Wine Appraiser

Riesling is a light, high-acid summer refresher and can be a great pairing with the right food. Some people avoid Riesling, believing it is only a sweet wine. While it can be made sweet, most Riesling is bone dry. Today we will taste these three Rieslings.

1.       2023 Joseph Handler Riesling ($5.99) from Trader Joe’s. This wine is off-dry, with notes of Green-apple, pear, and apple.  

2.       2022 Poet’s Leap https://longshadows.com Long Shadows Vintners Collection Riesling ($22.99) from our local Wall to Wall Wine Store. This wine is 100% barrel-fermented in a 360 gallon French oak cask. The wine remains on lees for four months after fermentation. Jasmine and slate aromatics, Gauva hints with citrus and stone fruit flavors. Bright acidity, good minerality. Long finish. It has 0.13 g/100 ml of residual sugar and is very acidic with a 2.97 ph. 

3.       2021 Loosen Dr L https://drloosen.com  ($9.49) from Costco. Crisp, fruity and refreshing. From steep hillsides with slate soils. Peach, citrus, mineral.  It has 44.5 grams/liter residual sugar.

Next week we will be tasting Chianti. Our three wines will include:

1. 2021 Kirkland Riserva Classico from Costco $8.99.
2. 2021 Gabbiano Calvaliera D'Ore from Wall to Wall Wine $11.99.
3. 2020 Peppoli Chianti Classico from Wall to Wall Wine $24.99.

Dennis and Denise are opting for a budget-friendly approach tonight, with each wine costing less than $10. We chose three refreshing summer wines that won’t break the bank. We taste the 2023 Landkastel Riesling ($6.99) from Aldi, 2023 Kirkland Pinot Grigio ($4.99) from Costco, and the Espiral Vinho Verde ($4.99) from Trader Joe’s. Listen to find out our favorite.

In this episode, Pinot Noir reigns supreme. The grape that made Burgundy famous and produces some of the most expensive wines in the world takes to the tasting ring. Which wine will wear the belt in the blind wine tasting? Unknown to us, tonight we tasted these three Pinots: 2022 Ken Wright Cellars Willamette Valley ($25.99) from our local wine store - Wall to Wall Wine; our second wine was a 2021 San Simeon Monterey Pinot Noir ($19.99) from Costco, and our final wine was the Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($11.99) from Costco.

Next week we will taste a 2023 Landkastel Riesling ($6.99) from Aldi; a 2023 Kirkland Pinot Grigio ($4.99) from Costco; and an Espiral Vinho Verde ($4.99) from Trader Joe’s.

Tonight, Dennis and Denise get marooned on the island of New Zealand where Sauvignon Blanc is number one. We wade through information about Sauvignon Blanc, before casting off on a blind wine tasting journey. Join the pair as they taste a 2023 Kirkland Ti Point Sauvignon Blanc; a 2018 Craggy Range Te Muna; and a 2022 Justin from the Central Coast of California. Three very different wines. Dovee loves one!

In this episode of the Wine Appraiser Podcaster, Dennis and Denise blindly taste, learn about, and rate three affordable Cabernet Sauvignon wines. This could be the best wine to pair with a juicy steak. Tonight we taste a 2019 Santa Ema from the Maipo Valley, Chile. We next taste a 2015 Farnito from Tuscany, Italy. Our final wine was a 2018 Clay Shannon from Lake County, California. We had one clear winner in this episode, and one is a good buy for the price.

Nothing pairs any better with summer than a light and refreshing rose’. In this episode of the Wine Appraiser Podcast, Dennis and Denise blind taste three affordable rose’ wines. Tonight we taste a 2023 Carayon La Rose from the Languedoc in the South of France; 2023 Malene by Chamisole Vineyards; and a 2022 Whispering Angle from Cotes de Provence. One of these wines we will buy again.

In this inaugural episode of the Wine Appraisal Podcast, Dennis the Wine Appraiser, discusses the reason behind the show. He talks of his passion to share affordable wine finds with listeners, and describes how he and his wife and wine-tasting partner Denise will blind taste and score three affordable wines each week.