Tasting - Atlas Cumbres

Name: Atlas Cumbres
Variety: Torrontes
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95
Winery Review: Yellow colour with greenish muances. Very intense aromas of fresh grapes, flower perfume and mature peaches. Fresh in the mouth. Light and easy to drink. Ideal with seafood, Thai and Chinese food.
Personal Review: This Torrontes smelled like honey, peaches, and nectarines. The taste was significantly more sour than I expected from just smelling it. It was very light and crisp with hints of peaches and overwhelming sour melon flavors. The wine was also a little dry. I did not have this wine with any food.

Tasting - Avery Quinn

Name: Avery Quinn
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Napa Valley, California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95
Winery Review: The 2001 vintage marks a return to form for this great value Chardonnay. The aromas feature creamy, mellow, golden apple, pineapple, fresh butter and a touch of vanilla. Then rich, ripe flavors of yellow pear, pineapple, fresh apple, cream and buttered toast swell up and fill your mouth before a juicy apple and caramel inflected finish makes your mouth water (and smile!).
Personal Review: This Chardonnay smelled like orange peel, sour melon, lemon, and Granny Smith apples. The taste was a lot sweeter than the smell, with rich aromas of caramel apple, honeydew melon, and cantaloupe coming through.  The wine had a thick, creamy mid-palate and was buttery on the finish, signifying some oak barrel aging. I did not have this wine with any food.

Tasting - Gougenheim

Name: Gougenheim
Variety: Torrontes
Region: Chilecito in La Rioja
Country: Argentina
Year: 2012
Price: $9.95
Winery Review: The 2012 Torrontes comes from Chilecito in La Rioja. It has a light floral nose with touches of lemon peel and nectarine. The palate is crisp and taut, showing far more vivacity and fruit than the nose implied, finishing with a flourish of apricot and white peach. Drink now.
Personal Review: This Torrontes smelled like melon, nectarine, honey, and citrus fruits. However, the taste was quite more pungent than its aromas. The wine was very dry and had a dry finish. The fruits I could detect in the mid-palate were sour as well, such as sour peaches and sour melon. I could appreciate this wine, but it was way too sour and dry for me! I did not have this wine with any food.

Tasting - Santa Julia Pinot Grigio

Name: Santa Julia
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95
Winery Review: Light and clean, which compared to other Argentine Pinot Grigios is not something to dismiss. Feels solid and punchy, with orange and mango flavors. Has nice overall clarity and balance, with a citrusy finish
Personal Review: On the nose, this wine smelled of peaches, melon, lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruits. The wine was sour at first but had a fruity mid-palate, where punches of flavors of orange peel, citrus fruits, melon, and lemon came through. It's dry finish left me feeling thirsty. This wine was interesting to me and quite good, but I would not want to keep drinking it. I did not have this wine with any food.

Tasting - Santa Julia Malbec

Name: Santa Julia
Variety: Malbec
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: Sustainable 2012
Price: $8.95
Winery Review: The nose is full of mellow raspberry and cherry, while the palate is fleshy and round, with blackberry and a touch of raisin. Plump, not edgy, and ready to drink, with coffee and mocha notes in the finish.
Personal Review: This Malbec smelled of dark berries such as raspberries and blackberries and plums. The taste was no where as fruity as the smell. The fruit flavors I could detect were mostly blackberries and plums with hints of violets. It has a slightly rubbery taste throughout and was a little tannic at the end. I did not find this wine very edgy, as the review states, and I also did not really like it because the fruit flavors were so subdued. I did not have this wine with any food.

Tasting - Weinert

Name: Weinert
Variety: Carrascal (40% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Merlot)
Region: Lujan de Cuyo
Country: Argentina
Year: 2008
Price: $13.95
Winery Review: Aged for two years in cask, the 2008 Carrascal is a blend of 40% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. It has a rustic blackberry, scorched earth and leather-scented bouquet with touches of pressed flowers. The palate is well-balanced with crisp tannins, expensive black tarry fruit and Bordeaux-like finish. Drink now-2016.
Personal Review: This wine's bouquet was of sweaty leather, blackberries, and was very Earthy. The wine was mouth-puckering, very tannic, slightly hot and spicy on the finish, and had a rubbery aftertaste. The black pepper, barnyard, and blackberry flavors mixed together made the wine very interesting but I did not like the wine. However, I think an experienced wine-drinker would find this wine fascinating. I did not have this wine with any food.

Tasting - Bellafina Pink Moscato

Name: Bellafina
Variety: Pink Moscato (Blend of Moscato and Rabosos)
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: N/A
Price: $9.95
Winery Review: A blend of Moscato and Rabosos grapes it has a pale rose color, notes of red berries (strawberry and raspberry), with the characteristics and fragrant bouquet and palate that is typical of the Moscato grape.
Personal Review: This wine has a bouquet of roses, strawberries, and cherries. The wine was very sweet, tasted like a pink Jolly Rancher, and was light and very watery. There was really not much to this wine so it was pretty boring and exactly what I'd expect from a cheap rose wine. I liked the fruitiness and sweetness, but I wish the wine had a little more to offer. I feel like you could easily get this wine for $4.99 at a grocery store, so to me, the price is a little steep for what you are getting. I did not have this wine with any food, nor do I think it would pair well with any kind of food.