The Grapes are Naked.

Hello, stay-at-home-w(h)iners!

I'm sure you've missed seeing the crew in action, so we've decided to appease you and the gods--specifically Dionysus--and give you a new video!

We tried out two Californian wines from The Naked Grape--a name scandalous enough to attract my attention, and a label pretty enough to hold it. And it doesn't hurt that there's a $9 price tag on these babies. So sit back, relax, and enjoy some naked grapes!

Warning: No actual grape nudity. Or nudity of any kind.





The Naked Grape Cabernet Sauvignon

I went into this wine expecting "the cheap wine burn" and some overly excited tannins (that dry feeling in your mouth) and just disappointment--especially since Cab is one of my favorite reds. And, I have to admit, I was very pleasantly surprised by this wine. It's no Rioja, but it was definitely able to stand up on its own, even for me. Even, I should say, for our white-wine-lovers.

Starting with the aroma of the wine, we were not encouraged, by finding very little diversity in the bouquet. The only aromas we could find were grape, some kind of dark fruit, and alcohol. Not very encouraging, indeed.

But once we began tasting the wine, we started to find little complexities. Blackberry was a prominent flavor, along with--strangely enough--an oaky, woody taste that was nowhere near the aromas of this wine. Dirt made an appearance, along with the elusive nutmeg kick and just maybe a hint of a cinnamon finish.

To say we were surprised by this wine would be an understatement, especially since our w(h)iners unanimously agreed it had balance, harmony, and complexity. AND the dry red got a unanimous "Yum" rating from all four of our judges--making it the ONLY dry wine (and, heck, maybe even the first wine total) to be enjoyed by every single member of The W(h)ining Army Wives [present].

We loved the label design, and the price tag (at $9) was another absolute plus.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this cabernet sauvignon? YES. Unanimously. Three of the four w(h)iners said it has mass appeal! That's saying something from those sweet-girls.


The Naked Grape Summer White Blend

Going into the Summer White Blend, I, again, was expecting an overly-sweet, just "yucky" experience for myself. And I shouldn't have gone in so judgmental of a cheap wine. Again.

This wine revealed lots of aromas to us pretty quickly--leaving us with lots of citrus (and specifically pineapple), white grape, and mango, and a nice floral smell--something like honeysuckle or orange blossom. The bouquet was light, airy, and pleasant.

As we began to taste the wine, we found pineapple to be an overwhelming winner for tastes, with just a kick of a spice we were unable to pinpoint. The wine was smooth, sweet (just a little too much so for me, personally--but I like dry wines), and had a sort of tart green apple finish to it.

We unanimously agreed there was a harmony to the flavors of this wine, with two w(h)iners finding it also complex. Three of the four w(h)iners gave it a "Yum" rating this time, with only one giving it a "Meh" for being too sweet as she continued drinking it.

Again, the beautiful label and low price made this wine a clear winner.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this wine? YES. All of our sweet-loving w(h)iners found this to be a very tasty wine! And none of us believed it to really truly be a "cheap" wine. Even I would recommend this baby!


So, there you have it, folks! Two, delicious, low-price wines that were very surprising in their tastes and qualities! Get out there and try these with us! Tell us what you think!

In-Laws Week!

Hello, my patient w(h)iners!

I know it's been a while since our last post, and we're sorry for the delay, but April has been a month full of traveling for our w(h)iners, and so we've had a minor hiatus! We'll be up and w(h)ining again soon, though!

So, in the mean time, Brandi went to Minnesota to visit her husband's family, and ended up having a wine night with them and making a video up for our fellow w(h)iners to enjoy!

So...without further ado...Enjoy this special guest edition!




We actually tried three different Minnesota wines before all these shenanigans, and I completely missed filming our reactions...Sadly.

However, the reactions weren't really great, overall, so I am just going to move on to the fun part (not that we didn't have fun--you just don't get to see it...So let's skip it!).

After we brought out the dessert cheese ball--a monster cookie cheese ball made by the lovely Lexi--we decided we needed to end the night on a good note, wine-wise. Hallie and I searched out a good red she'd found before, and Bruce broke out the yummy white, and we had an entirely new tasting!

Malbec-Merlot blend, Casa Piedra Alta, 2012

We started off the after-party-of-sorts with a dry, red wine from Argentina. This "House of the Higher Rock" wine was a deliciously smooth wine.

