:  Spain
Year:  2009
Price:  $6.95

Vintage Cellar Review:  Figaro is 100% Garnacha, made from a selection of the best grapes grown in the oldest vineyards. While not truly an "oaked wine", a short stay in oak barrels provides a nice spicy flavor boost. Bright violet. Dark berry and cherry aromas show a jammy aspect. Supple and gently sweet, with good lift to its black raspberry and boysenberry flavors. Smooth and broad on the finish, leaving behind a hint of spiciness. Extremely easy to drink and an excellent value.

My Review:  This wine had a blackberry smell.  It was obvious that an oak barrel was used in the wine making process because the wine had a oak/firewood taste.  The wine was very dry.  I feel like it would taste good with hen.  Overall, the wine was not my favorite but it was not bad, definitely drinkable.  I was not eating any food while at the tasting.

Tasting-Maipe Malbec Rose

Name:  Maipe Malbec Rose
Variety:   Malbec
Region:  Mendoza
Country:  Argentina
Year:  2011
Price:  $7.95

Vintage Cellar Review:  Intense pink color with violet hints. Fresh red fruit bouquet, strawberry and cherry flavors, balanced acidity, dry and lingering finish. Excellent with tuna or green salad, pasta, spicy Asian dishes.

My Review:  This wine had a very strong berry salad smell.  There was a strong black cherry taste.  The finish was a bit acidic.  Overall, the wine is definitely drinkable.  I was not eating any food while at the tasting.

Tasting-Cortenova Pinot Grigio

Name:  Cortenova Pinot Grigio
Variety:  Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris
Region:  Veneto
Country:  Italy
Year:  2012
Price:  $7.95

Vintage Cellar Review:  Brilliant straw color with emerald reflections.  Fresh and floral bouquet with a hint of pears, apricots and bananas. Fresh and inviting with bright fruit and an easy drinking style with a pleasing hint of almonds in the aftertaste.
Pairs well with seafood dishes, risottos with scampi, spaghetti with
clams, sole in white wine Perfect also as an aperitif.

My Review:  This wine had a very strong smell of banana bread.  The taste was delicious.  It was a mixture of being slightly acidic and sweetish.  When I was tasting the wine, it reminded me of being on a boat or at the beach.  I was not eating any food while at the tasting.