Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat…

Was I so naïve to think that it was impossible to have a bad Argentinian Torrontes wine?  I know it must have been foolish thinking on my part, but it almost seemed automatic that whether it cost 8, 10, or even 20 dollars – I knew I was going to have a beautifully floral, fresh and electrifyingly acidic bottle of wine.  I believed this because I’ve been batting nearly a thousand with this fantastic type of wine for over a year.  With this in mind, I was really looking forward to opening the 2009 San Telmo Esencia Torrontes. 

As the saying goes, “there’s a first for everything” and inevitably I would have to taste the agony of defeat with my beloved white wine.  The 2009 San Telmo Esencia Torrontes really let me down.  It’s odd, uneven, lacks mile-high acidity and possesses tropical banana and coconut flavors that reminded me more of Tropical Flavored LifeSavers (in a bad way).  Incidentally, it also didn’t possess the signature floral bouquet of Torrontes wine.  Crash!

1 Star out of 4.  Shaken by the experience, but not deterred.
(Price: $8.99)

Share and Enjoy!

Hide Sites

If there are two things that I’m a sucker for – it’s a willingness to try any wine regardless of price and red wines hailing from Spain. The Rene Barbier Mediterranean Red (NV) is cheap – Me like. It’s also from Spain – Muy bien, I definitely love the sound of that!

Unfortunately that’s where the story ends for this inexpensive Spanish red that consists of an odd and rather bland tasting combination of Tempranillo and Merlot. I sure wanted to be swept away to that cute little table and chair overlooking the beautiful sunset on a beach.  Instead, I found myself sticking a cork in this fantasy as quickly as I possibly could and snapping back to reality.

I award the Rene Barbier Mediterranean Red (NV) 1 star out of 4.  This is a Mediterranean getaway worth passing up.

WineLife365 Rating: 1-Star

Share and Enjoy!

Hide Sites

Price:  $9.99

Bare-knuckle boxing is recognized as the first form of boxing, and it involved two competitors fighting one another without the use of boxing gloves or any other padding on their hands.  During this era in boxing, John Lawrence Sullivan, who was nicknamed the “Boston Strong Boy”, was considered by most historians and boxing experts as the first ever US Heavyweight Champion of “gloved” boxing and also as the last heavyweight champion of “bare-knuckle” boxing.

Seeing this John Sullivan inspired label enticed me to go ahead and purchase it to taste what this “Heavyweight Red” was made of.  After only a few seconds into the first round with this supposed heavyweight, that is comprised of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Syrah and 10%, I quickly found out that this heavyweight had nothing more than a “glass chin”, in boxing speak.

Light, fruity, weak and hollow on its follow through makes this red blend a more formidable match in the Lightweight Division.  Unfortunately, in the 750ml and under $10 category this “Heavyweight Red” just doesn’t compete!

I award the “Heavyweight Red” 1 Star out of 4.  There’s a lot more blood, sweat and tears that need to go inside this bottle in order for it to live up to the legendary heavyweight status of its label .  

WineLife365 Rating: 1-Star 

Share and Enjoy!

Hide Sites

From: New Zealand
Price: $10.79

So far in 2009, it hasn’t been too difficult to find a great tasting inexpensive Riesling from just about any place in the world.  With this in mind, I realized that I haven’t had the opportunity to taste a Riesling from New Zealand.  In a land where Sauvignon Blanc reigns supreme, there’s not a whole lot of room for the great Riesling grape to shine.  I recently came across the 2005 Babich Riesling and decided to give it a go for several reasons. The first reason being, the peeps at Babich usually deliver the goods when it comes to New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc.  And the second reason being, if they’re Sauvignon Blanc is consistently good, then they’re Riesling has got to be pretty darn good too…right? 

So would my assumptions be correct about the 2005 Babich Riesling?

Unfortunately, it was one big disappointment.  This Riesling did have a “born on date” of 2005, so maybe it was supposed to be laid to rest a year or so ago – because it sure was funkified on my taste scale!  It felt as if I was drinking a partly dissolved Alka-Seltzer tablet.  It had a rather peculiar tart grapefruit and lemon flavor that finished chalky-dry.   It actually left me thirsty for water so that I could wash it all down.  To sum it all up, “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz” – it just had one strange effervescent taste to it.

I award the 2005 Babich Riesling 1 Star out of 4.  I’m really hoping that I was just late to the party on this one and should have tried it sooner.  But, if this is what the Babich winemakers intended, then they should get out while they still can and stick to making outstanding Sauvignon Blanc.

WineLife365 Rating: 1-Star

Share and Enjoy!

Hide Sites

From: Spain

Price: 10.99

So I have to tell you – I didn’t think that it was possible to find a Spanish dud from the Ribera Del Duero wine growing region in Spain.  I have a personal fondness for red wines that are produced in the Ribera Del Duero.  The climate in this Spanish region can be described as hot days and cool nights with moderate rains.  This type of climate makes for ideal growing conditions for tempranillo, the most widely planted red grape in Spain.

I love Spanish Tempranillo wines for their awesome ripe cherry flavor.  The winemakers that work with this grape know how to precisely integrate oak and spices to really make them enjoyable, food-friendly wines.

However, in my opinion, the 2006 Torremoron Tinto is a very poor display of the type of Tempranillo wine that one can purchase at this price level.  I found this Spanish Tinto to be rather bland, with nothing going on in the way of spices.  It was simply tasteless and boring.  Unfortunately, I’d have to say that the 2006 Torremoron Tinto is one of the worst Spanish red wines that I’ve tried in a while.

WineLife365 Rating: 1-Star

Share and Enjoy!

Hide Sites