Tasting - "Opera Prima Sweet White"

I couldn't find the wine label online.

Tasting: 4/12/12

Name: Opera Prima Sweet White
Variety: White Blend
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Vintage Cellar Wine 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 Personal Wine Review: This was an interesting wine. The smell was of sweet fruit like grapefruit. I tasted a lot of spice along with tart fruit. This was a sweet wine with tartness, however I didn't get the tannins when I usually taste tart in wines.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting - "Senda 66 Tempranillo"

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Tasting: 4/12/12

Name: Senda 66 Tempranillo
Variety: 100% Tempranillo
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2008
Price: $8.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Vintage Cellar Wine 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 Personal Wine Review: The wine was very dark in color and had a sweet and fruity smell to it as I detected cherries and plums. The flavors were an interesting mix of sweet to dark/heavy. The wine had a nice complexity from mint tastes to wood and oak. I liked this wine, but a little too much for me.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting - "Sierra Cruz Carmenere"

I could not find the wine label online.

Tasting: 4/12/12

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

Vintage Cellar Wine Review: As a member of the cabernet sauvignon family, carmenere (pronounced car-men-yare) originated Bordeaux as one ofhte grapes permitted for use in the red blends of that storied region. Chilean winemakers have embracd it and several wineries in that country produce it as a single varietal. The '09 Seirra Cruz is a very pleasant, soft, medium-boded 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 Personal Wine Review: The wine had a dark color. The smell was deep with an earthy tone with meat and oak aromas. The flavors were very similar with big tastes of spice and oak. This went nice with a light mid-palate and I also got some charcoal components at the end of the taste. I liked this wine and would recommend it.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting - "Lost Vineyards Chardonnay"

Image: www.lostvineyards.com
Tasting: 4/12/12

Name: Lost Vineyards Chardonnay
Variety: 20% Chardonnay & 80% Torrontes
Region: "Located in a remote valley in the Northwest corner of Argentina" (www.lostvineyards.com)
Country: Argentina
Year: NV
Price: $3.95

Vintage Cellar Wine 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 he fruit nicely on the finish.

My Personal Wine Review: The bouquet of aroma from the wine was very fruity and sweet. I detected fresh melon with juicy cantaloupe. However, the taste was disappointing as it had very little flavors with tree fruit and apples masked behind the other missing flavors. I did not like this wine.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting - "Sierra Cruz Sauvignon Blanc"

I couldn't find the wine label online.

Tasting: 4/12/12

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

Vintage Cellar Wine 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 Personal Wine Review: The nose was very strong, as I was overwhelmed with sour apple and it seemed like it was almost still fermenting. The flavors were light and crisp as I enjoyed the long small tannin texture. I also received a small hint of chlorine on the palate. I thought this wine was ok for probably my first sauvignon blanc tasting.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting - "Cantina di Casteggio Moscato di Pavia"

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Tasting: 4/5/12

Name: Cantina di Casteggio Moscato di Pavia
Variety: Moscato
Region: Lombardy, Oltrepo Pavese
Country: Italy
Year: 2011
Price: $7.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Vintage Cellar Wine 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 and acidity and medium finish with layers of sweet and citrus fruit.

My Personal Wine Review: Delicious! Salmon pink color. The nose was the usual for a Moscato with a mix of sweet fruits like peach and mellon. The flavors is was really made this wine stand out to me. It had a "tight" mellon taste with complex flavors of strong green mellon entwined with crisp fresh apples. This was my favorite Moscato I have tried thus far and I would recommend this to everyone.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting - "Montebeuna Rioja"

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Tasting: 4/5/12

Name: Montebuena Rioja
Variety: 100% Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2007
Price: $6.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Vintage Cellar Wine 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 Personal Wine Review: The wine had a dark ruby color to it. The smell was spicy and very fruity. The flavors were light and also fruity, but like the nose I couldn't pinpoint the tree fruit. The wine had a long aftertaste, but overall the wine was a spicy light drink with secrets of fruit.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting - "Varas Vinho Tinto"

**Please only pay attention to the LABEL as the wine review was from a BOX wine.
Image: www.slonecznawinnica.pl
Tasting: 4/5/12

Name: Varas Vinho Tinto
Variety: 45% Castelao, 25% Tinta Roriz, 20% Tinta Barroca and 10% Pinot Noir
Region: Estremadura
Country: Portugal
Year: NV
Price: $21.95 for a 3 Liter Box (Vintage Cellar)

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

My Personal Wine Review: I first learned that the wine had been opened a week before and this only made me more curious. The first thing that caught me eye was how dark the color of the wine was. After noticing this and then smelling the wine I could definitely sense the "oakiness" of the wine. I got a complex bouquet of chocolate, sour cherries and oak. The wine was medium bodied as it was sweet yet dark. There were light tannins near the end, but overall it was very smooth. This was an interesting, yet unexpecting good wine.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting - "Oveja Negra Syrah-Cab Rose"

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Tasting: 4/5/12

Name: Oveja Negra Syrah-Cab Rose
Variety: Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Maule Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2010
Price: $6.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Vintage Cellar Wine Review: Oveja Negra Reserva Rose 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 Personal Wine Review: The color was very pinkish and had a bouquet of strawberries and a head-jerk movement of tartness. I liked this wine. The taste was very fruity as I received handfuls of berry flavors with a good mid-palate that satisfied all the way to the end of the tasting. There were light tannins that remained near the finish, but this was a fun and fruity wine.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting - "gPG Garganega Pinot Grigio"

Image: www.thevineking.com
Tasting: 4/5/12

Name: gPG
Variety: 80% Garganega and 20% Pinot Grigio
Region: Venezie
Country: Italy
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Vintage Cellar Wine Review: gPG is from the delle Venezie regions of north-eastern 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 Personal Wine Review: The color is light yellow with a fruity smell of green apples and pears. Just like the bottle and its label of green I thought this wine's theme was very "green." The wine had a light body to it with the majority of flavors being apples, kind of like the small sweet/tart crab apples. It had light tannins which complemented the wine well, and I thought the wine was pleasant but nothing great. I have had better  varietals.

I did not have food with this wine.