Wine Friday

2006 Banfi Rosa Regale

2007-06-15T21:30:00.000-04:00

Okay, it's been over a month. Bad, Nikki.

Tonight I'm tasting a sparkling wine. I'm going outside my comfort zone, folks! Watch out! ;)
After the Frenchtown Wine and Art weekend, I decided to try more varieties of wine. Since I enjoyed so many of the wines offered in Frenchtown that I "knew" I'd hate, I figured it was time for me to take my head out of the ground.

One of my favorites at the tasting was one called "Pineto Brachetto D'acqui." This was a crowd favorite at one of our stops and I really enjoyed it as well. I've kept my eyes open for the wine, but can't find it. Tonight, while perusing the champagne section at the liquor store I found a red sparkling that had very similar color. Further investigation revealed that this wine was also a Brachetto D'Acqui! I knew that I'd found one to compare it to. (Thank you trusty moleskine :: I wrote down the wine's name and put a "Marsha" beside it because it was her favorite at the first tasting! Score! I've found the mystery wine!)

Onto this wine's tasting.

The color of Brachetto D'Acqui is so beautiful. Like the light rouge of a pinot noir. The scent of this wine is fresh and clean. I know that sounds strange, but I believe that it's because it's such a light scent. Imagine someone walking past on a spring day with just a hint of perfume on. That's what this reminds me of.

On tasting the wine, the sweet palette offers itself up promptly. I'd say this is a medium bodied wine that rounds off sweetly with bits of cherry and raspberry. I love the tiny bubbles that create a fun and light refreshment.

I'd definitely enjoy this wine with dessert. I look forward to drinking more of it. Yum!

Wine Friday Meter :: 8.0
Paid :: $12.00 for 375mL

2001 Lost Sheep Shiraz

2007-05-08T22:44:00.000-04:00

Hello! It's been forever since I sat down to rate a wine so here I am. I went to Frenchtown this past weekend for their Wine and Art Festival and it was PHENOMENAL! I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I tasted so many different sorts of wine; a lot that I'd never normally set my hands on, but I learned a lot about my palette. I like a lot more than I thought I did. ;) I'll rate some of those soon. (Sparkling and whites - oh yes, I said it...white!)

Anyhow, tonight I'm trying a wine that my boyfriend picked out at the wine shop. It's a 2001 Lost Sheep Shiraz.

The nose is sweet and fruit heavy with just a hint of flowers.
The taste is fruit right up front and it follows through strong (the fruit) all the way to the end. It's a little tart and I taste cherries and red fruit flavors. This is a medium bodied wine that is easy to drink. There's nothing extremely offensive about it unless you don't like a fruit heavy wine. The lack of tannin is obvious resulting in a very soft mouthfeel and overall experience.

I like this wine. It's very pleasant to drink.

Wine Friday Meter :: 8.0
Paid :: $11.00 (about)

What are you doing this weekend?

2007-05-04T10:12:00.001-04:00

Here's what I'm doing! I'm so psyched!

I'll be going down Saturday. I won't be indulging in the full weekend of wine that's offered, but I'm really excited to check it out. Todd and I had a vacation there last year and stayed at this bed and breakfast.

I fell in love with the little town and saw that they were holding this event.

Picture credit www.frenchtowner.com

2004 Hayman & Hill Meritage Reserve Selection No. 38

2007-01-27T17:25:00.000-05:00

This wine is a bright purple/ruby color. I can smell rich red fruit and a hint of flowers. On tasting the wine, I find that this particular one just doesn't do it for me. It's OK, but just not my style. It's a bit too fruity for my palette. I won't look for this wine again.

I'm thinking that this is a wine that could improve with age. If you have a bottle of the 2004, save it a little while. I think you'll fare better.

Wine Friday Meter :: 6.5 (Wine is good if you like a fruit heavy experience.)
Paid :: $14.99

Update

2007-01-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,
Just a quick update. I've been SUPER busy the past couple of weeks with a couple of freelance jobs, but I'm going to try my best and review a wine tomorrow. I did try my Margaux on Monday and let me tell you, it was the second best wine experience I've had to date! So DELICIOUS. I'm going to watch for another bottle of that yummy stuff. For those of you who are interested it's called, "2000 Les Hauts du Tertre, Margaux." Buy some. You'll be happy you did. ;)

2003 Chateau du Donjon Minervois Grande Tradition

2007-01-06T18:35:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

Tonight I'm tasting Chateau du Donjon's 2003 Minervois.
The nose is a little musty. I can pick up a bit of tobacco, spice, and dark red fruit. The red fruit I picked up on the nose is front and center on the mouth. Smoke and pepper sort of creep in on the finish and trail off into a spicy finalé. This is a pretty straight forward selection and it's very pleasing to drink. I'd buy this one again. A great value!

