Tasting- Sutter Home Chardonnay

Name: Sutter Home Chardonnay

Variety: 100% Chardonnay

Country: USA

Region: California

Year: 2012

Price: $5.99

Wine Expert Review: Crisp and fresh, our Chardo

nnay wine boasts an impressive lineup of flavors, leaving a lasting palate impression. Smooth, rich, and creamy tones combine with fresh fruit flavors for a long and luxurious aftertaste. It makes an ideal match for seafood or poultry, veal or pork chops, cream sauce pastas, and cheeses.

My Review: Unfortunately, I had this wine right after tasting the chardonnay above. It has absolutely nothing on it. I thought it was just ok, but I would never make this my go to wine. It definitely had an acidic and fruity smell, but it was very one dimensional. I found the taste to be the same. I got some orange in the taste with some slight apple flavor, but that was really it. It was very smooth, and I am learning that I prefer a more acidic wine. This was not for me.

I did not taste this wine with food.

Tasting- Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay

Name: Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay

Variety: 100% Chardonnay

Country: USA

Region: Columbia Valley

Year: 2011

Price: $12.99

Wine Maker Review: My Goal with the Columbia Valley Chardonnay is to make a pleasurable, food-friendly Chardonnay. This is a fresh, soft style of Chardonnay with bright apple and sweet citrus fruit character and subtle spice and oak nuances. We blend Chardonnay grapes from vineyards all over Washington's Columbia Valley to make this a complex, interesting wine. The sur lie aging gives it an appealing softness

My Review: This is one of my favorite Chardonnay’s that I have ever had. I thought the nose was better than the wine, and really enjoyed the smell. It had a somewhat wood smell, but had very strong citrus smells. I also got a pleasant green apple smell. I also got the same flavor when I tasted it. There were definite hints of apple and pear, but I also got and almost limey taste. I will be making this my go to Chardonnay because it is very good and at a reasonable price.

I did not taste this wine with food.

Tasting- Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Riesling

Name: Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Riesling

Variety: 92.5% Riesling, 7.5% Muscat

Country: USA

Region: California, Monterey County

Year: 2012

Price: $5.99

Wine Expert Review: Aromatic, fruity and sweet, Rieslings are widely regarded as the perfect poultry partner -- hello, turkey! This wine is produced f The Blue Grand Canyon -- creates unique growing conditions in which these cool climate grapes thrive. With a long growing season, they achieve optimal maturity, resulting in a beautiful, brightly acidic, sweet elixir that's friendly with food

or us from 92.5% Riesling and 7.5% Muscat Canelli grapes grown in Monterey County, where an enormous (60 miles long, 2 miles deep) submarine canyon --

My Review: I loved this wine mainly because of its price. I have found that most Riesling’s are particularly expensive, so I was very excited to see this. I was very surprised by my first taste of Riesling. I found it to have a very strong nose. Extremely fruity. Peach and nectarines were the first fruits that I smelled. The color had a strongly golden and almost orange. The taste had almost every fruit in the market. I got pear, apple, and peach with a strong acid touch. I really enjoyed this wine and am looking forward to having it again.

I did not taste this wine with food.

Tasting- Azienda Argicola Cogno

Name: Barolo Azienda Argicola Cogno

Variety: 100% nebbiolo da Barolo

Country: Italy

Region: Piedmont

Year: 2001

Price: $37.00

Wine Expert Review: Barolo Cascina Nuova shows that even the youngest vineyards can produce an excellent Barolo, albeit easily accessible, more immediate and of wide appeal. Aimed at a broader public that wants to get to know the wine gradually before moving on to more complex examples, it might even be defined as a lesson in Barolo. A point of departure for the wine drinking experience, it also ensures excellent value for money. True to the history of great wine and Langhe tradition, Valter and Nadia see Barolo as a select assemblage of grapes from the best vineyards, carefully drawing out the best each has to offer. This is a wine that manages to reflect all the character of a major terroir.

My Review: I found this to be an extremely full bodied wine. It had a strong nose as soon as I opened the bottle. I got strong herbal smell along with wood. On a second smell I also got a slightly smoky smell and some slight potpourri. The wine had a very strong tannin profile with some surprising sweetness. I did not smell it so I was pleasantly surprised to get a nice cherry flavor. Very good wine. I would like to have this wine again in the future.

I did not taste this wine with food.

Tasting- Angove Moscato

Name: Angove Zibibbo Sparkling Moscato

Variety: 100% Zibibbo

Country: Australia

Region: South Australia

Year: None listed

Price: $7.95

Wine Shop Review: This is a tasty and generous Moscato that opens with plush aromas of honey, peach syrup, white flower and fragrant exotic fruit. There’s a nice sensation of fullness and creaminess in the mouth that is backed by the foamy effervescence of this sparkling dessert wine.

My Review: This would definitely be considered a dessert wine for me. When I started to smell it, I immediately started smelling honeysuckles. I also got a slight sour citrus smell. When drinking, I thought it was very smooth for a sparkling wine. Maybe it was because it had been open for a little while. It definitely had some peach flavor, and I thought it almost tasted like some ciders that I have had. Also, it tasted similar to sprite. It was way too sweet for me, but maybe under the right circumstances I would have more.

I did not taste this wine with food.