Tasting - Las Flechas de San Martin Grenache

Las Flechas de San Martin Grenache

The wine I had was a 2019 Grenache from Las Flechas De San Martin. It's made from Grenache grapes from the Navarra region of Spain. It was around $12 from the Vintage Cellar. 

From Wine Folly:

"The Northern Spanish Region... produce fantastic fruit-forward, high alcohol styles of Granacha with punchy red fruit flavors and subtle notes of pink grapefruit and hibiscus flavors" (Page 118). 

From Vivino: 

"I like this red- dark fruits in nose- medium bodied- mouth- blackberries; black cherry; ripe plums; hint of spices- simple honest drinkable- it works"

"Great value, great taste. Lots of crisp red fruit: cherry, strawberry, just a hint of raspberry. Good spice notes, with a splash of pepper and cinnamon. Smooth finish." 

I opened this wine up for a movie night after I realized my last bottle had spoiled, so I thought this one was quite good! It was very tannic, drying out your mouth, but the plum flavors came out quite a bit along with the blackberries. I didn't have it with food, but I don't think that it needed food and was quite a good drinking wine. It was a little intense, but everything was well balanced so it wasn't a bad red to have. I think the label was so cute, so I would definitely try another one of their wines. 

 

Tasting - Stella Rose Moscato D'Asti

Stella Rose Moscato D'Asti

I had a 2023 Stella Rose Moscato that was on sale at Kroger for $11.99 (a steal in my opinion!) and it has made entirely of Muscat Canelli grapes from the region of Asti in Piedmont, Italy. 

From Wine Folly:

"A very delicate and lightly sparkling Muscat Blanc from the Asti region in Piedmont, Italy. Moscato d'Asti has one of the lowest alcohol levels of all wines (at around 5.5% ABV), reserving the grape sugars for sweetness in this highly aromatic white wine" (Page 139).

From Wine and Words: 

"Taste: Ok well, I will say that the Stella Pink is tasty, but for me, I just couldn’t really enjoy the different flavors as much because of the sweetness. I couldn’t pick up any complexities in this wine and was a lot like drinking soda. It also tasted like liquified carbonated cotton candy. Consequently, this wine is a meager 5% ABV.

Overall I’m almost certain that my ‘sweet peeps’ will love it; in addition to the fact that it’s also perfect for my lite drinkers, as this wine is low in alcohol"

My Personal Review:

The wine was soooo good. I indulged in it before going downtown, and it was a really fun wine to drink and enjoy with friends! It was sweet and wasn't too alcoholic, but I thought it was balanced on it's own without food. It wasn't even chilled, and it was still enjoyable to drink. The flavors were fruity and fresh,  and I would definitely drink this again! 

 

Tasting - Sterling Meritage

Sterling Meritage

After a wine tasting at the Vintage Cellar, some friends and I asked if Randy could make us a mystery bag of wine for fun! We asked for 4 wines to total around $40-$60, and when we got back to someone's house, we decided to open this wine first and try it! It's a Sterling Vintner's Meritage from Napa Valley, California. It was a 2022, and since it's a Meritage, it has Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Petit Verdot grapes in it. It was around $11. 

From Wine Folly:

It had flavors of "Black Cherry, Black Current, Blackberry", it was "more acidic and had rustic tannins" (Page 89) from the Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine did also have "bold fruity flavors and [a] smooth chocolatey finish" (Page 125) from the Malbec. 

From the Wine Enthusiast:

"This Merlot-based blend tastes fruity, lightly oaked and full of jammy, appealing flavors. It is medium to full bodied, very smooth in texture and shows very little tannin. — Jim Gordon"

From Musings on the Vine:

"Lively, jammy nose with fresh cherry, red berry and explosive floral hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity and soft, supple tannin – good balance. Dark fruit core with loads of black cherry, blackberry jam and tarry, chocolate notes – very juicy. Moderate length with a smooth, simple, infinitely quaffable finish. Drinking well – not for aging… at all. Great value, at the marked down price, less so at its full retail price."

My Personal Review:

For a red wine, I actually enjoyed this! I fear that I'm starting to enjoy reds now, even by themselves... It is a little heavy on the tannins as it does dry out your tongue quite a bit but it is fairly balanced and not too alcoholic. I drank a glass by itself and it was pretty good but if I ate meat and had this with a meal, this would be so good! There were fruity berry notes in it that I enjoyed, but I'm not good at this wine tasting thing yet, where I can taste subtle flavors or secondary notes. I mainly just taste sugar, alcohol, and 1 or 2 flavors. 

