Posts Tagged ‘wine’
07/26/2017
July 26, 2017
The wine has a mild earthy and mildly strong aroma in the glass. The wine feels slightly dry in the mouth and is not fruity to the taste. It’s a little different flavor profile than experienced in the past from a California Cab, but still of the same genre. The second glass and thereafter has more of a California Cab experience. There’s nothing odd or off tasting. While mildly strong as a wine, the wine is also smooth to drink. This is a fairly good California Cab for people who might want to expand their tastes in that direction or for people who just want to chill after a hard day’s work without challenging themselves too much. The wine works well as a sipper. It didn’t pair well with some cheddar cheese. It paired much better with some mildly spicy Indian food, and some not so spicy Chinese garlic chicken. It was a matter of having enough food in the mouth to stand up to the wine.
The wine seems to be generally available at other outlets for a similar price, sometimes even a little less and sometimes a little more. The wine receives average to slightly above average reviews by others. Price $8.99.
Tags:2014, Bogle Cabernet Sauvignon, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | Leave a Comment »
05/12/2017
May 12, 2017
There’s a very nice, strong aroma coming from the glass on first pour which portends a full-bodied wine. The wine is fruity and dry at the same time in the mouth. There are no real negatives. Although for the very critical among us, there are hints of things to complain about. This is a blend of mostly Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, according to the internet.
Generally this wine is a love or hate affair when reviewed on the web. About 2/3 of reviewers like this and think it’s a great value wine. The 1/3 of reviews which hate this may be due to some “bad” bottles. Although my guess is those bad reviews are prompted by personal preferences. Most of the reviews were for earlier vintages. There were very few 2015 vintage reviews.
While this is not a great wine, and would anyone really expect a great wine at this price, if you’re not afraid to challenge yourself by adding some complexity to a wine, this is an inexpensive way to do that. And you just might like it. I did. Price $5.99.
Tags:2015, bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon, chateau poyanne, merlot, price, red wine, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 3 Comments »
04/23/2017
April 23, 2017
A fruity aroma escaped the bottle on first opening which quickly disappeared for good. This is a mildly dry and earthy Malbec from Argentina similar to the other two Malbecs (Gestos, Amancay) recently reviewed. Red wines generally need a few years to reach their peaks. As a 2016 vintage, this is a red wine which has most likely not peaked. But as a $5 wine, does anyone much care?
For me, this is an everyday table wine meant to be consumed with food. The wine has a fairly strong flavor profile making paring with; red meats, strong cheeses, hearty sauces and of course pizza, obvious choices. A burrito Jalisco and Jimmy John’s #5 worked well for me on separate days.
Alone, this is still a drinkable wine with sometimes a bit of a bad aftertaste that may make one wish they had spent another dollar or two for a better wine. But still, this is not bad for the price and I’ve easily had worse. Price $4.99
Tags:2016, aldi, argentina, malbec, price, review, reviews, sayanca, wine
Posted in ALDI, Wine | Leave a Comment »
04/09/2017
April 9, 2017
The gimmick for this wine is the grapes grown at two different altitudes. That’s how it gets its name and label. The wine consists of 50% grapes grown at 1100 meters and 50% grapes grown at 700 meters. The idea is that each altitude (and environment) adds different characteristics to the grapes and ultimately the wine. And how does that work?
This wine is very similar to the Amancay Malbec reviewed last week. Both come from the Mendoza region of Argentina. The aroma is strong and earthy in the glass. The wine is dry and earthy in the mouth. The color is deep purple. There may be a bit more body and a bit less dryness than the Amancay. This would be a more interesting wine than the Amancay if not for a somewhat harsh aftertaste. Price $8.99.
Tags:2014, argentina, malbec, price, red wine, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 1 Comment »
03/31/2017
March 31, 2017
This Malbec from the Uco Valley of Argentina has a deep purple color in the glass with a mild fruity aroma. On the first glass there’s a bit of alcohol burn in the nose and the back of the throat. In the mouth there’s a dry watery feel. The dryness is not overpowering, but definitely there on the roof of the mouth. For those who don’t mind a dry red wine, this is a reasonably good wine for the price. The simple but elegant label is a bonus. Price $6.99.
Tags:2014, argentina, malbec, price, red wine, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 3 Comments »
03/11/2017
March 11, 2017
A medium red color yields a slight earthy aroma in the glass. After that, there’s not much else. In the mouth there’s a little alcohol burn and a hint of cherry. There may be a stray tannin or two which accounts for the earthy taste and mouth feel. There’s nothing bad or offensive in the taste. This is a simple $5 wine. The price sets the expectation for what’s in the bottle. It’s entirely drinkable, but probably best with food as there’s not much to savor by itself. While there’s nothing special about this wine, at the same time it’s still equal or better than some $10 wines at mass merchandisers. Price $4.99
Tags:aldi, Borelli, igt, nero d'avola, price, red blend, review, reviews, wine
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02/23/2017
February 23, 2017
There’s not much on the cork. In the glass there’s a deep red to purple color and not much aroma. This is a medium-light bodied simple red wine that tastes good and is easy to drink. There are a few tannins around to give the wine a little character, but not enough to upset very many people. There are no negatives.
There’s little information on the bottle or the internet about the grapes or process used to make this wine. Since it’s a Bordeaux, we can assume most of the grapes used in this wine are Cabernet and Merlot. Most other reviews on the web give this average ratings (3.5 out of 5). It’s a fairly mild red wine and should pair well with most foods except the most delicate. I could sip this all night – regrets in the morning of course. Price $8.99.
Tags:2013, bordeaux superieur, chateau haut-sorillon, french wine, price, red wine, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
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01/31/2017
January 31, 2017
Unpretentious, that’s what a good table wine is. This is a wine which sits on the dinner table, gets passed around, doesn’t get in the way of the food, and doesn’t get in the way of the conversation. When the bottle’s empty someone grabs another bottle off the kitchen counter and the cycle repeats.
The wine has a mild earthy taste with just enough roughness around the edge to get your attention for a moment. There’s not much aroma to go along with a medium red color that makes the wine look watery. There’s not much bad about the wine. In fact it’s a nice wine. It’s just not the star of the show like some wines want to be. Good and unpretentious, that’s what a table wine should be. And for a price of $4.49 a bottle it’s easy to fill up that kitchen counter.
Tags:2015, argentina, la finca, mendoza, price, red wine, review, reviews, tempranillo, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 2 Comments »
01/25/2017
January 25, 2017
Aside from the most difficult screw cap I’ve ever encountered, this was a “sweet” wine. Well not sweet in the sweet taste sense, rather sweet as in very nice. The wine actually was slightly sweet to match the faint fruity apple flavor. The wine had a medium acidity as measured by my stomach and throat, but not enough to require medication. For me, this is one wine where a little bit of chill brings out the best qualities.
The wine comes from the Vouvray region of the Loire Valley in France. Although the bottle doesn’t specify the grape, that region is famous for the Chenin Blanc grape. That grape is likely the source of the juice that ultimately became this wine.
The wine generally gets above average reviews on the web, with some thinking it too sweet for their tastes. For me, a person who generally avoids white wines, I really liked this one. Price $7.99.
Tags:2015, chenin blanc, france, lacheteau, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, vouvray, white wine, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 6 Comments »
July 26, 2017
Ain't Found A Good Title Blog 