Vera Vinho Verde 2010

Vera Vinho Verde 2010

Origin: Portugal
Blend: Arinto (60%), Azal (30%), Loureiro (10%)
Alcohol Content: 12.0%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: February 2012
Purchase Price: $9.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: A greenish-yellow in color, this very slightly sparkling wine has aromas of green apple and citrus with faint notes of peaches or apricots. The fruit flavors are somewhat muted at first, but develop quickly on the palate, a little tart in character with significant minerality. There isn't much of a finish.

Our rating: We like "green wines" for their versatility, the ability to stand alone as a aperitif or to serve with a wide variety of simply prepared foods. This is a good one, probably best enjoyed with appetizers or a brunch buffet, where it is likely to pair well with almost anything present. The rather strong mineral element may not be to everyone's liking, but we think it works within the context of this wine, rating it Above Average.

No taste profile from the winemaker found.

Winery website: None found.

Bibi Graetz Bianco di Casamatta 2009

Bibi Graetz Bianco di Casamatta 2009

Origin: Toscana, Italy
Blend: Vermentino (100%)
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: February 2012
Purchase Price: $3.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: Medium- to dark-gold in color, this wine has aromas of apple and cider with strong notes of honey. The flavors on the palate are similar to the nose, with a significant cider-like character accompanied by some earthy bitterness. The finish is rather smooth, more so than would otherwise be expected.

Our rating: A note first about the price paid. This wine was specially priced when we purchased it, $5 off its regular $8.99 price. We appreciated the complexity exhibited by this wine, but simply didn't enjoy it. Most definitely a food-required wine, we served ours with roasted chicken and potatoes, not a bad choice considering. Still, we didn't care for the overall bitterness of this wine, which we simply could not get past. Vermentinos are meant to be consumed young, so maybe this example was simply well past its prime, but we rate it Below Average to Inferior and not recommended, even at the price we paid.

No taste profile from the winemaker found.

Winery website: None found.

Paso a Paso Verdejo 2010

Paso a Paso Verdejo 2010

Origin: La Mancha, Spain
Blend: Verdejo (100%)
Alcohol Content: 13.5%
Bottle Closure: Synthetic Cork
Purchase Date: January 2012
Purchase Price: $9.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: A light lemon yellow in color, this wine has aromas of tree fruit (peaches, apples) with light, almost sweet tropical fruit notes. The flavors on the palate are similar, tree fruit accompanied by a bit of earthiness, herbs and nuts. The finish is persistent though a little astringent.

Our rating: We served our bottle with a mildly spicy chicken and rice dish — not quite Spanish but close — with which it paired nicely. We think poultry is probably the best choice here, but pork dishes would also work well. It doesn't seem like much of a seafood wine to us. The earthiness of the wine troubled us a bit, but not so much that we didn't enjoy our bottle. Still, we score it on the high side of Average. We rated last year's vintage, Paso a Paso Verdejo 2009, which was produced from grapes grown in a different region of Spain, much higher … but we can't say whether or not this change is responsible for our lower score this year.

No taste profile from the winemaker found.

Winery website: None found.

Doña Paula "Los Cardos" Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Doña Paula "Los Cardos" Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Origin: Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
Alcohol Content: 12.0%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: February 2012
Purchase Price: $8.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: Grassy, citrusy aromas are exhibited by this straw-gold wine; there is also an unexpected hint of flowers present. The citrus flavors on the palate are crisp and quickly develop a significant tartness. The finish adds a touch of slate minerality as it retains much of the wine's tart character.

Our rating: We probably mispaired this wine, serving it with grilled chicken when we probably should have chosen grilled halibut. It is quite tart, almost one note tart, when a little balance is called for. Food seems to help soften it a bit, but not much. We previously rated the Doña Paula Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Above Average, but we didn't enjoy this vintage as much, rating it just Average.

Taste profile from the winemaker: Pale yellow color. Very intense aromas of passion fruit, grapefruit, lime, and white peach. In the mouth, this is a fresh, balanced, highly vivacious and persistent wine.

Winery website: Doña Paula Argentina.

Acrobat Pinot Gris 2010

Acrobat Pinot Gris 2010

Origin: Oregon
Blend: Pinot Gris (100%)
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: January 2012
Purchase Price: $8.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: Light golden straw in color, this wine has aromas of peaches, apricots, and other tree fruits with significant tropical fruit notes. Very fruity on the palate, the flavors tend towards a blend of citrus and tropical. The finish has a very slight chalk-light minerality.

Our rating: This wine has a summer feel to it, one to be enjoyed as is on the deck. It would also pair well with barbecued grilled meats, which coincidentally is how we enjoyed our bottle, with spicy BBQ chicken. Though there is a nice blend of fruit flavors, there isn't much more in terms of complexity to this wine. We rate it about Average overall, but also think it's a bit overpriced for what it is, basically a fun summertime wine.

Taste profile from the winemaker: Color: Pale straw with golden highlights. Nose: Fresh pear, citrus, honeydew melon. Flavors: Mandarin orange, lemon, kiwi, pear, spice. Mouthfeel: Round entry with nice balance between acidity and residual sugar, clean refreshing finish.

Winery website: King's Estate, Oregon Wines.

Bogle Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Bogle Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Origin: Monterey and Russian River Valley, California
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
Alcohol Content: 13.5%
Bottle Closure: Natural Cork
Purchase Date: February 2012
Purchase Price: $8.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: A very pale gold in color, this wine has aromas of tree fruit (peaches, pears, apricots), some citrus and flowers. The palate exhibits flavors of crisp green apple, cider and herbs. The finish is of moderate length and depth and well balanced.

Our rating: Even though there was some cripsness to the palate, this wine reminded us of a softer version of a French Sauvignon Blanc — a nice achievement as this wine received no oak cellaring. We typically choose seafood or grilled chicken to serve with this varietal, and believe these are appropriate here as well, though it would pair just as nicely with a chef's salad. We previously rated the Bogle Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Above Average and believe this vintage rates just about the same.

Taste profile from the winemaker: The first scents include lemon zest and freshly mowed grass with clean and refreshing crispness of the citrus fruit paired with just a tiny hint of spring sweet peas. The mouthfeel, bracing with acidity, remains laced with touches of richer tropical pineapple fruit. Finishing lean and satisfying.

Winery website: Bogle Vineyards.

Campogrande Orvieto Classico 2010

Campogrande Orvieto Classico 2010

Origin: Orvieto, Italy
Blend: Procanico (40%), Grechetto (40%), Verdello (15%), Drupeggio and Malvasia (5%)
Alcohol Content: 12.0%
Bottle Closure: Natural Cork
Purchase Date: January 2012
Purchase Price: $7.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: A very pale silver-green in color, this wine has aromas of tropical fruit (pineapple, banana) with faint notes of citrus flowers. The flavors on the palate are similar though have a slightly bitter, almost nut-like character to them. The finish is remarkably similar to the palate, so much so that there is virtually no transition to make note of.

Our rating: We chose to pair this wine with a simple pasta dish with a side salad, but think it may be better served with a more robust meal. There's a fair amount of complexity to this wine, but we're not convinced it is all that harmonious. It is very different from the everyday ABC wine and we didn't dislike it by any means, but we're not sure we'd rush out to buy another bottle. We previously reviewed the Campogrande Orvieto 2006 and apparently enjoyed that vintage much more than the present one, rating it Above Average. We would rate this bottle Average at best.

Taste profile from the winemaker: Straw yellow with green highlights, the wine shows aromas which recall bananas, pineapple, and flowers. Full on the palate, savory and soft, it is a pleasurable, easy-drinking wine.

Winery website: Santa Cristina.