This is our first attempt at a red wine in a box. I've read some fairly positive things about this so I figured I'd give it a shot. This three liter box was $14.99 – which means this is the equivalent of a S3.75 bottle. Dirt and blackberry on the nose.
Smooth – blueberry, cherry, oak, just a slightest bit of anise and tobacco, and mild (but certainly present) tannins.
Blueberry mostly on the finish though I'm getting a bit of cinammon.
Simple and inoffensive – great for burgers or pizza.
When we closed on our condo, our mortgage broker gave us this bottle as a gift – a nice gesture though after I saw the cut he was getting after signing my name a hundred times, all I could think was: “yo goober, where's the Dom?”
I hate describing the nose on Pinot Grigio because it's distinct...it smells like Pinot Grigio.
I'm used to a touch of sweetness in Pinot Grigio but I'd call this one bone dry...to the point that if you gave it to me blind I'd guess it was some sort of PG blend with Sauvignon Blanc. Stone fruit of all sorts – white peach mainly, but a bit of nectarine. A lot of mineral qualities that I'm bad at describing – slate?
A short finish suggesting more of that slate.
This one runs for $17.50 which I think makes it one of the pricier Pinot Grigio's that we've had – I'm sure there are better bottles out there, but I can't argue with this one. If you like this varietal but wish you could find a drier than usual bottle I'd say give this one a go. Recommended.
I love the “end of bin” clearances....this one was $5 marked down from about $20. The capsule felt fine, so why not? This smells something like a bag with half cherry and half black licorice.
First and foremost – give this one a good two hours in the decanter before enjoying...it's very tight at first but opens nicely. The palate actually has a bit of balance – fruity but enough oak and earth to really bring it together. So much Australian Shiraz is of the “fruit bomb” persuasion, it's nice to get something a bit more even.
A bit of aak and cherry come out on the finish with some peppery notes.
For $5 – are you kidding? Is it worth the $20+ some places are charging? I'm leaning towards yes actually, especially if you're looking for a somewhat more sedate Shiraz.
We were at a local wine shop and a bunch of labels of the 2005 Bordeaux were in. They had apparently recently had a tasting of the labels and the guy working suggested a few that went over well with the crowd. This was $8 and the cheapest one he recommended. Earth and cherry on the nose.
Soon after opening, I found this a bit sweet honestly, mild/medium tannins, cherry, and somewhat earthy. As it opened, a lot more earth came through, oak, the fruit calmed down a bit and I found the bottle far more enjoyable.
Some oak and berry on the finish.
My first draft on this wine was negative – but after a few hours of airtime, I think I'm sold. I found it too fruity and a bit sweet at first, but as the earthiness comes out, this really is a nice wine. When I sit and really focus, it is a bit too fruity, but just for casual drinking – and for $8, I'm not drinking this for academic reasons – I think this works fine.
This caught my eye – no sulfites added, completely organic, and a whopping $8.
A somewhat grapey nose with some earth.
This is strange....very acidic, somewhat grapey, no oak, little tannin, yet dry. It almost tastes like a white, but feels like a red. This is a Grenache, Syrah, Viognier blend, and it's just odd. I've never had a wine with mainstrem (ie, non-hybrid - like Chambourcin) grapes that tastes this “grapey.”
I tried it at cellar temperature – a slight chill, and I figured it would be interesting to put it on ice. The acid has calmed down a bit, but no real depth comes through that didn't before. Just grapes and some weird funk....no jam, no spice, nothing. It reminds me of an Illinois wine really.
Earth and grape on the finish.
It's weird. I can't say I like it. I suppose if you're die hard vegan, organic, and have sensitivities to sulfite this may be better than nothing, but I personally wouldn't recommend it otherwise.
I had actually decided to not partake in the BN craze this year, but I happened to be driving by a liquor store and decided I'd drop in to see if they had any. This was the only label they carried and it ran me about $10. I don't know how else to describe the nose other than freshly removed gym socks.
The palate brings tart cherries, raspberries, licorice, and even a bit of barnyard....there's a bit of tannin and overall it's somewhat astringent – not enough to be offensive, but enough that food is pretty much in order.
Some of those tannic notes linger on the finish as well as a touch of blueberry that actually lasts for a while.
