Sebeka - Cabernet/Pinotage

Price: $9.99
Region: South Africa
Year: 2007

This week I happened to be in one of my less favorite wine stores, and I must say it is mostly because of the price, but nonetheless it was convenient. So, I would say you could easily buy this wine for around $7.99 at stores that have more competitive pricing, but for now we'll go with what I paid. When I walked into the store, I just made the decision I was going to find a wine from South Africa this week. I have worked with some colleagues from South Africa for quite some time now, and on a visit a few years back, one brought me over a couple of very nice bottles of wine. So, every once in a while I see if I can find something that matches up. So far, very few have, but it could very well be the price point I keep sticking to. Anyway, this one looked different, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I can't really say I know exactly what a wine made from the Pinotage grape should taste like, but based on the brief write-up on the label, it seemed like I wasn't going too far out on a limb. Things started off well enough. The wine had a very nice bold color to it when I poured my first glass. I would say it was more a dark purple, then dark red, but either way, I was impressed. The smell on the other hand, was not quite as bold. It was pleasant enough, with what I would say was a hint of floral background, but in general it was a little weaker then I anticipated. As always, the important piece was the flavor. Based on a plus, and a minus so far, I really didn't know what to expect. Unfortunately, it definitely didn't "wow" me. My first impression was that it had a bit of an odd tasting bite at the onset, but then that went away quickly. It didn't have great length, and wasn't what I usually expect from a California Cabernet.

I would say overall, it wasn't horrible, but nothing I'm going to rush out and buy again. Interestingly enough, the 2nd glass I enjoyed more then the first. It may have been that the bite I epxerienced with the first glass was not as noticeable with subsequent glasses. I also saved a couple of glasses for another day, and also thought it wasn't too bad a couple of days later. Again, nothing to write home about, but if it sticks out on the shelf someday, might consider giving it a try.

Rating: 2.25 Corks (When you run out of others to try)

L de Lyeth - Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $10.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

Nothing too exciting for dinner, but somehow just decided that I was in the mood to try a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Sometime I go into the wine store looking for a wine from a particular country, and other times it is a specific variety. Most times I do it just to make my search for a new bottle a little less time consuming, although this time it didn't seem to work very well. I must have looked at a dozen different bottles of Cabernet that I hadn't tried before, and I just couldn't make up my mind. Anyway, I settled for this bottle of L de Lyeth, and I can't exactly say why. Maybe it was the interesting name, who knows.

Nothing too out of the ordinary for dinner, just something from the Italian eatery we seems to hit every other week. So, I sat down and poured a glass. As I would have expected from a Cab, the color was deep and rich. Sort of a dark purple with a hint of red. When I took a smell, I was pleasantly surprised. It had a very nice aroma. Actually, I decided to give it a couple more twirls because I really found it appealing. So far so good with this one. I took my first sip, and I quickly noitced that it was very smooth, with a slightly subdued taste. It was not overly bold for a Cabernet, but it was by no means bad. So, the inital flavor was good, overall it was very smooth, but it did not have great length, or that type of taste that lets you know you just tasted a Cabernet Sauvignon. I think I will put it on the list of wines to give another try some day.

Rating: 2.75 Corks (More good then bad)

Shoofly - Shiraz

Price: $9.99
Region: Australia
Year: 2005

This was not a typical take-out and wine Friday evening. Every so often we take the kids to my sister's for the weekend, so they can spend some time with their cousin, and Aunt and Uncle. We were planning on a night out with some friends on Saturday, so it seemed like a good weekend for that. On the way home from dropping them off, I stop at my favorite wine store with the knowledge that I was picking up sushi for dinner. Without a doubt, it is hard to top sushi and wine in my book. Usually I would buy a more expensive bottle to enjoy during a quiet dinner like this, but I wanted to stick with my original plan, which was a review a week for a bottle under $15. Therefore, I went to the aisle that usually never lets me down, and that was the Shiraz aisle. I had this wine on my list to try for quite a while, so I thought there was no time like the present.

