http://www.justagrape.com Simple Wine Reviews By Regular Guys Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:00:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.justagrape.com/zingari-toscana-italy-2008/ http://www.justagrape.com/zingari-toscana-italy-2008/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:00:01 +0000 Eddie http://www.justagrape.com/?p=706 This is a wine that we picked up from Costco based purely on the inviting description that the display had.  We enjoyed this with some friends and some good food. $9 from Costco

• Ripened fruit smells with blackberry tastes
• Smooth mouth feel with an anise finish
• Great food wine, with a shorter finish after decanting
• This wine was like a 4th of July fireworks extravaganza… except it was one that started off really well but ended disappointingly with no finale whatsoever.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/zingari-toscana-italy-2008/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/monrosso-chianti-italy-2007/ http://www.justagrape.com/monrosso-chianti-italy-2007/#comments Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:07:52 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/?p=656 This is a Chianti that we picked up from Costco and enjoyed with our delicious chipotle beef tacos on a quiet Monday night.  Chianti’s are often such a great choice when choosing a wine to go with your meal because the Italians have designed them to be built for food.  They can go very well with a wide variety of foods. $10 from Costco

• Smells of bright vanilla and strawberry shortcake.
• Peppery with a sweet hint of cherry.
• Medium finish and smooth mouth feel.
• This wine was great with our meal as was expected from a Chianti, but after our food was done it seemed to fall flat a bit… like a great basketball player who is traded to a different team and never reaches the same level of productivity without their star point guard by their side setting them up for easy points game after game.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/monrosso-chianti-italy-2007/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/ora-montepulciano-dabruzzo-italy-2008/ http://www.justagrape.com/ora-montepulciano-dabruzzo-italy-2008/#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 04:46:14 +0000 Eddie http://www.justagrape.com/?p=643 Ora Montepulciano D’Abruzzo from Fresh & Easy.  This is a new wine that we picked up to have after a great Thanksgiving Day meal.  The price led us to not expect much but we were very surprised by the depth and character of this wine. $5 from Fresh & Easy

• Pepper and Spice smells
• Earthy with damp hay
• Tastes of sour cherry with plum at the end
• Smooths out a lot after decanting
• Intense, deep, complex, yet at a price point that is undeniably perfect… like ordering Monday Night Football tickets online and ending up with Bowl Game tickets by accident.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/ora-montepulciano-dabruzzo-italy-2008/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/vola-sangiovese-italy-2009/ http://www.justagrape.com/vola-sangiovese-italy-2009/#comments Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:23:22 +0000 Eddie http://www.justagrape.com/?p=610 This is a limited time availability wine available from Trader Joes.  We’re not certain if it will return again this year or if it is gone for good.  Very hard to pass up at $1.99 a bottle and we were not disappointed when we opened up the first one at home.  This flavor profile and texture of this wine can be found in others for $8 – $10.  If you can still find this at your TJ’s pick it up!!! $2 from Trader Joes

• Smells of strawberries, pepper and sawdust
• Soft mouth feel and is very smooth after decanting
• Tastes of cedar and nectarine with a medium finish
• Changes and evolves as you drink it.  This is a wine that keeps you interested all the time… You know its crazy buy you enjoy your time with it… it’s fun because you don’t know what is coming next… but it all makes sense when you realize it is a very schizophrenic wine.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/vola-sangiovese-italy-2009/feed/ 20 http://www.justagrape.com/ombretta-chianti-italy-2006/ http://www.justagrape.com/ombretta-chianti-italy-2006/#comments Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:08:10 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/ombretta-chianti-italy-2006/ This wine is a Chianti from Tuscany. Chiantis are very good buys and you can find decent bottles for around $10.00. You can get great bottles for around $20.00. Chiantis….like most Italian wines are built for food. If you are looking for a wine that goes great with a meal yet does not break your wallet than you should try out a few Chiantis and this is one we would recommend starting with. $6.00 From Fresh and Easy

• Deep purple color
• Rustic aroma with hints of berries
• Flavors of toasted oak
• Black Cherry notes
• Solid buy at $6.00…Its like playing softball with your old glove that you have had for years….It may not be as fancy or as nice as some of your friends gloves but you know it will work for you and after all……whether it works for you is all that really matters

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/ombretta-chianti-italy-2006/feed/ 4 http://www.justagrape.com/caposaldo-chianti-italy-2005/ http://www.justagrape.com/caposaldo-chianti-italy-2005/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:50:48 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/caposaldo-chianti-italy-2005/ This wine is a Chianti from Italy. $10 Purchased at Cost Plus World Market.