 

Tasting - The Collection Prosecco Rosé

The Collection Prosecco 

I drank The Collection Prosecco Sparkling Rosé, a demi bottle gifted to me by my friend for my birthday! The grape variety is Glera, and it comes from Italy. 

From Wine Folly:

Prosecco "has flavors of green apple, honeydew, pear, lager, and cream." (Page 155). The Rose added "bright acidity and crunchy bitterness to help liven the blend" (Page 157).

From Vivino :

"What a luscious wine, reminiscent of falling in love in the summertime (currently missing summer desperately). It fills your mouth with the flavors of strawberry, cherry, and lemon rind. It is on the sweeter side but certain to be a crowd-pleaser at the next picnic!"

My Personal Review:

This wine wasn't really that great, in my opinion. I drank it by itself, so it was a little alcoholic on its own and didn't have any strong taste that I could distinguish. By a little alcoholic, I mean that it was really strong and not that sweet or tart, just alcohol. It was pretty crisp, but I would not say it was balanced. I was happy that it was a little demi and not a whole bottle because I would not have been able to drink it all. 

Tasting - Risata Moscato d'Asti

Risata Moscato d'Asti

The wine I had was Moscato d'Asti from Risata. The product is from Asti in the Piedmont region in Italy, and the vintage year was 2023. It was $16, and the varietal is 100% Moscato Bianco di Canelli. 

From Wine Folly:

"A very delicate and lightly sparkling Muscat Blanc from the Asti region in Piedmont, Italy. Moscato d'Asti has one of the lowest alcohol levels of all wines (at around 5.5% ABV), reserving the grape sugars for sweetness in this highly aromatic white wine" (Page 139).

From Vivante:

"Lovely, smooth, pretty sweet (but not overpowering, just enough to make you take notice and feel a little guilty about it), and can definitely pick up on the peach, apple, apricot, honey and ginger notes. Subtly blended for an overall satisfactory taste, and I sipped it right down." 

"Pronounced white blossom, orange blossom, orange, peach, jasmine, apricot. Sweet, high acidity, leads to med plus finish. Very well balanced between sweetness and acidity." 

My Personal Review: 

The wine was great! I'm a classic wine intro drinker who likes wines that are lighter on alcohol and have more sweet and fruity flavors. It didn't have a harsh bitter taste at the end and was great on its own. It was pretty balanced and there was nothing overpowering about the Moscato. It wasn't too sweet and wasn't heavy on the alcohol or acids so everything was pretty mild. I could see this tasting well with a lighter salad or something nice and fresh so I'll try that next time! 

 

Tasting - Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc

The wine that I drank was the 2023 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, which came from Marlborough, New Zealand. It was 12.99 from Target! 

From Wine Folly:

The "strong herbaceous flavors" (Page 165) and the "Jasmine" (Page 165) were coming out when I tried it, and as I was drinking it, I could taste the "touch of residual sugar" that is there to "counterbalance the high acidity" (Page 166). 

From The Wine Enthusiast: 

"A comparatively rich nose of white grapefruit rind, dried herbs and a pungent grassy greenness leads to a slippery textured palate that's buoyed by crisp acidity." 

My Personal Review:

This was so good! I had it with a meal, and it was shrimp scampi! I did a little bit of research into what went well with shrimp scampi and found that Sauvignon Blanc was good with seafood, so I bought it. Not only did I have it with the meal, but I also used it in the cooking for the sauce. I would definitely rebuy this if I needed a reliable wine with a light seafood meal. I could taste the crisp notes of fruit and flowers, and the scent was so fragrant. It was a fine wine as a drinking wine, but it performed well when you had it with food. It toned down the acidity just a little bit, and it was just a really pleasant experience to drink it.

Tasting - Yes Way Rosé

Yes Way Rose Tasting

I had the Yes Way Rosé still Rosé. It comes from the Mediterrane region in France. It was $15.99. The variety of the grape was Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Caladoc, and the vintage year was 2023. 

From Wine Folly: 

They note that the Grenache variety from France is very "herbal and floral flavors" (Page 118). Which was pretty accurate to the wine that I was drinking. Cinsault is also used as a blending wine and they are "just as floral as they are fruity" (Page 100). 

From Vivino:

"This soft caramel- and red fruit-flavored wine is just lightly crisp at the end. It has an attractive juicy strawberry flavor, cut by just the right amount of acidity. Drink now."

My Personal Review: 

To me, this was awful. It was horribly balanced, with too much alcohol. I did not taste any flavor other than alcohol. There was supposed to be strawberry but I could barely taste it. Could have done well with a meal that needed to be cut through with the wine but I just had it by itself and I did not enjoy it. I might try it again because, with the reviews I'm seeing, I might have just gotten a bad bottle and may need to get a different bottle.