That’s not the only thing unique about this wine.  It’s also a field blend.  Most blended wines you taste today are made by fermenting individual varieties and blending them after fermentation.  This is typically done so that the amounts of each variety can be adjusted to the liking of the winemaker.  In a field blend, the grapes are combined at harvest time and are co-fermented.  Proponents of co-fermentation say that it enhances the wines color and produces more floral aromas.

Whether it’s a result of the co-fermentation or something else, I will say that I really like the nose on this wine. It shows grilled meats, black pepper, dried leaves, cherry, and raisin.  The palate has outstanding acidity with wild cherry and cassis flavors up front followed by intense dark chocolate flavors and black pepper.  The finish lasts for a good bit.  This is a nice wine for a garlic-rubbed steak, or for pasta.  I think I’ll enjoy it with a nice, cheesy lasagna.

Wine: Dievole Fourplay Rosso
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $14.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

But while I love the Si Soave bottle, I have to curse them for the auto-play music and pointless use of Flash on the Si Soave website.  They are not alone though… way too many wine brands put out god-awful websites with Flash and music… WHY??!!!!!

I really like the nose on this wine. It’s slightly floral, with honeydew melon, lime, and mineral.  The palate is refreshing with light green apple, pear and honeydew melon flavors.  The acidity is OK, but I would like a touch more.  It finishes dry and minerally, with a lime aftertaste.

Wine: Si Soave
Variety: Soave
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $9.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

This wine is produced from 90% Garganega and 10% Trebbiano di Soave.  This wine has not seen any oak, but was aged in stainless steel tanks before bottling.

So, upon tasting this wine, I have a question: Who put a banana in my wine?  Seriously, there is a banana aroma on this wine. It also has a bit of butterscotch, pear, a touch of petrol and really soft orange blossom. The palate is pure pear and yellow delicious apple flavors.  There’s a little bit of lemon on the finish.  It’s a nice wine, good for delicately flavored foods, like white fish and mild cheeses.

Wine: Cantina del Castello
Variety: Soave Classico
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $16.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

One type of wine that I really enjoy, but you may have never tried is Soave.  It’s pronounced SWAH-vey and every time I say it, I can’t help but think of Rico Suave… but that’s not why I like this wine.  I like it because it’s a nice, floral wine with light fruit and mineral flavors.

Like many Italian wines, the name represents both the location where it’s grown and the grape variety.  In the case of Soave, Veneto is the region and Garganega is the variety of grape.  But it’s not quite that simple with Soave… within the region there are different classifications, based on location.  Look for Soave Classico or Soave Superiore with a DOCG designation to identify the higher quality wines with more complexity.

The one I’m tasting today is produced by Villa Erbice, which dates back to 1870 and has a beautiful winery in Veneto.

This Soave has a deep, golden color, almost like a lager beer.  Beautiful floral notes wisp gently from the nose, along with hay, mineral and very subtle lemon.  The nose is delicate, but quite enjoyable.  The acidity is sufficient—although a touch more wouldn’t hurt it.  The palate has the flavor of a honeydew melon (but it’s not nearly as sweet as a melon), pear, mineral and there’s a little bit of spice too.  This is an outstanding wine for light cheese or fish.

Wine: Villa Erbice Soave Superiore
Variety: Soave Superiore
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $14.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

The wine produced from Bonarda can vary quite a bit.  It can be light-bodied and fruity or big and powerful, depending on the age of the vines, vineyard practices and wine making techniques.  The flavors can range from cherry and plum in lighter wines to raisin and fig in bigger Bonarda.  This one, from Tercos, falls somewhere in between.

Although it’s fairly simple, this is still a nice wine.  It has a very smoky aroma along with some blackberry and tar aromas.  The palate brings good fruit flavor with blackberry and currant flavors, plus a little spice to make it interesting.  The acidity is good and the tannins firm.  The finish is enjoyable, although not exceptionally long.  Still this is a nice wine for the price.

Wine: Tercos
Variety: Bonarda
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.9%
Rating: 86
Price: $12.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Greg Martellotto’s grandfather immigrated to the US in 1909 and brought traditional wine making techniques with him.  Today, Greg continues those traditions in California with a winery focused on the vineyard first, employing sustainable agriculture techniques.

I really dig this wine.  It has great intensity on the nose, with black pepper, black cherry, blackberry, camp fire and mushroom… obviously, exceptional complexity.  The palate brings plenty of black cherry, black raspberry and cassis flavor, as well as some black pepper adding some spice to the finish.  It has the structure to age for a few years, but why wait when it’s good to drink now.

