Tasting- Opera Prima Sweet White

Name: Opera Prima
Variety: Sweet White
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95

Wine Critic Review: "Flowery and sweet smelling, then round and fairly smooth in the mouth. The flavor package of tropical fruits galore is pleasant and shouldn’t offend anyone. Finishes clean and easy. A mango boat of flavor."

My Review: I like how the Vintage Cellar ends their tastings with a sweet white wine. Typically a Moscato, however, this wine looked appealing. When I smelled this wine, it reminded me of Windex with a hint of sweetness to it. Not really a great/usual descriptor for wine, right? I was leery to try this wine, however, I will not judge a wine until I get the full experience. When I tasted the Sweet White, I got tropical fruits on the tongue, mostly mango, where the sweet Windex made an appearance as well. I did not care for this light bodied wine either.

This wine was not tried with food.

Tasting- Senda 66 Tempranillo

Name: Senda 66
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2008
Price: $8.95

Wine Critic Review: "90 Points, Robert Parker, 'The 2008 Senda 66 spent 8 months in new French
oak. Purple/black in color, it sports a fragrant nose of spice box, lavender, blueberry, and blackberry.
Smooth-textured, layered, and remarkably rich on the palate for its humble price, this lengthy effort will
drink nicely over the next 5-6 years.'”

My Review: The smell of the Tempranillo was heavy on fruits, in particular, blueberry, blackberry, and something herbal (I could not figure of what it was). The color of this wine was unique, it was almost like a light purple, I have never seen that before. The taste was mostly blueberry and herbs with some heat to it while tasting it and for an aftertaste. This light-medium bodied wine was my favorite during the tasting at the Vintage Cellar.

This wine was not tried with food.

Tasting- Sierra Cruz Carmenere

Name: Sierra Cruz
Variety: Carmenere
Region: Maule Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2009
Price: $6.95

Wine Critic Review: "As a member of the cabernet sauvignon family, carmenere (pronounced car-men-yare) originated in Bordeaux as one of the grapes permitted for use in the red blends of that storied region. Chilean
winemakers have embraced it and several wineries in that country produce it as a single varietal. The
’09 Sierra Cruz is a very pleasant, soft, mediumbodied wine that has fresh cabernet-like aromas and
flavors of spice, dark fruit and black pepper. It is a great value and also would be a nice match with
marinated and grilled skirt or flank steak."

My Review: The smell of this wine was extremely peppery to me. I was beginning to think the theme of today's tasting was that there had to be some component to it where it was overpowering. Also, I smelled dark fruits and cherries where the oak monster was slightly present here. I thought the taste of the wine consisted of plum where there was a lot of heat for an aftertaste. However, the heat was less intense with every subsequent sip. This medium bodied wine was interesting to try because I have never tried this variety before, however, I was not something I would consider purchasing.

This wine was not tried with food.

Tasting- Lost Vineyards Chardonnay

Name: Lost Vineyards
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Northwest Corner
Country: Argentina
Year: Nonvintage
Price: $3.95

Wine Critic Review: "Pale golden color. Perfumed peach, pineapple, and nougat aromas. Round and soft with a fruity-yet-dry medium body. Tangy apple skin and lemon zest notes lift the fruit nicely on the finish."

My Review: From reading my blog, everyone knows that I am not the biggest fan of Chardonnay because of the cat pee component present in this wine. Today, I was pleasantly surprised... The smell of this wine was full of fruits, mostly tropical fruits, in which I could pick out pineapple and mango. I had an inkling this was going to be a really great tasting Chardonnay. Well, when I tried it, I thought it was completely awful! It was overly tangy and the fruits that I smelled were subtly present in the taste. I am very confused by Chardonnays and I do not think I will be ever accustomed to their taste, however, I will continue to try them.  A light bodied wine with interesting characteristics to it.

This wine was not tried with food.

Tasting- Sierra Cruz Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Sierra Cruz
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Maule Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95

Wine Critic Review: "This Chilean Sauvignon Blanc just oozes with bright citrus flavors and a nose of herbs and grass. Stylistically, it is a cross between the herbal, grassy wines so prevalent in Sonoma County and the riper, more fruit forward products of New Zealand. Match it with pasta sauced with arugula, pine nuts,
mushrooms and parmesan.

My Review: The smell of this Sauvignon Blanc was very fruity at first. I could got mostly hints of apples and was very crisp to me. Lastly, there was a component of grass to it. All of these smells were complementary and I was excited to taste the wine. When I sipped the wine I was immediately overwhelmed with the tartness of the wine. With each subsequent sip the tartness was heavily present and I could not taste anything else at first. At the end of this tasting, I could get a little bit of the grassy component that I had smelled. A light bodied wine packed with tartness made for an interesting wine.

This wine was not tried with food.

