Edward Rasiulis

Massucco Barbaresco 2006, Docg

Description: Light garnet in colour with high intensity on the nose.

Positives: An exquisite nose featuring cedar, sandalwood, Italian spices, all spice, cinnamon, orange rind, live carnations, sour cherry, cherry cola, mulberry & truffles. The taste is similar to the nose. Medium body wine with medium+ tannins, high acidity, alcohol well interested with a long finish.

Negatives: None.

Drink now but will age nicely for the next 4 years. Enjoy it with red tomato sauce dishes.

Tasted: 2 Mar 12

Best Buy

Score: 9+/10, Value: 9.5/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

Quails' Gate Chardonnay 2008, Okanagan Valley, B.C.

Description: Light gold in colour with medium+ intensity.

Positives: Beautiful Chard nose with lemon meringue, apples, medium oak & toast. This Chard has a long taste with a medium body.

Negatives: Although it has a nice long finish, part of it is bitter.

Drink now or cellar it for another 3-5 years. Drink on its own or pair it with roasted chicken.

Score: 8.5, Value: 8.5/10, Total: 17/20.

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

Mission Hill Five Vineyard Cabernet Merlot 2008

Dark ruby in colour with medium intense nose. The nose shows cedar, blackberry, turmeric, cassis, anise, pencil shavings, all spice & raspberry. The taste is dry, med+ tannins with med+ acid. A bit astringent & linear. Med+ length & med+ body. Taste is similar as taste with addition of leather & tobacco leaves. This wine needs to be paired with something that has a lot of protein, like steak. Try BBQ rib-eye.

Tasted 22 July 2011.

Score 8/10, Value: 7/10, Total: 15/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 2.5

Angels Gate Mountainview Chardonnay 2008, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula

Make sure you don't drink this Chard to cold as it will diminish the nose & taste. Generally Chardonnays should be served around 13 C, which would put it between what a Pinot Noir & a Sauvignon Blanc. The colour is medium minus gold with med intensity. The nose shows med+ oak & toast. It's balanced with good citric notes of lemon, green apple, pink grapefruit and minerality. The taste is dry, good acidity, med+ length, med body & balanced. The taste is similar to nose with the citric flavours dominating with med oak & toast that gives a slight bitterness on the after taste. Drink now, but will age for another 3-4 years. Pair it with calamari ceviche or fried calamari or maybe with a grilled chicken Caesar salad.

Tasted 22 June 2011.

Score: 8.5/10 Value: 8.5/20, Total: 17/20.

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

Sella & Mosca Cannonau Di Sardegna Riserva 2007, Doc Sardinia

Positives: I love this wine. The aroma itself is intoxicating, maybe because it's 14% alcohol! Luckily the taste is almost as good. Hey if it was as good I would have scored this wine as perfect. This is an easy drinking wine, with light tannin's, good acidity, medium minus body and a medium+ length. This is drinking well now, but you can cellar it for another 2 years. Drink on its own or pair it with hot or medium hot Italian sauces in a basil tomato sauce with pasta. It also went well pizza.

Negatives: The high alcohol of 14%, but surprisingly it still went well with hot food. The taste has a slight watery feel to it.

Interesting Item: The label makes this wine look an expensive Italy wine. Bring it to dinners or parties and it will impress people. The taste will back this up. People will think this is easily a $30-$40 wine.

Best Buy

Tasted: 15 Sept 11

Score: 9+/10, Value:10/10, Total: 19+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Pedro Escudero Fuente Elvira Verdejo 2009, Do Rueda

Bright gold in colour with medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: Very refreshing wine. Pink grapefruit dominates with supporting roles from apples, orange rind, green tea, gooseberry & limestone. Medium minus body, good acidity & medium+ length.

Negatives: None

Interesting Things: A yellow synthetic cork. I suggest drinking this wine from glassware used for cool climate Chardonnay or Viognier. I tried it in a Sauvignon Blanc glass & it turned the pink grapefruit to regular grapefruit that I would need sugar to cut through the tartness.

Drink now on its own or with Kung Pao chicken.

Best Buy

Tasted: 21 Nov 11

Score: 9+/10, Value: 9.5+/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

Santa Rita Chardonnay Reserva 2009, Casablanca Valley

Bright gold in colour with medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: The nose makes this wine feel like a $50 chard. It shows notes of medium toasted oak, buttery, vanilla, lemon meringue pie, caramel covered apples & popcorn. The taste feels like an under $20 chard with more citric & tart notes of lemon rind, lime, green apples, unripe pineapple, light toasted oak & limestone. Medium body with high acidity & medium+ length.

Negatives: A little tart on the taste.

Interested Thing: LCBO usually has this wine on sale a couple of times a year.

Drink now & pair it with snow crab & drawn butter

Trius White 2010, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Medium straw colour with high intensity on the nose.

Positives: What a beautiful nose showing spring flower blossoms, lychee, peach, apricot, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, lemon, golden apple & light oak. The taste is smooth & very easy to drink. Be careful because before you know it you'll be in your second & third bottle. Actually that might be a good thing lol. The taste comes in waves showing lychee, peach, green & golden apples, honeydew melon, apricot, cantaloupe, light oak, lemon, limestone, mandarine & orange rind on the finish. Medium minus body, good acidity & a long length.

Negatives: None.

Interesting Point: A complex wine for under $20.

Drink now on its own or pair it with BBQ pork ribs.

Tasted: 9 Feb 12

Best Buy

Score: 9/10, Value: 9.5/10, Total: 18.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Bodegas Shaya Verdejo 2009, Do Rueda

Medium straw colour with medium to medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: Very nice aromas of lemon/lime, carnations, cinnamon, pear, apple & limestone. The taste is not as beautiful as the nose but still nice showing lemon, orange, pear, limestone & grapefruit. The wine is medium body with good acidity & medium length.

Negatives: A touch too much grapefruit on the finish. Drink now on its own or pair it with oysters.

Interesting Note: If you like Rueda wines, try the Pedro Escudero 2009 Fuente for $13.95, which is a Best Buy that I reviewed in November 2011.

Tasted: 18 Dec 11

Score: 8.5+/10, Value: 8.5+/10, Total: 17.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3

Stlto Merlot Malbec 2009

This wine surprised me considering the label that had to be done by a female. Oh wait it was! Usually these labels are designed as a quick pick-up marketing to get the consumer to buy, but not really a quality style wine. This one is! It has dark ruby in colour with medium intensity on the nose. The nose is pleasant with light oak, blackberry, cherry, raisins, blueberry & cola notes. The taste is also pleasant with similar notes as the nose. Medium+ acidity, medium+ tannins, medium length & body. This wine is balanced & easy to drink on it's own or try with chicken with rum & cola sauce or if you're being more conventional it pairs well with BBQ lamb chops. Drink now or cellar for 1-2 years.

Best Buy. Good complexity & quality for a wine under $15.

Tasted 21 July 2011. Score: 8.5+/10, Value: 10/10, Score: 18.5+/20.

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5