Wine Friday Meter :: 8.75
Paid :: $9.95

2002 Chateau Roquefort Bordeaux

2006-12-08T20:26:00.000-05:00

This evening I'm rating a french bordeaux. I've been doing a bit of french wine drinking since my "Rothschild episode" about 4 entries back. I'm trying to understand the world of french wine a little better and there's A LOT to learn! Anyway, onto the tasting.

The wine's color is a rich, deep purple and almost opaque. I smell fresh pencil shavings, mildew, and a hint of raw beef. (Which I hate, mind you.) Needless to say, I'm not turned on by this wine's nose. I'm hoping the taste pulls me in.

The taste fares better than the nose which makes me happy. The wine is a little gamy, but rounds out with a bit of spice and warm woody notes. I'm still not sure about pairing wine with food, but I've learned that the general assumption of pairing whites with fish and chicken and reds with steaks or pork, is not 100% true. I can't help, but want a nice seafood stew of some sort with this wine. Hmmm.. a pescatore would be excellent with this wine. (Or so I think ;)

I paid $11.99 for this wine.
Wine Friday Meter :: A solid 7

2001 Perrin & Fils Cotes du Rhone

2006-12-03T00:13:00.000-05:00

I did a little research and found that this bottle I had been holding onto (not long) was actually at it's prime. Since I have a tasting to do, I figured this would be the one that I'd open. I can't remember exactly what I paid for this wine, but I don't think it was anything above $13.00.

Onto the tasting.

The color of this wine is a deep hue of maroon with a hint of brown. This wine smells musty, dank, old, and woody with a slight hint of fruit and alcohol. Tasting the wine showed me that this was, indeed, a rather dry one. It coated my mouth with a heavy fluffy blanket which is still there. There is a heat that starts of gradually, but lingers a little too long on the finish. There are some slight spicy notes that show with the heat of the alcohol and I can definitely taste a bit of licorice. The wine is pretty tasty, but the weight of the alcohol overpowers it just a bit too much for my palette.

Wine Friday Scale :: 8

Ristorante Panorama :: Philadelphia

2006-11-30T16:01:00.000-05:00

I'm planning on visiting this restaurant for their wine flight offering. Check out some of the flights they offer here.

I'm extremely excited and am debating on tasting either the "Killer B's" flight or the "Heavy hitters" flight. Which one will it be? Hmmmmm.....

I'll let you know how it goes with a review of the experience. ;)

Pictures above are from www.pennsviewhotel.com
One is a view of the bar and the other is a picture of some of their reserve wines.

Update :: 1985 Rothschild Mouton Cadet

2006-11-22T12:18:00.000-05:00

Well, it's a bit of a bummer, but after my research I've found that the "Cadet" in the name means "junior." I should've known. All of the Rothschild Mouton Vintages seem to be going for very high prices, but the "Cadet" variation is the same grape (from what I've read) but not the same premiere caliber as the first growth Mouton. Sooooooooo, I'm sad to say that I don't think this bottle is worth more than $20.00 and I think I'll have to recommend that my friend enjoys it now if it's been kept well.

Ho hum...

1985 Baron Philippe Rothschild, Mouton-Cadet

2006-11-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

My co-worker brought this photo in for me after a conversation about wine we had yesterday. We did a small search and were finding 1985 Rothschild bottles selling anywhere from $500-$2500. The thing is, I can't find this particular bottle for sale. Is this bottle worth anything? Please help if you have any information. Thank you!

2002 Tommasi-Viticoltori Valpolicella Classico Superiore

2006-11-17T19:26:00.000-05:00

Hello! It's Friday! Sweeeeeet.

