Chateau Ste Michelle Sweet Riesling

Chateau Ste Michelle

Harvest Select Sweet Riesling

2011

Harris Teeter

$9.99

Rieslings were the first wine I was passionate about.  It's a great beginner wine and comes in many varieties to fit all tastes.  You really can't go wrong with a Riesling most of the time.  It was my family's go to for picnics and cookouts on warm days.

In my quest to try different wines, Rieslings fell on the back burner.  While waiting for a prescription to be filled at Harris Teeter, this bottle caught my eye.  With it's dark bottle and golden label that reminded me of the color of late harvest dessert wines... I had to have it.  

The wine is a nice light transparent gold yellow.  There's a lot of peaches and fruit on the nose; a very typical Riesling scent and you can catch a hint of honey-like sweetness.

On the first sip, you almost sit back and wonder if this wine is carbonated.  It really tingles and dances on your tongue.  I take another sip and another with the same experience every time.

It is sweet, but not cloying like other dessert wines I've had.  The acidity helps balance it out to where you don't feel like you're drinking simple syrup, and there's a slight mineral profile that gives it a little bite.  The scent of peaches translates well into the flavor and again you get a smooth finish that is reminiscent of honey.

It might be too sweet to go with a heavy meal, but would be perfect with something light, or for afterwards on its own or with dessert.  I've spent a lot more than $9.99 on wines with a similar taste profile and I feel that you get a good value for the price paid with this product.

SCORE: 7/10

Oak Leaf Chardonnay

Oak Leaf Chardonnay

Walmart

$2.97

When I first started my foray into the budget wine scene, my initial goal was to find the cheapest wine possible. The apparent winner was Walmart's Oak Leaf line at a stunning $2.97.  $3 for a bottle of wine?  What's the worst that could happen?    

In the glass, it's your typical chardonnay with its standard light golden color.  The wine has some fruit on the nose, mostly peaches and apples.  I found it difficult to pick out anything more specific because of a noticeable scent of alcohol. 

On the first sips, there is the taste of apples and a bite of alcohol that kind of overshadows anything else.  The end is typical of a chardonnay, smoothing out into something more mellow.  The finish is short and nearly non existent, but not entirely unpleasant.  I forgot what I just sipped and have to take another to remind myself.  It does have a slight oak flavor to it, but it's nothing spectacular.

This honestly isn't the worst chardonnay I've tasted (I'm looking at you, Most Recent Bottle Of Barefoot).  Drink it in one sitting if you can.  I tried saving mine for later consumption and the flavor just turned sharp and sour.

If you're on a very tight budget, but still want to drink a glass of of wine with dinner every now and then, no harm in picking this up.  And if you find that it isn't for you... hell, it's only $3.  People spend more than that on parking around here.

SCORE: 5/10

Kirkland Signature 2011 Pinot Grigio

My parents take full credit for introducing me to wine.  While other young adults my age were out drinking PBR and Budweiser at college parties, I was sitting on the screened in porch with them, sipping on white zinfandel.  

So the other day, I told my mom and dad about my recent interest in starting a wine blog, and they were more than happy to help contribute with some selections from their wine cellar... er, um basement...

Kirkland Signature Pinot Grigio

Costco

$7.99 (or so I'm told)

Now I was fairly unfamiliar with what an Italian Pinot Grigio is supposed to taste like.  This wine gave me a pretty good lesson in the basics.

The wine is very pale, almost to the point of being completely clear.  There was a lot of citrus on the nose with hints of green apple.  The taste was very light and crisp with flavors of pineapple, peaches, and distinct mineral undertones.  While I couldn't begin to explain what 'minerals' taste like, it's unmistakable in this Pinot Grigio.  The acidity is noticeable but it's well balanced.  The finish was soft and lingering.  We drank this with a meal of grilled garlic basil pork chops and the flavor of the meat kind of overwhelmed the wine.  

This wine is not very complex but it's not bad.  It's just... very average.  I wouldn't whip this out if you want to impress your friends.  It's a wine that everyone can enjoy but not everyone will remember.  I probably would choose something else over this if given a choice.

SCORE: 5/10