Day 239-Amore' by the Village Vintner 500ml for under $20

This wine is pure heaven, and next to the Glogg my favorite wine of the Village Vintner in Carpentersville, Il. This wine tastes like a chocolate covered raspberry. The vintner says it tastes of blackberry, and maybe a little, but it is a chocolate covered raspberry. I have some chocolate infused wines and this wine tastes more of chocolate than any of these wines. I can't wait to buy another bottle and to buy one for a friend who loves Port. This is their ruby Port style wine and compared to the other ruby Ports I have tried, this is the best hands down.

Day 238-Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 White Wine Washington State 2007

Another $5 wine from Jewel, and again thank god it was only $5. This wine is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillion. I don't like any of these grapes, so I know the price reeled me into buying this wine. I paired this wine with chicken and white cheese and overall it was ok. However, on its own, it was only ok. I would not buy it again, but it was not a complete waste of money. It was fruit forward, with a pretty aroma of flowers and some apply, but it was too acidic and not fruit forward enough for me to ever try it again. If you like these grapes it might be an ok blend for you and at $5 you really can't beat it.

Day 237-Lindemann's 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon South Africa at Jewel for $5.00

Thank god I bought this wine for only $5 bucks because I am not a huge Cab fan, and thought that since it was from South Africa perhaps it was more fruit forward. I was wrong. This wine tastes like it was made Bordeaux style with lots of earthy flavors and smells with the black pepper taste that I just can't stand. I had to choke this down by myself while my better half and peanut were out of town which is just as well because he would have thought this wine needed to be flushed or would have made a large steak to balance out the earthy and pepper flavors. This wine desperately requires red meat which does not include the hot dog I had to pair with this wine.

Day236-Essencia by Quadyvineyard 2006 Orange Muscat for $6 at Binnys

This wine was another steal from Binnys during the warehouse sale. This wine also has some serious legs and has a similar viscosity to cough syrup. The wine is orange in color and smells of tobacco, tea, and orange blossoms. This wine tastes like orange flavored tea to me. I was telling my better half about how overwhelming the tea taste was, and once I told him, he also felt like he was drinking a glass of tea a little on the thicker side, but definitely a tea flavor. I am not sure if I liked the wine or not, but I like Orange Tea, a weird flavor for wine, but unique none the less. My better half drinks a lot of sweet tea so I was surprised that he did not like it as much. Again, a very interesting wine for an extremely reasonable price.

Da 235-2004 Robert Pecota Moscato d'Andrea Napa Valley Muscat Canelli 375ml from Binnys for $6

Another wine bought at the warehouse sale at Binnys for half price. The Wineauxs also blogged on this wine and gave it a good review. This wine has a lot more legs than the Muscat Canelli that we have tried before from Trader Joe's and the Allegro from Binnys. This wine has 16% residual sugar and is 11% alcohol by volume. The wine tastes of orange blossom and honey, with some bite of acidity which tells me this wine probably could have aged a little more to mellow out the wine. My better half loved this very sweet wine, of course, and drank the half bottle in no time at all. At this price, I should have stocked up, but they were almost gone when I picked this one up, and 1 week later they were all gone. If you like a late harvest wine or an Ice wine, this is a very good choice.

Day 240-Mionetto Moscato Dolce $12.00 at Binnys

My computer is acting up so I am going to try to blog on this wine for the 3rd time. This wine is the perfect brunch wine and can be used for mimosas also. This Moscato d'Asti just has a touch of sweetness, not the over the top sweetness that you find with some Moscato d' Asti that makes you think the wine tastes more like pop than wine. I really like this sparkling and would make this wine my house sparkling at this price that most people would like, unless you are a die hard dry wine drinker.

Day 240-Mionetto Moscato Dolce $12.00 at Binnys

My computer is acting up so I am going to try to blog on this wine for the 3rd time. This wine is the perfect brunch wine and can be used for mimosas also. This Moscato d'Asti just has a touch of sweetness, not the over the top sweetness that you find with some Moscato d' Asti that makes you think the wine tastes more like pop than wine. I really like this sparkling and would make this wine my house sparkling at this price that most people would like, unless you are a die hard dry wine drinker.

