Yellowtail Merlot

The Winos have had Yellowtail Merlot in the past, and it earned a Good Rating. This round, it continued to hold its own getting another Good Rating!

Wine: Yellowtail Merlot
- Producer/Winery: Casella Wines
- Appellation: Southeastern Australia
- Country: Australia
- Grape Varieties: Merlot
- Vintage: 2013
- Price: $9.99 for the 1.5 liter bottle
- Alcohol Percentage: 13%

Appearance:
- Overall: Clear, Medium, Cloudy, Hazy
- Color - Reds: Purple, Ruby, Garnet, Maroon, Brown
- Color - Whites: Clear, Green, Straw, Yellow, Gold

Nose/Aroma:
- Type of Fruit: Plum
- Non-fruit Aroma: Floral, Spicy, Herbal, Earthy, Mineral, Other
- Other? Specify:

Taste:
- Sweetness: Dry, off-Dry, Semi-sweet, Sweet
- Body: Light, Medium, Full
- Tastes like it smells? Yes / No
- If no, what is the taste?
- Oak: None, Some, Plenty
- Structure/Acidity: Fruity, Medium, Acid-sharp
- Tannin: Low, Medium, High

Assessment: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
- Additional notes:

Winos Rating: Bad, Neutral, Good
- White Wine Wino - Buy again? Yes / No
- Red Wine Wino - Buy Again? Yes / No

Celeste Crianza

Change of pace; Red Wine Wino received a wine tasting guide. So the Winos are testing the template on a bottle of Celeste Crianza. Winos have never had this one before but they give it a Good Rating per their much simpler rating system! Really tough using the template, so they added the last three lines below to make their final decision.

Wine: Celeste Crianza
- Producer/Winery: Torres Wines
- Appellation: Ribera del Duero
- Country: Spain
- Grape Varieties: Tempranillo
- Vintage: 2010
- Price: Gift
- Alcohol Percentage: 14%

Appearance:
- Overall: Clear, Medium, Cloudy, Hazy
- Color - Reds: Purple, Ruby, Garnet, Maroon, Brown
- Color - Whites: Clear, Green, Straw, Yellow, Gold

Nose/Aroma:
- Type of Fruit:
- Non-fruit Aroma: Floral, Spicy, Herbal, Earthy, Mineral, Other
- Other? Specify:

Taste:
- Sweetness: Dry, off-Dry, Semi-sweet, Sweet
- Body: Light, Medium, Full
- Tastes like it smells? Yes / No
- If no, what is the taste?
- Oak: None, Some, Plenty
- Structure/Acidity: Fruity, Medium, Acid-sharp
- Tannin: Low, Medium, High

Assessment: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
- Additional notes:

Winos Rating: Bad, Neutral, Good
- White Wine Wino - Buy again? Yes / No
- Red Wine Wino - Buy Again? Yes / No

Grape and Vine Sweet Red

Here is another $2.99 bottle of wine from California's Grape and Vine Wine Company. Strong alcohol content at 12.0%, like their Merlot, it's not bad for the price. Moreover, the Winos agreed to buy this one again... it gets a Neutral Rating.

Grape and Vine Merlot

Here is a $2.99 bottle of Merlot that comes from California's Grape and Vine Wine Company. Strong alcohol content at 12.5%, not bad for the price. However, the Winos did not agree on this one. White Wine Wino gave it a Bad Rating; Red Wine Wino gave it a Good Rating. True to the rating system, this one gets a Neutral Rating.

Barefoot Moscato Spumante

Tried this one January 1, 2011 and then later in the year on December 19, 2011. Both occasions Barefoot Moscato Spumante received a Good Rating from the Winos!

Liberty Creek Merlot

Liberty Creek Merlot maintains its Good Rating from the Winos. Big bottle price remains under $10 in our area. Here are pictures of the label for reference.

Alamos Malbec

Here is a Malbec that comes from the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Argentina. This one earned a Good Rating from the Winos! For reference, pictures of the front and back labels are posted below.

Chianti Classico Riserva Banfi 2011

Chianti Classico Riserva Banfi 2011 comes from Italy with a 13% Alcohol Content to keep the Red Wine Wino happy. White Wine Wino is good with it. Red Wine Wino cannot say no to any Chianti, so this one gets a Good Rating from the Winos!

See pictures below for more details from the bottle's labels.

Molly Dooker Two Left Feet

This one is a blended wine from South Australia. Not sure how to reference the wine... front label has "Molly Dooker Two Left Feet" on it. No worries, still a tasty wine! The Winos give it a Good Rating.

Back label breaks out the blend (69% Shiraz, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Merlot) and its Alcohol Content comes in at 16%!

Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel

Here is one we liked; comes from Bogle Winery in California. It's their Old Vine Zinfandel! This one gets a Good Rating from the Winos! Here is a picture of the front and back labels for reference!

Pane Vino House Red

had lunch at Pane Vino the other day; great tasting wood fired pizzas as well as a tasty House Red! Not sure where it comes from but this one easily gets a Good Rating from the Winos!

Our Favorite Cork Screw (Re-visited)

Several years ago we posted that our favorite cork screw is the "two-stepped lip" variation. For reference, below is the original post. As luck would have it, the cork screw was misplaced by a certain someone that we won't mention.

That said, had a hard time finding a replacement until now.  Here is another "two-stepped lip"cork screw. This one has a hinged second lip, and the serrated blade is angled, making cleaner cuts of bottle wrapping!