So many wine snobs bash this wine, but you need to accept it for what it is – a simple, easy quaff that's enjoyable for a bottle or two every late November. Personally, this one is good enough - and I've been very iffy about this producer - that I may hit up one of the bigger wine shops tomorrow and grab a few more bottles.
We've had some A to Z wines before...I really enjoyed their Pinot Noir we had a while back so I grabbed a bottle of this when I saw it for about $11. Cherry and herbal notes on the nose.
Lots of acid on the palate, not a whole lot of sweetness - cherry, spice (cinnamon?), watermelon rind, and raspberry.
The finish lingers with lots of acid complimenting the herbal and raspberry notes.
A very nice rose in general and definitely a good one for the price.
Here's another from Fetzer, $6 or so, that you can pick up at any grocery store. Large amounts of cherry, tobacco, and oak on the nose.
Cherry, blueberry, plum, and oak on the palate. After a couple days in the fridge, this hasn't changed much – plum, cherry, and a bit of oak bringing some mildish tannin.
A fruity finish that brings out more sweetness than I get on the palate. After sitting in the fridge for a few days, I got a bit more tannin and oak on the finish, but still some sweetness.
Not terribly complex and a bit too fruity to be called balanced, but for the price it's fine.
rth a shot – I seem to recall reading a good review of this one somewhere.Chocolate and cherry on the nose.
A weird blend creates a weird wine – this one has Merlot, Cabernet, Shiraz and Pinot Noir. Little to no tannin, not much acid, berries – strawberry mainly – chocolate, and earth.
No real finish except for some mild oak notes and a slight bit of rotten strawberry that fade quickly.
$8 is a pretty good price for this bottle which I normally see for about $10 – but I still wouldn't recommend it. A bit more acid and a bit less may have given it some balance but without it, there's just not much here but flab.
We had this at a restaurant not long ago and I enjoyed it enough to snag a bottle when I found it on sale for a mere $9.
A yeasty nose with some lemony notes.
The palate is light and crisp – nice acid, a bit of citrus fruit and a bit of a yeasty feel. The key flavor I'm getting is lime.
A lingering finish, with acid and lime.
At this price I have no gripes. Far better than any of the mass produced sparklers like Korbel out there, this is definitely worth a trip to a wine shop....a nice tasting wine though a bit simple. While I won't be grabbing this particular bottle again for a while, I wouldn't hesitate grabbing a few others in the Aria line to see what they have to offer.
I don't remember much about this one....and a bit of poking around the internet shows I don't know where I bought this or what I paid, other than I hope I didn't pay more than $15. Funk, cherry, and pepper on the nose.
A bit of cola, cherry, strawberry, earth, funk, a bit of chocolate, and smooth tannin. Nice depth, good acid, and really quite enjoyable all around.
Some oak comes out on the finish as well as a touch of tobacco, and some cherry.
If I knew where I bought this and I found it again for under $15 I'd cheerfully grab a few more bottles.
The Mondavi wines we've had have been hit or miss, but I figured this was worth a shot for $9.
Earth and funk on the nose
Strawberry, earth, a bit of cherry, sweet oak, lots of acid which mellowed after a few hours, and a bit of chocolate. Not bad really.
Tannins show up on the finish and linger a bit with strawberry and wood.
Not bad for $9 really, let it breath for a while or sit on the rack for a few months (it's still a bit young, though I wouldn't call it ageworthy in any sense), but there's enough Pinot qualities that I wouldn't hesitate giving this one a mild recommendation.
When Fran and I were looking to decorate our apartment with some posters, I stumbled across an array of (reproductions of) vintage posters of Sandeman Port. I liked the logo, but assumed the brand was long gone. As I was browsing a local shop, I saw a whole line of Sandeman Port and knew I had to grab a bottle. This was the priciest bottle at $16 for 750 ml. Raisin and alcohol on the nose.
A bit of alcohol burn, rich tobacco, overripe plum (prune really), brown sugar....a solid Ruby style Port. After a few weeks of being open, the tobacco is beginning to take over – not terribly sweet, a nice bit of acid and some interesting earthy qualities – I'd enjoy this more if I had a cigar.
The finish brings some earthy notes and lingering burn from the alcohol.
