Wines for August: 13 wines from abroad

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Last month, we reviewed a dozen wines from all U.S. wineries. For August, we are sipping wines from abroad.

Note: Our monthly reviews focus on wines $25 and under, and all should be available on local store shelves. We list flavors we detect and offer our favorite at the end.

Here’s what we tasted:

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

Yalumba

Yalumba Unwooded Chardonnay

Yalumba, South Australia, Chardonnay, 2021, $15

Love the “unwooded” description here. Apple, balanced, lemon, food-friendly. This is what a Char can taste like when it’s not barrel-aged. Billed as a vegan wine, it drew a universal thumb’s up From our tasting panel.

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

Veramonte

Veramonte

Alto de Casablanca, Colchagua Valley, Chile; Carmenere, 2020, $11.99

Spicy floral aroma. Mixed berries and cranberry hit you right away, along with some Maraschino cherry, and it finishes dry with some tannins to help it stand up to assorted dishes. Often a blending grape, this is a decent Carmenere worth its price. Wine Folly says in Chile, a single-varietal wine is allowed to have up to 15% other varieties blended with it. The grape was indigenous to France but is more popular in Chile.

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

Gran Passione

Gran Passion

Gran Passion, Veneto, Italy; red wine, 2020, $13.99

Cranberry, tomato, savory, slight black licorice, bit of strawberry. It’s a blend of Merlot and Corvina. Our tasting panel thought this would be a good burgers / grilling wine.

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

Corvo Rose

Corvo Rosé

Duca di Salaparuta, Italy, Rosé, 2020, $9.99

Sweet floral nose, cherry-strawberry notes with watermelon on the finish. (It’s billed as having strawberry and pomegranate notes.) Light pleasant sipper - nothing crazy but nice and definitely worth the price.

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

Mouton Cadet

Mouton Cadet

Mouton Cadet, France, Rosé 2020, $13

Tiny bit of funk with cranberry and some strawberry and a nice dryness. Fair price.

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

Alie

Alie

Frescobaldi, Italy, Rosé, 2020, $19.99

This Rose (Syrah and Vermentino) has fresh watermelon and honeydew flavors meshing with white flowers and wild strawberries. One of the best Roses we’ve had. Dry and refreshing.

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

Whispering Angel

Whispering Angel

Chateau d’Esclans, France, Rosé, 2021, $25.

Floral nose, raspberry and watermelon on the palate, dry finish. Another reminder that when you see “France” on a label for a bottle of Rose, expect a dry, pleasing sipper.

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

Los Vascos Cromas

Cromas Gran Reserva

Los Vascos, Valle de Colchagua, Chile; Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018, $22

Mushroom flavor, black licorice, herbal finish and smooth. Definite food-friendly wine and delicious with decent tannins on the finish. A heartier-than-average Cab from this region.

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

Duca di Salaparuta

Calanica Rosato

Duca di Salaparuta, Italy, Rosé, 2020, $10.99

Floral notes and fruit-punch flavors are strong but not sweet in this Italian rosé. A pal who enjoys sipping rosés on the porch and patio this time of year calls this one refreshing.

For this month’s review, we sipped 13 different wines – all from outside the United States.

Le Grand Verre

Le Grand Verre

LGV Wines, 187ml bottles of assorted French wines; eight bottles, $39.99

We tried four of these single-serve wines from this collection. They come in skinny plastic screw-capped bottles. Despite the sleek and ecological packaging, we were not impressed (all are 2019 except the 2020 rose blend):

Chateau Peyredon, Haut-Medoc: This wine - Cabernet Sauvignon (63%) and Merlot (37%) - was a juicy blend that had a horrible artificial aftertaste.

Le Grand Verre Les Trottières Roses: This Cabernet Franc is billed as having “notes of intense red fruits leading to a slightly honeyed finish.” What we got: Smells – and tastes - like cheap wine.

Le Grand Verre Chapelle des Vignes Chardonnay: We tried this, but our tasting panel could not judge it because of its off flavors. It was so sour we thought air might have gotten into a damaged screw cap. Made with organic grapes.

Domaine Caylus: This rosé blend has tart fruit - cranberry – and is dry with notes of pomegranate. It’s a blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache. We didn’t get much more than that. Made with organic grapes.

Favorite: Alie.

Wine on film: The 2012 documentary “Somm” takes viewers through the process of aspiring sommeliers. It’s available to rent or buy online.

Like wine? Options vary for buying wine. Online retailers offer chances to choose what you want, curate cases and find discounts. Here’s a selection to consider:

brightcellars.com: Monthly club matches you with wines after you take a “palate quiz.”

cellarswineclub.com: Allows you to choose the number of bottles you want.

exoticwine.club.com: Offers subscription wine boxes from wineries in less accessible markets.

splashwines.com: Choose a curated case or build your own.

winc.com: Four wines tailored to your tastes are shipped monthly. Has review component.

wine.com: Large online seller often offers new-customer discounts.

wineawesomeness.com: Three- and six-bottle curated shipments.

wineenthusiast.com: All-encompassing site for accoutrements - racks, glasses, openers, storage, gifts.

wineonsale.com: Allows you to select by varietal or region.

zachys.com: Includes a variety of ways to search/shop, plus has info on auctions.

2022 wine reviews

Wines for July: A dozen American-made wines

Wines for June: 9 sippers to consider from Sicily to Spain

Wines for May: 11 different ones from 5 countries - $25 and under

Wines for April: 11 to consider sipping from Indiana (yes) to Italy

Wines for March: 10 wines for $10 to $25

Wines for February: A dozen different wines from 4 countries

Wines for January: 9 different sippers $9 to $22

I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. On the air: Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. Twitter: @mbona30.

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