A Flowery Song

Background: This dry white wine from Greece is produced by Cambas Winery from Moschofilero grapes grown at high altitude in the Mantinia region.

Nose: Light and flowery, with some hints of rose petal, peach, and lime.

Taste: Also very light, with fresh flavours of peach and plum and some surprising minerality. Medium acidity and a lingering limestone finish.

Overall: Very laid back and easy drinking. Perfect for sipping in the summertime, which throws the fact that I’m drinking it the day after a light snowfall into stark relief. Good thing I never claimed to be good at adhering to proper seasonal thinking.

Background: Weighing in at 12% ABV, this is mead at its simplest: no fruit, no sweetness, no nonsense.

Nose: Gentle, fruity honey.

Taste: Much like the nose. Slight bready notes from the yeast. A hint of alcoholic heat.

Overall: Nothing stunning, but decent (and dry, which all too few commercial meads are).

Background: Organic rosé wine made from 100% Moschofilero. This varietal is more normally used for white wines, but some producers use extended contact with the pinkish skins to add colour and deepen flavour.

Nose: Floral rose and ripe watermelon.

Taste: Dry, with a medium-light acidity and some strawberry notes join the rose and watermelon.

Overall: A light, versatile wine that matches well to a wide range of food.

Background: Part of The Australian Premium Wine Collection, this varietal red wine comes from the McLaren Vale in South Australia. The name (which comes from Irish mythology and would more properly be 'Tír na nÓg') means 'Land of Youth'.

Appearance: Deep inky purple. Green glass with a composite cork.

Nose: Ripe, fruity blackberries.

Taste: Rich currant and blackberry, silky tannins, a hint of cocoa in the finish.

Overall: Indulgently decadent and an extremely well-structured wine. Just reaching its peak now; will probably decline if cellared for much longer.

Background: 2005 saw a radical shift in this Napa Valley winery's approach to Chardonnay. Forgoing the popular treatment of this grape, which involves oak aging and malolactic fermentation, they joined a growing trend by shifting to an oak-free fermentation and aging process.

Appearance: Yellow-green bottle with a synthetic cork. Pours a pale yellow.

Nose: Fresh green apples and aromatic pears.

Taste: Complex yet restrained fruity components. In addition to the fruits from the nose we encounter lemon, pineapple, and honeydew melon. Fresh acidity on the front and a hint of newly baked bread in the silky smooth finish.

Overall: I'd call it a success. If you're looking for a buttery, toasty, in-your-face wine, look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you've always wondered what California Chardonnay actually tastes like underneath the wood and lactic acid, you're in the right place.

Background: Brewed by HomeBrewTalk member ScubaSteve, received as part of the 08/08/08 RIS swap. Based on EdWort's Apfelwein with honey added.

Appearance: Golden yellow, a slight haze.

Nose: Apples and alcohol.

Taste: Funky, apple-y, and dry. Some rubber and yeast notes.

Mouthfeel: Dry, some hot alcohol.

Overall: Definitely could do with some age (whoops, my bad). Though I try not to get tetchy about such things it's also way out of style for an apfelwein, being carbonated and much too strong.

Background: Dry white wine from Upper Galilee in Israel. Kosher for Passover.

Appearance: Light straw with a green tinge.

Nose: Melon, pear, and peach.

Taste: Some citrus, some grassy herbal notes and a chalky backbone of minerality. Good acidity to balance the fruit.

Overall: Decent.

This month's round of WBW is hosted by Spittoon, and while the wine selection is broad (any Italian red), the review format is quite restrictive. Nothing special for the objective data such as the name of the wine and the producer, but the subjective part must be just seven words long and fairly grammatical. Seven words to fit in colour, nose, mouthfeel, taste, and pairing info. Easy, right?

The wine: Badia a Coltibuono Sangioveto di Toscana 2000. 13.5% ABV single varietal wine matured in oak for a year.

Ahem.

Inky leather-scented silk. Spiced nuttiness demands Puttanesca.

Background: Dry mead from Sky River Meadery in Washington.

Presentation: Clear glass bottle, pours a very, very light gold. 10.5% ABV.

Nose: Gentle honey and a floral sweetness.

Taste: Full-bodied, with huge green fruitiness and light floral notes on a rich honey background accompanied by mild acidity. Alcohol is noticeable, but not solventy or hot. Light yeastiness on the finish.

Overall: Very good. In pairing, treat it like a dry fruity Riesling-very versatile and light enough not to be obtrusive.

Background: Dry white wine, aged in neutral barrels for nine months.

Presentation: Green bottle. Pours a brilliant straw.

Nose: Slightly earthy, slightly diesel-mild fruitiness presents mainly as peach, with some green apple notes.

Taste: Fruity, with refreshing minerality and a bracingly acidic backbone. Fruit as in the nose, with some additional lime citrus character. A hint of loamy earth.

Overall: Refined and balanced. All-around just an excellent wine, and well deserving of its reserve designation. Drinkable now, but has some aging potential.