Okay, so I'm reviewing Tommasi Valpolicella Classico Superiore Rafael tonight. (How about that for a long name?) I picked this bottle up initially for the simple label design and the price was just right. ($11.99)

The color of this wine is a bit more purple than I'm used to. It's very beautiful. This wine smells of tobacco and smoke which seduces me immediately. There's something comforting about the smell of this beauty that reminds me of relaxing around a fire. On the first taste, there was an immediately aware of the fruit. Soft, red strawberry and raspberry flavor. It finishes with a warm spicy hug. I really like this wine. Very tasty and just how a casual wine should taste. (Unlike my previous review. Ick.) I recommend this wine for a family affair such as Thanksgiving. In fact, I think I'll check back at the liquor store and buy some of this for Thanksgiving myself.

Oh...just a note. I recently changed the name of this site from "Nikki Rates Wine" to "Wine Friday." I'm changing the name of the scale I rate on from "The Nikki Scale" to "Wine Friday Meter." Same scale (1-10 with 10 being superb).

Wine Friday Meter :: 8.5

2004 Smoking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon

2006-11-11T00:17:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I'm writing this review 3 glasses into the bottle. It's very easy to drink.
I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing, though. Here are the few notes I've written down while figuring out this wine::

• Mild and doesn't bite back.
• Very light for a cab and tastes like raspberry jam.
• dangerously easy to drink.
• Where's the beef? (yes, I actually wrote that.)

I think that pretty much sums it up. It was a quick wine to digest. I didn't enjoy it for it's flavors all that much, but it went down like my breakfast pomegranite juice. I won't be buying this one again. It's too "simple."

Nikki scale: 5
Paid $10.99

Epiphany

2006-11-03T21:39:00.000-05:00

I think I'm being too friendly with my ratings. I'm looking back and some that I really didn't like that I would score a 5-6 on the Nikki Scale really weren't worth that. I have to be a bit more objective. Starting next time!

2003 Joseph Drouhin Bourgogne Laforet (Pinot Noir)

2006-11-03T19:59:00.000-05:00

Hi there to my gorgeous readers! (All 3 of you!;)
It's been a while due to my super busy schedule, but I'm back with a delightful Pinot Noir to review. I bought a little 375 ml bottle from the shop tonight to see if I liked it. There are bigger bottles available in the 2005 vintage and if I appreciate the 2003, I'll buy a bottle of the 2005. I've been checking out the vintage chart at winemag.com and trying to figure out when to drink specific vintages. I want to cellar (or in my case "shelve") some wine for future dates, but I'm just recently learning the process. It gets a little overwhelming. If someone has any helpful hints or any other vintage chart sites, let me know. I want to LEARN!! :)

Anyway, enough of that...onto the wine!

I opened this wine while making dinner and let it sit for about 20 minutes. I have to be honest and let you know that I didn't sniff the wine to start. (It's been a crazy week, if you know what I mean.) So I took a sip. WOW! This wine smacked me upside the head and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. Either it's been a while and my taste buds aren't used to this OR the wine is demanding my attention! Well, it got my attention and after a second sip, I started to appreciate what it had to offer.

This wine's color is a beautiful ruby with a touch of magenta. It has the look of a young wine and is quite beautiful. (I think I'm appreciating it too much??) It's very light on the nose. Nothing jumps out into the foreground. A bit earthy and musty with a hint of sweetness lingering in the background.

Tasting this wine is just as pleasurable. It has a distinctly warm, velvety mouthfeel that lingers quite a while. Tart berry flavors are front and center then morph into spice.

I'll definitely consider picking up the 2005. I might let it sit on my shelf for about 1-2 years so it's comparible to the 2003 experience. I like this wine. It's very pleasant and is comfortable. Nothing too out of the ordinary here, but tasty nontheless.

$6.99 for 375ml bottle
9.5 on the Nikki Scale

2002 Taz Pinot Noir

2006-09-22T23:40:00.000-04:00

(Picture posted soon)
This wine was a gift from my boyfriend and cost a little more than my regular $10 bottle of wine, but I'm going to go ahead and review it anyway. Might as well, right? :) Anyway, this wine was in the $25-$30 range.

First thing I noticed was the packaging. I was using my foil cutter and realized that it wasn't quite working the way it usually does. I thought that maybe my cutter was getting dull, but upon further investigation, I found that the "foil" was a bit thicker than what I was used to on my cheaper bottles. This was almost aluminum like. I couldn't help but think that this was also a reflection on what the wine, itself, had to offer.