This is a great wine, 90 points!

Wine: Martellotto Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 90
Price: $18.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

This wine comes from the Casablanca Valley in Chile, a cool-climate region known for producing awesome white wines—although, they don’t produce a lot of Gewürztraminer.  Within the region there are a number of micro-climates, which produce subtle differences in the wine produced from them.  One of the things I like about the Visión product line from Cono Sur is that they produce the wines from specific blocks in their vineyards, labeled on each bottle, so that you can begin to learn which micro-climates and terroirs appeal to you.  It’s certainly a practice that’s not unheard of, but I rarely see it in wines within this price range.

Mineral and soft gardenia aromas abound on the nose of this wine.  It’s a really pleasant bouquet.  The palate is crisp from near-perfect acidity.   Apple, peach and citrus flavors make it quite tasty.  It’s definitely a drier Gewurz, which is how I prefer it.  The finish is elegant and interesting with perfume notes on the back of your palate.  It’s very nice.

Wine: Cono Sur Visión
Variety: Gewürztraminer
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $14.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

This is a brand that’s produced by Bronco Wine Company, best known for making Two Buck Chuck of Trader Joe’s fame.  Seriously, I never expected them to produce a Gewürztraminer.  And to be honest, I was a bit biased against it and therefore tasted this wine blind alongside a few other Gewürztraminers.

Fresh cut flowers are all over the nose of this wine, which is really nice.  But there’s also a slight cabbage aroma, which is not as pleasant.  It’s a touch spicy too, which gives it another plus.  The palate has powerful lychee and a touch of honey.  It could use a touch more acidity, but I wouldn’t call it flabby. The finish has a lingering sweetness, so I would only recommend this one to those who like sweeter wines.

All told, I’m surprised again.  While I wouldn’t call this an exceptional Gewurztraminer, it’s still decent… and a bargain at $8.00.

Wine: Forest Glen Gewürztraminer
Variety: Gewürztraminer
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 11.8%
Rating: 84
Price: $8.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

When you put it all together you get geh-VERTS-trah-mee-ner and it basically means “perfumed traminer.”  In the past, the French have used some other names for this wine which basically translate the same way: Traminer Parfumé, Traminer Musqué and Traminer Aromatique.

You may find yourself wondering now, “why is this called perfumed?”  Well, it is one of the most aromatic wines around with rich floral fragrances.  It is so distinct, that it is often one of the first varieties of wine that drinkers are able to recognize.

While I and many other wine lovers think it’s a wonderful variety, Gewürztraminer is still not prolific on the shelves or in the vineyards.  It’s most prevalent in Alsatian and German wines.  Some of the best I’ve tasted have come from Alsace, where Gewürztraminer is the second most planted variety.  And that’s where this one from Lucien Albrecht hails.

It has the classic floral nose you would expect from a Gewurz, but it’s delicate.  There is also a touch of petrol aroma, which is not uncommon in Alsatian Gewurz.  The palate is really peachy—as in peach flavors, not “peachy-keen.”  There are some melon and lychee flavors too.  It’s off-dry, but not overtly sweet.  And the acidity is good, which helps prevent the sweetness from being too much.  Overall, it’s good.  It’s not quite as intense as I typically expect from Alsace, but it’s still a nice wine — especially for the price (You won’t find a lot of Alsatian Gewurz for less).

Wine: Lucien Albrecht Gewürztraminer Reserve
Variety: Gewürztraminer
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 85
Price: $19.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

You won’t find much of it in Bordeaux these days, as it was wiped out by a phylloxera infestation in the 1880’s.  In fact, for many it was years considered a lost variety until it was rediscovered in Chile where it was being mistaken for Merlot.  Since its rediscovery in 1994, Carmenere has made a comeback and become one of the gems in Chilean wine, where it is regularly produced as a single-variety wine.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been reviewing some affordable Carmenere.  Here’s the roundup.

Top Rated

The top pick of those tasted was the 2008 Viña La Rosa, La Capitana.  This wine has exceptional complexity and is an elegant Carmenere.  Chocolate, nutmeg and other spicy qualities make it interesting and luscious blackberry and blueberry flavors give it deep, concentrated flavors.

Another top pick was the 2007 Terra Andina Altos, which also has a lot of complexity, with a wonderful aroma of stewed tomatoes, cherries, cola and pencil shavings.  This is an awesome wine for pasta dishes.

The best value goes to the 2007 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo, which is an amazingly chocolaty Carmenere for only $11.00.

Here’s the full roundup: