Varietal: Pinot Gris
Region: France
Cost: $16

Light in the glass with aromas and flavors of pear and baked apple.  Pairs well with smoked salmon, Peking duck, or mushroom risotto.

Recommendations: Looking to try something new, and having a distinct lack of white wine in the house, my wife and I picked up this bottle after a Friday night tasting at one of our favorite Richmond wine shops.  The following day we had the opportunity to open it when we made some shrimp kabobs for dinner.  It was a good pairing.

The pear and apple were quite evident on the palate, along with just a hint of sweetness and effervescence on the finish.  Normally I would be hit or miss on the sweetness, but the shrimp we grilled was well seasoned and the kabobs also had peppers and onions, so there was a bit of heat to the dish – not to mention some roasted red pepper risotto as a side.

The sweetness of the wine did an excellent job of cutting through the heat of the meal and the effervescence was incredibly refreshing.  While I don’t know that I’d drink this wine every day, for a hot day on the deck or for pairing with spicy food, it’s definitely one I’ll keep on my radar when I want to change it up from my usual spicy food pairing of Viognier.

One worth checking out if you eat a lot of spicy food or if you’re looking for a deck wine as we finish up the summer.

Varietal: Chardonnay
Region: California – Sonoma County – USA
Cost: $11

Light in the glass with aromas of tropical fruit.  Flavors of pear, apple, and pineapple with a creamy finish that pairs well with cream-sauced chicken, salmon, and mild cheeses.

Recommendations: While at Costco this weekend doing our monthly shopping trip, my wife and I picked up a bottle of the Simi Chardonnay to pair with the salmon we had already grabbed earlier in the shopping trip.  The back label of the wine claimed it would pair well with salmon, and I’ve always liked Chardonnay to cut through the fat of a good piece of salmon so it sounded like a good idea.

When we cooked the salmon, we put it under the broiler with a mustard herb crust that was, at least in my opinion, quite tasty.  My wife really outdid herself on that one.  As for the wine itself – meh.  The color was nice – a light golden color, and the flavors weren’t bad, pineapple, pear, and apple with just a hint of the creamy, buttery finish that I expect from Chardonnay, and while it did a good job of cutting through the richness of the salmon, I can’t honestly say that I would buy it again.

It’s a lowest common denominator wine.  What I mean by that is that if I was having a wedding, and I had to select a red and a white to offer, this is the kind of white I would choose.  It will satisfy the largest number of people, won’t cost a lot, and will go with chicken, fish, or cream pasta.  It’s a generic wine.  It reminded me a lot of a Yellowtail Chardonnay, which is another lowest common denomination wine.

So while the wine was ok with dinner, in the end, I know I could have done better for the price point, or at least the same for a few dollars less.  Not worth picking up.

Varietal: Petite Sirah (97% Petite Sirah; 3% Petit Verdot)
Region: California – Livermore Valley – USA
Cost: $15 (SRP)

Deep red in color with aromas of fresh berry fruit and flavors of blackberries, chocolate, mocha, and plums with notes of molasses, cedarwood, and ripe mulberries complementing creak oak tones on the smooth finish.  Pairs well with barbecued chicken or lamb.

Recommendations: I don’t have a lot of experience with Petite Sirah by itself, seeing it more blended in with other wines as a small piece instead of the main attraction.  I had been sitting on this wine for a while, looking forward to it as I enjoyed the 2008 Concannon Conservancy Chardonnay a couple of months earlier, but regularly putting it off to have this or that wine with this or that meal.  Last night I finally stopped putting it off.

I specifically threw some chicken on the grill, basting it in barbecue sauce to pair with this wine, and it was a good pairing.  The flavors of plum and molasses were most noticeable to me, though I suspect that the sauce brought those flavors out more on my palate than anything and pairing the wine with something like lamb would pull out more of the other notes.