Digging around for a cork screw, we realized we have purchased a number of cork screws - both good and bad over the years.  Three remain in our kitchen drawer and are similar in design.  Of the three, we consider the cork screw with the "two-stepped lip" as our favorite one.

The second lip - not sure what it is really called, allows for easy resetting of the cork screw and provides more leverage when pulling corks!

Since "a picture is worth a thousand words", see the picture below!

Our Favorite Cork Screw We Keep In The Kitchen!

Llano Sweet Red

Back in 2010, Llano Sweet Red received a Neutral Rating. In 2011, the Winos gave it a Good Rating. This time, in 2014, the Winos gave it a Good Rating again.  Here are the bottles front and back labels for reference.

Foxhorn Vineyards Shiraz

Foxhorn Vineyards Shiraz continues to earn  Good Rating from the Winos. Here is a picture of the front and back labels for reference...

Lucky Duck Sweet Red

Okay, so with another $3 in the Wine/Grocery budget, went with the Lucky Duck Sweet Red. Chilled in the fridge for an hour, popped the cork, and guess what... Good Rating from the two Winos! Almost like drinking a Sangria! 9% alcohol content only but given the taste and price, the Red Wine Wino agreed with the White Wine Wino to buy it again!

Lucky Merlot

On a roll with Lucky Duck at its low price and good taste; Lucky Merlot gets a Good Rating from the Winos! Under $3 and over 12% alcohol content... what's not to like!

Lucky Duck Shiraz

Back again for more Lucky Duck Shiraz. Under $3.00 and a strong 12.5% alcohol content, Red Wine Wino was good with it. White Wine Wino gave it shot and agreed to buy again... "Good Rating" from the Winos!

Liberty Creek Moscato

Had other offerings from Liberty Creek; this one is their Moscato. Light on the alcohol content at 8% but does have a good taste and a low price at under $10 for the "big bottle"! White Wine Wino was good with it; Red Wine Wino wanted more than the 8% alcohol content. This one gets a "Neutral Rating".

Barefoot Malbec

Have had good luck with Barefoot Winery's offerings. Low prices and high alcohol content really makes a difference to the Red Wine Wino. That said, the White Wine Wino has to keep things in check, else every bottle of red wine priced at under $5 and 12% or higher alcohol content would get a "Good Rating".

In this instance, though both Winos agreed on purchasing this one again.  So it gets a "Good Rating" from the Winos!  And, to quote the White Wine Wino, "I like it, it's like a Merlot but with less bitterness."

Into The Glass Wine Bar and Texas Cafe, Grapevine, Texas

Was in Grapevine several weeks ago to try tasting different wines. After walking around the area, decided to settle in at "Into The Glass Wine Bar and Texas Cafe".

Had a great time tasting several wines; also had the Brie and Chicken Nachos which were outstanding!  Here is a picture of the dish...

For the wines, here are pictures with our rating noted in the captions. Do give this place a try when you are in the area!

Robert Hall Rose '13 - Paso Robles (Neutral) and Casas del Bosque Carmenere '12 - Chile (Good)

Bricco Magno Nebbiolo '10 - Italy (Good)

Vignoble Ferret Ugni Blanc '12 - France (Neutral)

Caltern Pinot Grigio '11 - Alto Adige (Good)

Here are descriptions of the wines as listed in their menu for your reference:

• Robert Hall Rose '13 - Paso Robles (Neutral): Fresh raspberry and tangerine. Juicy and refreshing!
• Casas del Bosque Carmenere '12 - Chile (Good): Serrano peppers with wild cherry cola... Herbaceous!
• Bricco Magno Nebbiolo '10 - Italy (Good): Orange peel and spice box with smooth dark chocolate.
• Vignoble Ferret Ugni Blanc '12 - France (Neutral): Candied grapefruit and melon... a crisp, refreshing finish!
• Caltern Pinot Grigio '11 - Alto Adige (Good): Juicy melon and bananana with a clean finish.

Pluckers House Red

Was having dinner at Pluckers. Ordered Wings and other things... and then had the House Red. Had this one before and liked it. This time, we liked it again as well! Pluckers House  Red maintains its "Good Rating"!

Lucky Duck Cabernet Sauvignon

Posted this back in 2011 about Luck Duck Cabernet Sauvgnon...

Another offering from Lucky Duck... this time a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.  Both Winos gave this one a thumbs up.  Will buy this one again,... it tastes great!  Rating "Good"!

 Now it's 2014 and somehow the two Winos are not in agreement this round. This one gets a "Neutral Rating" since they cannot agree to buy it again. Still priced under $3.00 at least. May need to try this again later...

Llano Sweet Red

Had this one before... Still has a Good Rating from the Winos! For others' reference, here is a picture of the label - front and back!

Liberty Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

Had this one back in March... Here is what we wrote:

Here is one that gets a Good Rating from the Winos.  Had Liberty Creek's other offerings and have been happy.  The Cabernet Sauvignon holds its own as well.  12% Alcohol Content, less than $6 for the bigger bottle, and it tastes good!

This one maintains its Good Rating with the Winos this round!

Sho Chiku Bai Sake

Sho Chiku Bai Sake comes in at 15% Alcohol Content. Red Wine Wino needed a change of pace. So, why not a Sake. This one worked; both Winos agree buy again... Good Rating noted!

Llano Blush

Posted this in September 2014...

Llano Blush comes from a Texas Winery that produces good wines.  Have tried their Moscato, Shiraz, Sweet Red, and a Signature Blend.  All with the same results... Good Ratings.  The Llano Blush keeps its own end and earns a Good Rating as well! 

It holds its own today with another Good Rating!