Sofia Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Vintage: NV Purchased: Feb 24th 2007 Price: $12.99 Purchase Location: Whole Foods Categories: California - Sparkling - White

Tasting Notes:

This wine is all about the packaging. The only reason I bought it was because Kathrine really thought the little cans were cute.

I'm not a huge fan of blanc de blancs. They tend not to be fruity enough for me. This was no exception. Not much of a nose on this at all. What little fruit on the palate was mostly green apple. It was pretty tart. I appreciated the lack of sweetness, but Kathrine thought it could use a little more sugar. I also missed the yeastiness you get from something made in the champagne method.

All in all, this is drinkable. But for less money you can get a very good cava. And for the same money or just a little more, you can get a cremant, a prosecco, moscato di asti, or new world sparkler of higher quality. Unless you need something for a party or a picnic, I'd hold off on this.


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Castello Di Meleto Rosso Toscano Vintage: 2004 Purchased: Feb 24th 2007 Price: $9.99 Purchase Location: Whole Foods Categories: Italy - Red

Tasting Notes:

I can't really find out much about this wine. There is a lot of information about their chianti and premium blends, but nothing about this. I picked it up at Whole Foods, and this very likely is a blend they made especially for them.

Since it does come from Chianti, I would assume that it is primarily sangioviese. It is the right ruby red color, and has the acidity that grape is known for. On the nose, there is a faint fruitiness and minerality, but mostly a neutral smell. The first taste is all tart cherries with the acid building, there is very little in the way of tannins, just a hint as you chew it. Then on the finish it becomes slightly herbal with a taste I can only describe as cola. That's a taste I usually associate with Oregon pinot noir. In fact if I had to describe this wine I would say it tastes like a very acidic Oregon pinot.

I liked this wine a lot. It went great with the sausage cannelloni we had for Sunday dinner. If I had to wager a guess I'd say this wine is mostly sangioviese. The fruitiness probably comes from merlot. It probably has more than 20% merlot which would prevent it from being called chianti. I would also guess that it was either aged in neutral oak, or stainless steel tanks.


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Valckenberg Gewurztraminer Vintage: 2004 Purchased: Feb 24th 2007 Price: $10.99 Purchase Location: Whole Foods Categories: Germany - Gewurztraminer - White

Tasting Notes:

I'd never seen a gewurztraminer from Germany before, and since I have yet to find a domestic one that I like a whole lot, and the ones from Alsace tend to be pricey, I picked this up.

I opened it on a Saturday night to accompany a spice, pungent Thai laarb. On the nose the wine had quite a bit of floral characteristics. It unmistakably smelled like gewurztraminer. On the palate it was extremely full bodied for a white wine. It had almost an oily texture. The taste was classic gewurz, lots of litchi. It was much sweeter than Alsatian wines though. I would have preferred wither a bit more acid, or a little less sugar. The sweetness did not stick around on the finish however. At the end I got the distinct taste of cloves and nutmeg.

At this price a great wine. Especially if you prefer your whites off-dry (as Kathrine does).


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