Not bad. For an under $20 bottle of Port, you can do worse...but I still view Port as a splurge beverage since a bottle lasts so long you may as well drop some coin and stretch it out. If you're starting out with Port, buying for a dinner party, or simply not willing to pay a lot for a bottle but are desperate for “real” Port, then you can do worse....but I'd still save a few dollars and buy the Port-like Australian fortified wine made by Jonesy.
So here's what's been happening with The Wineauxs – we've had some good wine, wrote up some solid reviews, but for whatever reason I put off posting them. Then one day the computer froze, I rebooted and nothing happened. The hard drive motor died, taking everything on it with it...including a review of an absurdly good Chateauneuf-du-Pape. So, here we are – some sparkling wine to celebrate our new and improved hard drive.
Anyway, I was poking around a local Albertson's owned grocery chain and found a whole line of wines with the Origin label. It's an interesting label – many regions, grapes, and pricepoints are covered....$6 Chianti, $35 Barolo, and this $11 Prosecco (there are non-Italian wines but those jumped out at me)....a bit of Googling found this is Albertson's house label.
No nose.
A nice bit of yeast and toast on the palate, some very light golden delicious apple, perhaps some lemon. A decent bottle actually.
The finish brings out some lemon zest and oddly enough, bubblegum.
If I saw this for under $10 I'd buy it again without much hesitation. Not the greatest wine, but at the price it's an easy quaff. Next time you're at Albertson's, grab a bottle, but don't go out of your way.
Being in yet another Pinot Noir mood, I grabbed this one from the wine fridge having completely forgotten why and where I bought it. I get a bit of that earthy forest floor on the nose.
After about an hour or so, I got a bit of oak, some tart cherry, and a bit of acid – not much else really. As it opened more, notes of cola and earth began to come through and the acid really zings – almost suggesting a touch of effervescence.
Some raspberry on the finish but it fades quickly.
It looks like the local shop has this for $13, so I assume I paid somewhere in that neighborhood. I'd absolutely buy this again, but either let it pick up some age or throw it in the decanter for a couple hours before drinking it.
Another Costco find for about $7. Cherry and oak on the nose.
Raspberry, cherry, a bit of cinammon, spice, and a bit of oak...sadly, not much of that miscellaneous Italian funk I love though I do get some odd green notes. A nice sharp bit of acid and mild to medium tannins make this a food friendly wine – we had it with some baked pasta and it paired nicely.
The finish has some nice cherry and oak that lingers for some time.
Overall, not bad for the price...it's a wine I'd probably only serve with food to cover some of that green. I'll give it a hesitant recommendation.
The 2005 Mollydooker was such a huge hit, I didn't hesitate grabbing a few bottles of the 2006 line. This ran me $20. Menthol and anise on the nose and not much else but alcohol.
Huge and over the top – no tannin to really speak of, lots of fruit – cherries and berries with a bit of oak.
The finish lingers with more menthol, oak, and perhaps cherry.
It's a big wine and I'd call it somewhat dumb, but still enjoyable. This is one I'd save for the winter and enjoy on a cold night. If you see this, pick it up, it maybe tough to find in the coming weeks.
We've been on a bit of a Shiraz kick so I grabbed this one out of the wine fridge – I had forgotten everything about it other than I liked the bottle, so I figured it was worth opening.
Cherry and raspberry on the nose.
Blackberry, cherry, menthol, anise, black pepper, earth, and a bit cedar. My advice is to give this one a few hours in the decanter. Very interestingly – on the second night this one assaulted the palate with black pepper – almost as if black pepper was added
Earth, blackberry, and wood on the finish which lingers nicely.
This bottle cost me $9 which makes it a steal and a half. It isn't a giant fruit bomb Australian Shiraz, there's a bit more subtlety and earthy flavors - I'd strongly recommend it.
Last year's vintage of this was one of my all time favorite roses, I figured grabbing the new one would be worth a shot for $9. An easy quaff – strawberries, a bit of citrus, and a nice acidic zing with a touch of sweetness. A simple, light bodied wine that's perfect for any picnic or simple summer faire.
Some lingering cherry and just a bit of spice on the finish.
Well, this is just as good as last year's bottle....a truly excellent rose at a great price.
We had this at a tasting a while back and enjoyed it thoroughly so I grabbed a bottle. Strawberry, cola, and a bit of funk on the nose.
A nice bit of strawberry and raspberry, plus all sorts of wood, dirt, earth, barnyard and the like. Subtle, earthy, and overall a mild, yet deep, wine. A nice bit of acid would make this worth with almost any food but I would avoid serving it with anything too heavy. Personally, I think it stands wonderfully on its own.
The finish lingers for some time, notes of cherry and earth.
An outstanding subtle Pinot Noir and a bargain at the $17 pricetag. I would strongly recommend this one for someone looking for an elegant red wine.
A reliable producer, under $10 at the shop, and a “Limited Edition” on the label pretty much guaranteed I'd be picking this one up.
Black cherry on the nose with some notes of dried fruit.
Lots of black fruit – plum, black cherry, blackberry, even some prune. Some nice Shiraz spice with black pepper coming through the most. There's a slight touch of sweetness, but enough tannin and acid to balance it out.
The finish is spicy and fruity – a bit like spiced raisins.
A perfectly acceptable Shiraz for the price. I do prefer the more absurdly huge, and somewhat difficult to pair, Australian Shiraz, but give me a steak and I'd cheerfully pour a glass of this.
A while back I picked this up for when I was in the mood for something different, I don't recall the price but it couldn't have been over $10. I don't know if I've ever purchased a bottle of Viognier before, but we've had it at tastings with no memorable results.
Lots of melon on the nose – honeydew mainly.
The palate is big on melon, lots of fruit, some floral – almost herbal tea – notes, a nice acidic zing, just the slightest touch of sweetness, and a small bite of alcohol. This may sound odd, but as the wine warms up, I get an almost fishy taste – and strangely, not in a bad way. Imagine taking a bite of salmon, taking a swig of wine, and swallowing it – wine and fish blending together nicely (and we're drinking this alone, so dinner is not interfering with my palate).
This has one of the longest finishes I've encountered in a white wine, long lasting notes of melon – mainly a muskmelon – not quite honeydew and not canteloupe, but somewhere in the family as well as some more of that herbal tea.
This one was $12 at my local wine shop and came with hearty recommendations from the owner.
A bit of honey on the palate and some crisp green apple.
The finish has some yellow apples – tart, but not sour – a bit of pear, and it lingers for a fair amount of time.
Basically, this is as good as you'll get for the money. Some nice flavors, but ultimately the typical tart, acidic, somewhat dry flavors we've come to expect at the pricepoint.
I found this one for about $8 at the local Costco a couple weeks back and felt that since we've had luck with cheap French Pinot Noirs I'd pick up a bottle.
I'm not getting a whole lot on the nose except for some cherry.
Perhaps the biggest thing I get on the palate is cola. In fact, the cola is such a large part a lot of the other flavors – cherry and strawberry are very muted.
The finish lingers for quite a while with cherry cola notes.
I'm sold. There's not a whole lot of complexity, but for $8 the fact that this has Pinot Noir characteristics and is well balanced is enough for me. This is a wine I'd gladly buy multiple bottles of.
Not to be confused with the Gnarly Head Zin, this is the Gnary Dudes Shiraz from Australia. I found this at Costco for $25, which is at least $5 than I've seen it elsewhere....being familiar with the producer I figured it may be worth a shot.
Black fruit and licorice on the nose.
The palate was very approachable immediately after opening. Big palate, lots of fruit, rather sweet actually, and not much tannin. Twizzlers, ripe strawberries, Rainier cherries, licorice, anise.
The finish lasts for a while with a bit of anise lingering.
I don't recall the last time I had a wine that really struck me as “sweet” as much as this does, dare I say that may lead one to think this one is cheap. Unlike cheap wine, this has some excellent depth and a lingering finish. It is a style that some may not like – and for a bit less money you can get Layer Cake or The Boxer so though I enjoyed it, I won't be picking this one up again.
I saw this one for $5.99 at Trader Joe's and figured it would be worth a shot. The only “bad” dessert wine we've had was still perfectly drinkable, so I'm all for the gamble.
Orange on the nose.
Orange blossom, sweet tangerine, a bit of honey, and nice zing of acid. Very nicely balanced and not over the top sweet.
