Apothic Crush Red Blend

This was pretty good. It's a grocery-store level wine, which means you're probably going to get the same thing every time you buy it. That's what Americans are used to in our purchased drinks, so that's a positive if you're looking for that kind of consistency. Medium everything. Goes with about anything. Not expensive but not dirt cheap. You can do worse, for sure.

Simple Life Chardonnay

I find my enjoyment of Chardonnay varies wildly and I've settled on what appears to be a trend or pattern. California = good. European Chardonnay = not so good. I'm going to need to do more research but I think it is more process (barrels perhaps?) than grapes.

This one was nice. I don't really love Chardonnay in the first place so when I like one ok that probably means it's really good. Maybe.

Catching Up

When you don't need to do it for a homework grade you really let yourself fall behind sometimes.

Rather than do a full review of the wines I've tried since I completed my coursework, I'm going to put them all in this "Catching Up" post with mini-reviews beside each of the pictures.

I had this 2014 Codirosso Chianti with spaghetti and Italian sausage. It was good. Not quite as good as the earlier Chianti I tried but it was also around half the price, if I recall correctly.

Boxed wine had been on my "to try" list for awhile but I didn't want to try just anything at the risk of disliking it and wasting my money. My first decision, then, was to get a varietal that I generally like, so I chose Malbec. I did some searching online for boxed wine reviews and of the consumer-level wines, Bota Box seemed to be one of the all-around half-decent boxed brands so I went with the 2014 Bota Box Malbec from Mendoza Argentina.

It was good, not great but definitely palatable. What I like about it is that it is consistent. Since a box is three bottle's worth, I haven't finished it yet, and it's still as fresh as the day I opened it a week and a half ago. For a budget-conscious Malbec drinker you could do worse than averaging $6.67 per 750mL.





My first New Zealand Pinot Noir was this 2011 Cairnbrae from Marlborough, NZ. Smooth darkish fruits and low, mellowed tannins make this wine worth the wait. The price wasn't crazy. I think it was around 20 bucks. I have yet to have a wine from the southern hemisphere that wasn't good.

This was a ten dollar Malbec from Argentina. Pretty good stuff, especially for the price. In comparison to the boxed Malbec above the price was probably right.

Another Australian Shiraz, Rosemount Estate's Diamond Label from 2014. As you can tell from the empty bottle, I drank it all up. A little spice to go with a meal or solo. I honestly don't recall what I ate with this but I remember enjoying it. Good stuff. You can't go wrong crossing the equator to get your wine fix.

My first Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Sweet and smooth, this 2014 white from Fernhook Estate in Marlborough, NZ, is a really nice wine. I liked the Loire Valley, France, Sauvignon Blanc a bit better but they've been doing it a LOT longer, too. This is good wine, though I didn't find the NZ wine prices to be very consumer-friendly; I think they're kind of trendy right now, and that reflects in a wallet-hit.

Back to America. California Pinot Noir from Sean Minor's 4 Bears winery on the Central Coast. I haven't tried a ton of California red wines but they seem a bit tannic for my tastes. This one, being a softer variety than the Cabs or the Zs, was decent, though I've enjoyed other Pinot Noirs a bit more.