Edward Rasiulis

Bottega Petalo Il Vino Dell'amore Moscato

This sweet Moscato comes from Bottega who is a fine producer of Italian wines. Their Prosecco is a best buy & reviewed earlier.

This sparkling is similar to Moscato d'Asti or a lighter, sweeter version of their Prosecco. The colour is medium straw with medium+ intensity with good mousse. Not a complex wine, but it wasn't meant to be. Easy drinking sparkling wine that has a lot of fresh sweet peaches, some apricots, oranges & some lime. Drink on its own or with Gelatto ice cream. This also paired well with Bruschetta.

Tasted: 22 Aug 11.

Best Buy. Score: 9/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 18/10

Villa Sandi Prosecco, Doc Treviso

Light straw colour with a full mousse on it's head. Medium+ intensity showing some yeast, lemon, peach, pear, apple & some minerality. Taste is dry with med acidity, med body, long length, especially for a Prosecco & balanced. The taste is as the nose. This is a lovely Prosecco with way more character than a lot of Proseccos out there especially in the same price range. Almost taste like a light Champagne. What I also like is that this Prosecco comes in 500 ml, which is great if you just want to have A couple glasses & not waste the rest.

Best Buy

Tasted 23 July 2011.

Score: 9/10, Value: 10/10, Score: 19/20.

Astoria Prosecco

Full flavoured & you get a lot for the price

Description: Light straw in colour with a medium+ intense nose and medium fine mousse. This sparkling wine features orange blossoms, honeydew melon, green apples, peach, lemon, kiwi and light yeast. Medium to light body and with good acidity and a fairly long length.

Negatives: None

Drink now or in the next 10 of years on its own or pair it with scallop ceviche.

Tasted: 16 Aug, 2015

Best Buy

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

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5+

Wildass White 2006, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Bright gold colour with med+ intensity. Beautiful nose showing lots of dill, Easter Lilly, honeysuckle, wet stone, ginger, orange marmalade & nectarines. The taste is dry with med acidity, med+ length, med alcohol & med- weight. Dill dominates with Papaya, orange marmalade, nectarine, lemon, ginger, slate & light oak & butteriness. Nice to drink on it's own or to have with snow crab & drawn butter. Best Buy

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

Tasted 28 April 2011.

Santa Margherita Brut Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, Docg Veneto

Normally I wouldn’t quote another wine critic verbatim but I must admit Steve Thurlow hit it on the nose for me, so this is his review: “A simple fresh Prosecco but I was expecting more from a wine at this price. The nose is fresh with hints of apple blossom, peach with mineral tones. The palate is fine and dry but I missed the explosion of flavour that one expects. Good length. Correct but not exciting.”

Tasted: 24 June 2011

Score: 8/10, Value: 8/10, Total: 16/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 3

Oyster Bay Brut Sparkling Cuvée, New Zealand, Charmat Method

Easy drinking delicious sparkler

Description: Bright straw in colour with a medium+ intense nose and fine mousse. This wine features tangerine, pineapple, kiwi, cucumber, honey, limestone and white flowers on the nose. Medium body with good acidity and a long length.

Negatives: None

Interesting Note: My wife’s new favourite sparkling wine

Drink now or in the next 3-5 years on its own or pair it with bacon wrapped seared scallops

Tasted: 24 February 2017

Score: 9/10, Value: 9+/10, Total: 18+/20

Best Buy

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Pfaffenheim Pinot Blanc 2008, Alsace

Nothing special here, except for the low price. Lots of acid from the citric fruit as lime & grapefruit. A simple wine that goes best with white fish or fried calamari.

Tasted: March 2011

Score: 5/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 14/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 1

Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier 2008, South Australia

Medium to medium minus ruby in colour. The wine is less intense in colour than normally is seen in an Australian Shiraz/Viognier. The med+ intensity is governed by the flowery aromas from the Viognier. In addition, there's plum, raisins, red & white pepper, fig, mocha, dark cherry, light oak, cassis & blackberry. Overall a complex nose for an inexpensive wine. Dry, medium minus tannins, med acidity, med length, balanced & med to med minus weight. The taste is smooth having similar notes as the nose, but with a little smokiness, some earth tones classic to it's varietal & carmel apple. Pleasantly surprising having only 13.5% alcohol & not exhibiting the cooked fruit normally exhibited by inexpensive Shiraz from Australia. Easy to drink on its own & a good wine to bring to socials.

Best Buy

Tasted 7 June 2011. Score: 8.5/10, Value: 10/10 Total: 18.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

Lucas & Lewellen Pinot Noir 2007, Santa Barbara County

Medium minus garnet in colour & intensity on the nose. The aromas & taste are classic Pinot with beets, rhubarb, Earth notes of fallen leaves, mushrooms & suede. The taste is dry, light tannins, medium acidity, light to medium body, medium length & balanced. Love this wine with pâté or roasted duck. This wine maybe understated in its complexity but definitely delivers on taste. Great price for a really good quality Pinot for under $20. Remember to chill it to 15 C. Drink now.

Best Buy

Tasted 4 Sept 11

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

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

Castillo De Almansa Reserva 2006

Med+ intensity of purple to ruby in colour. Highly aromatic showing purple lilacs, dark cherry, vanilla, Christmas cake, Bramble fruit pie, cloves & pine, sambuca & sandalwood . On the palate; medium minus tannins, med acidity, med to full body, balanced with a med+ length. Similar to the nose, there‘s Bramble fruit, Christmas cake, pine, vanilla, dark cherry, fig and plums. I simply love this wine as it’s easy to drink, very pleasant too on the nose and the taste, you can drink on its own or pair with grilled pork chop with sautéed shallots and oyster mushrooms, and it’s only $11.95! (LCBO has it often on sale for $10.95).

Best Buy & Top Pick

Tasted: 10 May 2011

Score: 9.5/10, Value: 10/10, Total: 19.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5