Dow's Fine White Porto

By Demetrius D. Blake

The brandy is incorporated nicely to give you that nutty buttery vanilla smell and taste that goes well with most chocolate desserts. As a person who doesn’t normally drink wine, this port was the one for me. I liked the vanilla flavor of it because it was not too strong but enough to be able to have a nice piece of German chocolate cake with a glass of it. Dow’s White Porto left me wanting to actually give wines a second go round and see if there are more wines out there for me.

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Bogle Chardonnay 2006

By Jacob Sikes

The Bogle Chardonnay is a very nice wine. It has a caramel, buttery, oaky smell and taste. This is a California wine and has a medium acid level. This wine can be paired with a lot of foods. This is one of the most important white wines because of the grapes it is produced with. It is a very smooth wine that when pairing goes with creamy foods. A couple great pairings for this chardonnay would be New England clam chowder, lobster, and shrimp Scampi. You can buy this wine around $10.

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Les Rocs de Plaisance 2005

By Caleb Cronk

This is a cheeky little simple Red Bordeaux that is earthy, light, and with a long finish. 100 percent Merlot grapes and coming from “old world” terrior gives you “stony” flavors in the front, light fruit in the middle, and finishes long with a “cassis” flavor. This is a polite wine with higher tannins and lower acid is a great compliment to cuts of beef, tomato sauces, and is even light enough to compliment robust cuts of pork and gamier meats. At about $15 a bottle this is a great French wine that has versatile applications.

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Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc 2007

By Matthew Coates

With the New Zealand terroir often described as the best in the world for growing the Sauvignon Blanc varietal, finding a cost effective wine that will oblige this reputation is of interest to many an oenophile, and when you’re being set back no more than 10 to 15 dollars , Nobilo’s 2007 Sauvignon Blanc does a pretty good job.

This wine starts with a large mouthful of unripened citrus very similar to grapefruit, followed by an earthy definitive leather undertone midway, and finishes very subtly with a crisp cleaning effect on the pallet. Pair it with grilled pork or poultry, anything not requiring tannins that is marinated with lemon or tarragon, and it also fits well with vegetarian dishes.

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Palais de Versailles Brut NV

By Keri Navarre

Sparkling wine has had a bad rap. Most people think it is too expensive and is only to drink on special occasions. What is not realized is the versatility of this wine. The bubbles and balance of acidity pair well with a multitude of foods and desserts.

A well-made, inexpensive sparkling wine is Palais de Versailles Brut NV ($10-$15). This Bordeaux sparkling wine will tingle your taste buds with caramel and oak and tight, effervescent bubbles. The finish is smooth with a slight apple taste that lingers on your tongue. Whether you are having a brunch of Eggs Benedict and Quiche or a dinner of Roast Pork and Apples, this wine will pair well with a myriad of dishes usually reserved for a light Chardonnay. So, I encourage you to open your wine palate and make room for sparkling wine to pair with your everyday meals.

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Rudolf Muller Riesling Eiswein 2004

By Harry Lee

This dessert wine has a caramel, yellow color with aromas of honey, pear and blossoms. It has a candied orange taste and can easily be paired with fruit salads or pound cake. I would dare to pair it with a spicy Asian dish such as Kung Pao Chicken or a spicy orange chicken, with the heat from the dish neutralizing the sweetness of the wine. You could easily drink this wine as your dessert.

This wine will cost you about $21 for a half bottle, but is well worth the money.

Technorati Tags: German wine,dessert wine,ice wine,Rudolf Muller

Placido Pinot Grigio 2006

By Scott O'Neal

This wine had a pungent smell, but was lighter in color than the Riesling I had previously tasted.  While the smell was light and lemony, it had a mineral aroma. There was bitter aftertaste, as well as a brief lemon peel taste.  The wine did have a clean, clear, crisp edge to it.  There was a general wince when I tasted it, that made my taste buds stand up, but again,overall, it gave of a clean taste.  Noticeably dry, I would appreciate this wine much more with a good spaghetti dish or fettuccine Alfredo.  Glad to know it wasn't too expensive either (about $10). 

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Egberts Spatlese 2006

By Sarah Green

My first inhale of Egberts Spatlese instantly transported me back to 1998 in the United Kingdom where I tasted my first glass of white German wine. While not nearly as sweet as that Leibfraumilch I tasted ten years ago, the Egberts Spatlese had a fragrant aromas of peach, apple, honey with a tinge of lemon and minerality.

As I tasted the wine, I first noticed a strong honey front, which was followed by a mineral flavor in the middle, and ended with a smooth apple and peach finish. The finish was lengthy, leaving a pleasant taste in my mouth as if I had just eaten a fresh granny smith apple a few minutes earlier.

This Spatlese is an off-dry wine and would pair very nicely with an array of spicy German sausage dishes, because the acidity and fruitiness of the wine would balance the fatty content in the meat. In addition, we determined that this wine would also pair with spicy Thai food and possibly even sushi.

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Murphy-Goode Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

By Charles Priddy Jr.

From before the middle ages, Cabernet Sauvignon has been known  as the staple of wine as we know it. The Murphy-Goode Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 (Alexander Valley) wine is no exception.

In the beginning you are taken away with rich, hardy aroma of mild black berry and oak. The taste is that of a rich dusty oak with black berry and slight thyme finish. Prime rib with a wine reduction sauce would complement this well.

If you’re up to a succulent hardy meal this wine would truly suit your taste at below $20.

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Gabbiano Chianti 2006

By Jonathan Neitzel

Chianti is usually best served as a complement to many Italian dishes, and this bottle, Gabbiano Chianti 2006, is an excellent choice for  taste and price. At around $10 a bottle, this mildly oaked wine offers a smooth, earthy taste that hints of cherry in proper “Old World” style. A medium balance of acid and tannins coat the tongue and keep this wine soft to the palate. The wine offers a subtle but lasting finish of sour cherry that will balance out the sweetness of a homemade tomato or Bolognese sauce, can pair well with something as bold as a roasted leg of lamb seasoned with garlic and rosemary.

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Louis Jadot Macon-Villages 2006

By Felicia Anderson

It is said that this particular wine will be excellent served with clam chowder or pulled pork. When I tasted this wine, I could not help but get that quirky feeling in my mouth that my tongue was going to twist right out. Although, I do have to admit that the first taste that I tasted was apples and pears. There might have been a hint of butter in this wine, which would make it a perfect wine with clam chowder.

If you’re a wine connoisseur, or someone that loves wine, this is not a bad way to spend $12 on a bottle of wine and have a wonderful meal.

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Cristalino Brut NV

By Angel Lee

Looking for a Spanish wine that will complement your roasted turkey and apple stuffing or a light smoked fish dish, then try this inexpensive sparkling wine (less than $10 a bottle), Cristalino  Brut NV (Cava). It was clean and crisp to the palate. It had an apple base with a lot of fruit flavor when it first hit my taste buds. It was light in my mouth and it wasn’t extremely dry to the palate. The bubbles gave it the right bang for the buck.

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LesTuileries Rouge 2005

Most wine drinkers see Bordeaux as a great black hole made up of wine speak, unimaginably high prices, and an incredibly complex system of chateaux and classifications.

Which makes this wine (about $15) all the more welcome. It's a merlot and cabernet sauvignon blend in the classic Bordeaux style, but without any of the pretensions noted above. Classic means it's not a fruit forward popsicle, full of blueberry and cola, like most inexpensive Californa merlots. Rather, it has less fruit, more earthiness, and tastes more interesting. I stumbled on this when I was looking for a red Bordeaux to use for my Cordon Bleu class tastings, and it more than filled the bill.

Serve it with most beef (hamburgers on the grill wouldn't be bad at all) and even some meatier vegetable dishes.

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