This morning I woke up with a horrible stomachache and was afraid that I  may have to postpone my night o’ wine with BB.  But apparently it was just a message from my body that I needed a break.  I came home and spent most of the day watching the Burn Notice marathon on USA and taking a nap, and that seemed to do the trick.  All better!

I’ll edit this post for grammar and spelling, but not much else.  You’ve been warned.

First off, BB brought over a Pinot Noir that she had already opened.  She said it tasted watery so of course I had to give it a try (why is that?  This is gross, taste it!).

DO NOT BUY.  It was icky!  It just seemed watered down or something.  Maybe it was just a bad bottle and normally tastes fine, but I am rarely willing to buy another whole bottle just to find out.  So, no.

NonSoccerMom and BB give this two thumbs DOWN.  Zero out of 5 stars.

Of course, BB has a far better frame of reference for red wines because that is what she prefers, so she would know better than me when one of those just tastes “off”.  However, we moved on to Yellow Tail (another Pinot Noir) and it was really good!

This one was a vast improvement over the Little Penguin variety – it was a nice color and lives up to the label’s claim of being “approachable, fresh, and flavorsome”.  It’s pretty heavy on the dark cherry flavor in particular.

NonSoccerMom and BB give this one two thumbs up!  3.5 out of 5 stars.

Next up:  Ste Genevieve Sweet Red table wine.

We aren’t too sure about this one.  BB says it tastes like communion wine.  I don’t know about all that (Baptists use grape juice), but BLEAH.  There’s some sort of aftertaste that is a little disturbing, and in all honesty it reminds me of puke.  You know, that sickly-sweet taste?

So.  NonSoccerMom and BB give this one two thumbs down, but really not because it still serves a purpose.  HAAAAAAA.  1 out of 5 stars.

Next!!  Beringer 2007 California White Merlot.

BB says this isn’t what she was expecting, although she admits she isn’t sure what that is.  We’re assuming this wine falls into the category of “blush”.  Smoother than a lot of reds, but with more bite than a White Zinfandel (which is what it most closely resembles).  Pretty good, though, and it would be very easy to drink a lot without realizing it.

NonSoccerMom and BB give this two thumbs up!  2.75-3 stars out of 5.  We’re undecided.

Moving on to a Shiraz.  This one is also Ste Genevieve, which is a Texas winery in Fort Stockton (BFE, in other words.  Not much to do out there except grow grapes!)

My reaction to this was MOTHER OF GOD.  SICK!  And after a sample, that was pretty much BB’s thought as well.  She says that this is not a typical Shiraz at all.  I don’t know what the deal is, but it is skunky and gross.  It may be redeemable if mixed into a Sangria but beyond that, NO.  Mine was chilled and BB’s was room temperature so do with that what you will.

NonSoccerMom and BB say:  FAIL.  Pretty much on par with the Ste Genevieve Sweet Red, so 1 star out of 5.

We’re thinking that in the future we’ll steer clear of any Ste Genevieve wines.  Sorry, fellow Texans, but your wine SUCKS.  We even poured the rest of it out and we are dedicated so that says a LOT.

Now we have a Merlot from the Glen Ellen winery in California.

WAY better than the Shiraz we just tried, this one has a completely different aroma and taste.  The label claims it is “medium-bodied, and has cherry and plum flavors with a bright clean finish”.  Indeed!  It has a nice crisp taste but isn’t overwhelming.  Some wines just taste flat-out like alcohol, but you can actually taste the grapes and other fruit in this.

NonSoccerMom and BB give this one two thumbs up.  Pretty good!  3.5 stars out of 5!

We had planned on trying a couple others too, but after all these we decided it was time to call it a night.  So stay tuned for Wine Tasting Round 2!