Tasting - Dellatorri Moscato and Cupcake Moscato comparison

Dellatorri
Moscato
2014
$8
Chianti, Italy
Review: Absolutely delicious. Perfect sweetness, peaches, almost honey flavors. Small bubbles, very smooth.
Color: slightly yellow
Smell: pears, honey
Taste: Fizzy, sweet, honey, not very complex, pear, green, light and simple

Cupcake
Moscato D'Asti
2014
$12
Italy
Review: Cupcake Moscato is one of our favorite celebration wines! Vibrant and floral, and bursting with tropical fruit and refreshing sweetness, Cupcake Moscato can be enjoyed as an aperitif as well as a dessert.
Color: Slightly yellow, more bubbly than the Dellatorri
Smell: Apples, citrus
Taste: sweet, bubby, honey, more complex, apply

Personal rating: The Cupcake is more complex and has a wider variety of fruit flavors. In general, the Cupcake tastes much better than the Dellatorri. The Dellatorri is also sweet, but has a very plain and almost watered down taste. It does not have much body to it.

Tasting - Gallo Family Vineyards White Zinfandel

Gallo Family Vineyards
White Zinfandel
$2
California
Review: This White Zinfandel combines energising refreshment with radiant fruit scents of fresh strawberry and traits of white peach. A medium-bodied wine with a gorgeous, jewel-like color, the wine has fruit flavors of dried cranberry, watermelon and fresh cherry.
Color: pink
Smell: Couldn't smell much
Taste: sweet, cranberries, sweet fruit juice
Personal rating: Very good!

Tasting - Gallo Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

Gallo Family Vineyards
Cabernet Sauvignon
$2
California
Review: This full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon demonstrates satisfying flavors of blackberry and black currant. The fruit is well adjusted by just the right amount of oak for a glossy mouth feel. The black fruit and spice complement the robust ambience of roasted and grilled meats or game, bold cheeses, and dark chocolate.
Color: Grape juice color
Smell: Blackberry, cherryish, grapey
Taste: Medium amount of oak flavor, dry, cherryish, smooth
Personal rating: Not one of my favorites.

Tasting - Gallow Family Vineyards Pinot Noir

Gallo Family Vineyards
Pinot Noir
$2
California
Review: This Pinot Noir is a well rounded red with hints of cherries and honeyed fruit. The wine balances flavors of sweet and spicy giving it a velvety but light finish. Since there is a subtle earthy note it pairs very well with more meaty type fish like Salmon, Tuna and Monkfish as well as mushrooms, chicken and pork.
Color: Deep cherry red
Smell: Blackberry, oakey, little spice
Taste: Slightly oakey, hot on end palate, starts with a mixed berry taste
Personal rating: This is a good wine that I would like better if it didn't end with the heat.

Tasting - Camino del Peregrino Albarino

Camino del Peregrino
Albarino
Spain
2015
$10
Review: 90 points. It has delicate pear fruit flavors, with elements approaching apricot and a wonderfully lemony tension. It is long and dry and lingering. All in all, you'd say on first sip, seared scallops or swordfish that's seen seconds under the grill.
Color: Light yellowish gold
Smell: pear and apple, citrus
Taste: citrus, light, refreshing, buttery at the end
Personal rating: Very good! An easy wine to pick up and drink. It is very light and not very hot.

Tasting - Opici Vino Bianco

Opici
Vino Bianco
 Italy
$15
Review: Opici's Vino Bianco comes in a gorgeous fish shaped bottle, with scale detail and all in teh glass. I'm thoroughly impressed by the packaging at first sight. This wine comes from Italy, made with the Garganega grape with 12.5% alcohol. It is reminiscent of pinot grigio, though it ends up more like green apples, and the green part of the cantaloupe. It reaches the nose with white florals, pineapples and apricots (stone fruit). This wine has overtones of grapefruit that become more prominent as it opens in the glass. While this wine isn't necessarily a knockout, it is absolutely perfect for sitting by the lake in the summer, catching real fish, or just relaxing.
Color: yellow tinge
Smell: grape juicey; pear
Taste: dry, bite/spice, apple, pear, rough
Personal rating: This was definitely not a favorite of mine. This was probably actually meant more as a cooking wine. We bought it for the bottle mostly.

Tasting - Rapidan River Peach

Rapidan River
Peach flavored white wine
$15
Virginia
Review: This viscose attack is slightly sharp with a hint of green apple under the more dominant peach overtones. The cascading midpalate is dominated by baked yellow peaches with a suggestion of apricots and banana. The finish is clean with minor flavors of orange blossoms lingering.
Color: clear, slightly yellow
Smell: peach, pear, little spice, cat pee
Taste: peach, little bite, little pear, smooth
Personal rating: This wine is good. It doesn't last very long before it starts tasting terrible.

