Vintage Cellar Tasting - Crane Lake Riesling (Week #8)

Name: Crane Lake

Grape Variety: Riesling

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2013

Price: $5.95

Cellar Review:  The trademark German red grape varietal Dornfelder has a lovely purity of soft red berry fruit. Integrated soft tannins combined with forward fruit flavors make for a perfectly balanced everyday sipping wine. Great with grilled red meat, sausage and chicken. Best served slightly chilled.    

My Review: Sweet aromas of crisp apples. Very sweet but not overpowering. Fruity and well balanced. A great patio wine.

*Did not have with food

Vintage Cellar Tasting - Crane Lake Shiraz

Name: Crane Lake

Grape Variety: Shiraz

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2013

Price: $5.95

Cellar Review: Beautiful ruby appearance, with blackberry and pepper notes. Tannins and fruit marry well for a soft finish. This wine pairs well with sharp cheddar cheese and hazelnuts. Also try it along with roast lamb at Easter time, veal marsala, or grilled salmon.     

My Review: Funky smell, resembling trash and old socks. Also hints of earth and fungus. The taste was very smokey and oaky.

*Did not have with food

Vintage Cellar Tasting - Georges Duboeuf

Name: Georges Duboeuf

Grape Variety: Nouveau

Region: Beaujolais

Country: France

Year: 2015

Price: $12....Sale $5.95

Cellar Review: George Duboeuf is THE king of Beaujolais.  His wines are full of pop, charm and great flavor and his Beaujolais Nouveau is no exception.  A cornucopia of expressive fruit wrapped in an almost-bubblegum-like frame; it is the flagship Nouveau.

My Review: Beautiful pink-red color. Very aromatic wine containing hints of vanilla and raspberries. Medium bodied, no memorable flavor. 

*Did not have with food

Vintage Cellar Tasting - Maipe

Name: Maipe

Grape Variety: Torrontes

Region: Mendoza 

Country: Argentina

Year: 2014

Price: $14....Sale $7.95

Cellar Review: The wine has a spring-like nose of fresh white peaches, pears, green apple, green melon and hints of jasmine and rose petals. On the palate, it has a beautiful structure and acidity along with fruit flavors and plenty of body. Well-balanced, this wine displays a pleasant freshness with citrus notes and a long finish.

My Review: Light yellow-green color. Imagine an avacado color if it was in liquid form. It had a mango smell. The wine itself was full bodied and bold. Not much of any fruity flavor on the palette. 

*Did not have with food

Vintage Cellar Tasting - Tonnino

Name: Tonnino

Grape Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region: Sicily

Country: Italy

Year: 2014

Price: $14....Sale $7.95

Cellar Review: Tonnino’s exotic example of Pinot Grigio has a straw to pale gold color. It is fresh and clean on the nose with fruity notes of pear, green apple and white peaches. The palate is true to the nose with a fresh acidity, coriander and lime notes followed by a crisp finish. This wine pairs well with youthful aperitifs, clams or mussels, pastas and risotto dishes.

My Review: Fragrances of white flowers and green apple. Very light wine with a sweet after taste. It has a hint of acidity too it. My favorite of the five wines today.

*Did not have with food

Wine Pairing Dinner #2 - The Palisades

On Wednesday, two friends and I decided to venture out to Eggleston, Virginia to try a wine-pairing dinner at The Palisades restaurant. It was a very pretty drive and from the outside it looked like a hole in the wall. I really liked the interior decor too.

The outside

The Inside


Every Wednesday, they have a theme of dinner from a different part of the country. This week's theme was Chile. Here is the menu that includes the dishes and wines of the night:

What I thought about the wines on their own:

1. Chardonnay, Terranoble 

Grape Variety: Chardonnay 

Region: Central Valley

Country: Chile 

Year: 2015

Price: $12

Cellar Review: Attractive color and interesting aromas, such as ripe pear, pineapple, mixed with butter & vanilla notes

My Review: Smell of white flowers and pear on the nose. The taste was delicious and very crisp. It was a dry white but not too dry.

2. Cabernet Sauvignon, Terranoble

Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Central Valley 

Country: Chile

Year: 2013

Price: $10

Cellar Review: Deeply colored and delightfully aromatic, it displays notes of chocolate, tobacco and red fruits

My Review: This was a very hard wine to smell because the glass was so small and full (glass size really does matter!). I got subtle hints of black berries but that's it. The taste was medium bodied but a little plain. 

1. Camenère, Chocalan 

Grape Variety: Camenère

Region: Maipo Valley

Country: Chile

Year: 2011

Price: $11

Cellar Review: This selection is distinguished by its intense color and exceptional fruitiness

My Review: A beautiful aroma of plum on the nose. Extremely peppery and oaky on the nose. Definitely not as fruity as the Cab Sav.

Wine Food Pairing Review:

Milcaos: Chilean style potato pancakes with caramelized onions & olive oil (the bottom item)

With the Chardonnay: Tastes good. The crisp white wine complements the plain pancakes. 

With the Cab Sav: Amazing! The potato gets creamier with the cabernet sauvignon. One of my favorite combinations of the night. 

With the Carmenere: Not a great combination, the wine definitely over powered the pancakes. 

Empanada: Pastry filled with cheese (middle item)

With the Chardonnay: Really good! It was my favorite food with the chardonnay, it brought out the dry apple flavors. 

With the Cab Sav: Not a great combination, the cheese clashed with the berry-like wine.