• Cherries and earth in the bouquet.
• Spice, citrus and cherry flavors.
• Light and refreshing feel with mineral undertones.
• Overall this is easy drinking wine with good body and a nice finish.
• A solid Chianti at $10.00 that would provide good company with a meal….yet light enough to have a glass or two on its own

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/caposaldo-chianti-italy-2005/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/ogio-primitivo-italy-2006/ http://www.justagrape.com/ogio-primitivo-italy-2006/#comments Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:59:19 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/ogio-primitivo-italy-2006/ This is a Primitivo form the Puglia region of Italy. $5 Purchased at Fresh & Easy.

• Smells light and mineraly.
• Black cherry aromas.
• Full bodied and dry with subtle tannins.
• Nice berry flavors with just a hint of spice.
• Take this wine for what it is…It is a 5 dollar bottle. Kinda like having a hot dog on this grill….If you are expecting an expensive fillet mignon then you will be disappointed but….if you know that you bought a package of hot dogs and know the price of them then you will appreciate it for what it is. Besides…sometime a hot dog just his the spot.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/ogio-primitivo-italy-2006/feed/ 6 http://www.justagrape.com/ecco-domani-cabernet-merlot-italy-2004/ http://www.justagrape.com/ecco-domani-cabernet-merlot-italy-2004/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:49:51 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/ecco-domani-cabernet-merlot-italy-2004/ This is a Cabernet Merlot blend from Italy with 53% Cabernet and 47% Merlot. $8 Purchased from Bashas.

• Notes of blackberries in the bouquet.
• Smooth and mild tasting but also a very flat.
• A medium finish with hints of spice and mild tannins.
• This is the Budweiser, or Molson of wine. It has been mass produced and marketed so as not to offend anyones taste… kinda like listening to the latest boy band… You know who they are and what they sing but once you hear one of their songs you wonder why you did not change the station.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/ecco-domani-cabernet-merlot-italy-2004/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/badia-al-colle-chianti-italy-2005/ http://www.justagrape.com/badia-al-colle-chianti-italy-2005/#comments Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:04:46 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/badia-al-colle-chianti-italy-2005/ This wine is a Chianti that made up of 100% Sangiovese grapes. I got this wine from a cousin of mine and I have to say I was a little nervous about it at first. They are not wine drinkers and most of the wine I have had over there tended to be as sweet as Kool – Aid. Apparently somebody had given the bottle to them and they did not know where it came from. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this bottle and will be on the look out for it again. So if anyone sees this bottle somewhere write us and let us know because I would really like to have this again. $12

• Earthy with hints of leather and cigar.
• Great with any pasta dish.
• Robust yet easy to drink.
• A very dry wine.
• This Chianti has to be the “bottle of Red” that Billy Joel sings about in his song “Our Italian Restaurant”

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/badia-al-colle-chianti-italy-2005/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/amarone-della-valpolicella-italy-2003/ http://www.justagrape.com/amarone-della-valpolicella-italy-2003/#comments Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:32:19 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/amarone-della-valpolicella-italy-2003/ Amarone is a wine that refers to an old fashioned wine making method of drying the grapes on racks in order to bring out their flavors. Amarone is traditionally a rich and dry red wine made in the Venitian region of Italy. $17 Purchased at Trader Joe’s

• Intense, rich and fruity bouquet.
• Dry and tart.
• A wine meant to be enjoyed with a meal.
• Decanting is strongly recommended; but if no decanter is available then you should allow the wine to breathe for an hour before drinking it.
• A wine like this is like an independent and strong woman… she knows what she wants and is going to tell you whether you want her to or not. She is outgoing and somewhat abrasive but you will always know what she means. She does not beat around the bush.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/amarone-della-valpolicella-italy-2003/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/santa-cristina-italy-2006/ http://www.justagrape.com/santa-cristina-italy-2006/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:14:37 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/santa-cristina-italy-2006/ This is a Sangiovse from the Tuscany region of Italy. $10 Purchased at Trader Joe’s

• Fruity wine, ripe summer berry flavors.
• This is a sweeter wine and would be a hit with fans of sweeter reds.
• Light bouquet with floral hints and berry.
• An initial intense burst of fruit flavor that mellows out towards the end.
• Well, the 2004 Mouton Cadet from France introduced us to the French farmer’s daughter. Now meet her cousin the Italian farmer’s daughter.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/santa-cristina-italy-2006/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/masi-campofiorin-ripasso-rosso-del-veronese-italy-2003/ http://www.justagrape.com/masi-campofiorin-ripasso-rosso-del-veronese-italy-2003/#comments Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:05:53 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/masi-campofiorin-ripasso-rosso-del-veronese-italy-2003/ A blend of 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 5% Molinara from Italy. It is an unfiltered wine, which means that you need to decant in order to keep the sediment out of the glass. $16 Purchased at The Wine Rack

• Green apple.
• Wood smoke.
• Soft, velvety, full bodied wine.
• Very good.
• Peppermint.
• If you can find this baby you should really consider picking her up…she is haunting and majestic like an Italian Princess but priced for the mere pauper.

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