designation: Malterdinger

description: Unusual aromatics are dominated by hints of zucchini and other green vegetables. There's a pleasant spice theme to the palate but also some very aggressive tannins. Rhubarb flavors show through on the medium finish. Give the tannins a few years to round out.

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description: Light, fresh, fruity wine, with a smoky complexity. The acidity and red currants are more intense than the dry structure. The whole wine is tight, stalky, finishing with toughness.

designation: Bacchanal Estate Grown

description: Too ripe and fruity, almost clumsy, with gigantic waves of blackberries, cherries and chocolate. Too sharp, too, and the oak is strong. Could resolve in the bottle over the next few years, but it's risky.

designation: L'Ame de la Terre Val D'Eleon

description: An intriguing wine, a blend of Riesling and Pinot Gris, showing developed aromas of char and spice. There's precious little fruit here, though a few apple notes inform the medium-bodied palate. Hay and lanolin flavors on the finish dissipate a bit too quickly.

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description: The name means Sea of Vines, and that's what you see in Ras Baixas. Here, we have a dry, crisp white with apple and apricot on the nose and a bit of roundness, weight and chunkiness in the mouth. Tastes of pithy apple and apricot, with mild bitterness on the finish. Drink now.

designation: Chateau Bir

description: From a vineyard planted on the island of Margaux in the Gironde estuary, this soft wine has stalky fruits, very berry, burnished with wood and given a spicy character. It is ready to drink now, the acidity and juicy finale dominant.

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description: This Prosecco sparkler would work wonderfully with an antipasto platter of salumi, cheese and green olives. There's an interesting and unique aroma here that recalls clove or cinnamon.

designation: Barrica

description: A rough, raw wine from Galicia that starts with a swirl of hard fruit aromas, heat and chemical. The palate is jacked up with berry fruit, tannic bite and power, and the finish is chewy and rugged. Packed with color and flavor but also aggression. Definitely not for everyone.

designation: Rosso Red Spumante

description: Deeply colored for a ros sparkling wine, and full bodied, with raspberry and cherry jam, vanilla wafer and yeasty, baked dough flavors. Slightly sweet, too. Champagne fans won't like it, but millions of ordinary consumers will.

designation: Gran Spumante

description: Two things to know about this bubbly. It's slightly sweet, and it's rather rough in texture. Those bubbles are big and scoury. They almost make you sneeze. The lemon tart flavors are tasty.

designation: Lote 43

description: Taut, dense and ripe, this 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot opens with aromas of chocolate-covered cherries and cherry cordial. The palate is dry and concentrated with medium acidity and a tannin structure that calls for a knife and fork. Give it a few years.

designation: Valley Oaks

description: A light, unidimensional Zin showing easy flavors of berries, cola and spices. Clean and dry, it's a good everyday sipper, at a fair price.

designation: Horizonte de Exopto

description: Condensed, syrupy cherry aromas are a little candied, while the palate is acidic and angular, with juicy, tomatoey cherry and plum flavors. Fairly tight and lean in the mouth, with just enough oak to create a mocha/cocoa accent on the finish. For the price, there isn't much body, variety of flavor or pleasantries.

designation: Cuve Les Amours

description: A few years of age have added some interest to this Pinot Blanc. Toasted nuts and butter are the dominant notes now, though some zesty lemon flavor emerges on the finish. Crisp, light and subtle; a good choice for a contemplative moment.

designation: Hazard Hill

description: Classic Sauvignon Blanc aromas of cut grass and asparagus are set against a faint mineral background. It's a bit simpler on the palate but finishes with an invigorating lemon edge. Drink up.

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description: This is an easy-to-like crowd pleaser, with clean scents of mixed nuts and a zesty, crisp, medium-bodied palate. Finishes earthy and dry. Drink now.

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description: Pop the cork and look for a bulky Menca from the little-known region of Ribeira Sacra in Galicia. The wine has rubber, bacon and plum aromas, and then an enamel-like palate of black cherry and herbs. Tough stuff, but unique.

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description: This is an acid-lover's Pinot Gris, quite tart and lemony. The lightly ripened fruit hints at green apples and pears, with nicely managed phenolics that put an edge on the finish.

designation: The Stump Jump

description: This Grenache-dominant blend opens with a less-than-pleasant scent of paint thinner hiding behind more usual tones of spiced plums and candied cherries. There's nice raspberry fruit on the finish, buoyed by a sharp whack of acidity. Drink now.

designation: Clos de la Vieille Eglise

description: A direct wine, its acidity very linear to go with the dark tannins. The fruit is juicy, very black currant, with a stalky character. This is classic food-friendly Bordeaux, with a bright but dry finish.