Pink by Yellowglen Australian Sparkling Wine, $10

I purchased this pink-tinted sparkling wine at World Market last month for around $10. I have to admit, that it was an impulse buy--I just couldn't resist the girly-bubbly-pink-ness of it, and so I ended up buying it along with my more "serious" wine purchases!

Upon opening the bottle and pouring myself a glass, I noted that the color is more of an orange-tinted pink instead of just pink, and there was white grape, peach, and grapefruit on the nose. At first sip, it was acidic and very bubbly, along with an almost salty quality. Next, soft peach and grapefruit flavors emerged, growing stronger as time passed to round out a nice finish.

All in all, this one was good, but I think it could use a little more of something (time?) to allow a better balance in acidity and sweetness. Soft fruit flavors carry this sparkling wine, while acidity and bubbles tend to overdominate.

My Grade: +/- to +

2008 [yellow tail] Shiraz-Cabernet, $5

An Amazing Bargain Wine--At the Right Temperature

[yellow tail] has greatly impressed me thus far with their budget-friendly, but still flavorful wines. This Shiraz-Cabernet blend is yet another example of [yellow tail]'s excellence at a price point that won't scare off an oenophile with a limited cash supply.

I bought this bottle at (yep, you guessed it!) Walmart for just under $5. I really wanted to try the Cabernet-Merlot blend, but my local Wally World didn't carry that particular variety, so I opted for this one instead.

In my original tasting of this wine, I noted that this full-bodied red wasn't bad, but not great either--just okay. The grade I then assigned it was a +, because it had good balance, but a "wierd taste at the midpoint." The next evening, I decided to try it again, this time at just a little cooler than room temperature. You see, the first time I tried it, I did so right out of the fridge. Since I had nothing to lose, I figured I better at least try and taste it at a different temperature before writing it off as a "nothing special" wine.

Upon allowing it to come close to room temperature, an amazing array of flavors and balance came forth--plum, boysenberry, oak, & spice at the forefront, with a superb balance of acidity and sweetness. Plum flavors rounded out a more-than-respectable finish. This Shiraz-Cabernet blend brings out the best characteristics of both varietals, and makes for a very, very good wine for a steal!

My Grade: ++++

Lesson learned...Temperature, temperature, temperature! I had a similar experience with Barefoot Zinfandel (see my review in March), but surprisingly it didn't readily occur to me that I would have the same issue with this variety.

I'm sure most wine experts serve their wines at precise temperatures, but I think I've found an easy rule of thumb for most bottles:

• Reds taste best at slightly cooler than room temperature rather than just out of the refrigerator--Not warm, but definitely not chilled either. I think that's the problem most people have with dry red wine--they drink it cold, which doesn't allow its true flavors to come forward, and can even make it taste "off."


• White wines, many rosé/blush wines, and sparkling wines tast best chilled, or at least at a fairly cold temperature. The richer the white wine is, the (slightly) warmer its optimal temperature.

I found a good, down-to-earth article on MSNBC's Food and Wine section about wine temperature if you're interested in learning more:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9392760/

2008 [yellow tail] The Reserve Shiraz, $12

I knew it had been a while since I'd posted a wine review for my blog, but I didn't realize just how long it had been until I looked at the date of my last post...Almost a whole month ago! How I let that get away from me, I don't know. Nonetheless, I have been tasting wine during the past month, if not making the actual leap of posting them on here! Anyway, I have four new reviews to post, so bear with me!

2008 [yellow tail] The Reserve Shiraz, $12

This is one of three bottles I purchased in February on Wine.com. I highly recommend their site if you want to order wine online--they have a great selection and their prices are reasonable. If you're a really dedicated oenophile, you can also pay $49 to enroll in their Steward-ship program, which includes unlimited standard shipping for a year with no minimum purchase requirement. I did just that, because due to the limited selection of wine in my area, I knew the cost of membership would pay for itself in no time.

This deep ruby red full-bodied Shiraz from [yellow tail]'s Reserve line gives off aromas of cherry, spicy oak, mocha, vanilla, and black pepper. On the palate, it has an acidic effervescence at the forefront with red berry flavors emerging and carrying through the finish.

This wine is smooth and pleasant, but lacks the richness of the Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz. It is, however, good in its own right. Its light effervescence plays on the tongue with smooth tannins and nice acidity. This Shiraz is an easy drinker, straightforward with a subtle roundness of flavors.

Grade: ++ to +++

2007 Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz, $10

Over the course of my wine tasting journey, rarely has a wine completely surpassed my expectations. Usually, I'm either simply satisfied that a wine turns out to be as good as I thought it would, or disappointed that it doesn't measure up. This one, however, broke the mold.