Day 240-Mionetto Moscato Dolce $12.00 at Binnys

This wine is a slightly sweet Moscato that we picked up at the Sparking wine tasting at Binnys in January. This wine is a very versatile sparkling that would be perfect for brunch and for mimosas. However, this wine could be drank all day long without putting you in the bag. I really liked this wine, as did my better half, and at this price we could definitely make this wine our house sparkling.

Day 240-Mionetto Moscato Dolce $12.00 at Binnys

We tried this wine at the sparkling wine tasting at Binnys. This wine is a good Moscato which is slightly sweet, not over the top like some Moscato d'Asti wines can be. I find this wine to be very versatile bubbly that can be drank all day long. This wine would be great for brunch or mimosas without putting you in the bag early. I think that this could be a house sparkling and I would definitely buy this again.

Day 234-Rosemount 2005 Cabernet Merlot from South Eastern Austrailia for $5 at Jewel

Another wine that was found for half price at Jewel. This wine is pure blueberry, very smooth, with almost no tannin. I found this wine to be a great blend with large fruit flavors and very little dryness or bitter aftertaste. My better half did not like it at first, liked it better with chocolate, my sister liked it as did I. I would definitely buy this wine again, but only at this price.

Day 237-Gainey Vineyard Riesling 2006 Santa Ynez Valley for $6 at Binnys

This wine was on sale for $6 at Binnys, it was a Riesling, I picked it up. This Riesling is much better than the Oceana Riesling for the same price in California. This wine is not sweet, but has a lot of the fruit flavors associated with a Riesling. My sister does not think it was very good, but I think it is ok. My better half thought is was ok, but I would not buy it again. It is a 2006 and I think that is why the wine was on sale. This wine has definitely past its peak. But as a wine while just watching the game, it was good enough.

Day 236-Ravenswood 2007 Old Vine Zinfandel for $7.99 at Jewel

This wine was another one of Jewel's closeouts with it being 50% off. I generally like Zinfandel because it has a lot of fruit, but this wine definitely needs to be aerated and let sit for a while unless you are a favorite of the pull the enamel off the teeth tannin of wine. This wine was much better on the second day aerated where you could pull some of the fruit flavors from the tannin. I then could taste the plum and the other cherry flavors. I can tell you this was a 3 day wine because I was not eating red meat and did not have any chocolate to pair this extremely tannic wine. I would definitely not buy this wine again, and I am glad I got this wine at a discount.

Day 235-Oak Grove 2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon for $12.99 at Vintages

This wine was a Robert's favorite at the last tasting at Vintages. This wine was loved by both myself and my sister so we each picked up a bottle. These wine has very mile tannins and lots of fruit flavor. I was able to drink this on its own and did not require any type of food to improve on its flavor. The vintner says you can age, but why? This wine is total crowd pleaser. I would buy this wine by the case if I was the type of person who like to drink the same type of wine all the time, but I actually liked to have a variety. For a dinner party, or any type of party this is a great wine to bring and actually won't break your pocket book.

Day 234-Oceana 2007 California Riesling at Binnys on sale for $6

This wine was a half price at Binnys so I snatched it up without trying it previously. I would never buy this again. The wine had no fruit flavors, was not good on its own, and needed to be paired in order just to be choked down. Well maybe it did not need to be choked down, but it was far from good. The wine had no sweetness, and I honestly would not have been able to tell this was a Riesling. I think this wine might be old most Rieslings should be drank within 1 yr of bottling, but who knows, California is not known for their Rieslings and now we know why.

Day 233-Night Harvest 2006 California Cabernet Sauvignon for $5.00 at Jewel

This wine was on clearance on Jewel, and even though I am not a Cab drinker, I picked up a bottle. The vintner states the grapes are pulled for this wine at night to get the crisp acidity and fruit flavors. This wine is better aerated. It is a touch dry for our tastes, but does pair well with chocolate and pasta. The wine has dark cherry and dark berry flavors with some tannins. It is good everyday Cab, nothing extraordinary, but nothing horrible either. At a party, where no one cares about the wine bring a bottle of this wine, however at full price it is $10, but still pretty reasonable overall.