Maybe some floral notes on the finish, but that's a bit of a stretch – it disappears quickly.
For $6, why not? It's a simple dessert wine, not a whole lot of complexity but nice and drinkable after a meal – perhaps with a bit of ice cream. I'll probably be buying this again.
This one grabbed my eye and for $8 I thought it was worth a shot.
Not much on the nose really, a bit of alcohol and that's about it.
The palate has some crisp apple, a bit of citrus, and some honey. Nicely balanced – it's a touch sweet but the acid does more than enough to balance it out.
The finish lingers with some grapefruit.
I really didn't expect a whole lot but this is a very nice Riesling.
Since we've had some decent luck with the Kirkland label before, I figured I'd grab a bottle of this at $17.
Not much else but earth on the nose.
Even after two full hours of airtime this one was still tight. A fair amount of dirt, funk, forest floor, some green notes, and raspberry.
The finish lasts for a while starting with cherry, then dirt comes through, and finally it trails off with lingering raspberry.
Maybe it needs some more time in the cellar, but this one is a bit too tight at this point. While there's some nice complexity and a bit of varietal characteristic,I think it would be worth picking up a bottle and sitting on it for a while to see what happens.
I felt like supporting a local(ish) winery and saw this one for $15. We've visited this winery about a year ago and felt they were easily one of the better wineries in Illinois. If I had one gripe, it was that all their dry reds were a bit expensive. This is a blend of Chambourccin and Frontenac – two common Midwest varietals.
Funk and cherry on the nose.
Earth, funk, dirt, even some barnyard, oak, cherry and raspberry on the palate – outstanding depth not only from the region but for the price in general. Low tannin overall.
The finish comes through with some earthy notes, a touch of oak, and perhaps some berry.
I have to say this is much better than I anticipated it being. If I had to compare it to anything, I'd say a nice Chianti Classico. If you see this – or if you're in the area – I strongly recommend both the wine and the winery.
Well, it's great to be back – The Wineauxs have been on hiatus for close to two months. We moved and have slowly been settling in. Our updates will be back to their typical frequency – at least a couple times a week – and we have a whole wine fridge full of interesting bottles we look forward to writing about. I've been sitting on this bottle for a while, mainly because I love the label art. Since I recently picked up a bottle of the 2006 vintage I figured I may as well crack this one open.
A note on color – I don't recall seeing a wine this dark recently...it's nearly black.
This one punches you in the nose with jam, dark plum, blackberry, and the like.
The palate can best be described as explosive. Huge berry and plum, a touch of alcohol, jam to the tenth degree, and some cocoa supporting it all. After some time in the decanter, dark chocolate became very pronounced. Virtually no tannin.
The finish lingers with, no shock, black fruit and chocolate.
I suspect this is a fairly polarizing wine – people who like this sort of thing would be in love with this, but if giant, jammy, fruit bomb doesn't sound appealing then I'd say steer clear. A while back we gushed about an Australian Shiraz called Layer Cake – this is on par with that one for sure. If you can find this one, give it a shot.
I found this one for $9 and figured since Ditka's Pinot Grigio wasn't that bad, perhaps this would be worth a shot. Cherry, but mainly black pepper on the nose.
The palate is mainly cherry, a bit of blackberry, some pepper, and spice and a nice zing of acid. If this is not the lightest bodied Merlot we've had, it's certainly up there – it's almost more of a Pinot Noir body.
There's really not much in the finish other than lingering tannin and just a bit of cherry.
Ditka's wines are shockingly good, no offense to da coach. This is a solid, smooth wine – nothing complicated, but for $9 it works well.
While we've had plenty of lower end Chianti, I don't remember ever even trying a higher end one. I was poking around our local Costco and noticed this one for just under $30 so I jumped on it since it has received strong reviews. Earth and oak on the nose, a bit of cherry, some plum, and a lot of that Italian funk.
A bit of strawberry, some nice smooth tannin, a whole lot of earth and funk, some anise, some oak, some smoke, and a hint of dried black fruit – prune or raisin, a bit of barbecue sauce, and some cherry – tart and dried – as well.
This wine has a finish and a half. It starts with strawberry, fades with some tobacco, and oak notes linger for well over a minute.
