I can say that this wine is another great low-priced wine out there. I have imbibed most of what Friday Monkey produces (I love the Shiraz and the Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend) and I just tried the plain Cab Sauv. It is quite wonderful, and while it lacks the great depth of an expensive Cab, its depth is quite good for the price.

Filled with very dark [and candied] plums, this wine exudes great sweetness, reminiscent of a white wine. It is the ultimate inexpensive party filler, as well as great for a meeting of two... or three :-)

I am always looking for something different, while still searching among varietals that I loved, and this time, I picked up this wine from Mohua. The reasoning was that I fell in love with a Sauv Blanc made by Kono.

This wine is crisp, with a nice silky texture and exotic flavors of passionfruit, guava and gooseberry. It's not over the top, and it blends well with anything. I choose to have it with some grilled chicken and it paired very well.

This is a prime example of a producer showing different aspects of a varietal that reminds you of what you like, and shows you more of what can be done.

Proceeds of this wine go towards the conservation of the Mohua bird, which used to be plentiful but is now very rare in New Zealand.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting a lot from this wine, and have held off of trying it for the longest time (though I will admit that they make a smashing Shiraz), but in the process of canceling a trip and eating a sandwich, I decided to uncap this and try it.

All I can say is 'wow!' This wine actually surprised me to a huge degree. It has all of the standard beauty of a Cabernet Sauvignon, but blended with the silky essence of a Merlot. I can taste some heavy jams in this wine, with very soft tannins. Cherries do abound in this.

This is actually a wine that you can get in either the 750ml or 1.5L bottle and it will still be a good purchase for a small or large group of people.

I am just recovering from the 2010 Sake Festival in Philadelphia, but even before I thought of presenting, or even attending, I spotted this bottle in the section for Japanese wines.

While I didn't have it with sushi, but poached Basa fish that I prepared extra spicy, I could see this wine being a nice compliment to sushi in that it has a nice bit of well-rounded acidity reminiscent of Vinho Verdejo, but it has the rounding flavors of Macabeo and Albarino. This wine is composed of 60% Airen, 30% Macabeo and 10% Muscat.

The initial taste is one of a quenching tartness with an underlying tropical citrus. The viscosity is closer to becoming a little thicker than medium, and the smell reminds me of granny smith apples mixed in with peach.

This definitely needs to be consumed with seafood, tuna tartare, and/or sushi.

My first Christine Andrew was a Viognier which I think is the best Viognier that I have ever tasted. This time, I saw their Zin and picked it up.

This wine is fresh and ebullient, a whippersnapper showing you truly fresh plums and cherries. The alcohol is up there, and while it's not one of those reserved elegant zins, this shows promise in making it regal. I'd recommend a bottle or two.