Day 232-Domaine Pichot Vouvray 2008 at Vintages for under $15

This wine was tasted at the Robert's favorites wine tasting this last weekend. This wine is 100% Chenin Blanc and is described by the vintner Jean-Claude Pichot as slightly dry, pure, and intense. I generally don't buy French wines as a rule due to the inability of the French to tell you the type of grape in the wine and their style of wine is generally best with food versus on its own, and I am wine on its own kind of girl, I have a 2 yr old, I can't enjoy wine with dinner, which generally lasts about 5 minutes. I liked this wine on its own, I found it to be very fruity and crisp without the grassy taste of a Sauvignon Blanc, with just a touch of sweetness to keep the balance in the wine. My sister also liked this wine, but she did not buy it this time. My better half thought this was one of the best French wines we ever had because it had more fruit flavors versus earthy flavors.

Day 231-Francis Tannahill 2006 Dragonfly Washington Gewurtztraminer for $9.99 at Binnys

This wine was reduced to $9.99 from $21.99 and so being that I liked Gewurtztraminer I bought thinking I was getting a great value and I was. This wine was the smoothest Gewurtz that I have ever had without all the acidity and heartburn that I usually associate with this type of wine. This wine had great fruit and tasted very much of orange to me. This wine stood up great on its own and did not require spicy food that one usually has with this type of wine to cut the sweetness and acidity. I would definitely buy this wine again at this price point, obviously they had sold out by the time I returned the next week, but I will look for this vintner again, because I was very pleased with the wine after all.

Day 230-Coopershawk Peach Sparking Wine for $13.99 in South Barrington

I love fruit sparkling wines, Raspberry, Peach, Cherry, Berry, and ,of course, Peach. Lynfred Winery also makes a Peach Sparkling which I also liked a lot. I think this is the Blanc to Blanc Sparkling wine of Cooperhawk infused with Peach juice or extract. My better half thought it was dry and peachy, and I found it very peachy and effervescent. This wine is not a sweet sparkling wine per say, just a peach sparkling wine that tastes like peach bubbles. I think this a great brunch wine or baby shower wine, so light and so tasty. If you don't like peaches, this is probably not the wine for you, but if you do like peaches then pick up a bottle, it is cheaper at Cooperhawk than at Lynfred, though my preference does go to Lynfred's Peach Sparkling wine.

Day 229-Hirshback and Sohne Piersporter Michelsberg Riesling Spatlese 2008 at Vintages for under $15.00

I think that I have bought this wine in the Auslese version, but I can't remember. The Spatlese is a nice balance of sweetness and acidity versus the Kabinett which tends to be on the drier, more acidic side and the Auslese which is on the sweeter side. This wine was crisp with lots of fruit on the nose and the palate, this is a very easy drinking wine at 8.5% alcohol that we drank while watching the domination of the Vikings over the Cowboys. I paired it with cheese and cherries and it went very well, but I believe most Rieslings, including this one, are great on their own. I would buy this one again, I don't think it is so much better than other Rieslings, but is a good price and I already know it is good.

Day 228-Santa Julia Brut Rose' $12.99 at Vintages in Arlington Heights

My sister and I tasted this wine today at Vintages for the wine tasting of Robert's favorites, the owner at the store, and of course most of wines were very reasonably priced and very good. This sparkling wine is 100% Pinot Noir and was not as sweet when I opened it at home as when I tried it at the wine shop. I drank this sparkler as I watched the New Orleans Saints absolutely destroy the Cardinals. My sister also liked this wine and she is not even a fan of the sparklers. I find this wine a little too dry after all and maybe would pair this wine with the some cheese or fruit to cut some of the dryness. I would not buy this one again, I would actually for the same price point go with the Bitch Bubbly instead.

Day 227-Sandeman Ruby Port for unk amount from unk place

This port was a birthday gift to the parents of my son Tyler at his 2 yr old birthday party. My friend Katie and her sister Maggie bought this for me. Katie states she never has any idea what type of wine I drink and was told this wine was a definite winner by the shop owner. I like port somewhat, and this wine is pretty good overall, I can't really drink more than 1 glass at a time, so it has been opened in the refrigerator for at least a wk maybe closer to 2 wks. The wine is really smooth, with some legs. The wine tastes of dark cherry and dark plum and is a beautiful deep purple color. My better half, who likes port more than I do, has not really been drinking this wine, I am not sure why though. He does not like to drink alone, and port is really something you sip on after dinner when he has already generally stopped drinking. So I think the port may last a few more days, as I always say, more for me then.

Day 226-Montevina Terra d'Oro Moscato California 2006 $3.99 at Binny's

Again, this wine was bought at the warehouse sale at Binnys. This wine was a the 750 ml bottle that did not have the sweetness that we would normally attach to a Moscato. This wine does have a touch of sweetness, that comes out in the honey flavors of the wine. I did not care for this wine at all, it had a touch of sweetness, but it had no fruit aromas or flavors that I normally associate with a Moscato, no peach, no melon, no citrus flavors. However, for $4 and my better half on a mission to finish 3 bottles of wine in one evening, it worked. I would never buy this wine again despite the price, it just was not good, but we have many more bottles to come from the Binnys warehouse blow out.

Day 225-Elysium 2006 by Quadywinery for $6 at Binnys

Binny's emailed me they were having a warehouse sale, so I headed there after work and picked up this beauty for half price. This wine is a California Black Muscat 15% alcohol that the winemakers say to pair with dessert cheeses, custards, fruit, or chocolate. We loved this wine. We paired it with chocolate, but it needed nothing. It tasted of blackberry and plum and the entire 375 ml lasted about 30min. We think this wine tastes very similar to the Cabernet Blush at $35 for a half bottle, so we are obviously thinking about heading back to Binnys to get a lot more of these bottles. If you like dessert wines that are not over the top sweet, then this is a great wine for you. I was very pleasantly surprised by this wine, and better half sent himself on a real buzz after finishing off this wine.

Day 224-Cooper's Hawk Unoaked Chardonnay at $16.99

This Chardonnay is the January wine of the month at Cooper's Hawk Winery. This wine tastes nothing like Chardonnay. This wine could be swapped out for a Viognier and I don't think anyone would know the difference. The wine is totally fruity and tropical with aromas and flavors that you would never associate with a Chardonnay. I had to pop it open to pair with fish, however the wine did not require any pairing, it was truly delicious on its own. I would buy this wine all the time if it was a little cheaper, but at this price it will only be bought if I can get a good discount. This wine is too pricey to bring to a party where people don't care about the wine, but a nice dinner party where people do care, I think this wine would be a challenge for most to guess the grape.

Day 223-Twin Fin 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon for $5.00 at Jewel/Osco

This wine was half price at Jewel/Osco, as were all the varietals for Twin Fin. I could not resist so even though I am not a huge fan of Cab I bought the bottle. And for $5 bucks, this wine is a good deal. This wine tastes of deep plum, dark cherry, and dark chocolate. I found this wine to pair well with food and to be ok on its own, which I generally don't find with Cabs. My better half thought this wine is ok and he generally hates dry wines. He thought the deal for $5 was unbeatable also and had no trouble having a glass or two. At this price, I should stock up, and I may if there is any left at Jewel/Osco next week.

Day 222-St Christopher 2008 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett $7.50 at Binnys

I have tried St Christopher Rieslings before and have really like this wine. I find this German Riesling to be drier than some of the other Rieslings, partly because it is a Kabinett versus a Spatlese. How every this wine was very crisp and fruity. This wine is a crowd pleaser, and I think you could have it at any party and it would be a big hit without costing a lot. I like Rieslings, I find them very versatile with food, and not requiring food at all too. This is great wine year around and I can't see anyone who like Rieslings finding fault with this wine. I would definitely buy this wine again and would recommend it as a good white wine for all occasions.

Day 221-Cooperhawk's Cranberry/Pomegranate Wine for under $15 at Cooperhawk in South Barrington

This wine was just released the month of December. This wine is a combo of the Cranberry 75%, which at 100% in their Cranberry wine is just too much tart, and their Pomegranate 25% wine which is just too sweet to me. This wine was still very tart and my better half said that the wine made him very thirsty. We paired the wine with turkey and gravy and it cut the tartness of the wine and it actually tasted like you were putting cranberry on your turkey. I would not buy this wine again for every day drinking, but around Thanksgiving I would definitely think about picking up a bottle of this wine.