An excellent wine and one I'd recommend to fans of Chianti. We like the cheaper stuff so this splurge was a nice change of pace – a bigger, denser, and deeper change of pace that I very much enjoyed but certainly wouldn't want to just randomly crack open. If you're having a special Italian dinner, skip the Gabbiano and grab something like this.
It's hot and sticky which means I grabbed a rose. We've had this one for a while and I think I paid around $9. A bit of strawberry and a touch of cinnamon on the nose.
The palate is actually a bit spicy...actually a slight bit of tannin, cinnamon, some raspberry and cherry. At best this is off dry, definitely not sweet.
The finish actually lingers longer than I'd expect and yes, it's all berries and spice. I just looked at the label and this is a blend of Merlot, Syrah, and Gewurztraminer – the spice is not shocking at all now that I read that.
In a word – spicy. In another word – strange. Not bad at all, if you know roses I'd suggest picking up a bottle, it's certainly unique and quite enjoyable. If you're new to roses – and you're afraid they're all like White Zinfandel, this will smash that stereotype.
Fran was reading a wine book – I forget which, but some sort of “beginner's guide” of sorts – and in it, the author mentioned that as a very broad rule the more subtle the wine label the more expensive the wine. I present you with this Moscato from Italy that I picked up for $6 on a whim.
A bit of orange on the nose and not much else.
Citrus notes on the palate – orange, grapefruit, some tangerine perhaps. This one has a little bit of fizz that gives it a nice extra dimension. At only 6.5% alcohol, one can indulge in this one.
Not much finish except for some lingering honey-tinged sweetness and maybe, you guessed it, some citrus notes.
For $6, you really can't go wrong. It's a simple, quaffable wine that I can't argue with...great by itself on a hot day, with dessert, or even with spicy food.
We recently went to a wine fest and Fetzer had a booth promoting all the environmentally friendly aspects of the winery – using biodiesel, solar power, etc. Being a fan of that sort of thing – and a fan of Fetzer's Gewurz – I felt persuaded to pick up some other varietals and see how they hold up.
The palate has a bit of spice and a whole lot of berry and plum. With only mild tannins, a tiny hint of oak, and a bit of sweetness, I'd be tempted to call it a fruit bomb.
No real finish except for raspberry and perhaps a hint of a chocolate and spice – dare I say, mole?
I paid $6 for this and I pretty much got what I expected – a thoroughly drinkable red that's a bit too sweet on its own, but set me up with a bottle of this and a slice of pizza and I'll be content.
We were having some Indian takeout on a nice summer day and I figured I'd grab a bottle of rose. I stopped by a local shop who had very little in terms of rose, so I was stuck with this one for about $9.I get some strawberry, some earth, just a bit of tannin but certainly still smooth. Fruity, but not sweet at all.
Not much finish really.
As with just about all the Coppola wines I've had, it's certainly not bad, a decent wine for the price, but by no means groundbreaking.
I dropped by the local wine shop as I had a hankering for a rose. This one came strongly recommended and was about $12.
I was browsing a department store and found this labeled $11 - I knew from visiting the winery that this bottle sells for far more at the winery itself - $40 in fact. The capsule felt good so I grabbed it.
I picked this up for $17 at a local wine shop as I seem to recall reading good things about this producer.
We had this one at a tasting a while back and I was so impressed by it I picked up a bottle at $25.
I've been seeing this around and figured I'd give it a shot. A 1.5 liter bottle was $9, but I figured I’d just get a standard 750ml for $5.
I had another coupon so I picked this one for under $5. I figured it was worth a shot.
This was a special for $6 at a local wine shop and I figured it may be worth a shot.
We’ve enjoyed this before at tastings and I found it for $10 so I gave it a shot. I could not figure out how to get a decent photo...so that’s the best I could do.
I picked up this bottle based on a nice shelf talker and a vaguely sinister logo. At $25, I bought it for a special occasion...Fran’s last day at her old job seems like a good enough one for me.
Yep, another cheap Chardonnay from France. It was on sale and I figured it may be worth a shot.
We’ve had Cook’s before and I basically felt it was an acceptable drink, in an alcoholic soda sense, but not in a wine sense. I was in the mood for something simple and cheap so I figured I’d pick up a different Cook’s - the
