2006 David Bruce Petite Syrah for $16 at Costco

I love Petite Syrah, but most wineries do not make it, and when wineries do, generally they are expensive. I would love to try Stags Leap Petite Syrah, but at over $30 it is just too much. This wine is very jammy with red fruits and very little tannin. My boyfriend thought this wine is very smooth, I thought this wine was bursting with fruit cherry, raspberry, and blackberry. The wine went wonderfully with cheese, but I liked it on its own. I am going this weekend with my 15% off coupon to Binnys to get many bottles of Petite Syrah. I am running out of wine, down to 5 bottles.

Martini and Rossi Asti for $10 at Costco

I think everyone has had this wine before. I have found this Moscoto di Asti at most large chain retailers-Jewel, Costco, WalMart. This wine was used as a spritzer with the Black Raspberry wine from Lynfred Winery. We then drank it alone and it is ok. It is sweet, but not overly so, and would make a great wine for mimosas. There is no distinct fruit flavors or aromas to this sparkler which is why I think of it as the common Moscato di Asti, can't find anything wrong with it, but it really is nothing special. Don't get me wrong for $10 a bottle for a party in the summer at 7.5% alcohol this is a fun wine that won't break the bank and can be used as a mixer in other summer drinks also. If I have a summer barbeque, this wine would make the list.

Leelanau Cellars of Northern Michigan Winter White for around $10 at Meijers

This wine was very good. This wine is semi-sweet with pineapple and pear flavors. This wine was great on its own, with very little acidity. I found this wine a little heavy with some legs, not a light wine. It is called a winter white, but this wine can definitely be drank year around. I truly enjoyed this wine and would buy this wine again. I wonder if this winery has other similar type wines and will do some research on this in the future.

Blue Fish 2007 Estate Bottled Sweet Riesling for around $10 at Meijers

This wine was not the sweet riesling that it claimed to be. It was more off an off dry Riesling that went much better with spicy orange chicken than on its own. The wine has flavors of orange and only a touch of sweetness and some acidity. I thought the wine needed to be paired and a spicy dish was the way to go. This wine was really nothing special and I would not buy it again, it was relatively cheap but you can a cheap Riesling that is just so-so anywhere.

River White by the Illinois River Winery for $16 dollars in Utica, Illinois

This wine is a blend of Riesling, Vignoles, Cayuga, and Edelweiss. This wine is semi-sweet white wine that we paired with crab cakes and buffalo wings to celebrate our 1 yr engagement anniversary. I really liked this wine it is sweet, but not too sweet, however this wine has some legs and I would not desribe this wine as a light type of wine. I moves towards a dessert style, but fits good with a light lunch or dinner faire. I really liked this wine and if I did not like variety like I do this could be one of the house whites. I just like variety too much and constantly looking for the perfect wine.

2009 Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz at a local wine shop in Utica, Illinois for $10.00

Mardi Gras at August Hill Winery for about $17

We picked up this Sparkling Pink Catawba wine during the Winter Wine Walk in Utica, Illinois. If you like Catawba wine, you will definitely like this wine. This festive pink bubbly is sweet, but not as sweet as the straight Catawba wine. I really like this wine and at 9% alcohol, I could have more than a glass or two. My better half thought the sparkling Catawba was better than the straight Catawba, and I find the straight Catawba too sweet to drink too much at one time. I would definitely buy this wine again, it is just pricey to buy a lot of at one time. I was a club member at one time and even at 20% discount the case is well over $150 dollars which is just too much for us at this time.