Recession Review: Gazela Vinho Verde

The Winery: Gazela
The Wine: Vinho Verde
The Price: $5.99 at QFC.

Gazela is a Portuguese winery. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any information on the winery.

I was able to dig up a little of information on the Vinho Verde varietal. These wines are made in Northern Portugal, in the Minho region. The term Vinho Verde literally means green wine.

The wine is was capped with a screw top. Opening the wine, I was surprised to hear the tell-tale whoosh of a sparkling wine. It's a very, very light carbonation. Had I read up on Vinho Verde before opening the bottle, I would have known that that is typical of the varietal.

The wine is an extremely pale straw color, very nearly clear. It has aromas of honey and pineapple.

It's a very bland wine. The flavor is almost nonexistent. It has a slight pineapple flavor, with a hint of pear. I don't dislike it, but it really lacks flavor and the bubbles are so few as to be nearly absent. It's almost like taking a box of cheap wine and cutting it with sparkling water.

Greg Norman Estates Limestone Coast 2006 Cabernet Merlot

The Winery: Greg Norman Estates
The Wine: Limestone Coast 2006 Cabernet Merlot
The Price: $11.99 at Costco

This winery is one of golfer Greg Norman's many endeavors. You can check out his other ventures at www.shark.com.

This wine is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot, both from Australia.

The wine was stopped with a natural cork. It is a very deep, dark red wine. It has aromas of blackberries, clove and cherry.

This is a fairly big, fruity wine. It has bold cherry and berry flavors with a pepper and clove finish.

This is and impressive wine for the price. It would probably improve with age, but is perfectly drinkable now.

Columbia Crest 2007 H3 Chardonnay

The Winery: Columbia Crest
The Wine: 2007 H3 Chardonnay
The Price: I don't usually do this, but I ended up buying two bottles of this wine at two different stores. First I bought a bottle a Safeway for $12.99, marked down from $22.99. Then I found a bottle at Costco for $10.99. So naturally I next checked to see how much Columbia Crest is charging for the wine online - $14.99.

The wine is medium yellow in color, and the bottle was stopped with a natural cork.

The wine has aromas of pineapple, pear and vanilla. It has flavors of pineapple, vanilla and coconut (no, it doesn't taste like a Pina Colada), with a bit of a bite on the finish. This is a very good wine. I wouldn't pay the $22.99 that Safeway claims is the regular price, but if you can get it for $15 or less, it's definitely worth it. This may be the best Chardonnay that I've ever sampled.

Recession Review: Blason de Bourgogne 2007 Pinot Noir

The Winery: Blason de Bourgogne
The Wine: 2007 Pinot Noir
The Price: $7.99 at Trader Joe's

If it's not abundantly clear by the name, Blason de Bourgongne is a French winery.

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and was decanted an just shy of an hour before the review. This wine is much lighter in color than other Pinot Noirs that I've encountered. I would say it's roughly half as dark as the typical Pinot Noir.

The wine has aromas of strawberry jam and cherry. It's a pretty bland wine. It has a bit of a strawberry jam flavor, a bit of a cherry flavor, and too much pepper flavor.

The problem with this wine isn't the flavor. It's the lack of flavor. It's far too watery. The flavor that comes through is good. There's just not enough of it.

At $8, I'd pass on this and find a truly decent $8 wine.

Fire Road 2008 Sauvignon Blanc

The Winery: Fire Road
The Wine: 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
The Price: $9.99 at Central Market

Fire Road is a New Zealand winery. I don't recall ever reviewing, or even sampling, a wine from New Zealand.

The wine was stopped with a screw cap. It is a very light colored wine, with aromas of apple, grass and a hint of mint. The wine has flavors of flavors of apple, honey and, again, that hint of mint.

This is a really good wine. It's a perfect wine to savor on the porch on a hot summer day. It would pair very nicely with mild fish or a refreshing salad.

This first foray into the wines of New Zealand was a great experience. I'm looking forward to seeing what else they have to offer.