One of my New Years’ resolutions was to branch out and try different kinds of wine.  (Actually, it wasn’t so much a resolution as an easy addition to the list.  I have to have a glass of wine with dinner!  And possibly a second!  I’m fulfilling my resolution!!  And I’m doing it FOR HUMANITY.)

So!  Starting now, I’m going to review the new wines that I sample (and by “sample” I mean “purchase a bottle and consume in its entirety, maybe not all at once, but possibly”).  Oh, and probably none of this wine will cost more than $10-$12 a bottle.  Because that’s how I roll.

I better add in a disclaimer here.  I am in no way any sort of wine expert.  I made an A in Introduction to Beverages (yes) my sophomore year in college and I have toured about five wineries in my lifetime.  That pretty much sums up my qualifications as a wine critic.  A sommelier I am not.  But!  I know what I like, and am happy to pass it along.  Just don’t expect any recommendations on food pairings, because so far it seems that all wines work with frozen pizza equally well.

In preparation for my wine-tasting journey, yesterday I went to the local Spec’s with my pal BB in tow.  She’s a fan of the reds, while I tend to favor whites.  So I picked her brain on what reds would be good for a rookie like me.  I ended up purchasing 6 bottles total – 3 reds, 3 whites.  (Which lived in a box at my desk for the rest of the day since it was too hot to leave them in the car and now my coworkers think I have A Problem.)

Here’s the haul:

I decided on the Lambrusco as my first specimen.  I’ll get back to the rest of those later.

According to the back label, Levata Lambrusco dell ‘Emilia is a “full-flavored Lambrusco with a refreshingly fruity character and vibrant raspberry aromas.”  And I found it surprisingly good for my first real foray into the world of red wine.  I chilled it – cooler than recommended – and it tastes pretty much like very strong grape juice.  So, you know, it tastes like what it is.  It doesn’t seem to have much of the residual bitterness that turned me off the last time I tried a red wine, but maybe that’s because I didn’t drink it at room temperature?  Anyhow, I like this one and will have to try other Lambruscos for comparison in the near future.

NonSoccerMom’s rating:  3 stars out of 5.*

Have you tried this wine or something similar?  If so, what did you think?  If you have any suggestions or recommendations please let me know.  I’m up for anything, and I hope to make this at least a weekly feature (oh, who am I kidding.  I go through more than one bottle per week.)

*Rating system is completely arbitrary and is not based on any actual scale of measurement.