I did appreciate the smooth finish, which I’m sure the small amount of Petit Verdot had a hand in, but I do have to say that I enjoyed the wine more with food than without.  That’s not so say that I didn’t enjoy the wine after the meal was gone, but I did find that the flavors I was getting were better with food than without, but that may just be my mixed feelings on molasses to be honest.

For somebody that cooks a lot of barbecue chicken or lamb, this is a good value wine that’s worth trying out.  If you’re like me and you’ve had plenty of wine blended with Petite Sirah but not featuring Petite Sirah, I would definitely recommend giving this a try as I think it’ll give you a better idea of what the Petite Sirah is bringing to your other wines.

Varietal: 95% Grenache; 5% Mourvedre
Region: Rhone – France
Cost: $20

Deep purple in color with aromas of leather, licorice, berry, and cassis.  Earthy flavors with dark berries and a hint of licorice and pepper.  Pairs well with pasta bolognese and beef.

Recommendations: French wine is one area where I have a serious weakness in making selections.  It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed French wine when drinking it, but only that it wasn’t a region I indulged in when I first got into wine, and as I’ve gotten older and expanded my wine horizons, it’s still been missed in favor of other regions.  I’ve decided it’s time to rectify this situation.

During a trip to my local Richmond wine shop for a tasting, I confronted the owner about my problem and asked him to help me.  He helped me pick out a couple of bottles, one of which, the 2005 Maison du Midi, was actually on the employee recommended list.  Two people recommending a wine to me is usually enough to make me buy it.

My wife and I paired the Maison du Midi with a simple dinner of pasta bolognese, and we both said the same thing about it.  Earthy.  Aromas of licorice, creme de cassis, and leather blended well with earthy flavors of dark fruit and a hint of cassis and pepper.  I very much enjoyed the wine partly because it paired quite well with the meal, and also because I’m a fan of earthy wines.

This is the second Rhone I’ve had in recent months, and it’s quickly becoming a region I’m intrigued by.  While I’m still learning about French wine, I suspect it’s going to be an education that I enjoy.  I very much enjoyed the 2005 Maison du Midi and will have to keep it in mind for future purchases.

Varietal: Viognier
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $19

A nose of smoky papaya gives way to concentrated apple and white pepper tones with a lingering lemon finish.  Pairs well with seafood, grilled chicken, and spiced food.

Recommendations: The deeper we’ve gotten into summer, the more I’ve been drinking wines like Viognier.  Fortunately, living in Virginia, it’s easy to come by as we grow it quite well.  Back in February, at the Virginia Wine Expo, I was first introduced to Blenheim Vineyards, and instantly fell in love with both their Cabernet Franc and their Viognier.  In March when my wife and I spent a weekend traipsing around Virginia wine country, we made a point of stopping in at Blenheim as we had not bought nearly enough of their wine, specifically their Viognier, to last us through the summer.

This past weekend while enjoying a dinner of grilled scallops and rockfish flounder, my wife and I opened a bottle of the Blenheim Viognier we had chilling in our fridge.  I had forgotten that the Blenheim Viognier is a bit heavier than some other Viognier that I’ve had, but that’s not a bad thing.  Blenheim’s Vigonier is a bit more robust, holding up well to the seasoning that my wife and I applied to our dinner, while still showing the floral aromas that I associate with Viognier.

The lemon on the finish was definitely a nice compliment to our dinner, and overall the wine paired well with the meal.  What I like about Viognier is that even by itself it’s enjoyable, which for a lighter wine I’m sometimes hit or miss on.  The Blenheim Viognier is no exception to this rule.

The only downside to the Blenheim Viognier is that you can’t get it in your local store.  Fortunately, Blenheim does have an only store, featured here.  While we’re still in summer I definitely recommend giving their Viognier a try, and if you’re ever in the Charlottesville, Virginia region they’re one worth stopping in to visit.