After getting home, and setting out our sushi dinner, I poured a glass, and my first impression was wow! I do not think it could be any deeper, or darker red. It looks just like the bottle in this picture, almost black. The wine just looked smooth from the get go. When I brought the wine up to take a sniff, I was almost equally impressed. Now, I will always admit I love the smell of Shiraz to begin with, smooth with a hint of spiciness, and this one did not disappoint. At this point, I was very much looking forward to taking a sip, but was just hoping it was even close to the expectation I had now set based on the sight, and smell. I did this all while still knowing I only paid ten dollars for this bottle of wine. So, when I took a sip, I knew I had found a very good wine. it was smooth, with an excellent flavor, and great length. It hung around just enough to entice another sip. I usually don't use this next word because it is part of what I have always found confusing, but one word that did come to mind was structure. This wine, from the beginning to end, was just well structured, and very much worth the price. I will definitely add this one to the list.

Rating: 3.75 Corks (A $10 gem)

Avalon - Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $9.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

I'm a bit behind, so I have a couple of weeks of reviews to catch-up on. Sometimes life gets in the way. Not unlike many weekends, I was picking up take-out at one of the two Italian eateries we frequent on Friday evenings. This particular one has a wine and beer store right next store. It isn't my favorite place, but it isn't too bad, and is very convenient. Anyway, I wasn't looking for anything in particular this week, just something I hadn't tried before. I actually walked around for longer then normal because I just couldn't make up my mind. After a couple of times around, I finally decided to try a Cabernet I have never seen before, but at $10, wasn't too much of a gamble.

On Fridays in Lent, I usually try to remember not to eat meat, so I actually ordered an eggplant parmigiana sandwich, and stole a piece of two on my son's pizza. Again, not necessarily what I would buy a Cabernet Sauvignon for, but that's just how it played out. So, I poured a glass, and sat down ready to eat dinner. My first impression was that there was a hint of "clearness" to the wine. It wasn't as deep dark red as I would usually picture a Cabernet, but still had a nice color to it. When I went to have a smell, again, it was a little on the soft side. It wasn't bold at all, but not unpleasant. So, when I went to take my first sip, it was generally well balanced with no bite or aftertaste, but just a little thin. All the way around, the wine was pretty good, just didn't stand out liek many Cabernets tend to do. I will say though, as I ate my dinner, and pured another glass, it grew on me a bit. This is the case of the 2nd glass pull up the score just a touch.

Rating: 2.75 Corks (Nothing great, but a solid buy)

Black Box - Shiraz

Price: $17.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

I wanted to sit down and write this last week, but just didn't get around to it. This was an odd week for a couple of reasons. The main reason was that my wife was traveling to a conference in Texas, so I knew my schedule would be a touch out of whack. Since she was away from Tues - Sunday, I was thinking I might not make it to the wine store on Friday night, so I needed somethign that would last. Plus, I was thinking there might be a day or two where a glass of wine to end the night wouldn't be such as bad thing. My usual mode of operation is to only drink on the weekends, but again, this wasn't a normal week. Anyway, I decided a box of wine might not be a bad idea. Whenever I think of box wine, I almost always go right to Black Box Merlot, and as you can see from my top 5 list, there is a reason why. Since my goal is to try somethign different each week, I decided to try a different variety, which I hadn't before this week. Now that I think about it, it is kind of surprising because of how much I like the Black Box Merlot, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

Not surprising I'm sure, is the fact I went right to the Black Box Shiraz. One, I had never tried it, and two, for the equivalent of 3 bottles of wine, who can beat $18. For those that are math challenged, that's only $6 a bottle. Pretty impressive. Anyway, when I pushed the little valve, and poured my first glass, it was exactly as I expected, a deep dark red, almost purple. A very nice, deep color. Them when i took a smell, I knew this was going to be a good purchase. Nothing out of the ordinary, but very bold aroma, which is exactly what I love about a good Shriaz. So, when I swirled the glass, and took my first sip, I was again thoroughly impressed. This wine had a very smooth taste, with great length, but no aftertaste. it was just a very enjoyable galss of wine. And the best thing about it is that it last for a good long while. After a couple of glasses, I just put it in the basement, and the next time I poured a glass, it was the same quality as the first glass. i do not want to over emphasize this wine, as it is still a $6 bottle of wine, but for the price, I find it very hard to complain. This is the second Black Box wine that I have tasted, and while I still like the Merlot a little better (which is ood for me to say), this still a very good wine for the price.

Rating: 3.75 corks (A tie for a top 5, but just misses the list - Great buy)

Gabbiano - Chianti

Price: $9.99
Region: Italy
Year: 2006

I have a couple of wines to review from this past weekend, but I'm going to start with the first one I tried. Nothing too special about this Friday evening, just grabbing my wife's new favorite pizza from a relatively new Italian restaurant nearby. This particular pizza has chicken, spinach, and artichoke. Definitely a good pizza, so I decided it needed an Italian wine to go along. The store I was close to has a much smaller selection, and much higher prices then my usual store, so I was just looking for something I hadn't tried before that was around $10. Low and behold, I saw a Chianti that fit the bill, so I decided to give it a try.

I have not had a whole of of Italian wines. I have the one I usually get that is n my list of default wines, and I have also had a couple of more expensive wines around the holidays, but as you can see from what has been reviewed so far over the past 6-7 months, wines from Italy are not that common. That being said, I'm more then aware you can find many good Italian wines at a good price. I was hoping this would be the case here. My first impression when taking a look at my glass of wine, was that it had a very nice ruby red color. Definitely not a dark Cabernet, or Shiraz, but very vibrant. When I lifted the glass up to take a smell, I could tell it was going to stand out. It was very fruity, but definitely not overpowering. Just a really pleasant, fruity smell. So far so good. Now, for the important part. I took a sip, and was a touch disappointed. It was definitely not bad, but there was something about the taste that just didn't make it stand out. I was thinking based on the great smell, that the taste would be equally as good, but it was just OK. I hate to say middle of the road, because I just don't have a whole lot of Italian wines to compare it too, but definitely not on par with my Italian defaut wine. Definitely not a bad "pizza on a Friday night wine", but nothing to write home about either..

Rating: 2.75 Corks ( Pretty good)

Red Diamond - Merlot

Price: $9.99
Region: Washington
Year: 2005

OK, I'm trying something a little different this week. Usually I have some wine over the weekend, take some notes, and then sit down later in the week to write the review. Well, it just so happens I have a little free time now, so I decided to write the review at the same time I am trying the wine. I have a glass of Red Diamond Merlot sitting here at my desk, so here goes.

First impression based on the color is pretty good. A nice deep red color, but also a little soft, which I would expect for a Merlot. Now, just gave the glass a few twirls, and gave it a sniff, and again very nice. I'm admittedly not the best a pinpointing specific smells, but it is very appealing, and definitely not too strong, and not too weak. I would say it almost has a floral aroma. Another point to make here before giving my impression of the taste, and overall rating, is that often times I come back to my notes to make a slight adjustment a glass or two later. Obviously that won't be the case here, so this is just my first impression, which will end up driving the overall review. In addition, Merlot is not usually my wine of choice. I have a couple that I really enjoy like Bogle, Blackstone, and Columbia Crest (one of which might finally be #5 on my default list), but generally I stray towards Cabs, and Shiraz. Anyway, the taste of this wine is very good. Definitely not too weak, so it holds up well, with a nice finish, but no aftertaste. Again, hard for me to rate many Merlots really high just because of personal preference, but it definitely stands up with the others that I mentioned above.

Rating: 3.0 Better the avgerage, and definitely worth a try