Innocent Bystander

Name: Innocent Bystander
Variety: Moscato
Region: Victoria
Country: Australia
Year: 2001
Price: $15.95

Winery Review: The focus of Innocent Bystander is to produce quality, flavour-driven wines from carefully selected vineyards in the Yarra Valley and beyond. Over time Steve Flamsteed and his team have increased that level of complexity and texture in the Innocent Bystander wines with greater used of wild fermentation and restrained oak handling.

My Review: I find the color very appealing, that the moscato is made from black muscat grapes, giving it the pink coloring. When I tasted it, it is very sweet. Definitely a desert wine and would go great with desert. I still prefer regular moscato wine over sparkling wines.

Sivas Sonoma

Name:Sivas Sonoma
Variety: Cabernet
Region:  Sonoma County
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $14.95

Winery Review: Fruit driven, with a nice combination of blackberry, red currant, and a background of dark chocolate and cocoa. A hint of brightness in the fruit aromas, together with the classic Cabernet depth, signals this wine's Sonoma County roots. On the palate, dark chocolate-covered cherry flavors meet hints of mocha, and the dark fruit profile carries all the way though the lively mid-palate The mouthfeel is soft and silky, with mouthfilling, velvety tannins that give the wine finesse and marry well with the wine's light acidity. In addition, the mixture of French and American oak aging lends light touches of vanilla and cinnamon to this wine's background complexity. This wine's focused fruit profile and depth, finishing with a long raspberry not.

My Review: The fruity smell really comes though. When I tasted the wine I noticed a bitter taste towards the end. But when I tasted it for the second time I really noticed the coco flavoring was well a some of the fruit flavors. I believe that this wine would go great with desert foods or food made with a hint of coco.

Frisk

Name: Frisk
Variety: Prickly Reisling
Region: Alpine Valley
Country: Australia
Price: $11.95

Winery Review: Leave to the Aussies to come up with a tasty value wine with a sassy descriptive name. Frisk is a frisky Riesling with a pleasing level of prickly spritz lifting in the ample fruity flavors. It has a pale straw color lively bubbles, loads of tropical fruit and jasmine aromas, off-dry fruity flavors, a refreshing 8.9% alcohol and a sweet/tart finish; and all that Australian goodness. [Also contains 11% moscato grapes]


My Review: The first thing I noticed about this wine was the smell. It was very fruity. When tasting it, it is very sweet. The wine was very fruity and easy to drink. I believe that this wine will go really well with desert.

Allamand

Name: Allamand
Variety: Cuvee St. Jeanette
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2011
Price: $11.95

Shop Review: From the winery formerly known as Finca El Reposo comes this blend of 90+ year old Chardonnay and the almost extinct grape Saint Jeannet. Seaint Jeannet originated in the South of France, but is now thought to exist only at the one vineyard in Argentina. Made from naturally from organically farmed grapes with almost nothing added later, wild yeast fermentation and no oak.

My Review: I did not like this wine personally. I knew that Chardonnay wines are usually dry but when I tasted this I was surprised on how bitter and dry the wine was. Although I did get a hint of fruit in the drink.

Leese Fitch

Name: Leese Fitch
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2010
Price: $10.95

Winery Review: A lovely Sauvignon Blanc, dry, crisply acidic and clean, with complex citrus, flower and mineral flavors. A great value for the money.

My Review: When I smelled it the flower and citrus aromas really came through. When I tasted it I got a hint of dry towards the end. But overall I enjoyed the taste of it and I think that it would go really well with a meal.