More catching up

There are a lot of wines from October and November that we have yet to input into this blog. So consider this post a dumping ground for everything we've drunk in the two months prior to today.

From October...

Trapolino
August Hill Winery
Utica, Illinois
Good, kind of sweet. Well-balanced wine with hints of fruit. 4 out of 5 stars. It is good for any occasion, will impress friends. And as always, gorgeous labels.







Oak Savanna (Semi-dry table wine)
Prairie State Winery
Genoa, Illinois
A good all-around white table wine. Has a nice hint of wood and has a steady flavor throughout the glass. Nice legs, starts out dry but with a sweet finish. 3.5 out of 5 stars.







Artesia Rose (sparkling wine)
Round Barn Winery
Baroda, Michigan
Found in the bargain bin at Binny's Wine & Spirits, this was a pleasant surprise. We bought it for $4.99 and went back for two more bottles. We'd tried wines from Round Barn before at the Lake Michigan Shore wine festival, and we knew their wines to be fairly good. This was no exception. It's a slightly fruity, semi-dry sparkling wine that goes well with any fruits or cheeses. It can be used for any occasion, before or after dinner. M thinks there are grape seeds at the bottom of each bottle, so do not be alarmed if you find what looks like tiny buckshot in your last glass. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Red October (dry red table wine)
Kickapoo Creek Winery
Edwards, Illinois
This was a wine we drank for Halloween, simply because the name seemed to fit at the time. This was very dry, had a lot of fruit up front but the finish was lacking. Again, a good overall wine if you're a fan of dry reds. It went really well with the steak we ate for dinner that evening. 3 out of 5 stars.





From November...

2008 Lodi Zinfandel
Falcon Ridge at Accents Vineyards
Modesto, California
This is one of M's all-time favorite buys from Trader Joe's. It's a wine that we usually have on-hand in our home. It is a dry, full-bodied red with undertones of oak and cork. It is fruity and big. It goes well with anything. We've taken it to several parties and many people have enjoyed it as well. 4.5 out of 5 stars.




Classic Blush (medium-dry blush table wine)
Warner Vineyards
Paw Paw and Fennville, Michigan
Very fruity, almost jammy in consistency. It's sweeter than most all semi-dry blushes we've tried. Should be chilled. This wine would be great sitting on a porch on a late fall day. 3.5 out of 5 stars.






Grapes of Love (Liebstrauben sweet white table wine)
Warner Vineyards
Paw Paw and Fennville, Michigan
This is a sweet white wine, almost an ice wine in its sweetness. This is great chilled. It does have a nice finish, is very grape-y up front, and would be good for a wine and cheese party. (As an aside, E's parents aren't big wine drinkers, but they both thought this was great. They even bought two bottles for themselves.) 3.5 out of 5 stars.




Pomegranate Wine
Lynfred Winery
Roselle, Illinois
This is what we expect from Lynfred's fruit wines: You can taste the fruit, it's sweet, and a little oaky. The hint of bitterness in the pomegranate fruit comes through well with this wine, giving a hint of a bite that's not the usual fare for Lynfred's wines. A nice change of pace from most fruit wines, and something we hope to see become a regular staple at Lynfred. 4 out of 5 stars.