Bend in the River Riesling 2003

Bend in the River Riesling 2003

We first tasted this at a German Wine Society event and enjoyed it. Now we've had it at home. Very German. Very typical. Very good. Nothing more to say about it, except we'd buy it again! Oh, and here's a link to the winemaker. Our rating: 7/10.

Masi Campo Fiorin 2001

Masi Campo Fiorin 2001

We tasted this Masi Campo Fiorin at a friend's party a while ago, and finally bought our own bottle (for about $20). It's an Italian red which, though its color was on the brownish side, certainly seemed to have the tannins and structure to age for a few more years. A rich, full red with a leathery bouquet (which smelled more appetizing than you might think), and a fruity rather than earthy taste--yet, very dry; nothing jammy here.

We enjoyed it and would certainly buy it again. Our rating: 7/10.

Marqués de Cáceres Rioja 2004

Marqués de Cáceres Rioja 2004

This Marqués de Cáceres Rioja rosé is a perennial favorite of ours. It has a light bouquet--almost non-existent, really--and tastes like a dry white with a red aftertaste. It was very nice with our dinner of halibut with bell pepper-and-olive relish--it's very food-friendly-- but is also refreshing served chilled on its own.

It cost us about $15. Our rating: 7.5/10.

Sawmill Creek Barrel Select Sauvignon Blanc

Sawmill Creek Barrel Select Sauvignon Blanc

This is a non-vintage blend which we bought primarily because we needed a cup of white wine for some dish or other and we didn't want to waste any of our better whites. But since it was chilled and open, why not try a glass?

It's OK for cooking, otherwise generic and thin, though inoffensive. It cost us only about $7, and was probably worth that.

Our rating: 3/10.

Rancho Zabaco Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc 2003

Rancho Zabaco Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc 2003

The Rancho Zabaco Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc has got a great label--but, alas, the label was possibly the best thing about the wine. "Fairly ordinary" was one comment; Alice (Margaret Anne's mother, not our almost-four-year-old daughter) thought it had a bitter aftertaste. "Not much depth" was a consensus opinion. However, it did have good acidity and it went well with a dessert of fresh rasberries and mangoes.

This one set us back $14.95 in the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority store. Our rating (out of 10): 5.5.

Martinshof Ruländer Auslese (Pfalz) 2002

Martinshof Ruländer Auslese (Pfalz) 2002

Pale gold, with good legs; a lovely bouquet--it smells like a German wine, and yet not like a Riesling. And it tastes as lovely as it smells: it's sweet, but not cloying, with just the right touch of acidity and a nice hint of caramel. It has a pleasant, lingering aftertaste. We both love good German wines--and we both loved this one, one of those we ordered through the German Wine Society (which may well mean it's not available in North America, at least not readily).

Our rating (out of 10): 8.

Beaulieu Vineyard BV Coastal Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

Beaulieu Vineyard BV Coastal Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

This Beaulieu Vineyard BV Coastal Cabernet Sauvignon has a eautiful bouquet and is very rich and full-bodied, with a touch of blackberry. A thoroughly enjoyable wine we'd be happy to drink again.

Our rating (out of 10): 7.5.

We're back!

Well, that was a much longer hiatus than planned, but Twelfth Night segued into a frantic effort by Edward to get his upcoming book Genetics Demystified wrapped up and off to McGraw-Hill, and, well...

Anyway, we're back. We won't try to catch up everything we drank during the six weeks or so this blog has been quiescent, but we do have half-a-dozen recent selections to talk about.

And from now on, we'll try to keep up!