In the nose, we started off by smelling "deliciousness" and dried chiles, and "a lot of work." Whatever that means. Another w(h)iner pointed out a cotton smell, which was mistaken for hot, and also valid. The w(h)iners carried on with the bouquet, finding "attitude" in the smell, as well, which, sadly is pretty accurate. One w(h)iner found what we later termed, "terminal bread." Points go to the DeWitts (and co.) for creativity, certainly.

Moving on the the taste before we got any more ridiculous, we found an instant smoothness, though our not-so-wine-lovers thought it was vinegary and just "bad." There were certainly some tannins, and those of us who actually loved the wine eventually came to a consensus that it, "has a bite in the beginning, gets peppery in the middle, and finishes with dark chocolate." We did concede a slightly metallic taste mixed in, as well, but overall, it was a smooth and luscious wine.

The label we found to be fairly classy, and a little elitist, though not deterring. And with a $30 price point, it could stand to be elitist.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this wine? Yes--If you like wine (and particularly dry reds), I would say give it a shot! The price would not deter me in any way after trying this delicious wine!


Sauvignon Blanc, Joseph Mellot, 2011

After a short intermission, we moved on to a surprisingly semi-dry white wine from France.

Right at the front, we found grapefruit to be the overwhelming aroma, closely followed by honeysuckle and sugar. One w(h)iner proclaimed that she would wear it as a perfume, and we continued to deem it worthy of being a sugar body scrub. Ladies.

After such a sweet bouquet, I honestly went in expecting not to like this wine. And I was pleasantly surprised.

Grapefruit, again, was the initial taste that wowed the crowd in the smooth texture of the wine. We added on to our taste profile with "a little honey" taste, and some sort of berries--one w(h)iner guessed at blackberries. A honeydew taste joined in, added to the crisp, refreshing nature of the wine, though there was just the barest hint of a tartness at the back end. After a long guessing game, we ended the tasting with a red anjou pear to join the mix, and called it a wrap.

The label was, again, a fairly classic one, with nothing too exciting or off-putting. With about an $18 price tag, this wine hit us just right.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this wine? Yes--If you like a sweet, just-sort-of dry white with a nice, crisp taste throughout, this is a beautiful one! Seriously, Lexi gave it a smiley face in a bubble bath. What's better than that?


And that, my friends is all she wrote! I hope the long video didn't deter you, especially when some really delicious wines and fun times were involved in this particular tasting!

If you're looking for some help in making your own tasting happen, visit our Tasting Page for more info about how we throw our wine nights!

And, as always, check out the W(h)iner's Circle for an updated list of The W(h)ining Army Wives' recommended wines!

New York Week

Hello, everyone! This week we took on two wines from our very own New York!

Check out the video of our tasting, and keep reading below for the detailed evaluation!




Three Brothers Wineries and Estates, 4 Degrees of Riesling; Medium-Sweet Riesling, 2011

We started the night off with a medium sweet white wine, which I didn't have high hopes of liking for myself. But I was hoping our sweet-loving ladies would at least enjoy the vino.

The bouquet for this wine did not start out well for us. The first words we found for it were, dirty sponge, gasoline, mildew, and rubber. After digging deeper, some w(h)iners found a grape, and potentially a pear or apricot aroma. Needless to say, we were skeptically in taking our first sips.

And as we dove in, we didn't find much better in the taste. The initial taste was a very sweet, sugary water taste. The tastes were a bit more appealing, however, than the aromas, and we did find some grapefruit, pear, apple, and almond extract nuances within the wine. It ended, however, with a slightly tart after taste, that put off most of our w(h)iners.

With a cheap price and a fairly appealing label, this wine should draw in the customers. However, four out of five w(h)iners were not fans. One w(h)iner, who likes particularly sweet wines, did, however, truly enjoy this wine--so there is hope for it!

Bottom line: Would we recommend this wine? Only if you like very sugary whites. One out of five isn't very promising for recommendations, but there is a chance you could like it!



Chateau Frank, Methode Champenoise; Brut Sparkling Wine, 2006

 I set out initially to buy an actual French champagne. When I found the prices didn't quite mesh with my budget, I turned to finding a French sparkling wine (When it's not from the region of Champagne, it can't legally be called champagne.), and believed I had found it in this Chateau Frank...When I got it home and found it was from New York, it was time to change the game plan! So, I personally went into this tasting a little disappointed, but hopeful! (It was still made in the Champagne method, after all! And it was $28 a bottle--ouch!)

Starting out with our sense of smell, we found mostly pear, apple, honey, lemon, and maybe some vanilla or anise (black licorice). One w(h)iner smelled nail polish remover, as well.