With the Carmenere: The empanada was too bready to even make a good judgement. I was kind of dissapointed with the food as a whole. It made the wine taste too full and bready. Not a great combination with anything.

Pastel de Choclo: Sweet corn pie with beef, chicken, raisins, olives and hard boiled egg (top item)

With the Chardonnay: The wine gets lost in this food.

With the Cab Sav: The fruity undertones did not complement the egg. The wine was not bold enough.

With the Carmenere: The spiciness of the wine was balanced out with the cheese and chili combination. 

Danielle, Courtney, and I!

Vintage Cellar Tasting - Peter Mertes (Week #7)

Name: Peter Mertes

Grape Variety: Sweet Red Dornfelder
Region: California
Country: Germany
Year: 2014
Price: $12....Sale $6.95
Cellar Review:  The trademark German red grape varietal Dornfelder has a lovely purity of soft red berry fruit. Integrated soft tannins combined with forward fruit flavors make for a perfectly balanced everyday sipping wine. Great with grilled red meat, sausage and chicken. Best served slightly chilled.    
My Review: Dark red color. Smells of sweet blue berries and ricola. Tastes like strawberry poptart and grows even sweeter as time goes on. Definitely best as a dessert wine.

*Did not have with food

Vintage Cellar Tasting - Castello Sonnino

Name: Castello Sonnino

Grape Variety: Chianti Montespertoli
Region: Chianti
Country: Italy
Year: 2010
Price: $15...Sale $8.95
Cellar Review: A blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Trebbiano and Malvasia del Chianti. Rich and modern, with a dark, saturated color and aromas of graham cracker and lemon rind. A juicy palate packed with plum and raspberry is carried by a creamy texture that’s rather toasty in terms of flavor. The finish is round, full and chocolaty.
My Review: Very strong aromas of black cheery and plum. The taste was a bit spicy - it's a very strong and bold wine. It would be great with steak and mashed potatoes. 

*Did not have with food

Vintage Cellar Tasting- Bolla

Name: Bolla

Grape Variety: Bardolina
Region: Magnum
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $18....Sale $9.95
Cellar Review:  A blend of 60% Corvina, 30% Rondinella, 10% Molinara this bright ruby red wine has hints of black cherry on the nose.  It is soft and fruit-forward, with black-fruit flavors followed by a bright and fresh finish. Serve it as the Italians do – young and lightly chilled. Pairs perfectly with fleshy fish, beef, lamb, red-sauced pastas and pizza.    
My Review: Beautiful ruby red color. A pleasant blend of cinnamon on the nose. The smell also reminded me of the instant hot-chocolate powder I would have as a kid. The taste was an unbalanced combination of acid and plum.

*Did not have with food

Vintage Cellar Tasting - Tenuta le Velette

Name: Tenuta le Velette 

Grape Variety: Orvierto Classico
Region: Orvieto
Country: Italy
Year: 2011
Price: $18....Sale $6.95
iWineReview Review: Score 88, "The Berganorio Orvieto is a subtle wine with a bright palate. It shows white flowers on the nose and light citrus notes in the mouth. Its neutral character means it can accompany a wide range of foods. A blend of 30% Trebbiano, 30% Grechetto, 20% Malvasia, 15% Verdello, and 5% Drupeggio. The estate has 103 hectares on the hill opposite the hill town of Orvieto."
My Review: Pretty deep golden yellow color. Very hard to get anything on the nose. I got subtle hints of apple. The taste was extremely alcoholic and unbalanced. 

*Did not have with food

Vintage Cellar Tasting - Praia Vino Verde

Name: Aveleda Praia

Grape Variety: Vinho Verde

Region: Vinho Verde

Country: Portugal

Year: 2013

Price: $10...Sale $8.95

Wine & Spirits Review: (Score 92) A blend of 40% Arinto, 30% Loureiro, 20% Trajadura and 10% Azal.

Full of fruit, a lasting peach flavor targeted with laserlike acidity through the finish. It has the bite of salty ocean air and a lot of zing. For langoustines.

My Review: Lots of oak and citrus flavors on the nose. It had a sweet mid-palette but a harsh acidic finish. It was a bit too sour for my taste. I am really surprised it was ranked a 92 because I didn't think that highly of it.

*Did not have with food

Vintage Cellar Tasting - Dona Sol (Week #6)

Dona Sol

Name: Dona Sol
Grape Variety: Shiraz, Petite Syrah & Symphony
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: N/A
Price: $6.95
Store Review: Shiraz has a unique jammy fruit character that is well represented in the Sweet Red. Both on the nose and on the palate, jammy fruit, like strawberries, cherry pie and red licorice, entices the senses and pair well with cheeses and desserts.           
My Review: Beautiful aromas of raspberry and vanilla on the nose. However, the taste wasn't as pleasant. It was overwhelmingly seet, resembling syrup grape juice. It had a thicker consistency. The after taste reminded me of a strawberry poptart.

*Did not have with food

Vintage Cellar Tasting - Velvet Crush

Velvet Crush

Name: Velvet Crush
Grape Variety: Merlot, Cabernet, Sauvignon $ Petite Sirah 
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: N/A
Price: $18...Sale $6.95
Store Review: Velvety smooth texture just like its name. Soft tannins and lush dark fruit character. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah bring backbone and character, while the Merlot balances out the blend for a soft, smooth texture.
My Review: This wine smells like earth and fungus, but later on I got some hints of plum flavor. It was tannic and medium bodied, definitely not my favorite wine. 

*Did not have with food