Tasting - Atlas Cumbres Cabernet Sauvignon

I did not pair this wine with food

Name: Atlas Cumbres Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: N/A
Country: Argentina
Year: N/A
Price: $15, on sale for $6.95

Professional Notes: Intense red color with violet highlights, with clean, fresh and complex aromas of berries, plums, figs and pepper. Strong personality is in perfect balance with a medium body and pleasant tannins. Ideal for: red meats, cheeses and strong sauces.

My Review: This was an earthy red wine with hints of brown on the edges of the liquid. It had a plum nose. The alcohol came through as well; this wine had 13.9% ABV (I guessed 13.5%). It had quite the big flavor. This was a full bodied, tannic red wine. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. 

Tasting - Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

I did not pair this wine with food

Name: Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau
Variety: Nouveau
Region: N/A
Country: France
Year: N/A
Price: $14, on sale for $3.95!!!

Professional Notes: Balanced and lightly creamy, offering pretty flavors of plum sauce and raspberry coulis threaded with hints of ground spice. Elegant, with a floral finish. Drink now.

My Review: Holy Hellfire. How could you not buy a $14 bottle of wine marked down to $3.95. You would be losing money if you didn't buy it. This wine had a beautiful magenta color. This nose of the wine smelled of warm plums. It was fairly simple, and all I tasted were some slight spices. Yea, it may have tasted like a $4 bottle of wine... Regardless, as a poor college student, I felt pretty high and mighty sippin on my $4 French wine. Probably pairs well with French Fries and Crepes, which are like really really thin pancakes. I would recommend it.

Tasting - Bricco dei Tati Rose

I did not pair this wine with food

Name: Bricco dei Tati Rose
Variety: Rose
Region: N/A
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $7.95

Professional Notes: Fresh with aromas of strawberries, cherries and rose petals. This is ideal with shellfish, salads, chicken, and with appetizers.

My Review: This was a light red wine. It had the aromas of strawberries in the spring sunshine. It had a sweet taste that did not linger long on the tongue. It left me wanting more, like a greedy child on Halloween when his mom tells him he can only have one piece. Poor greedy child... I would recommend this wine though for picnics. 

Tasting - Frascati Volpetti Malvasia, Trebbiano, Greco

I did not pair this wine with food

Name: Frascati Volpetti Malvasia, Trebbiano,  Greco
Variety: Blend
Region: N/A
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $7.95

Professional Notes: Straw yellow in color with a soft, delicate perfume, fruitful flavor, dry and harmonious taste. Perfect with appetizers, soups, fish.

My Review: This wine was light in color and taste. It had a airy, floral smell. However, it had a very acidic taste. It was off-putting, and bit the taste buds. I would not recommend it.

Tasting - Toso Moscato

I did not pair this wine with food

Name: Toso Moscato
Variety: Moscato
Region: N/A
Country: Italy
Year: N/A
Price: $9.95

Professional Notes: This Moscato is reminiscent of honeysuckle and rose petal. The quality is equivalent to a top level Asti Spumante DOCG. Sweet sparkling wine obtained from a careful selection of the Moscato grapes. It has a pale straw yellow color with fine foam and bubbles. Tropical fruit flavors, refreshing. Excellent to match desserts, fruit and dried pastries.

My Review: This was a sparkling sweet wine. The nose was sweet and smelled of flowers. The bubbles kind of through me off though. Just something about the flavors and the bubbles didn't go well. It would not be my go-to dessert wine. I would not recommend it. There are better Moscatos. 

Tasting - El Sierro Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon

I did not pair this wine with food

Name: El Sierro Tempranillo/Cab
Variety: Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Region: N/A
Country: Spain
Year: N/A
Price: $7.95

Professional Notes: Dark ruby in color with rich aromas of red fruit and light spices. It is a real knock-out with delicious flavors of dark cherries, blackberries and vanilla all perfectly integrated. The Tempranillo provides wonderful spice and fruit, while the Cabernet Sauvignon gives structure and depth with the beautiful use of oak.

My Review: This wine was a deep ruby red in color; very pretty. It had a big red fruit nose, as well as some spices. This wine was very tannic. Like, VERY tannic. Super dry mouth feel. For me, it was too much- too dry, and too much spice. However, it was a good wine, and I bet a lot of people would like it. I would recommend it to them.

Tasting - Omo Ze Bel Merlot

I did not pair this wine with food

Name: Omo Ze Bel Merlot
Variety: Merlot
Region: Alcesti
Country: Scicilia
Year: N/A
Price: $6.95

Professional Notes: This bright, soft Merlot comes from a hilly vineyard on the Alcesti family estate in beautiful Sicily. It has hints of red cherries and freshly cut hay.  Exceptional value.

My Review: So every bottle of this wine at the tasting was apparently 'corked.' People were saying it had a 'hot tub' like taste. I was having more difficulty identifying the corkiness. If anything, I smelled it more than I tasted it. The nose had this wonky smell. I didn't taste anything out of the ordinary, though. This wine was fairly tannic and dried my mouth out. But overall, I would have no problem consuming a bottle... let's be honest. Because of the corkiness and the fact that Merlot is my least favorite varietal, I would not recommend this wine. Nice try Sicily.