4/28/2019 - pianist718 Does not like this wine:

Horrible. Like juice, too sweet. Definitely not for pairing with meats. Possibly good enough for a sipper wine.

1/14/2015 - pianist718 Likes this wine:

Very very interesting wine. Little acidity but a very beautiful finish. Possibly most unique one ever for me. Goes great alone or with food. We had it with wild salmon, mashed potatoes and shrimp. Later with just cheese and crackers. Very refreshing.

Held it for a 2nd day out of curiosity. It was very good still but not sure if an extra day gave this wine anything other than some extra acid maybe.

What you taste right out of the bottle versus waiting about 10-15 min for your wine in the glass to get some air is very different. Maybe we'll decant it next time just for fun.

1/10/2015 - pianist718 wrote:

I am a bit clustered with this one. Wanted to love it. Was a bit harsh for my taste right out of the bottle. After decanting it for 1 hour, it turned quickly into a different wine ... smoother, less tannin, etc. Drank it on it's own and there was nothing crazy memorable about it especially for over $25 bottle. Left 1/4th of bottle for next day.

On next day this wine became much much better for me. Easier on the palate, just all around good... not great. I may try this one again a bit later in the year but for now, nothing special to make me spend another $28 on it.

1/10/2015 - pianist718 Likes this wine:

Beautiful color, Great legs ... not much on the nose for me but very silky on the palate and decent finish. Not a lot of tannin ... just enough to be noticed though, so tannin lovers ... may not love it. Went great with lamb chops and mashed potato. Held it's own.

Be sure to decant this for at lest 30 min. I first tasted it right out of the bottle and then 30 min after decanting in decanter. Wine was much smoother.

Great wine for a group of people that may not be tooo wine savvy. At $13 great value.

1/2/2015 - pianist718 Does not like this wine:

Stay away from Alto Adige and stick to Valdadige bottle. They look almost identical. Just look for the bottle to say Valdadige

1/4/2015 - pianist718 Does not like this wine:

Ok .. maybe this is just not my kinda wine as I am noticing high sensitivity to acid and tannin. For me this was light on the nose, too much tart, and avg finish. Consider that I am no wine pro though. Maybe I'll grow someday to these kinds of wine but for now, this is just too dry for me. Maybe it would have went better with high fats food like a filet mignon or something.

12/31/2014 - pianist718 Likes this wine:

Very nice. Not crazy on nose, but pleasant finish. Goes well with food. Wife thought it was a bit too acid (compared to 2013 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Valdadige) but first time I disagreed with her. Maybe because it's too laid back it went very well with food. Made some of that a bit over peppered pasta, shrimp and scallops taste great. On it's own it was very pleasant too.

12/29/2014 - pianist718 Does not like this wine:

Nothing special. Blend. No nose, no finish. A bit too acidic. Didn't pair too well with food. Not my thing.

12/26/2014 - pianist718 Does not like this wine:

In my non-pro opinion ... this wine is for people that do not appreciate the structure of fine wine. It's simply blend. Very little nose, nothing special on the finish.

12/24/2014 - pianist718 Likes this wine:

One of my most favorite XOs. Very smooth and oily.

NOTE ... make sure you get the XO "Imperial". Some stores send you the bottle in the golden box and gold label and black lettering on bottle where nowhere on the label do you see the word "Imperial". What you want is the bottle that comes in dark red box, uses dark red (burgundy) label with gold lettering that says "Imperial" right under the XO letters.

12/17/2014 - pianist718 Likes this wine:

Beautiful scotch. Not as musky or harsh as some out there. More on a smooth, a bit sweet side. I usually go for Glenlivet 21, Balvenie 17 Madeira, but this one is right up there for me.

12/13/2014 - pianist718 wrote:

Don't take my review as a "pro" review, but ... I didn't really enjoy the taste of this wine. It was just OK. Will look for better out there. It was kinda thin, no sparks.