Sweet tooth?

It's hot, summer is mostly here, and drinking red wine after a long day at work just isn't going to cut it.  Hot summer sun calls for some refreshing white wine.

The first I'd like to introduce, is a surprise. A surprise because when I tasted it, I thought it was a moscato, it tasted pretty much like a moscato, and the name...Roscato. I'm sure you can imagine why I made that assumption.
Anyway, Roscato Bianco Dolce (Sweet White) from Italy, is a blend of Chardonnay and Moscato. This was a pleasant surprise, being spritzy, fun, and sweet. I don't even want to describe it, just go taste it if you like sweeter wines!


Be Peachy White Peach Belini
This stuff smells like peaches and tastes like... peaches! Its very light, sweet, and fragrant. No deep complexity, it's just delicious. (If you like peaches, that is)

Now, something that always bothers me about wine reviews is when there's a list of all the smells and flavors someone who has been rating wines for years and years and years has picked out about the wine in question...
The average drinker doesn't smell or taste the same as an expert, so when I say the previous wine tastes and smells like peaches, I seriously mean that it both tastes and smells just like peaches. Nothing more.
I don't currently have a picture, but if I get a chance, I'll snap one and update.

Next up, Mia Dolcea Moscato D'Asti from Italy.
I really liked this Moscato. I tasted honey on my first sip, and I really wanted to buy a bottle right away. Honey, nutty, light and bubbly, definitely an easy crowd pleaser. It doesn't linger in your mouth too long, and maybe that's a strike against it, but that depends on who you're talking to. Either way, it's really yummy.


~K

Cabernet vs Blend

Okay, Vigilance is a pretty popular wine and I've been asked a few times "Which do you prefer, the Cab or the Cimmaron?"
Now having had both, I can say without question the Cimmaron. At least for my personal tastes.

I'm not a huge fan of Cabernet Sauvignon anyway, but even though it's not my thing I can still admit that the Vigilance Cab is pretty good.
It smells smokey and has a dry feel in the mouth. That's what I don't like about Cabs. 

The Cimmaron smells like a Cab, but tastes so much better! It's dry, smokey, and meaty... which means I really wanted some red meat when I had this sample. It was not so dry that I couldn't enjoy it, as well. It had a lasting, smooth finish and was quite tasty. Definitely one I would recommend.

At under $20/bottle, the value is definitely there, too. If you're looking to spend less on a red blend, try the Unruly Red. And when you try it, have some chocolate nearby. It goes quite well with dark, delicious chocolate.
Edit: Just an FYI, some people may find this wine to be too sweet, so if you enjoy the bold, tannic wines... this is absolutely not for you. Don't get me wrong, this wine isn't what I would define as sweet. Moscato is sweet. This is simply not overly dry.

Another Cabernet Sauvignon I've had that I'd like to throw out there is the Gen 5 Cabernet Sauvignon. Even more so than the Vigilance, the Gen 5 Cab had my mouth watering for steak. Not literally watering, since it's a pretty dry wine, but that was the first thing I thought of. This one has a nice smokey flavor and is within the same price range.

Yet another red blend to throw at you, the J. Lohr Valdiguie Red 2009 is a delicious wine. It had some light strawberry and cherry flavors, very well balanced, and in my notes from the tasting I wrote "Lovely!"
I can always tell when I go back over my notes if something stood out or if something tasted like all the rest, and the J. Lohr Valdiguie Red was one that stood out. I can't remember the price, but I'm pretty sure it's less than $15.

Can I get away with throwing one more red blend in here?

The Tilia Red Blend 2011 from Argentina.
When at tastings, they ask about color and smells, etc... looking at this wine in the glass, it's so opaque the first thought that came to my mind was 'blood.' It is blood red, deep and richly colored, quite beautiful.
It has a pretty strong scent of alcohol to it, but beyond that was a bit of smoke, eucalyptus, and berries. Taste-wise, raspberry and some other darker fruits. It was off dry (Yay!) and very easy to drink. It's lighter than a malbec, and an upgrade from Unruly Red as it's a bit more expensive. I'd say its definitely a big upgrade, though, so if you happen to like Unruly Red, try Tilia.