Moving into the tasting, we found mostly an alcoholish, slightly lemony taste. One w(h)iner detected a pear flavor, as well, and a few agreed on an oddly-vodka-ish flavor. Another w(h)iner found a spiciness in the wine, while two others just called it a burn.

With an appealing label, and a $28 price tag, we expected a fairly good-quality wine, and we a little disappointed. The w(h)iners unanimously agreed it to be a "Meh" wine.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this brut? No. Spend your money on a better sparkler (like our favorite Prosecco from Ruffino). Overall, it was not a terrible flavor, but not altogether the most appealing of sparkling wines--not worth a large price tag, sadly.


Sadly, we didn't find any great wines to add to our W(h)iner's Circle this time around, so check back with us next week, and we'll see if we find something we like!

California Week!

Hello, stay-at-home W(h)iners! I hope you're ready to try out some "higher class" Californian wines this week!

We tasted two wines this week, and, though it was a tired day for us all, we still managed to have a great time and give you our best tasting of these wines! Keep reading after the video for a step-by-step breakdown of our tastings and to get our opinions on these wines!





Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve 2011 Merlot

This week, we started out with a dry, red wine I pretty much figured our majority (those sweet-wine-lovers that they are) would not enjoy. Sadly, I was right in my line of thinking.

At first smell, the Merlot has a dark, dirty scent. There is definitely an oaky aroma seeping through the wine, and possibly a nice, dark cherry. The theme of this wine is definitely the word "dark." We detected, then, a smoky aroma, with maybe a type of spiciness--though very subtle, almost as an afterthought. One w(h)iner swore she could smell a vanilla in there, as well, and another hinted at rubbing alcohol.

Once we got to sipping, we found the wine to be, as one w(h)iner put it, "light at the front," but ultimately very, again, dark and moody. Tannins abounded in this surprisingly smooth wine, which tasted mostly like a (dark, of course) oak. Warm in the throat and all the way down, this wine was velvety, through and through, and only hinted at the dark cherry we originally smelled. One w(h)iner called it, "perfect" (again and again).

Though we generally disagreed about the qualities of this wine, at least two w(h)iners each listed it with balance, harmony, complexity, and completeness--so I believe that leaves it with at least a hint of each. (And we did unanimously agree that it was a balanced wine.)

With a very nice, clean label design and a $24 bill, this dark Merlot received two w(h)iners' complete approval, claiming it to be the "Best Ever!" These, of course, were our dry-lovers, though. And the remaining w(h)iners proceeded to profusely say, "Yuck!"

Bottom Line: Would we recommend this wine? Absolutely! If you love dry wines--this wine is "perfect." But also, No Way, if you don't like dry wines. Trust me on this--if you like your wines sweet, don't go for this one.


Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve 2011 Chardonnay

After such harsh division with the Merlot, I was not very confident going into the Chardonnay, either. I knew it could tend to the drier side, and my fears were, again, rewarded upon tasting.

This Chardonnay brought a grapey aroma to the nose initially, leaving us reeling for the next descriptor, as happens often with white wines for us, we're learning. We found an oaky quality to the bouquet, and struggled through to a possible smoky aroma. One w(h)iner, not quite satisfied with the descriptor labeled it, "something dark." We never did find the best words for this wine, though one w(h)iner found a possible black currant scent, another walnut, while a few grappled with some sort of spice, and two more couldn't decide on a secondary fruit. One claimed a pineapple aroma, while the other found it to be apricot.

Upon tasting this wine, things did not clear up much, as we'd hoped. We could not find much fruit in the wine, besides maybe a white grape, or something with acidity. We did, however, agree on a woody spiciness in the wine--not too overpoweringly so, but very present (if that makes sense--and I can tell you, I'm still sort of confused by this wine). However, the Chardonnay did offer a smooth, tannic, cool experience in the mouth, warming the entire body on the way down. If you are still confused here, I do not blame you. It truly is a wine you need to taste again and again to understand, I believe.

The w(h)iners generally agreed on a balance and completeness to this wine, with harmony thrown in as well by a couple w(h)iners. With, again, an appealing wine label, and a $21 price tag, this wine drew lines in the sand between us again.

Three of our w(h)iners proclaimed this wine simply a "Meh," while the other two (the dry girls, of course), thought it to be "Yummy."

