A drunk sommelier's Wine Review

Silky tannins, balanced - sweet and tangy just the right amount. This wine could go with anything really, color me delighted. I feel the need to find this winery in California sometime.

My taste buds must either be going, or this wine has a slight burn at the end (like the feeling of alcohol evaporating off your skin expect it's at the back of your throat). It could also just be due to the awful conversation taking place next to me - bathroom talk should not be at the bar. Just saying. I genuinely love Malbecs, they remind me of one of my best friends who introduced me to Malbec, but above that, they are tasty, consistent, reliable option when all else on the menu fails.

I don't normally go to the length of naming where I am but I'll make an excellent/well timed exception. iTalico restaurant in Palo Alto totally impressed me with their timeliness and expertise in wine recommendations. Everyone should try this place and let them know one of their "blogging Bella's" recommended them. Sooo... You know how I just said I don't do white wines??? Apparently now I do 😒 But I can be forgiven as this is a moscato. Sweet, bubbly, scintillating (unlike the old guy on a date with his young pretty girl but still trying to look up my tightly crossed long legs), handsome/sexy - ode to the waiters! Wait, are we still talking about the wines?? PS: nothing like an espresso to top the night.

If I've gotta raise you, we've got a problem but not tonight.. These are some grown girl wines!!! Wow, great job to iTalico for picking all amazing wines. This is one gorgeously fragrant, medium bodied, red (Italian again, it's Italian night). It's full of flavor, floral, chocolatey - Swiss level, would be great with charcuterie - you want to impress a date with your wine knowledge? Pick this one and let it air out.

Yep! That one smelled like awful but tasted amazing!! I learned in the Tuscan hills to give wines a chance so I tried it anyway and it was delicious. I seem to remember another moldy cheese smelling brunello so maybe this is a signature? So far, 2/2 at 100% score for iTalico restaurants' wine. Great stuff, hottie wait 

Slightly acidic, medium bodied. I'll stop mentioning that it's red cause it's clear at this point that's I stick to my reds. Why? 1) I like reds better cause they are just more complex, 2) because!!! I literally just forgot lol. So anyway, return to Italian reds tonight. Loving it.

I bought this one a long time ago at cline cellars in Napa and was saving it for a great day. Well, I was dating this guy who thought he might love wine but turns out I shouldn't have opened my amazing cashmere for him. This bottle is a proper blend, the grape is close to being sweet but still just tart enough. Hints of chocolate, plum, and black cherries. This is one of those aptly named bottles I'm glad has outlasted the ex., amazing. Go get one!!!

This wine really doesn't let you down. If there is one thing that I've learned in my years of drinking, it's that champagne kills me and result in the worst hangovers ever. Therefore, no surprise that when found in pops champagne bar, I was making a beeline for the wine list. If you've read my earlier posts, I'll say no more. Otherwise, I feel the need to say it again, can't go wrong with this fragrant baby.

Chianti from Siena. This gorgeously flavored Italian is like you'd expect from Italy. It's smooth, gorgeously scented, light,  flavorful. The wine gets better as it airs out, so we got a proper decanter. Smooth finish, velvety, and pure.

Apparently it's illegal or at least frowned upon to post what grapes are used in French wine?! Anyway it's a good thing French wines are so tasty. This one smells like venison ;) maybe cause I just had it, but it tastes wonderful. Bold, earthy flavors.

Smells like mushroom, maybe that's what earthy means. Not many flavors in there but the wine itself is pretty tasty. Nothing special to report, if anything I hope this is a house wine so I can avoid the house.

You know you've picked a great bottle when your waiter has a sensory orgasm when the cork comes off. This amazingly fragrant wine tastes even better. One of my darling friends, whose tastes in wine, scotch, and food (and fashion, love, life etc) are above par, tells me you can never go wrong with a mèdoc. I hadn't tried one before but if they all have this great smell and taste, I'll pick them more often. The taste is one of blackberries, cherries, easy on the palette with a smooth finish but has a strong flavor that wakes the senses.

