Washington Hills - Riesling @@@@ (4 corks)---GIRLS' NIGHT PART 4

Retails: $9.99

<--serious brownie action

To recap our Girls' Night Panelists: Sunshine, Mrs. Almighty, Pineapple, and S. Breezy (Fo Sheezey) (scroll down just a weeee bit to see the full story)...

To top-off our evening as we were enjoying some delightful brownies baked by my own live-in sweetheart (we'll call him Sharpie). To compliment dessert, we were treated to a selection by Pineapple: Washington Hills-Riesling. Pineapple loves sweet whites, her current favorite is Relax-Riesling . This may become a new favorite. Much like the Relax, it's sweet like a muscat, but more crisp and refreshing. It complimented the brownies perfectly! For those of us who prefer dryer wines, this was more palatable than the Allegro Muscato we reviewed earlier in the evening. Don't get me wrong, the Allegro is delicious but very sweet. I will warn you, however, that after a couple of days the flavor begins to fall a little flat. It's best to consume this Riesling in one sitting.

Our Girls' Night Wine Tasting was a huge success, many thanx to my lovely ladies for their insight, input and outrageous ability to make me laugh my pants off. Wine is always best when enjoyed in the company of those whose company you enjoy :)

Relax - Riesling (@@@@@ 5 corks!)

Retails: $9.99 (Wal-Mart)

OK, so although this is pushing the "under ten" mark, this riesling deserves a ton of credit for being awesome.

My co-worker, we'll call her Pineapple (http://leimomia.com/), was asking for wine suggestions. She can't do reds so I really had to think hard about enjoyable whites for her to try---I'm not trying to be a red wine snob but unless it's fruity and refreshing, whites just don't do it for me.

Back in the day, when I just turned 21 and finally got to peruse the wine section, and not simply swallow whatever an "of age" wine drinker would give me, I started buying anything that "looked" good. Back then, I really didn't know the difference between different varietals of whites or reds so I just bought wine entirely based on how pretty the bottle was. This modus led me to purchasing my first bottle of riesling--the Relax Riesling.

Cloaked in a beautiful royal blue bottle with the word "Relax" inscribed down the side in san-serif, silver letters, this simple design caught my eye. Being fresh out of college and trying to figure out the rest of my life, this was EXACTLY what I wanted to do--relax.

After a couple hours in the fridge, I popped open the cork and sampled my very first taste of the Riesling from the pretty blue bottle while watching episodes of Sex n' the City on DVD--another guilty pleasure. Sweet, refreshing and unbelievably smooth, it was like drinking nectar. I'm pretty sure I drank the whole bottle in one sitting it was that good.

This wine is a FABULOUS "starter" wine for people who aren't necessarily wine drinkers to begin with. It has a crisp, smooth taste with a slight effervescent that makes it very drinkable. It's also a great wine to serve at a gathering or bring to the host of a party. It isn't overpowering so it goes great with just about any meal.

Final Word: If you're a newcomer to wines or just looking for something fresh tasting, this is a great purchase!