2005 Chateau D'Orschwihr Pinot Blanc Bollenberg Review

This is a pinot blanc from Alsace, France. I can't remember the last time I reviewed a white wine. I admit it, I have a bias towards white wines, but I've started drinking more whites lately and I was wrong to have a prejudice. This is an average off dry wine with hints of peach and apricot with a lemon nose. The acidity was average, alcohol level was average, the structure was average. Very light and easy to enjoy, this wine will not blow you away, but it's a good introduction to Alsace wines or for the novice wine drinker who likes dry whites. For about $15 you can do a lot better and a lot worse.

3 out 5 Corks.

2005 Paternoster Synthesi Aglianico Del Vulture Review

The grape used for this Italian wine is aglianico. I'm sure I'm like a lot of you who shook their head when you heard that too. This is a very old grape; some say this grape was cultivated before the foundation of Rome. Also, these grapes ripen very late so these are usually the last grapes picked off the vines. The wine was has a dark ruby colour with a fruity bouquet on the noise. The soft tannins and good structure (aged in oak for about 8 months) make it very approachable for people who like softer reds such as pinot noirs. When I tried this wine initally thought it was very similar to the malbec and nebbiolo grapes.

4 out of 5 Corks.

2007 The Rhone Gang Hold Up

This a very unusual blend (70% pinot noir and 30% grenache) from the Rhone Villages. There are hints of black cherry and other earth tones with a very spicy/tobacco finish. It's as if the wine makers took the spicy meaty qualities of a Southern Rhone and blended them with the incredible flavor a Burgundy. This is a wine you should totally try to seek out.

4 out of 5 Corks

2007 Montes Alpha Syrah Review

If you look at this post and the previous two posts, all the wines come from outside of the USA (Israel, Italy, and Chile). I highly recommend you explore your local wine shop and try wines from places you've tried before, you'll be surprised the differences you'll notice between the different styles of winemaking.

The bottle says it's a straight syrah, but in fact is only about 90% syrah with the remainder being cabernet and viognier. This is a superb spicy wine, which tastes a lot like a Rhone style syrah. There are hints of spicy fruits (duh) of strawberries and maybe raspberries. Also, the wine was very concentrated and a smooth finish. This is a bottle you should be on the lookout for.

4 out of 5 Corks

2007 Renzo Castella Enotecnico, Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba, Rivolia Review

This is a very fun and affordable table red wine. I recommend trying this one when you want to kick your feet up and have a good time. I had this with pasta with mushrooms and it tasted pretty good, but that may have been the case for a lot of Italian wines. The color was a dark purple, with moderate tannins full of sweet fruit. Priced at about $13 you're getting good quality for the price.

3 out of 5 Corks.

2004 Galil Mountain Yiron Review

This is my first review in a few weeks; been way to busy with work and other stuff. Anyway, on to the wine. This is an awesome sleeper from the mountainous forests of Yiron Isreal, which is considered by some, as the best winegrowing regions in Isreal. The wine opened up quickly with little aeration needed. The tannins were very soft and had a very long finish. There were hints of dark fruits, maybe wild berries or cherries. With a blend of mostly cabernet and some merlot and syrah, this bottle challenges a lot of good Bordeaux's. This is a great bottle you can have over two nights and it will still hold up.

4 out 5 Corks.

Bing Loves Porn

This is so funny I had to add this to my blog ;0)