Bottom Line: Would we recommend this wine? Yes. Despite the oddly hard time we had describing this wine, our dry wine lovers very much enjoyed this wine. It has a mild sweetness to it, that could possibly attract those who don't love dry mouth, but it ultimately was not one our sweet wine lovers liked at all. So, also, No. As with the Merlot, if you don't like dry wines, the w(h)iners would not recommend this wine.


So there you have it, folks! Two dry wines that only Brandi and Nicole liked (again)! Like I said in the video, we're going to do our best to bring you some sweet wines for next week, and get hold of some different palates to play with. Keep checking back next week for those, and have a great week in between!

We hope to see you next week!

Germany Week!

Good morning, stay-at-home-w(h)iners!

I hope you've had a great week so far, and are looking forward to some German wine tasting with the W(h)ining Army Wives this week! We had a full house this weekend, with all of our w(h)iners together, at last, to try out two white, German wines!

It was a little extra silly this weekend, but we also got some great reviews for you. Check out the recap video below!




 And now that you've seen all our beautiful faces again, let's get down to the nitty-gritty.

Leonard Kreusch 2011 Auslese

We started the night off with a white wine--of Auslese quality--with a nice $13 price tag.

As we started smelling the Auslese, we agreed it had a hay-like scent, that then brought out grapefruit and melon aromas. And a fairly strong clove scent topped off the bouquet.

When lips touched wine, the w(h)iners found a deceptively sweet wine hiding beneath the spicy aroma. It tasted, as one w(h)iner described it, like a pear puree (and also, sugar water)--very sweet, and watery. A very slight hint of a tart apple could be detected near the middle of the sip, and the entire experience was finished with, again, a slight spice with clove.

Across the board, we could not agree on balance, harmony, complexity, and completeness with this wine--with each w(h)iner having a different opinion on which the Auslese had. However, we unanimously agreed the label was ugly, and that it was a pretty good wine.

Five out of six w(h)iners classified it as a "Yum," with only one dubbing it a "Meh"--not too shabby for a $13 wine. The sweet-loving w(h)iners went on to finish the bottle, once dinner was dished out, as well.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this 2011 Auslese? Yes. 
***Especially if you are someone who likes fruity drinks, and maybe not so much wine--definitely give this one a try. It would be perfect in the summer, and maybe even in a sangria.


Clean Slate 2012 Riesling

Moving on to our second white, German wine, we went in expecting another sweet drink our majority would love.

Initial sniffing revealed an apples and pear bouquet, enhanced a little with honey and even a floral perfume aroma. It all rounded itself out with a slight peppery scent, but the overwhelming guess was sweet.

Until we tasted it. We were immediately greeted with an oddly bubbly sensation in our mouths--one that might be attributed to tannins (the dry feeling in your mouth), though we couldn't say for sure. The first real taste we could name was spice--namely pepper. As one w(h)iner so perfectly put it--"I feel like this wine smelled sweeter than the other one, but the other one tasted sweeter." There was even an oddly sour taste--one that we originally thought could be green apple, but then found that lime was the best descriptor for it.

Once we got past the sour taste on our tongues, we pretty completely agreed this wine did have a harmony, and an odd complexity to it. The label was appealing, though nothing exciting, and the cost--at $12--nice and low. This wine received mixed reviews from our w(h)iners, getting two "Yums," two "Mehs," and two who thought it was somewhere in between.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this 2012 Riesling? Maybe.
***If you're looking for a sweet riesling, divert your eyes, my friend. This is a pretty yummy--but very sour wine, that we think could go well with a light-tasting or Mexican dish. Sweet, summery wine, it is not. (The Auslese above would be perfect for that, though.)


Well, my friends, that is all we have for Germany Week. We hope you enjoyed learning about some different wines, and our surprise with these two! Have a great week, and we hope to see you next time for some w(h)ining!

Italy Week

Good afternoon, stay-at-home w(h)iners!

This week, we took on a couple of Italian wines, and here's how it went:



And now that you've laughed at with us, here's the full evaluation!


Valpolicella Ripasso; Solane Santi; 2010

We started the night off with a dry red wine that, despite the $17 price tag, I was honestly not too sure about.

Starting off with the aromas of the wine, a grape scent first overwhelmed us. After a little persistence, oak soon became the dominant aroma, with a dash of pepper, and maybe a little almond. Our two sweet-lovers found an acetone, alcoholic smell, while the two dry girls discovered a hint of plum.

 Upon first taste, oak was the dominating flavor, hinting at notes of pepper in the beginning, and trailing off to a subtle sweetness at the finish. The taste was bold, strong, and very dry. To us dry-lovers, it was perfect.