Tasting - Famiglia Castellani: Chianti Classico

Famiglia Castellani

Chianti Classico

Tascani, Italy

2010

$20

Rating: 91pts. Intense and characteristic bouquet, earthy, with wild berries and under wood notes. Harmonious, dry, savory, strong, and persistent.

Color: deep red

Smell: sharp, spicey

Taste: strong bite, little smokey

Personal rating: not a huge fan - has that classic red wine taste that I don't really like. Hard to swallow.

Tasting - Gnarly Head Merlot

Gnarly Head
Merlot
California
2013
$10
Winemaker's Notes: This Merlot has lush, velvety tannins and rich fruit, with aromas and flavors of black currant, black cherry, and blackberry with ripe plum, sweet herbs and a hint of spice. Don't be shy, Gnarly Merlot is bold enough to pair with hearty dishes, try with piping hot pizza, pork loin, porterhouse steak and roasted vegetables.
Color: Deep, dark red
Smell: spice, cherry, oak
Taste: Very oaky, spicey, smokey, blackberry, not smooth - has a bite
Personal rating: would be a good dinner wine, really like this one.

Tasting - Once Upon a Vine Lost Slipper Sauvignon Blanc

Once Upon a Vine
Lost Slipper Sauvignon Blanc
2011
California
$11.97
Vivino review: Interesting. Sweet flavours of peach and other stone fruit but still predominantly dry.
Color: silver-yellow tinge
Smell: spice, pear, apple
Taste: bite, apple, smooth, citrus, acidic
Personal rating: This wine was good, but it was not a favorite of mine.

Tasting - Dona Sol Shiraz, Petite Syrah, and Symphony

Dona Sol
Shiraz, Petite Syrah, and Symphony
California, USA
$6.95
Shop review: Shiraz has a unique jammy fruit character that is well represented in the Sweet Red. Both on the nose and on the palate, jammy fruit, like strawberries, cherry pie and red licorice, entices the sense and pair well with cheeses and desserts.
Color: mid-deep red
Smell: mixed berry
Taste: a little oak, very sweet!, mixed berry, blueberry
*Tried with a Chinese donut a few nights later: The sweetness of the donut completely took away the sweetness of the wine and made it dryer and a little more acidic tasting. The tannins came out more with the sweet food.
Personal rating: Very good! Sweet and oakey makes a good combination.

Tasting - Velvet Crush Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah

Velvet Crush
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah
California, USA
2012
$6.95
Shop review: Velvety smooth texture just like its name. Soft tannins and lush dark fruit character. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah bring backbone and character, while the Merlot balances out the blend for a soft, smooth texture.
Color:  very deep red
Smell: deep cherry, musty, rubbing alcohol, strawberry
Taste: oakey, little vanilla, little bit of spice, bitter
Personal rating: There are no real fruit flavors coming through. Its a very tannin/bitter wine. I'm not a huge fan.

Tasting - Grand Cru Pinot Noir

Grand Cru
Pinot Noir
California, USA
2013
$6.95
Shop review: This ruby-colored wine has aromas of raspberry, cherry and a hint of vanilla. Flavors of cherry and plum lead to a soft velvety finish. This wine can be enjoyed by itself. It is also an excellent accompaniment with Brie, goat cheese and smoked salmon. Lamb shanks and pork tenderloin are a favorite main dishes to pair with this wine.
Color: cherry color
Smell: cherry, blackberry, vanilla
Taste: smokey, blackberry, a little acidic, spice lingers, light
Personal rating: Good for a red wine

Tasting - Prime Brume Garganega

Prime Brume
Garganega
Soave, Italy
2014
$6.95
Tasting.com review - 91 points. Pale color. Fruity, floral minerally inviting aromas of passion fruit, white grapefruit, spice poached pear, and papya with a lean, racy, bone-dry medium body and a smooth, complex, long lemon, passion fruit, raw hazelnut, and wet stones finish with no tannins and light oak. From the tantalizing nose full of exotic fruit, citrus and minerality thru the long, crisp finish, this soave can seamlessly go from cocktail hour thru to vibrantly flavored dishes.
Color: yellow
Smell: very peary with a little bit of citrus
Taste: smooth at first, has a side tongue tinge, little oaky
Personal rating: Very good. I enjoyed this wine

Tasting - Quitas Malgaco Blue Vinho Verde

Quintas Megaco Blue
Vinho Verde
Vinho Verde, Portugal
2013
$5.95
Shop review: Refreshingly crisp white wine from Portugal--Vinho Verde is soft, light and refreshing, and is an uncompromising and ideal wine for everyday pleasure. Its bright color and pineapple aromas are followed by citrus notes. The palate is clean and fresh. Vinho Verde is an excellent accompaniment to fish and shell fish, white meats and salads.
Color: yellow
Smell: citrus, apple
Taste: initially acid, smooths out, apple, citrus
Personal rating: Good. The smooth finish saves this wine for me. The introduction to the smooth apple and citrus after the initial acid rounds it out.