Tasting - Schwarz Barossa Valley Rose

Name: Schwarz Barossa Valley Rose
Variety: Grenache and Mataro
Region: Barossa Valley
Country: Australia
Year: 2015
Price: $6.95

Store Review: Made from a blend of Grenache and Mataro, this pale pink rosé is definitely a wine to enjoy with friends. Perfectly pale pink in colour with soft strawberry and elements of musk and perfume. The palate shows a macerated strawberry component that makes for a great point of interest

My Review: This wine was very pleasant, though again much more dry than most roses that I have had experience with in the past. It had a light apricot aroma to it and its flavors were fairly subtle for me, though I was able to pick up some strawberry.

I tried this wine on its own with no food.

Tasting - Boet Le Roux Old Vine Colombard

Name: Boet Le Roux Old Vine Colombard
Variety: Columbard
Region: Swartland
Country: South Africa
Year: 2014
Price: $7.95

Store Review: Colombard is not considered one of the great wine grapes and is used mostly for Cognac in France and white jug wine in California. This old vine example from South Africa, though, is delicious. Crisp and refreshing with zesty acidity, it's a delightful wine to start a party.

My Review: This wine was very pleasant. It felt like a fairly average white wine, with all the markers you'd expect - refreshing and citrusy. It had a bit of a sour grape smell to it and it was a little bit bitter, but in a very pleasant way.

I tried this wine on its own with no food.

Tasting - Vina Galana Tempranillo Sangria

Name: Vina Galana Tempranillo Sangria
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: non-vintage
Price: $8.95

Store Review: 100% Tempranillo. Natural fruit flavors and succulent red wine all fused together in one bottle. This doesn’t require a punch bowl and big ladle, you can chill your bottle in a cooler and head out to the beach or a hike and enjoy a cup of the best sangria anywhere you choose to be.

My Review: While on average I am not too much for sweet wines and I can be picky about the types of sangrias that I drink, this was a pleasant surprise. I expected it to be too sweet, but it was just on the right side of too sweet, tasting nicely like the fresh citrus fruits it was made with. It was light and pleasant, and would be good to have at a party.

I tried this wine on its own without any food.

Tasting - Monte Tendo Corvina Veneto

Name: Monte Tondo
Variety: Corvina
Region: Valpolicella
Country: Italy
Year: 2014
Price: $7.95

Store Review: To create the classic Valpolicella cuvee, the noble Corvina is typically blended with other varietals such as Molinara and Rondinella. Monte Tondo’s Veneto IGT is the extraordinarily rare 100% Corvina wine. This Corvina is redolent of pie cherries, orange peel, potpourri, mint, and star anise. Brisk on the attack yet round and satisfying, it conveys suggestions of violets, white pepper, and ruby red grapefruit notes wrapped around a bright, vibrant core of sour cherry fruit. Bitter herbs and fine tannins join the wine’s chewy core of red fruits to make this an exceptionally versatile and table-ready red wine.

My Review: Between the two reds that I tasted this week, this one was my preference of the two. It had a much more smoky flavor to it that felt nice filling my mouth, with peppery notes that added to the overall feel of it.

I tried it on its own with no food.

Tasting - Terre dei Savoia Barbera d'Alba

Name: Terre dei Savoia
Variety: Barbera d'Alba
Region: Piedmont
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $6.95

Store Review: Its aroma is wide and complex: spicy, with green pepper notes, cinnamon and vanilla, pleasant and characteristic; at the same time it is also fruity, with cherry, blackberry, strawberry and red fruits jam in general notes. In mouth it reveals its full-bodied taste, with the right amount of acidity, and with a persistent and pleasant finish.

My Review: This wine had an interesting mesh of flavors to it, with a nice vegetal aroma and a bit of spice to the flavor. What I typically expect out of a red - the cherry and oak came across nicely on the finish for me.

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting - Mas Carlot Costieres de Nimes

Name: Mas Carlot Costieres de Nimes
Variety: Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2016
Price: $4.95

Store Review: This mouthwatering rosé is a traditional blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre. It's medium-bodied, boasting notes of fresh herbs, cherries and white chocolate, balanced by a hints of sea spray. Drink it over the next year.

My Review: This wine was a fairly nice balance of sweet and dry for me. The scent was interesting for the wine, giving more of the herbs mentioned above that I did not taste as much. It was nice and light, while having a bit of a tart finish.

I tried this wine on its own with no food.

Tasting - Dom Chazallon Coteaux de l'Ardeche Viognier

Name: Dom Chazallon Coteaux de l'Ardeche Viognier
Variety: Viognier
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2014
Price: $9.95

Store Review: Viognier, one of the finest grape varieties, originates from the Rhône Valley of France. When well looked after, it produces a distinctive, particularly fragrant wine, a true delight to the senses. Saint Régis is a great Viognier bottling, with peachy aromas, hints of tangerine and menthol, and a pure and fresh character.

My Review: This wine was my favorite of the ones that I tasted this week. It was nice and light and fresh, with a good fruity smell and a citrus flavor. It had a smooth finish that lingered well in my mouth.

I tried this wine on its own with no food.