Arco Iris 2008 (Spain) ABV 12.5

Brian: Jammy but good. Excellent party wine. Would go great with lamb. Acai berry flavor. Undertones of exotic berries, and not overly sulfited.

Sara: Agreed--this one is jammy. But nice and subtle--medium body--very little alcohol smell (hints of berries, grapes, and possibly vanilla), and the taste is primarily berries. This one, unlike several others we have tried, could easily be imbibed on its own out on the patio on a relaxing summer evening with a friend or a significant other. At an ABV of 12.5, it is slightly less intoxicating than many other reds, and it would be tempting to drink it while playing scrabble or engaging in some such party activity that requires fairly solid control of one's mental faculties. It would also go well with various h'ors d'oeuvres and meat dishes.

At under ten dollars, this one also comes in a rather large bottle, which makes it a good bargain, especially if you plan on having guests. It's a fun wine.

Red Bicyclette, Vin de pays D'Oc ABV 13.5

I have to admit I was wary of this one--after all, if they really wanted to give a French name, they would have called it "Bicyclette Rouge"--but any wine with a picture of a bicycle on the label has my full attention, and thus it had to be sampled. Overall, my impression is that it could be a suitable wine to be paired with fancy assorted h'ors d'oeuvres, such as stuffed mushrooms, spinach and artichoke dip, or bruscetta (or you could go the cheap route we had it with Wheat thins and processed cheese spread), but nothing about it, as Brian and I agreed, was sufficiently entertaining to make a wine to be enjoyed simply on its own.

Tasting notes:

Color

Sara: Hint of orange, red, clear, crisp

Brian: transparent, ruby (orange zest)

Nose

Sara: alcohol, berries, sweet

Brian: light, mellow, young

Taste

Sara: Berries, strong aftertaste, tannins, slightly sour note, and I swear, even though they don't admit it on the label, there is a hint of mushroom--Overall, the confusing lack of balance in the flavors results in a score of 3.0 from me.

Brian: extremely light body--which uses tannins to achieve its flavor--just not much "fruit" apparent in this wine--this fairly dry wine--strange, you'd think a bit of residual sugar might pull out some fruit flavors, but the wine would probably be annoying at that point.

!Not enough body!--it's like the light-beer of wines! Crisp, clear, but not very entertaining. 2.5 of 5

Spanish Rioha (made by Dean Domec)

This wine is great! it is a red wine, very dark (deep red garnet) in color but not cloudy, and the scent is primarily that of berries (raspberries)--an exceptionally fruity wine--slightly sweet but has enough tannins to even out the flavor. It is simply a relaxing, excellent wine to wind down with on a hot summer evening. Thank you for this one, Dean--we have enjoyed it very much!

Oak Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ABV 12.5%

This is not a bad wine, and although the bottle says otherwise (proclaiming that this beverage would go best with hearty meat dishes, which we do not disagree with), we felt that it would be best with eggplant parmesan, lasagna, or a variety of mild flavored cheeses, such as Gouda.

Color:

Brian--murky garnet

Sara--dark, purple, burgundy, slightly cloudy

Nose:

Brian--little to no nose,
Sara--tangy, fruity, grapes, prunes

Taste:

Brian--tart aftertaste, blackberry, dewberry, medium body, jammy, slightly
acid

"Serve, be merry. Good wine, but nothing extraordinary"

Sara--dry, bitter, very little sweetness [residual sugar], strong fruit--citrus

"Not something I would drink just for the sake of a relaxing glass of wine by itself (has too much "bite" to be a before-bed-while-watching-a-movie kind of drink)--I would definitely want to be eating something along with it."

Lawson Ranch 2005 Monterey Merlot*, 13.5 ABV

Notes...

On this one, we should have let it sit for around twelve hours before drinking, due to the sulfites (from stopping the fermentation).

Sara:

Color--Burgundy, blood-orange, very clear

Nose--subdued alcohol masked mainly by the smell of fruit--grap-ey, plums

Taste--Nice lingering aftertaste of fruit [the bottle mentions that these are cherry and alderberry] but some dryness. Well rounded taste--all flavors are in perfect proportion. Strong, crisp flavor like the color promises. Would go well with fish (blackened or baked and flaky).

Brian:

Yes. Yes. Excellent wine. The sort of merlot that will make all those who've watched Sideways--and been swayed into thinking merlot is NO GOOD--eat their words! It is, however, a light-bodied wine, and anyone searching for heavy-hitters might feel somewhat let down. But screw them! This wine is nice. Light, breezy, and good tasting. Very feminine. Gorgeous, actually--maybe not as refined as some may like but great and interesting nonetheless. This wine should be re-branded "Daisy Miller" Oh my! I think I have the vapors!

Pas de Rauzan Bordeaux Superieur 2005 ABV (Gironde-France) 12.5

I concluded that this wine should be accompanied by cheeses, olives, and/or bruschetta--it seems like a wine that should be paired with an appetizer or a meal. Brian concluded it was "dull," and Matthew astutely noted that it has an identity crisis ("muddled" was the term he used), exemplified by the fact that the wine is a mix of 35% merlot, 35% cabernet sauvignon, and 30% cab franc. Therefore, it is difficult to derive one overall impression of the taste. None of the flavors was "off"--it is a clean wine, but not exactly tasty.

Nose: Olives, Spicy, Oak, Alcohol, Licorice

Taste: olive aftertaste, dry, dull

Real de Aragon Garnacha 2007 (Spain) ABV 14.0

This one, although the bottle tells us it goes best with pasta, meats and cheeses, actually goes best with Sweet 'N Low, as we found when we added some to bring out the sweetness that we think the makers intended it to have.

Tasting notes:

Color: Ruby, Cranberry, Beets

Nose: Citrusy-Orange/Lemon

Taste: Cherry/Grapefruit/Blackberry

Not balanced overall--good fruit tones, yet with overpowering alcohol bite and nose. This wine is clumsy but sexy after a little artificial sweetener has been added."

Price per bottle: Under $10