Wines, wines, and more wines

2006 Vintage Traminette
Fox Valley Winery
Oswego, Illinois
As far as Traminettes go, this one is a fair representation of the grape. It's light, crisp, slightly sweet without being overly so (sweeter than a Vidal Blanc). But it has a twist at the end that's not sweet at all, a bouquet that changes the entire experience of the wine. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

2007 Vidal Blanc
Sakonnet Vineyards
Little Compton, Rhode Island
A good Vidal Blanc, a good semi-sweet white wine with little to no oaky overtones. Very easy drinking, like a lot of Vidal Blancs the wine's taste changed whether drunk warm or cool. We drank it chilled, which was refreshing with a slight tang at the end. 3.5 out of 5.

Beaujolais-Villages
Georges Duboeuf
France
A super-deal at Binny's, we had to pick this up on its one-day special price. Totally worth the $5 per bottle! Beaujolais are "pick up and drink it" wines, and don't last more than a year. Very fruit-forward, big taste up front, with an oaky finish at the end. A lot of taste, this is the wine for red wine drinkers. Unless you're into really dry reds, that is... 4 out of 5.

2006 Private Selection (shiraz-merlot-cabernet sauvignon)
Domaine Wardy
Red Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
We don't normally think of Lebanon when we think of wine, but this was a good surprise. As the blend would suggest, this is a bold, dry red with a pepper flavor and overall good finish. It's definitely a wine that stands up and says hello, defying description in its own way. 3.5 out of 5. (Side note: we loved the bottle's odd shape.)

Herta's Blush
Hickory Ridge Vineyard & Winery
Ponoma, Illinois
Soft, flavorful, fruity, this was a good all-around blush. Not sweet at all, not watery like some, this was a pleasant drinking wine for the summer. We paired this with chicken, which was a good match. 3 out of 5.

2006 Zinfandel
Shannon Ridge
Oakville, Lake County, California
Good oaky flavor, this was a par for the course zinfandel. Good with steak and at a fair price, this is a good choice. It made our mouths a bit wooly, but in the good way that we expect from solid red wines. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

May Wine
Glunz Family Winery & Cellars
Grayslake, Illinois
A grape wine flavored with woodruff, this herb gave what would normally be a sugary-sweet wine a bit of bite at the end. This wine also proves the rule that white wines don't age all that well; this one tasted better last year when we first bought it. Learn from our mistake and drink this one soon after purchase. That said, this wine wasn't bad in the least. It only lost some of its sweetness to the woodruff over time, which made it slightly unbalanced. 3 out of 5, would be a 4 out of 5 had we drunk it sooner. Our bad.

2009 Traminette
Lawton Ridge Winery
Kalamazoo, Michigan
This traminette bordered on the sweet side, and had everything you'd expect from this variety of wine. We had this at E's parents' house the day of purchase, and it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone (including E's non-wine drinking parents). Should be served slightly chilled, this deserves 4 out of 5 stars.

Vidal Blanc Reserve (semi-dry table wine)
Alto Vineyards
Alto Pass, Illinois
Unlike a lot of vidal blancs, this was really dry for a semi-dry wine. It had nice flavor, good nose, and other than being drier than expected, this was a solid vidal blanc. If you're in the mood for something more complex, this is a good wine to choose. 4 out of 5 stars.