Varietal: Blended Red Wine (33% Syrah; 33% Barbera; 33%Petite Sirah)
Region: California – USA
Cost: $19.50

Deep purple in the glass with aromas and flavors of blueberry, black cherry, cedar, and mulberry with a tannic zip on the finish.  Pairs well with Italian, Tex/Mex, spare ribs, burgers, steaks, pizza, meatloaf.

Recommendations: It was interesting for me to look over the tasting notes from this California wine and not see Cabernet Sauvignon thrown into the mix.  Now before I get a bunch of hate mail/comments, I know that California makes more than just Cabernet, just feels like every time I get a blended wine from there, some Cab manages to find its way in, so it was nice to see one without.

When I poured the wine into the glass I almost feel in love right there.  The deep purple color of the wine assured me that this would not be a light wine that would be overpowered by my meal.  Not that I was worried a quick dinner of pizza would overpower most any red, but I was sure that it would hold up to even the thickest, juiciest, most seasoned steak I could come up with.  I was right.

It took a while for the aromas to come out for me as the smell of alcohol was fairly prevalent at first, but after allowing the wine to open up I did start to get some of the black cherry on the nose.  I can’t speak to the mulberry on the palate (as I don’t know what a mulberry tastes like to be honest), but the same cherry that I was getting on the nose came through in the mouth.

My favorite part of this wine was the nice tannic finish.  I’ve always been a fan of a red that sort of kicks you at the end, and this wine did just that for me.  That’s not to say that the tannins were over the top, but they were there and present and there’s no missing them.  The wine was good with my pizza dinner, but I could have easily paired this with a steak or some pasta and it would have been just as good if not better.

Fortunately, for being a more bold wine, even after the food was gone the wine was still quite enjoyable.  Granted I enjoy fuller wines even just to sip on without food.  All in all it’s definitely a wine I would give another go to, especially this time of year as I’m spending a lot of time either grilling steaks and burgers or making quick dinners of pizza or pasta.

Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the sample for this review.

For those looking for the wine you can order it directly from Home Grown Farms.

Varietal: Rose (40% Cabernet Sauvignon; 33% Merlot; 23% Cabernet Franc; 4% Malbec)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $13

A bright, vibrant pink with aromas of candied rose petals and peach.  Flavors of cherry and candy with a crisp finish.  Pairs well with Asian, Mediterranean, Mexican and vegetarian dishes.

Recommendations: During our March trip to Charlottesville to visit several vineyards, my wife and I stopped at Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard towards the end of our first day of tasting.  Tasting several of their wines, we ended up bringing two home – one of which happened to be their Albemarle Rose.  I finally got around to opening it last night and I’m wishing I had bought another bottle of it.

First, to put it in perspective, my notes while tasting this wine boiled down to “Obnoxiously Good”.  As for my actual thoughts on the wine – the floral aroma of rose was definitely there, and while I’ve never smelled candied rose petals and thus cannot speak to the validity of that claimed aroma, there is definitely a floral, rose aroma to the wine that seems to fit with the pink color.

I got more strawberry than cherry flavor out of the wine and while it was advertised as having a “sweet” flavor, I in no way found it to be sweet, which was a good thing.  Crisp is the best word to describe this wine, which made it a great pairing for a dinner of grilled chicken with cajun seasoning with some garlic green beans and butter noodles.

The crisp, bright flavors of the wine did an excellent job of cutting through the spice of the seasoning on the chicken, and most importantly, we were sad to see the final drop fall from the bottle.  While Rose’ tends to get a bad name thanks to White Zinfandel, I’ve been warming to them more and more as I sample them, and for somebody that grills a lot of white meat during the summer months, this wine in particular has a lot of potential to find its way back into my home.

Definitely one worth trying out, especially if you’ve been hesitant on Rose’.  If you can’t find it at your local store, Kluge does ship and you can find the wine here.

Varietal: Merlot
Region: Washington – USA
Cost: $13

Dark red in the glass with aromas of blackberry and dark berry and cherry on the palate.  A slight tobacco finish with hints of smoke.  Pairs well with chicken, veggies, grilled meat, pasta.