I poured the wine and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes before tasting it. Gotta let this baby breath!

This pinot smelled of oak. Right off the bat it smelled woody. It smells very rich for a pinot.

I've never tasted a pinot like this. Maybe it's mental because I know how much the wine cost, but WOW. There is a distinct cherry flavor that just erupts on your tongue. It's so good. It lingers longer than most and is ULTRA smooth. The mouthfeel is like velvet. It coats your tongue with a bit of spice that finishes off warm and fruity. There is a hint of nutmeg that is pure comfort for me. It's wonderful that a pinot can offer such warm, fall flavors.

This one is definitely a treat. It has more body than I'm used to with Pinot Noirs. It's just yummy. MORE! I want MORE!

Buy this wine!

Nikki Scale: 9.5 WOW!

2004 Casa Rivas Sauvignon Blanc

2006-09-10T20:42:00.000-04:00

It's Sunday night.
I opened this bottle while listening to Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue." I've been recently getting more into jazz and enjoying this wine while listening to this music is really comforting. All that needs to happen now is for it to rain a little. ;) Onto the review.

I bought this bottle for $5.99. I never would've picked it up, but the gentleman at the liquor store was very into helping me and suggested it. I sort of felt bad, so I bought it. I know, I know...pity wine...oh well. I usually go to a different liquor store with a much larger selection, but unfortunately they were closed. So, I figured, what the heck, I'll check out the place across the street. Well, their selection was alright. The ridiculous thing was the wine was in no particular order whatsoever. I asked the man if they had a section for South African wines, but he was clueless until he happened upon my last entry's selection. I bought that one there as well. :) Anyway, on my way out he pointed out this wine, said he had tried it and recommended it to me. I agreed I'd give it a try. Here it goes.

The wine has a light scent of citrus mixed with pear. It smells pretty good. As I taste the wine, it's introduction is very smooth for a white. I always expect a bit of a bite back immediately from whites. I'm coming to realize this is not the case at all times. I can definitely taste the light pear flavors, but they don't linger as long as I'd like them to. The alcohol flavor that comes through sort of takes over at the end. I tried "swirling" in my mouth and that made it even worse. Bringing in a bit of air to swirl only heightened the alcohol "sting." It made me shudder at one point. I quickly learned that this was not the way to enjoy this wine. After my bad "swirling" experience, I took a regular sip and the wine tasted GOOD! I suppose that air's effect on this wine is the opposite than in others. It usually heightens the flavors in a good way...this one didn't. It brought all of it's faults to light.

I don't know if it's just that I want to like this wine, but I keep going back to it for an extra sip. The flavors are good, but it's just not WOW! It's a "white wine." I say that because I usually hate whites...and this one isn't one I'll go looking for again. I'm more open to trying them because I've been lucky and found a few that have been good. One I remember that I'd like to find again was Babcock Chardonnay. So buttery with hints of vanilla. Yum...yeah, this one is no comparison.

Nikki Scale: 5.75

2003 Durbanville Hills Shiraz

2006-09-09T20:32:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone....well not everyone, but whoever you are that happened upon this blog. :) I've been a HUGE slacker in my reviewing although I've enjoyed PLENTY of vino. So here's one for you that I'm trying on this beautiful Saturday evening. It's so beautiful tonight...I couldn't help but buy a bottle to enjoy.

So, let's get started. I bought Durbanville Hills 2003 Shiraz to taste tonight. Since I've been on a big South African wine kick, I thought I'd give this one a try. The wine's color is a rich plum. After letting the wine breath for about 20 minutes I could smell hints of leather and oak. The wine doesn't smell very fruity, but rather old and musty. I could tell this was going to be a medium to full bodied tasting wine and probably one that I was going to like.

Upon tasting the wine, I wasn't surprised by it's rich flavor. It's definitely complex including flavors of berry, spice and a hint of plum. In fact, this wine's label description was pretty much spot on. I was surprised at the label's accuracy when comparing my notes to its description. I like to do that after I try to figure out my opinion of the wine. You know, to compare what the company likes to advertise vs. what it really tastes like. :) Well, if every wine's label were as truthful as this, we would never get any of those really nasty "bad bottles." Hmmmm.

