New Age White Wine NV

New Age White Wine NV

Origin: Mendoza, Argentina
Blend: Torrontés (90%), Sauvignon Blanc (10%)
Alcohol Content: 9.0%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: August 2012
Purchase Price: $8.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: Pale stray gold in color, this wine has aromas of apples, caramel, and candied fruit. Slightly fizzy and rather sweet on the palate, the fruit flavors tend towards apple and pear, having an almost juice-like character to them. There is no finish.

Our rating: We don't always get it, but we're usually prepared for one element to strike us as unusual in a bottle of wine. But this one hit us with two: fizzy and sweet, neither of which we associate at all with Torrontés, the primary grape in this wine. As such, we would consider this far more of a party-style wine than a food one … though we can see serving it at a Sunday brunch. We didn't dislike it but then again we were totally unprepared for it as well. We score it about Average. (Note: We noticed afterwards that the wine as being marketed more as a cocktail, called the "Tincho", served over ice with a wedge of lime.)

Taste profile from the winemaker: A light yellow-green colored wine, with fruity and floral aromas of great intensity. Balanced acidity leads to soft, semi-sweet and slightly effervescent flavors and mouth feel.

Winery website: Quintessential Wines: New Age.

flipflop Sauvignon Blanc NV

flipflop Sauvignon Blanc NV

Origin: Chile
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: August 2012
Purchase Price: $5.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: Light lemon yellow in color, this wine has aromas of freshly squeezed lemons and lemon zest with faint notes of tropical fruit. The palate is similar, reminiscent of lemonade, with crisp tartness a good acidic balance. The finish is clean, though relatively brief.

Our rating: The "flipflop" concept to this brand suggests this is a casual wine and we agree: it does have a light, summer, fun character to it. Versatile enough to accompany almost any cuisine, we'd suggest pairing it with something cooked outdoors, such as grilled chicken or shrimp, and vegetable kabobs. Or maybe something a bit more adventurous, like kielbasa. It's a simple, straight-forward wine, nothing too fancy but, then again, it's not intended to be. We rate it Above Average … and certainly one of the better examples of this varietal at this price point.

Taste profile from the winemaker: Light-bodied, aromatic Sauvignon Blanc with exuberant grapefruit and key lime notes, and a zesty, refreshing finish.

Winery website: flipflop: to each, their own.

AlVerdi Pinot Grigio 2010

AlVerdi Pinot Grigio 2010

Origin: Terre degli Osci, Italy
Blend: Pinot Grigio (100%)
Alcohol Content: 12.0%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: August 2012
Purchase Price: $6.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: Light golden yellow in color, this wine has very pleasant aromas of apples and pears coupled with notes of sweet pineapple and a hint of banana. Very smooth on the palate with soft edges, the fruit flavors tend more towards tropical in character; there is a sensation of sweetness, though it is actually rather dry. It finishes by simply allowing the flavors of the palate to slowly diminish.

Our rating: This is an elegantly crafted and quite delicious wine, and not at all like most of this varietal from Italy. There is a lot of structure here, all the components of which work well together. We had planned on serving our bottle with chicken and risotto; only a small amount actually made it to the table as we consumed most it during the meal preparations. We disagreed a bit on what the minor flaws were, but did agree that this is just shy of an Excellent wine. And an absolutely incredible value at just $7.

Taste profile from the winemaker: A fresh, floral nose with notes of acacia flowers. On the palate it is dry and well-balanced with lively fruit flavors.

Winery website: None found.

Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Origin: Marlborough, New Zealand
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
Alcohol Content: 13.0%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: June 2012
Purchase Price: $8.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: Pale silver-straw in color with green highlights, this wine has strong aromas of citrus (grapefruit, lime), lemongrass, and orange zest. The acidity from the citrus fruit flavors is nicely balanced on the palate, crisp but not tart. The grassiness initially present evolves into a more mineral character on the finish, which is lengthy.