I bought a bottle of Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz at Walmart a while ago, towards the beginning of my quest for budget wine. It caught my eye because I instantly recognized it as one of the wines from "The Wine Trials 2010". Since I was just starting out (and didn't trust my own judgment as of yet), I was relying chiefly on recommendations from wine books for my purchases. A "Two-Time Wine Trials Selection," it was hailed as the Shiraz to go with on the cheap, as opposed to other "fruit bombs" that are cloyingly sweet.

This, however, turned out to be one of the few bottles that has sat in my wine rack for longer than a few weeks, probably because I'd never tried Shiraz...I just wasn't sure what to expect. I'll admit that I was a bit weary that I was going to hate it, mainly due to the fact that I never expected chocolate, a flavor common to Shiraz, to taste good in a wine.

I'm usually excited to open my wines shortly after buying them, but even up until the point that I uncorked this one for a glass one evening, I was just begrudgingly thinking of getting rid of it so I would have another space open on my wine rack. I don't know why I was so halfhearted about trying this one, but in the end, it turned out to be one of my favorites!

To start with, it's a dark plum-red full-bodied wine with a strong, jammy sour cherry nose and a hint of vegetal aromas. On the palate, there is acidity and astringent tannins at the forefront, with plenty of red, jammy berries dominating on the tongue. Dark chocolate, spiciness, and a slight (but not unpleasant) bitterness, come into play to round out the background, and at the end, there's a great, fruit filled finish.

Smooth and supple, Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz has superb balance, with the perfect amount of acidity, tannins, and fruit. Its flavor profile is round and complex, but it remains easy to drink. Overall, I think this is an amazing wine for the price. This Shiraz evokes luxury, and could even be deemed sexy--it's everything dark chocolate is, embodied in wine. Everything about it, from the dark, square-shaped bottle to the dark plum-hued wine inside, oozes mystery. Speaking of the bottle, it is a little intimidating, but don't let it fool you--the wine inside is perfectly approachable.

My Grade: ++++

A Wine-Filled Honeymoon

Obviously it's been a while since I've posted (over two weeks, in fact), but I'm not going to apologize this time around! My new hubby and I got back from our honeymoon in Colorado on Monday, and we've been getting our house set up since then. Today is my first day back to work in a couple of weeks, and I finally have full internet access again...Two weeks is a significantly long web hiatus for me!

Anyway, we had an amazing time in Colorado, and it turned out to be a relaxing and much-needed vacation for both of us. You just can't beat eight days of a private hot tub and a breakfast of fresh fruit and crescents delivered to our room each morning (through a window in the wall, nonetheless!). We were sad to leave our cozy room at the Hotel Chateau Chamonix behind, but I don't think we'll miss the crazy altitude changes anytime soon!

Since I last posted, I've sampled several different wines, and a pretty wide array of them at that. According to the best of my memory, here is a list of them:

Wines From Personal Collection:
--2009 Yellow Tail Riesling (Australia)
--2008 La Vieille Ferme Récolte Rose Wine (France, AOC Côtes du Ventoux)
--2007 Hayes Ranch "In the Saddle" Cabernet Sauvignon (California)

Wines From Honeymoon:
--[Bodegas?] Borsao Red Wine (Spain)
--Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
--Sutter Home White Zinfandel (California)
--Unidentified White Wine (Received upon check-in at hotel)
--Unidentified Red Wine (Drank with dinner on Two Below Dinner Sleigh Rides in Frisco, CO)

Wines From Tasting at Canyon Wind Wine Cellars in Georgetown, Colorado:
--Merlot
--Syrah
--Petit Verdot
--Tempranillo**
--Desert Rosé**
**Added to Personal Collection

I'll try to describe each of them for you in as much detail as possible in separate posts, so keep reading!!!

Yellow Tail Riesling, Aussie Style, $5

I bought this 2009 Yellow Tail Riesling from Walmart a few weeks ago. It cost just under $5 and was one of many Yellow Tail varieties offered there.

To start off, let me just say that I loved this wine. In fact, although it's a tough choice, I might go so far as to say that this one beats the Moselland German Riesling, and it cost about half as much.

The nose evokes an intense fruity aroma, and at first sniff, the acidity is obvious, but in no way offensive. Upon first taste, the acidity lends a light, refreshing note to the taste buds and is balanced out by just enough sweetness. Fruit flavors emerge in the form of apple, white grape, and a hint of pear. Yellow Tail also cites a hint of orange blossom that "may linger on the finish," but I can't say that I remember that particular flavor...Maybe my allergies are getting the best of my sense of taste too =(

To sum it up, this wine is definitely a crowd-pleaser. It would pair with a wide variety of different foods, and is definitely enjoyable on its own as well. I have to recommend it, and look forward to trying more of Yellow Tail's varieties in the future.

MY GRADE: ++