Aveleda Fonte Vinho Verde

Name: Aveleda Fonte Vinho Verde
Color: White
Varietal: Blend (Trajadura/Loureiro/Arinto/Azal)
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Portugal
Region: Vinho Verde
Price: $8
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

I picked up this bottle of Vinho Verde to use last night in a recipe for steamed mussels. We drank the wine with the meal and finished it after dinner. We both really liked this one with the dinner and on its own.

It's a clear, pale color in the glass, and it gives off a slight fizz when you first open and pour it, but that goes away almost immediately. The nose is rather slight, just some citrus and apple aromas. The taste is primarily green apples, lemon, lime, and orange...The Aveleda Fonte is very fresh, fruity, light, and refreshing. It's an almost perfect summer wine and is terrific on its own and with light seafood dishes.

Peter Lehmann Clancy's Red

Name: Peter Lehmann Clancy's Red
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)
Vintage: 2005
Country/State: Australia
Region: Barossa
Price: $12
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


We've had this wine before and really liked it. It's a great blend of Shiraz, Cab, and Merlot with big, bold red and black fruit aromas and taste. It's also a touch peppery and spicy. I've found that this one really mellows and becomes even more smooth after sitting for a couple of hours. It was really nice on the second night.

We drank this last night with a rotisserie chicken and then again after dinner on its own. It's very good....smooth, soft, and delicious. It would be terrific with BBQ.

Domaine Roger Luquet Clos de Condemine

Name: Domaine Roger Luquet Clos de Condemine
Color: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: France
Region: Burgundy (Macon-Villages)
Price: $15
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


We had this terrific French white last night with dinner (fish and pasta)...The wine went well with dinner and was great on its own. There wasn't much going on in the nose -- mostly pear and green apple. The taste was similar to the nose, but its great minerality and clean crispness made it very enjoyable. We continue to have good luck with French whites.

Guardian Peak Frontier Red

Name: Guardian Peak Frontier Red
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot)
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: South Africa
Region: Stellenbosch
Price: $18
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

We first tasted this South African red blend several months ago at The Grape restaurant/wine store at International Plaza in Tampa. It was one of 3 South African reds that we tasted as part of a flight. We liked all three very much, but haven't seen any of them at our usual wine stores. Since Krista particularly liked these wines, I headed back to the restaurant's retail store to pick up a bottle for Mother's Day. This was the only one of the three that the small shop still stocks, so I bought it and we drank it on Sunday with cheeseburgers that I grilled, along with some fresh vegetables.

The Guardian Peak Frontier Red was excellent. It had a nice nose of dark berries and smoky chocolate. The taste was primarily blackberries, black cherries, coffee, and chocolate. It had a medium-plus feel in the mouth and a long finish. Apparently, this wine is made by a partnership in South Africa that includes golfer Ernie Els.

With the World Cup starting next month in South Africa, Krista and I plan on drinking several South African wines this summer. We've had good luck so far.

Tierra del Fuego Carmenere

Name: Tierra del Fuego Reserva
Color: Red
Varietal: Carmenere
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Chile
Region: Maule Valley
Price: $15
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


We had the Tierra del Fuego Carmenere last night with a dinner of grilled chicken sandwiches (from a Bobby Flay recipe) and pasta. We bought this wine at a little wine store in St. Augustine when Krista and I spent a couple of days there in December for our anniversary. The wine was highly recommended by the store owner and since we both love Carmenere, we were excited to try it.

This wine was right in our comfort zone -- it was big and bold with dark fruit, chocolate, and coffee. It had nice big tannins and a weighty feel in the mouth. We poured it through the Vinturi to get some air into the wine quickly and to tame some of the oak.

We really liked this one. You can't really go wrong with a good Carmenere from Chile.