Day 220-Starling Castle Riesling Medoc at $7.50 at Costco

This is a German Riesling that we popped for the first 2 playoff games of football. We drank the wine with pizza and wings and it went pretty good. The bottle of this wine is very cool with a picture of the mansion in the back of the bottle. The wine had a touch of sweetness and is very fruity with only a hint of acidity on the finish. I find German Rieslings to be great versatile wines for people the may not have the same palate. Rieslings can be drank by both dry wine drinkers as well as sweeter wine drinkers. My sister thought the wine was ok, but I thought the wine was pretty good for this price. I believe that if you find a bottle of wine under $10.00 that you enjoy, and others enjoy also, the wine is a winner. I do find that a person can find numerous Rieslings in this price range if you look hard enough and are willing to get a few bad bottles, also.

Day 219-Risata- Moscato d'Asti for under $15.00 at Costco

I bought this wine at Costco just on a whim because my better half loves Moscato d'Asti, however, it winds up that this is the wine that his parents wanted for the last 2 years that they no longer carry at Binnys. Obviously, I had no idea when he was asking when he opened the bottle why I did not buy more of them since it was his parents favorite. I was actually presently surprised by how good the wine was, very light, only slightly sweet, with some effervescence. I would buy this wine again, no problem if it is $12 a bottle, and having it at all the parties.

Day 218-Bricco Riella Moscato d'Asti 2008 from Vintages in Arlington Heights for $12.99

This wine was opened on New Years Eve with our friends who don't really drink wine, but like Moscato d'Asti. My better half and my friends loved the wine, I found it way too sweet. It smells of peach and some floral. I find this wine to be a sweeter Moscato d'Asti with more of a golden color versus the pale yellow you generally find with Moscato d'Asti. This bottle was polished off on New Years Eve and would be bought in the future if the better half desired, but generally if he wants a Moscato d' Asti he would prefer to go with a Sorocco and the price is slightly less for Sorocco.

Day 217-Guenoc Lake County Petite Syrah 2006 Culinary Reserve Selection around $16.99

This wine was also a Christmas present from my sister who knows I love Petite Syrah. This wine is typical Petite Syrah very fruit forward and has no spice that a person associates with a Syrah or a Zinfandel. This wine is very jammy with dark fruits, blackberry and cherry, with very little tannin that you find with Cabernet. Of all the big red wines, Cabernet, Syrah, and Zinfandel the Petite Syrah is the most fruit forward of the wines. I don't like a very dry red wine with heavy tannin in a Cabernet and the spicy finish of Syrahs or Zinfandels generally, so I find a Petite Syrah the best red wine for my tastes.

Day 216-Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel 2006 for $7.50 at Costco

This wine made out of the Lodi Valley of California appears to be the most popular Zinfandel because I see it advertised everywhere and I consider it the Zinfandel you can find anywhere ranging from $7.50 to $12.00. I liked the Zinfandel, but I think it was much better with food then on its own. My better half also liked it, but I did send the wine through the aerater in order to take off the edge. I found this wine to have a bit of spice, not over the top, but not too much black pepper that made it difficult to drink. Overall, for the price, the wine is a reasonable Zinfandel, if you brought this to a party it would need to paired with food unless someone liked Zinfandel on its own. I would buy this wine again for a friend who liked Zinfandel or for a party, but myself I would always prefer a Petite Syrah.

Day 215-Kung Fu 2008 Riesling for around $15.00 at Tuscan Wine Market in Arlington Heights

This wine was a Christmas gift from my sister. She was very proud of this Riesling and we checked out the web site on the New Years Day. This wine is one of Charles Smith's wines in Washington State-Columbia Valley in Evergreen Vineyard. I find this to be a good Riesling that paired well with Buffalo wings, shrimp salad, and chicken salad. My sister also liked this wine. I find the wine had a nice balance of sweetness and acidity with only a slight acidic aftertaste. The wine is very fruity with flavors of orange, lemon, and some apple. I would not say this wine was sweet, in fact I would describe this Riesling as a traditional style with very little sweetness. I love Riesling and think it is a good alternative to Chardonnay. I would think this is more of a spring, summer, and fall wine, but for pairing with food, I would definitely open it in the winter, which I obviously did since I opened up this today.