My favorite of all these? Definitely, and obviously, the Tilia.

~K

As my notes say, "Weird!"

At a tasting (for work), I got the pleasure of trying a Sauvignon Blanc that I didn't hate.

In this one's case, it's a very well priced (about $12) wine.
Tangent Sauvignon Blanc from Edna Valley, California. When I tasted it, I thought it was earthy but I couldn't identify anything else about it. I just thought it was weird, in the  good way, of course!
And I liked that. I like that a lot about this wine. It's balanced, got some citrus flavors going on, but otherwise thus far one of the better Sauv blancs I've tasted. Most tend to be way too grassy, or too citrus-y, but this one is not!
I do not have a picture of this one, but it's easily found! Tangent offers a wide variety of wines, so I'll definitely be trying others when I can.

If anyone cares about other people's opinions (besides mine, of course) Wine Enthusiast rates it with a 91. I concur, but in trying to be consistent, here's mine:  7.5/10

~K

Possibly my favorite wine name...

Bushranger Captain Moonlight Shiraz, from Australia.

I tasted this today, admittedly. When I got home fifteen minutes after having a small sample, I could still taste it, and it wasn't a heavily tannic long finish that many reds have (that I happen to dislike greatly). No, this was a very nice, licked my lips and smiled, sort of finish. My personal rating would be 8/10!

I was attracted to the wine because the tasting notes at work mentioned blueberries. That's not one I see often, so I was intrigued.
I can agree that it's got some blueberry flavor, but it's not overpowering or anything. Very tasty, I will definitely buy this for myself!!

Being a Shiraz (Syrah), that's saying a lot for me, because I have a heavy preference towards white wine. Enjoy!

~K

Summer, Sun, and Sweet Wine!

Cantina di Casteggio Moscato.
If I were rating things on a 0-10, this would be an easy 10.
This Moscato is light, sweet, and delicious... which is probably the same way I will describe many more similar wines... Just know that this is one of the best I've ever had.
I was actually convinced it said somewhere on the bottle "di Asti" but it's not labeled as such. It is somewhat spritzy, though!

It's well priced, at less than $20 per bottle.

If you want a true "sparkling" Moscato, there are plenty of delightful alternatives... but if something light and slightly bubbly sounds good, give it a try!

I did mention I won't go into super detailed tasting notes, right? :) Short, sweet, and hopefully to the point is my goal!

~K

Broken Taste Buds!?

I'm not, nor will I ever be, a wine snob.

I like what I like. What I like tends to be a sweeter, lighter wine, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to also enjoy the polar opposite. I'm currently a cashier at a beer, wines, and spirits retailer. The biggest perk of my job is getting the opportunity to try new drinks, which at first was just cool. Now after a few months of learning and trying more and more wines, its helped me realize that there is nothing wrong with my taste buds!
I've heard on many occasions from the more educated wine connoisseurs that this Cabernet is 'sophisticated' and 'that' Cabernet is a lovely and 'complex wine'. (Usually followed by, "You won't like it.")
To me, most of them taste about the same, with some variety here and there. It's pretty easy for me to pick up a $35 bottle of wine, take my sample and say "Hmm. Gross." and get a very dirty look. But the crazy thing is... it's not that it's gross. I'm willing to agree that wine A is complex and wine B is creamy or oaky, but that doesn't mean I have to like wine A. It means I have a preference to certain flavors and textures, like every other person out there. Yay!
After sampling a good number of different wines, I've now figured out that being less of a complete noob when it comes to wine is good, but, you don't have to know everything about it to enjoy a good bottle of wine.

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail for every wine I've had, but I'd like to use this blog as a place to store and share my thoughts with other non-experts who just want to find what they enjoy. It'll be just as new and exploratory to me as anyone else...
Cheers!
~K