Tasting - "Liberty Creek Merlot"

Name: Liberty Creek Merlot
Variety: Merlot
Region: Napa, California
Country: USA
Year: N/A
Price: $8

Winery review: Merlot is one of America's fastest growing red wines. Not as full-bodied as Cabernet, not quite as fruity as Chianti, our Merlot delivers rich flavors of ripe raspberry and cherry, with a smooth finish that is especially pleasing.

Our Merlot's bold flavors and smooth style make it a great match for meat, pasta, or a hearty vegetarian dish. This wine is a great alternative to Burgundy! With its characteristic softness, Liberty Creek Merlot can be admirably used to contrast dishes with big, bold flavors like pasta arrabiata, or to complement more subtly flavored recipes like eggplant parmesan.

My review: I enjoyed this beverage a lot and appreciated the flavoring. I tasted a lot of cherry and this red was real easy to gulp down. Although more expensive than the other bottles I had, this wine was pretty smooth and I could definitely drink this with a nice steak and 2 baked potatoes.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - "Fish Eye Pinot Grigio"

Name: Fish Eye Pinot Grigio
Variety: Pinot Noir (13%) and Pinot Grigio (87%)
Region: Ripon, California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $5

Winery review: I first enjoyed the Fish Eye Pinot Grigio in 2009 with my fellow wine bloggers at our annual conference (and wrote about that experience here). It was a humbling moment for many of us, who were a bit sniffy about the wine based on the cute label, its availability in large-format bottles and boxes, and because it was Pinot Grigio. There is a lot (and I do mean a lot) of terrible, cheap Pinot Grigio out there. So much of it, in fact, that I've stopped ordering it in restaurants.

So it is with great pleasure that I report that the 2011 Fish Eye Pinot Grigio still has a suggested retail price of $7 (though you can find it in the market for prices between $5 and $10), it is still delicious, it is still widely available throughout the country, and it is still excellent QPR. Expect zesty, pure lemon and lime aromas and to have those scents echo through the flavors. You might detect a nice peachy note as you sip, which takes off some of the bitterness that can be associated with Pinot Grigio.

This is a versatile, food-friendly wine that is light enough to pair with vegetables and salads at a weekend lunch, will be a great companion to asparagus and lemon pasta as you work your way into your spring recipes, and will be welcome at summer barbeques so if you see some on the shelf give it a try. - (February 23, 2012 by Dr. Debs)

My review: I enjoyed this wine and thought it had some really good flavor to it. It had a general tropical fruit taste and a hint of banana. Being a big fan of bananas, I really liked this extra touch. I would definitely drink this again and would want to try this with Asian style food.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - "Rex-Goliath Chardonnay"

Name: Rex-Goliath Chardonnay
Variety: 100% Chardonnay and aged in french oak
Region: Madera, California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $7

Winery review: Rex Goliath Chardonnay is a true sun-kissed California Chardonnay with bold aromas of apple and pear, combined with the classic spices of Grandma’s apple pie. Tropical fruit, pineapple and melon flavors combine with well-integrated layers of crème brûlée and a smattering of vanilla.   

I’ve added a splash of aromatic white varietals to provide layers of delicate floral notes coupled with bright citrus character. Round fruit and vibrant acidity are harmoniously balanced with French oak. The oak used for our wines is a proprietary blend of French oak, with varying degrees of toasting. This gives the Rex Goliath oak profile a distinct flavor, like no other wine on the planet!

To me, this is the ultimate food wine…it goes with everything from ahi tuna tartare, to Asian chicken salad, to good ol’ mac and cheese! - (January 31, 2012 by Anita Chef)

My review: Although bias because I love white wine, I thought this bottle was pretty good. It has an interesting sweet kick to it, but I definitely could pick up on a few fruits while I was tasting the wine. I would drink this whine again and hopefully get to drink it with a good pasta.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - "Blackstone Red Blend"

Name: Blackstone Red Blend 
Variety: 46% Merlot, 44% Syrah, and 10% Petite Syrah
Region: Acampo, California
Country: USA
Year: 2010
Price: $9

Winery review: Full of ripe flavors and soft round textures with nice, mature length. The wine is a delicious blend of Merlot, which contributes pretty blackberry, cherry, and strawberry flavors. The Syrah adds dark color and black cherry with cracked black pepper aromas and flavors, and the Petite Sirah contributes inky color, deep black raspberry flavors, and a mature tannin and structure for palate weight. Oak aging contributes smoky overtones, nice rich vanilla flavors, and plenty of smooth weight to the wine. - (January 9, 2012 by Anita Chef)

My review: I thought this wine was very different. I'm still starting to like red wines but this wine was full of flavor. I definitely could drink this wine with food and it definitely left me with a variety of flavors. I thought it was pretty smooth and I would drink this wine again.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - "Andre Champagne"

Name: Andre Champagne (BRUT)
Variety: Sparkling Wine
Region: Modesto, California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $7

Winery review: Andre Brut California Champagne, while not technically Champagne as far as I can tell, is the closest thing Andre has to a “flagship” sparkling wine product. You can find Andre Brut just about everywhere Andre is sold. Because of this, we surmised that it was most likely one of the better Andre offerings. After all, why would they push it to the top of the Andre heap otherwise?

Andre Brut Champagne has a combination of lemon and green apple flavors that seemed sweeter than I typically expect from a brut (though the residual sugar is only 2.3g/100ml). Unfortunately, the flavors seem to be constantly at battle with one another, leaving it off-putting and ill-aligned.

The Andre Brut California Champagne is not horrible by any means. It is definitely drinkable, and it will not kill you. However, you can do much better with your $5, even with a different Andre sparkling wine - (November 29, 2012 by soursmashed.com)

My review: I loved this beverage! When I first began to drink this wine, it was a sharp lemon taste that lasted for a little while. After a few gulps, the champagne started to taste really good. It went from sharp to pretty enjoyable and of course the brut aspect to it made it a little dry. For the price, I would definitely drink this again! 

I tasted this on its own with no food.