We found the aromas and tastes to have a balance and a lovely harmony, with the very barest hint of complexity, and completeness, rounding out to finish nicely. With an appealing label design, and a $17 price tag, we ended up with two "Mehs" (from our sweet girls), and two claiming it to be the "Best [wine] ever!"

Bottom Line: Would we recommend this wine? YES! Even our not-so-dry ladies agreed that this would be a good wine for a dry person.


Gavi; Principessa Gavia; 2012

Valpolicella Ripasso is a tough act to follow, but the dry, white wine we found in Gavi certainly didn't have too tough a time winning us over. Well, half of us. Again.

As we first stuck our noses in our glasses, we were overpowered by the scent of concord grapes. After much sniffing, and a lot of talking, we came to find a slight honey aroma mixing itself into the bouquet. But, after a few more minutes of deliberation, there was nothing left to be found.

And so we moved on to taste, where we found again grapes and honey. Despite the best work of the tannins (the dry feeling in your mouth), there was a slight sweetness to the wine that, surprisingly, balanced quite well with the overall dryness of the wine. We labeled the taste, ultimately, as "clean." A perfect descriptor for what was happening in our mouths throughout the tasting.

We found a balance and harmony, again, with the Gavi, but couldn't really classify it as either complex or complete. Ultimately, we ended with two, "Yums" and two "Mehs" (again, from our sweet-lovers). With a nice-looking label, and a $15 price tag, we then asked the big question.

Bottom Line: Would we recommend this wine? Yes. It's a very nice, dry wine, with a fair price tag, and a good quality. What's not to like?


And so ends Italy Week with the W(h)ining Army Wives. We hope you discovered some new wines to try out, and that you had fun laughing with us! Until next time!

Australia Week

Hello, everyone! It's Australia Week with The W(h)ining Army Wives!

We tried out two of Australia's most-produced wines this week: Shiraz and Chardonnay. Keep reading after the video summary for the in-depth evaluation of the wines!




Shiraz; Jacob's Creek; 2011

We started the night off with a dry red wine. The first thing we noticed when we sniffed our glasses was a cherry smell. A dark, oaky aroma accompanied the cherry, setting off an earthy, soil smell. After sniffing a good bit more, we uncovered a hint of spice--with guesses ranging from pepper to cinnamon to nutmeg, and one w(h)iner even caught a little vanilla.

Once we put our wine where our mouths were, the fruity smell had completely disappeared. All that was left was spice--and boy, was it spicy! We tasted pepper and one w(h)iner swore it was cayenne--and tannins (that dry feeling in your mouth). The texture, nonetheless, was smooth, and warmth spread through us as the wine worked its way down. After an adjustment period--a few, good minutes--we finally were able to start tasting some fruit again. It was a dark fruit, and we figured on black currant as the flavor. A sweet grape flavor made it way out at the very end, just to justify that we were, in fact, drinking fermented grape juice.

We thought the wine had a good balance and harmony in its flavors and bouquet, and at least one w(h)iner thought it a complete wine--though the other two just weren't sure.

The label design is appealing--though nothing to write home about, it does look nice and simple, and with a price tag of $7, there wasn't much more to sell us on this wine as a keeper. Final decisions on this wine? We called it two "Yums" and a "Yuck," courtesy of our sweet-wine-drinker.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this wine? Yes. It's inexpensive, and surprisingly yummy!


Chardonnay; Jacob's Creek; 2013

After finishing up with our gossip and Shiraz, we moved on to what we'd call a semi-dry white wine. This one surprised us with a very light, grape-apple aroma. There was just the barest hint of some oak, a little vanilla, a small bit of nuttiness, and maybe a light floral scent, but it was an otherwise light-fruit aroma.

As soon as we tasted the wine, we were getting slightly mixed signals. The main contenders included apple, peach, and honeydew, and we could not really pinpoint what we were exactly tasting with this one. One w(h)iner thought she detected a hint of spice in the taste, but we were unanimous in finding this chardonnay to be a light, crisp, cool wine. But overall, a little unimpressive.

We did almost agree that the flavors and aromas were in harmony with one another, but could not agree on another descriptor for the chardonnay. Our final decisions on this wine? A resounding "Meh."

So, bottom line: Would we recommend this wine? Probably not. But, honestly, at a cool $7, this wine is not one we would necessarily advise against.


So there you have it, this week's evaluations. We hope to see you again next week for some new wines, and some new friends!