Tasting- Cantina di Casteggio

Name: Cantina di Casteggio
Variety: Moscato
Region: Provincia di Pavi
Country: Italy
Year: 2011
Price: $7.95

Wine Critic Review: "Bright, light golden color. Very aromatic nose of ripe apricots, sage, honey and a slight minerality. Medium bodied, sweet and fruity with flavors of apricots and tangerine. Well balanced acidity and medium finish with layers of sweet and citrus fruit."

My Review: And now for the Moscato... This wine is always a great way to end the tastings the past few weeks the Vintage Cellar has had this wine. The smell of this Moscato was very sweet, fruity, and full of peaches with hints of honey. The taste combined everything in the smell of the wine and was crisp on the palate, light, and refreshing. This light bodied wine was not as good as the Primo Amore Moscato I tried last week, however, for a dollar less, it was pretty tasty.

This wine was not tried with food.

Tasting- Montebuena Rioja Crianza

Name: Montebuena
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2007
Price: $6.95

Wine Critic Review: "100% Tempranillo. Dark red. Spicy red berries and cherry on the nose, with hints of cracked pepper and dried rose. Crisp and dry on the palate, with spicy redcurrant and cherry flavors, light tannins and a fresh, energetic finish. An excellent value, and surprisingly elegant for this price point."

My Review: The smell of this wine was very spicy to me when I first sniffed it. I could then pick up hints of dark berries and cherries. The color was very dark red, therefore, I knew that those fruits would be present to me and I had a feeling that there would be a heavy presence of oak. That being said, when I tasted the wine I immediately knew the Oak Monster was present here! I could not taste any of the fruits which I smelled in the wine, the only additions I got was the heat the wine gave off. It was very intense, and lasted on the palate for a while which made for an interesting aftertaste. Overall, this was a medium-full bodied wine which I thought was a nice change from all the red wines which I have previously tried.

This wine was not tried with food.

Tasting- Varas Vinho Tinto

Name: Varas

Variety: Castelao, Tinto Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and Pinot Nior

Region: Lisbon

Country: Portugal

Year: Nonvintage

Price: $21.95 (3 Liter Box, $5.49/bottle)

Wine Critic Review: "This smooth Portuguese red is a blend of Castelão (45%), Tinta Roriz (25%), Tinta Barroca (20%) and Pinot Noir (10%). The vineyards are located near Lisbon, planted in sunny gentle slopes of clay and limestone soils. The wine was aged in oak barrels."

My Review: I was very curious to try this wine because it was the first boxed wine that I have tried at a Vintage Cellar tasting. I had high hopes that it would be very fresh because as we learned in class, this is the best way to store wine because it will keep the longest. The smell of this wine consisted of dark berries, cherries, and was oaky. In addition, I could pick up hints of earthiness, however, it was very subtle compared to the presence of oak. The taste of this wine was okay, I did not think the wine had any special characteristics to it. The wine seemed to be a light red with little flavor and no aftertaste, which I thought was odd since most red wines I have tried have something to it. A medium bodied wine which I would drink if I was looking for a wine in which I would have a glass or two after a workday.

This wine was not tried with food.

Tasting- Oveja Negra Syrah-Cab Rose Reserva

Name: Ovega Negra
Variety: Syrah,Cabernet Sauvignon, and Rose
Region: Maule Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2010
Price: $6.95

Wine Critic Review: "Oveja Negra Reserva Rosé is bright cherry-red in color and has an attractive nose with aromas of raspberries and strawberries as well as plum and a bit of green apple. Crisp and juicy on the palate with a slight sweetness that accompanies the red fruit flavors. Pleasing natural acidity with medium-high intensity, nice persistence, and a fresh finish."

My Review: The smell of this wine consisted heavily of tobacco and cat pee, which was odd because this is usually associated with Chardonnay. I got hints of plum on the nose as well. I was not a fan of the smell, therefore, I was wondering how well it would taste. The instance I tried the wine, I was not a fan of it. I thought it was extremely bitter tasting, all I could get from this tasting was tobacco. Also, I thought the color of the wine was very peculiar for a red and I really did not like the addition of the Rose into the mix. I would classify this wine as light-medium bodied which I would not drink again.

This wine was not tried with food.

Tasting- gPG Garganega Pinot Grigio

Name: gPG
Variety: Garganega and Pinot Grigio
Region: Delle Venezie
Country: Italy
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95

Wine Critic Review: "gPG is from the delle Venezie regions of northeastern Italy. A clean and crisp palate with plenty of texture and weight follows aromas of apples and zesty lemons. It's perfect with grilled white fish or light risotto."

My Review: The smell of the Pinot Grigio consisted of apples, crisp, and very fruity. Also, I could get hints of lemon on the nose. The taste of this particular wine was not good at all. It started off as very tart which was not pleasant to me. This wine was rather lackluster and blah, I could not taste any of the smells which it gave off. The Pinot Grigio was a light bodied wine with nothing special to it and for the price is not worth purchasing in my opinion.

This wine was not tried with food.