Tasting -    Burgo Viejo Rioja Crianza 2012

Name:  Burgo Viejo Rioja Crianza 2012

Variety:  Blend: 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano

Region:  Rioja

Country:  Spain

Year: 2012

Price: $ 14.99

Vivino Review:  Cherries, blackberries, spices, with some woody and smokey elements as well. A tad harsh on the finish, the tannins are not very smooth. High acidity, medium body. This is a good second wine of the night, but I don't suggest leading with it.

My Review:  The aromas of this wine included blackberry, tobacco and black pepper. The color is a beautiful ruby-red with a purple hue. This is full bodies red with luscious smooth tannins and balanced acidity.  Blackberry, blueberry, tobacco, and mushroom flavors delighted my palate. The finish was silky smooth and magical. I absolutely loved this Tempranillo and Graciano blend as it was complex, had a black pepper spice kick with lots of personality but with a smooth and supple tannins. I highly recommend this wine to others looking for a complex and smooth red! 

Tasting -    Martellozzo Prosecco

Name:  Martellozzo Prosecco

Variety:  Prosecco

Region:  Venito

Country: Italy

Year: not available

Price: $6.99

Winery Review:  Light soft wine, slightly aromatic with delicate taste of apples and fruit. Excellent as a aperif or with light seafood or fresh fruit dishes.

My Review:   The aroma of this wine was of lavender, green apples, honeysuckle and lemons.  This sparkler is translucent with just the slightest hint of lemon yellow.  I served this sparkling prosecco chilled and it was extremely crisp and refreshing on a hot summer afternoon.  This is a light bodied dry sparkling wine with low acidity.  The taste is of crisp green apples, honeysuckle, pear and lemons.  I loved the effervescence and palate cleansing effect.  I highly recommend this Prosecco as it is an excellent value with excellent effervesce! 

Tasting -    Selbach Oster Riesling Spatlese

Name:  Selbach Oster Riesling Spatlese

Variety:  Riesling

Region:  Mozel

Country: Germany

Year: 2012

Price: $ 32.95

Winery Review:  Lovely floral, peach and hazelnut aromas, with a twist of acacia blossom. Delicate apricot on the palate, enlivened by a bracing citrus character. Finishes alluringly, with slate, lemon oil and a hint of clove and excellent length.

My Review:  I detected wonderful aromas of honeysuckle, green apple and lemon.  The color is a beautiful light lemon hue.  This is a sweet, light bodied Riesling with wonderful acidity.  The prominent tastes are of peach, green apple, lemon and lime.  I served this Riesling chilled and it was extremely crisp and refreshing! This would be excellent paired with Thai food.  

Tasting -    Odipus Old Vine Grenache

Name:  Odipus Old Vine Grenache

Variety:  Grenache

Region:  Navarra

Country: Spain

Year: 2008

Price: $ 12.95

Winery Review:   Cherry red color with violet hues. Complex aroma with subtle red fruits and black fruits with hints of spice and fine wood. The palate is long, sweet, expressive, with silky tannins and elegant, and a distinct terror.

My Review:  The color of this Grenache is a rich, deep, burgundy.  On the nose I detected a smoky, mushroom and earthy notes.  This is full boded dry red with smooth tannins and balanced acidity.   The tannins are a bit mouth puckering at first, but the finish is very smooth and satisfying.  The prominent flavors were black cherry, smoke, tabasco spice and blackberry.  This Grenache has a lot of personality and I would highly recommend it to others. 

Tasting -    El Pensador Tempranillo

Name:  El Pensador Tempranillo

Variety:  Tempranillo

Region:  Arogon, Campo D Borja

Country: Spain

Year: 2014

Price: $ 9.99

Winery Review:   El Pensador stirs the senses and brings your palate to light. Iconic in style with a Spanish flair, this wine is fashionably sophisticated yet playful.  Let our Tempranillo guide you through the verses with aromatic ripe strawberry and red cherry fruit flavors. Enlightening aromas of spice and juicy plum elevate the palate.

My Review:  This Tempranillo has a dark cherry hue. I detected notes of tobacco, spice and pepper on the nose.  This is full bodied red that has well balanced acidity and tannins that leave your mouth puckering for more.   My mouth was alive with flavors of Tobacco, black pepper and spice.  The finish was smooth with a lingering spicy taste.  I recommend this Tempranillo to anyone looking for a spicy and smooth red !  

Drink This Now! Lesson 5: Dry vs. Sweet: A Sugar Showdown

This was a very interesting lesson in how sugars and acids in wine interact to create different styles and how the winemaker influences the process to achieve certain characteristics in the wine.  The first step in the process was to select a dry Riesling and a Sweet Riesling. I chose Washington State Rieslings as I had not had Rieslings outside of ones from Germany.

First, I poured a glass of dry and a glass of sweet and set it out for 1 hour. I chilled the bottles during this time. Afterwards, I poured another glass of dry and sweet.  I started with the chilled wine and recorded my impressions (see chart below). I followed this up with the warm wines.  I compared the dry chilled and warm and then the sweet chilled and warm. 

I was amazed at the taste difference between warm and chilled dry Riesling as well as the sweet warm and chilled Riesling.  I thought both were far better chilled, when the flavors mellowed in the dry of the mineral and metal. The sweet became less sweet when chilled, which I thought was much more refreshing. The warm sweet was overly sweet and not all to my liking.  I enjoyed the flavor profiles better when both were chilled. 

My selections of Rieslings for lesson are as follows:

Sweet Riesling:  Open Kimono Riesling 2014 from Washington

Dry Riesling:  Chateau Ste Michelle 2014 , Columbia Valley in Washington 2014

	Dry Riesling	Sweet Riesling
Chilled
Color:	Very pale yellow	Pale yellow
Bouquet:	Floral, honeysuckle	Floral, citrus, Peach
Taste:	Mineral, floral, lemon	Peach, lemon, honeysuckle
Body:	light	light
Other Comments:	Balanced acidity, Crisp & Refreshing, Mineral taste with citrus fruit prevailed in flavor	Balanced acidity, Peach flavor was very strong
Warm
Color:	Very pale straw color	Pale lemon color
Bouquet:	Gunmetal, mineral, floral	Citrus, floral, peach, honeysuckle,
Taste:	Mineral taste, floral, lemon	Peach, floral, honeysuckle, grapefruit, tropical fruit
Body:	light	light
Other Comments:	Acidic, Flavor was metal like and mineral, did not enjoy this as much as the chilled	Was too sweet and did not enjoy this warm

Tasting- Bell’Agio Chianti

Name:  Bell’Agio Chianti

Variety:  Chianti

Region:  Chianti Region in Central Tuscany

Country: Italy

Year: 2014

Price: $ 11.49

Vivino Review:   Tasty! Much red fruit, especially raspberry and young cherry. Smooth and very reserved- not too bold or offensive.

My Review:  This wine had a musty, tobacco and smoky fragrance.  The color is a glistening red cherry with a hue of purple. This is medium bodied Chianti, with nicely balanced tannins and acidity.  The taste is earthy, ripe berry and smooth smoky finish.  There is a spicy aftertaste in the throat, which is quite enjoyable.  This Chianti would be the perfect paired with a spicy red sauce. I highly recommend this Chianti if you are looking for a earthy, smooth red with a spicy kick at the end !