Recommendations: Merlot has, for a while, had a bit of a bad rap.  I had been avoiding it for a while simply because I had had bad experiences with lower quality wines and it had clouded my judgement towards the entire varietal.  However, this past year has changed my opinion of the grape, with Virginia producing several high quality Merlots.  While this bottle didn’t come from Virginia (other side of the country in fact) it did continue the tradition that my home state has started of changing my opinion.

My wife and I picked up this bottle at a tasting event at our local wine shop.  We had a hard time deciding between the Merlot and the Chardonnay from this winery, but ultimately went with the Merlot.  We should have picked up more than one bottle.  The deep red color of the wine in the glass was inviting to me as I love a dark colored wine – something comforting about it to me.

The aromas of berry, particularly blackberry were present but not overwhelming, and while there were some flavors of crushed dark fruit on the palate, I mostly got cherry, which I rather enjoyed.  A hint of smoky tobacco on the finish with a smooth tannic finish made this a great wine to pair with a quick dinner of pizza and both my wife and I were wishing there was more in the bottle long after the last drop had been poured.

This is definitely a wine I would recommend, especially if you haven’t been keen on Merlot for whatever reason (I’m looking at you Sideways viewers).  If this doesn’t change your opinion on Merlot than you really don’t like it and might not ever.  Definitely one to grab.

Varietal: Blended White Wine (41% Vidal Blanc; 34% Chardonnay; 15% Traminette; 10% Viognier)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $15.99

Slight floral notes with flavors of melon and citrus and a hint of sweetness.  Pairs well with white meat, appetizers, spicy food, and hot summer days.

Recommendations: My parents live near Potomac Point Winery, so while it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to go and visit them in person, I am fairly familiar with them and their wines.  Because of that, I’m a big fan of their La Belle Vie, always keeping some on hand as the warmer months roll in as it works great as a deck wine.

The floral notes on the wine would lead you to believe there’s more Viognier in it than there is, and while there’s just a hint of sweetness, it’s countered nicely by flavors of citrus and a touch of melon.  The wife and I paired this bottle with a dinner of pork chops from the oven, some corn, and a pasta side, but really the ideal pairing for this wine would be either a cheese and meat platter on the patio or a dinner of good Thai food.

That being said, for the warmer months this is a nice alternative to the Sauvignon Blancs that I usually drink, cutting out some of the citrus and adding the floral notes and flavors of Viognier that I’m growing more and more fond of.  While Potomac Point is a bit off the beaten path, if you’re in the Northern Virginia area I do recommend a stop in and enjoying a bottle of La Belle Vie on their patio, otherwise, pick up a bottle at several local stores and enjoy it at home.

Varietal: Torrontes
Region: Argentina
Cost: $11

Clear yellow color with hints of green and floral aromas of rose and lavender.  A balance of sweetness and acidity in the mouth with flavors of white peach and sugar-candied orange rind.  Pairs well with grilled chicken, appetizers, Mediterranean style foods, and white meats.

Recommendations: I’ll admit that I had never heard of Torrontes before I got a sample of this wine, but being the open-minded wine taster that I am, I was a bit excited to try a new varietal.  The floral aromas were definitely present and reminded me of Viognier, which I’ve been on a big kick of drinking this summer.  There is a hint of sweetness when you take the first sip, but it’s quickly balanced by a nice acidity, so by no means would I call this wine “sweet”.

The orange rind on the finish was noticeable, but I liked it and it made it a nice counter note to the dinner of grilled chicken, asparagus, and rice that my wife and I paired this wine with.  The sign of a good wine to me is wishing there was one more glass in the bottle after the last drop has been poured, and this wine certainly showed that sign.

This is a great wine for the summer, especially if you’re anything like me and grill out a lot of chicken and pork during the warmer months.  For the price it’s a great value, and if you can find it for less, mores the better.  Definitely one I would recommend, and one I plan to keep my eyes out for to pick up another bottle of.