I believe I'm a fan. This South African wine has passed the test. It's one smooth drink. I will be buying this bad boy again and I recommend you do as well. :)

Wine's cost: $12.99
Nikki Scale: 8.0

By the way, I have to plug this site "Wineass.com." I love their style and it's seriously time for people to ENJOY their wine WITHOUT the pretentiousness! I love what you're doing, Wineass! You kick ass! ;)

2002 RH Phillips Shiraz

2006-05-23T21:06:00.000-04:00

Hello,
It's been a while since I've written and I'm a bad wine enthusiast for not posting because you know I've been consuming plenty of wine :) I'm just so busy with everything lately. This 60 mile walk is taking a lot out of me.

Anyway, I'm discussing a 2002 RH Phillips Shiraz tonight. This wine is very easy to drink. It's a gorgeous purple-red. The nose is a wonderful dry and spicy with a hint of fruit. This wine really smells nice. Tasting the wine is just as wonderful. It's so smooth and goes through the flavors I really enjoy in a wine. It's like flavor bursting in time release capsules on the tongue...weird, I know, but I think it's because you're able to really differentiate the flavors. It starts with a cool berry, rounds out with robust spice, and finishes smoothly nice and dry.

This wine is extremely drinkable and at $7.99 you can't beat it. The bottle attracted me in the store with a cork hanging off it's neck. It is a screw cap, something I'm still wary of (I think it's all in the mind), but it's design is impeccable. The bottle is beautiful. The diameter of the screwcap seems wider than most which lends itself well to the design of the bottle enhancing its extremely short neck.

I rate this wine a 8.75 on the Nikki scale. Enjoy!

(I will post a picture of this bottle soon. Check back soon.)

2004 Oracle Cabernet Sauvignon

2006-03-18T18:08:00.000-05:00

I wanted to try a South African wine after hearing about "Goats du Roam." (No, this is not a typo...it's a play on "Cotes du Rhone.") Everywhere I look, people are raving about this wine's quality for the price. I generally spend around 15-20 dollars on a bottle of wine, but "Goats" usually runs around 7-8 bucks. I'm wary, I know I shouldn't be, of a wine this price, but there are so many "good" table wines in that price category. I decided to go and give this "Goats du Roam" a try. When I arrived at the liquor store, they only had the white variety of the brand and I was in a serious mood for a red. (As usual ;) So I decided to look around the South African section a bit more to see if something there struck my fancy.

I discovered a bottle labeled "Oracle: Cabernet Sauvignon." Hmmm...sounds like a good wine. I always enjoy a good cabernet, especial the dry ones! The price was comparable to "Goats du Roam" at $6.99. WOW! I was wondering if I had made a terrible mistake as I walked out of the store with my purchase.

I poured a glass of this wine and my boyfriend and I were really getting into the scent of this wine. There was an indescribable essence we couldn't quite put our fingers on. The wine definitely emanated a distinct cherry smell. The scent I couldn't describe before, I finally decided was "old." It was an "old" smell of a cabinet that had been closed up for years upon years. That was the best I could do. Although that sounds like a bit of a turn off when it came to what the wine's taste had in store, it was quite the opposite. It made me feel comfortable. The more I smelled, the more scents started appearing. The list is as follows: spicy, leathery, powdery, smokey, licorice, and slight floral hints (this could also be the "powdery" scent I picked up).

The taste of this one was very pleasing. It was unbelievably light for a cabernet. I'm used to a much stronger flavor in cabs, but this was still good. Like the nose, there was a definite cherry flavor. It was extremely warm, spicy and tingly (if I'm allowed to use that as a descriptive) mouthfeel. The wine finishes with a gentle bite back as if to entice your mouth for the next kiss of the glass.

I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed Oracle's Cabernet. It was tough for me to pick up the many scents it offers, but after my 100th try, I came to know it very well. I recommend this wine as one that you would pick up whether you have money to burn or if you are on a limited budget. It offers plenty of taste and is quite impressive. I would never know it only cost $6.99. What a great find!

Oracle Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 gets a Nikki-Rating of 8.75

2002 Anapamu Pinot Noir

2006-03-12T20:06:00.000-05:00

As I was walking through the aisles in the liquor store, this bottle caught my eye straight away. The simplicity of the label was striking. The geometric shape that the label takes on is much different than your everyday wine label. This one spoke to me as a designer. The wonderful contrast of the "ANAPAMU" against the rich "wine-like" color was dramatic yet comforting. Alright, alright, I'll get off my designer's rant, but I have to say as a consumer, this is an important aspect of picking a new wine to try. It's important that the winery think of design when selling and I think Anapamu Cellars did an excellent job in that.

Onto the tasting.

The wine's color is a rich garnet with a touch of purple. The bouquet is very light and not overwhelming at all. I really enjoyed smelling this one. I sensed cherries with a bit of lemon zest and a smokey ending. Sort of a strange combo, but it's probably the best combination of scents I've smelled in any of my recently reviewed wines.

I couldn't wait to wrap my tongue around this one :) (Yikes, that sounds bad...no?) Anyway, the taste did not disappoint me. It is pretty much as it smells. It starts off with a slight fruity flavor, it's very mild and I like that (in a pinot noir, but I'm no expert!). It continues with a mix of spice and leather and finishes with a swirl of smoke. The best word I can use to describe this wine is "elegant." It's one that I'll be buying again and I highly recommend this one. Drink up!

Overall Nikki score: 9.5

2004 Da Vinci: Toscana Chianti

2006-02-26T20:30:00.000-05:00

So I read up a little more on tasting wine and learned a good bit. I'll try to utilize what vocabulary I learned from now on, but I'm not promising anything! ;) This is a casual tasting blog and I think I'll keep it that way. I know wine can be an intimidating thing and more than anything I think it should be an enjoyable experience, not a stressful one. So on to the next wine!

Da Vinci's 2004 Toscana Chianti was a nice pick. I was looking at other reviews on other wine sites and saw this was in my price range and it seemed to rate relatively well. Here are my thoughts:

The wine's aroma was a bit pungent-it smelled a little spicy and flowery, but there was a definite scent of alcohol. If there's such a thing as putting a temperature on the bouquet, this one would be rather warm. I'm guessing that's because of the alcohol-like aroma. The taste was rather fruity with hints of spice and just enough tartness. It lingers in the mouth with a warm, spicy aftertaste.

I really enjoyed this wine. I'm giving it an overall score of 7.5.

2003 The Lucky Country: Two Hands

2006-02-25T17:47:00.000-05:00

As usual I had no idea what to get when I ventured into the liquor store. I wanted something a little deeper in flavor than my usual pinot noir. This one definitely filled the bill. Made up of 55% Shiraz and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon this wine had a beautiful deep purple color that was almost opaque. It's aroma was very fruity and cherry-filled. I was a bit scared of just how fruity it smelled. The first sip was extremely powerful especially for my recent palette. I've been into lighter varieties lately so this one woke up my taste buds. It starts smooth, but then the flavor packs a punch very quickly. It's extremely rich and full-bodied. It wasn't as dry as I'd like, but it wasn't so fruity I couldn't handle it. The price was right at about $15.50 and I can't help, but compliment the beautiful label. The picture is quite stunning and instantly caught my attention.

I give this wine an overall score of 6.5.

Welcome!

2006-02-25T17:08:00.000-05:00

Alright, I'm going to give this a try. I love wine. I'm trying to expand my knowledge of wine and thought that this would be a fun way to keep track of what I liked, disliked, why and why not.

Please note: This blog is going to be a super basic personal opinion on a variety of wines that I am just trying out. I have a basic knowledge of wine and am using this blog as a tool to develop my wine vocabulary and interest.

Here's a bit of my wine background. I've had a lot of experience serving wine in fine dining restaurants during college and had the pleasure of working in a place that actually had pre-shift wine tastings so we could actually sell the wine without leading the customer on. I have had experience meeting with distributors to stock the restaurant's supply and found out what was good, popular, affordable and not so affordable. Plus, let's not forget the most important thing, I'm a consumer. :) I love to come home on a Friday night after a long week of work, go to my local wine supplier and try something new. Sometimes I'm surprised by the pick and it's great, but sometimes...ugh. Horrible.

I'm not totally up on all the wine lingo, so forgive me if I am a bit amateur for your taste, this is an education for me as well. So if you happen upon this site and have some info about some amazing wine, please, feel free to comment and let me know.

I'm giving the wines a score between 1 and 10. 1 being the worst. 10 being, "I will buy this wine again and again."

Here we go! Onto the first wine!