That's right my non readers... Back en France!! After 13k steps to champs élysées -ok we're still not quite there but we're close- we decided to stop for a glass or bottle. It's fragrant, hits you in the back of the tongue very finely, like a joyful kiss. Best laid .. Whoops, paired! Paired!! With charcuterie or something deliciously sinful like foie gras!

This particular one is a Merlot but according to local connoisseurs, for Austrian wines aka rotweine, it's best to stick to wines from Burgenland. It takes like blackberry, spicy, dry, fruit forward (yep, I just dropped that).

Côtes du Rhône! 2012 you spicy bitch or chienne? J'adore ma français. This wine is a "never let me down" sort of wine. Spicy, peppery, kiss my lips, linger on my tongue French style wine. Who needs some mediocre French kiss when you can have a côtes du rhone romance-uh-wine!

Last of the Czech lovelies for the night. This is like a port but had these awesome beautiful, vanilla, chocolate and lavender aromas. Your bf might take off with this one but that's ok if you are paired up with a chocolate dessert. Once you go chocolate...

Red wine, medium bodies, slightly spicy finish. Reminiscent of a Pinot noir, slightly tart but easy to drink grape.

I might have let on that I don't enjoy white wines. I may have to make an exception, this is a sweet Chardonnay wine, very smooth on the palette, paired with foie gras. The resulting salty and sweet balance is delicate and lovely on the tongue. Like a great kiss.

Very fragrant, medium bodied South African Shiraz. Slightly bitter but smooth finish, easy on the palette, soft tannins, this wine makes me feel refined. 

Montesecondo it means it has very long legs. Not really but it should, Heidi Klum's got nothing on this wine except maybe the face. This is a dry wine, I smell chocolate and blackberries but my lovely bestie M just knows it tastes good. M scientifically notes: any wine that I can drink and my body doesn't shudder is a good wine. She does however note that this is pretty smooth.

You know when you aerate your wine and then someone walks by with really heavy perfume just as you bend in for a nice whiff of the grape? That just happened and it wasn't pretty, got my senses all messed up. This wine is not super fruity, it has a slight hint of currants and the rest is all grape. It's an Italian red, light to medium  bodied, smooth, signature of Italian refined work - I tell you, Italians in Italy are living the life! Guys riding around on bicycles at sunset with bread, a beautiful red, and flowers for their ladies. Why haven't I found a way to move to Italy yet?? Whoops, I digress! The point is, this bottle is well worth it - if you aren't a seasoned wino and even if you are, you'll be hard pressed to find a smoother Sangiovese.

Domaine Carneros Pinot noir Carneros 2013 Slightly butter aka butter aka bitter finish. It's soft on the nose, hints of black pepper and lush California grape fields/vines. I just had one more taste and it was quite buttery on the palette. Love this wine. 4/5 for me and my bestie who prefers a bit more earth on her noirs, but doesn't expect it in her Napas gives it a 3.6-3.7/5

This beautiful and soft delicious red is from Mendoza, Arrrrgentina! I never met an Argentinian I didn't like, seriously. This is a great bet on Malbec. It's fragrant - practically caresses your nose as you go in for the first taste then proceeds to satiate your taste buddies. Smooth tasting, it has a dark chocolate finish, lingering taste of blackberries or cherries. Oh yeah, I sound like a true wino right now but that's just how much I love this baby. Not leaving until it's finished.

One of my best friends and I come up with the greatest ideas of all time when we are drinking so I can be forgiven for thinking great ideas are born of drinks. This is one such idea I had and executed upon while drinking. I am pretty sure this is the taste of gruel so why am I still drinking it? Cause I am the kind of person who doesn't believe in wasting a bottle. I'll admit it took me 3 glasses to smell this but it smells like spice and blackberries. What it is, is a barbera. I became a little wine snob when I moved to California then visited Italy. Barberas are supposed to be fragrant, tasty, medium-bodied, great for steak dinners. This one is meh, I'm just not a fan but I'm also not a fan of posting mean things about someone else's hard work so I rather people taste it and maybe counter or confirm my palette. I'll look for some way to add a ranking feature here for my phantom visitors to rank the wines. Wine: Year: