Tasting - Jam Jar Sweet White

Name: Jam Jar
Variety: Moscato
Country: South Africa
Year: 2014
Price: Regular Price $8.95

Winery Review

This charming, easy-drinking Moscato offers flavors of peach, apricot, lychee and orange blossom. A lively jolt of acidity keeps it fresh and fruity. Fancy enough for a special occasion toast, yet sweet-natured enough to enjoy every day, our bright and cheerful sweet wines are sure to capture your heart.

My Review
I was pretty excited to try this Moscato as a lover of the dessert wines. The added bonus of a Moscato from South Africa had me pretty intrigued. The nose meets you immediately with peaches and oranges followed quickly with jasmine and some smaller floral notes that fade perfectly into the mix. The flavor was incredibly sweet which is something that I love. It was impossible to even get a hint of alcohol taste which makes this wine feel like more of a soda than a wine. I would highly recommend it for those sweet lovers out there. 

I did not eat food with this wine.

Tasting - Rare Red Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Petite Verdot, Merlot

Name: Rare Red
Variety: Zinfandel, Petite Verdot, Petite Syrah, and Merlot
Region: California
Country: USA
Price: Regular Price $9.95

Winery Review

A multi-vintage blend of Zinfandel, Petite Verdot, Petite Syrah, and Merlot that is full-bodied and fruit forward with a spicy and complex finish. This wine has been partially barrel aged for eight months in American and French oak.”

My Review

This wine was an interesting blend of red grapes that allowed for a very unique scent and flavor palette. The smell of warm caramel and cinnamon greeted me right from the beginning with a slow berry finish. The flavor of this wine was sweet and fruity from the Syrah and Zinfandel, but it blended well with the acidic Merlot making for a well balanced wine that finishes strong. It was another dry wine but the flavors were able to make that dryness disappear. 

I did not eat food with this wine.

Tasting - Breca Tovana Old Vine Garnacha 2013

Name: Breca Tovana
Variety: Old Vine Garnacha
Region: Munebrega
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: Regular Price $8.95

Winery Review

Gnarled vines, grown without irrigation, are a mainstay of Spain’s winemaking tradition and produce small clusters of perfectly ripe Garnacha grapes. Aromas of blackberries, plums, and cherries fill the glass and develop into luscious flavors of black stone fruit. Long, supple tannins complete this extraordinary wine.

My Review

The nose on this Garnacha was incredibly warm and sweet smelling which is something that I find really typical of all red wines and it is an aspect that I tend to enjoy. I got a strong hint of black cherries, and berries immediately on the first smell. On the finish I was able to detect small hints of black currant and a small licorice hint. The wine was dry, but it was a refreshing break from the lighter wines. There was a lovely spice that lingered on the tip of the tongue from this wine. I am not a huge red wine fan, however I noticed it growing on me in the last few weeks and really enjoyed this wine. 

I did not eat food with this wine.

Tasting - Marques de Caceres Verdejo 2013

Name: Marques de Caceres
Variety: Verdejo
Region: Rueda
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: Regular Price $9.95

Winery Review

Vivid straw colour. Fresh, clean and intense bouquet enlivened by notes of citrus fruit with a depth of pears and apples. Deliciously fresh and full in the mouth where racy, focused flavours deliver notes of minerals, lemon rind and green apples. Good length and a refreshing finish. Has all the character of the best from its appellation.

My Review

The nose of this wine invites you in, like the last wine with a strong wall of apple and citrus fruits. This wine had small flowery notes on the finish that really blended well with the tree fruits. The flavor was nothing exceptional, however it was incredibly refreshing and crisp. The wine was slightly sour for my taste but I was able to enjoy it regardless.

I did not eat food with this wine.

Tasting - Dibon Cava Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Parellada

Name: Dibon Cava
Variety: 45% Macabeo, 25% Xarel-lo, 30% Parellada
Region: Catalonia
Country: Spain
Year: 2012
Price: Regular Price $9.95

Winery Review

88 points – Wine Enthusiast

Made from 45% Macabeo, 25% Xarel-lo, 30% Parellada, the nose offers regal yeast and richness, while the palate has complexity to prop up apple, citrus and grapefruit flavors. Solid from front to back, with health and freshness. Cava, Catalan sparkling wine, is made mostly in the regions of Penedes, and the capital of cava is Sant Sadurni d´Anoia. Dibon is located in Vilafranca del Penedes, aproximately 20 Km from Sant Sadurni. The Dibon vineyard is in the process of becoming fully organic. It consists of 75 hectares of trellised vines 1000 feet above the Mediterranean Sea.

My Review
This wine presented a beautiful bright apple nose right in the beginning that was immediately rounded off with the finish of a medley of citrus fruits. This wine had that weirdly familiar ammonia aroma that most lighter colored wines tend to give off. The flavor was sweet with a well rounded finish that was not too bitter but not too sweet it was honestly a great tasting wine that I would highly recommend. I do not know much about wine blending but these grape varietals work well together. 

I did not eat food with this wine.

Tasting - Hahn Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling

Name: Hahn Piesporter Michaelsburg 
Variety: Riesling
Region: Piesport
Country: Germany
Price: Regular Price $9.95

Winery Review
This wine’s light, airy mouthfeel belies its sweetness and intensity of flavor. Honeyed pineapple aromas; similar flavors on the palate, adding gentle citrus notes toward the long, sweet finish.

My Review
The first thing I noticed about this wine was that it did not come in the typical blue Riesling bottle that I have come to expect from Rieslings. The nose was incredibly pleasant lending itself to strong floral scents and delicious tropical fruit smells underlying. It may be a by product of tasting the last wine, however upon tasting this particular Riesling the flavor I was greeted with was vomit and stomach bile. I actually began to feel sick upon tasting this wine and it did not offer and relief from the flavor in its sweetness. This is the most disappointing Riesling I have tried to date. I would not recommend it, however try at your own risk. 

I did not eat food with this wine.

Tasting - Tres Ojos Garnacha Calatayud

Name: Tres Ojos
Variety: Garnacha Calatayud (15% Tempranillo)
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2012
Price: Regular Price $6.95

Winery Review

88 points – Robert Parker

"The 2012 Tres Ojos Garnacha contains 15% Tempranillo (I wonder why), and unoaked cuvée of 200,000 bottles that matures in vat for at least seven months before bottling. What I tasted was a very honest, fresh and fruit-driven red with aromas of cherries, garrigue and thyme with a medium-bodied palate, some weight and tannins that would do better with food. This is a red that sells for a song.”

My Review
This wines color was much lighter than the previous red I had tasted. This wine had a strong odor of summertime. It also gave off a hint of farm-like smells and had a strong manure component. Layered underneath those scents was a small touch of blackberry and butter. Thankfully this wine was not very dry, however the finish tasted strong like vomit. Needless to say I was not a huge fan of this wine. 

I did not eat food with this wine.