Our rating: This wine is very typical of a New Zealand crafting of this varietal, though better than most. The harsh edges that could have been dominant are nicely softened here, resulting in a well structured wine. We paired our bottle with freshly grilled whitefish, something we usually do with Sauvignon Blancs, and found it a very nice match, though we think it could be served with most any seafood or dishes that have a significant vegetable element to them. We previously rated the 2009 vintage Excellent and the 2010 vintage Above Average to Excellent; we think the present wine is just between the two, but scores slightly closer to the latter.

Taste profile from the winemaker: The wine possesses a light straw colour and tropical aromas of citrus and white peach. The palate exhibits the same fine flavours followed by a crisp, dry, flinty finish.

Winery website: Clifford Bay: New Zealand Wine.

Castellana Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2011

Castellana Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2011

Origin: d'Abruzzo, Italy
Blend: Trebbiano (100%)
Alcohol Content: 11.0%
Bottle Closure: Synthetic Cork
Purchase Date: June 2012
Purchase Price: $6.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: Medium gold in color, this wine has aromas of apple, pear, honey and spices, with softer notes of almonds. The palate is similar to the nose, though the earthy, woodsy character seems more dominant here. The finish is persistent and has a slightly chalky minerality to it.

Our rating: This is most definitely a wine to serve with food and probably one that should be opened early and consumed later; we don't think it works all that well on its own. It's reasonably food friendly, though, probably best paired with roasted poultry or barbecue pork dishes. We can't say we're enthusiastic about this wine, but we didn't mind it either. A nice change of pace, but all in all, we score it just Average. We've reviewed this wine twice in the past, apparently enjoying those bottles more than we did this one: We rated the 2007 vintage and the 2008 vintage both Above Average.

No taste profile from the winemaker found.

Winery website: None found.

Concannon "Selected Vineyards" Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Concannon "Selected Vineyards" Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Origin: Central Coast, California
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc (98%), Riesling (2%)
Alcohol Content: 13.0%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: June 2012
Purchase Price: $8.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: Straw in color with silver highlights, this wine has aromas of lemongrass and sweet bell pepper with citrus zest and vegetal (asparagus) notes. Light-bodied on the palate with a very slight creamy texture, the flavors are similar to the nose, with a somewhat more pronounced tart citrus character. The finish is very clean, adds some minerality, and is of moderate length.

Our rating: There are several interesting aspects to this wine. It's tart yet not quite crisp. There is considerable depth to the flavors yet they seem light, almost airy. These aren't negative qualities by any means; the complexity exhibited here is rather difficult to describe in simple terms. And yet it's not quite harmonious, though it's hard to pin down exactly why. We think this wine would pair well with most seafood dishes; we would lean more towards fish fillets or steaks than shellfish. We previously rated the Concannon Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Average; we rate the present wine a bit better, Above Average.

Taste profile from the winemaker: This wine has a brilliant straw hue with notes of gooseberry. The palate is slightly tropical with a good depth of fruit. Cool stainless steel fermentation keeps the flavors bright and lively, and the medium body is slightly rounded in feel, leading to a crisp finish.

Winery website: Concannon Vineyards.

Recaş Pinot Grigio 2011

Recaş Pinot Grigio 2011

Origin: Romania
Blend: Pinot Grigio (100%)
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: June 2012
Purchase Price: $6.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: A pale greenish straw in color, this wine has aromas of apples with faint notes of cider. Very crisp with a pleasant tartness, the apple cider-like flavor has a hint of smokiness to it. The merest suggestion of sweetness presents itself into the finish, but is gone in a flash. The finish itself is lengthy but lacks discernable flavor, and seems muddled overall.

Our rating: This is an interesting wine, but not one we'd probably buy again. We think it fairly versatile, and would suggest pairing it with chicken — which is what we did — or even pork. Still, the finish really bothered us, and made us forget about the strengths that preceded it. Overall, we score the wine Below Average, but those who enjoy a smoky, earthy finish to their wines may enjoy this one more than we did.

No taste profile from the winemaker found.

Winery website: Cramele Recaş. We could not locate this wine on the company's website, though we are guessing based on the label that it is part of its "Castle Rock" brand, which is also not listed there.