Tag: Malbec

Remember The Alamos

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AlamosMeal2Man I’ve been waiting a long time to write that title.  And I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to write about Alamos.  This post also coincides with the upcoming Malbec World Day which takes place this Sunday, April 17th.

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There’s plenty of Malbec’s I’ve written about, but this is the originator.  This is the one I’m most sentimental too.  If it wasn’t more some dear friends introducing me to Malbec and this bottle in particular, my passion for wine and everything that goes with it, may be null and void.  Yes, for as long as I can recall, this is the very first Malbec I ever had.

It’s been the most approachable and accommodating of bottles.  And I may be understating that just a bit.  I’ve seen this wine at nearly every wine retailer I’ve ever walked into.  The same can be said for restaurants.

More than any other wine the Alamos Malbec is a fixture at fine dining establishments, sports bars, dive bars, and everything in between.  This speaks to how accessible this wine is along with the aforementioned a’s earlier in this paragraph.  I do this alliteration bit a lot. See?

Through the years it’s also been consistent.  The flavors of blackberry and dark cherry permeate through every bottle and every glass I’ve enjoyed either alone, with family, or with friends.  My palates  have changed but this wine keeps tasting better to me.

I mention the various places Alamos Malbec can be found.  And I’ve enjoyed them in many of those situations and more.    I’m sipping on the 2014 as I write this and it’s brilliant.

It’s a wine worthy of having over a conversation but equally this wine is worth having a conversation about.

AlamosMeal

I’m having a dialogue with you while I also finish my meal I paired it with.  I wish I could say it was my creation but I wouldn’t be true to myself or the audience.  It’s a homemade meal but from someone else’s home.  The chicken marsala with green beans and mixed vegetable was decent yet it paired ideally with my wine.   Can you see the animal friend in the background?

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This is a wine you can have with anything.  This is what makes wine fun.  It doesn’t have to be overpriced or pretentious.  I’ve seen this bottle listed anywhere from $7-$10 and it drinks at about that price.  And there’s nothing wrong with that.  As a matter of fact it’s everything that’s right about wine.

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Red Blend And Cabernet Sauvignon are good ones too but the Malbec is like that great friend that will always be their for you.  Alamos has been loyal to me over the years and I will not take that for granted.  I will not take or granted that some wonderful friends introduced me to this wine.

I am forever grateful.

Have a Happy Malbec World Day.

Best,

Ideen

Fresh Air

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CarMenAirGreen

If I’m correct, this is the first time I’ll be writing about a Carmenere since starting this blog.  What took me so long?  Well there’s so many amazing wines to talk about.  I will never get to them all.  And why would I want to?  That’s what makes this journey brilliant. There will never be enough time to try them all.  Fortunately there is time to try an assortment.

Carmenere was one of the original six grapes in France, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec.    It faded into obscurity until the early 90’s and now found its proper home (as the national grape) in Chile.    If this story sound familiar, the same thing happened with Malbec.  And now that’s the most popular grape of Argentina.

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So this brings me to the 2011 Car Men Air distributed by Bronco Wine Company.    I purchased this for under $10 at my favorite Trade Joe’s in Alexandria, VA.

The play on words funny yet nothing about this wine is.  It’s a straight-forward and no-thrills bottle.  It’s got just the right amount of oak and spiciness that it doesn’t taste like a rock-bottom priced vino.  But not much more than that.   If I’m to assume correctly, black cherry, smoke, spices, and the aforementioned oak are all easily detectable.  Anything else is not as discernible.  But hey, that’s just my opinion.  It did have a darker tint than many wines we’re accustomed to.

I brought this bottle over to a friends house to relax, sip, and crack some jokes.  Not about the wine but in general.  The weather is warming up and spirits are doing the same.  It’s about time.   As long as this wine was somewhat acceptable, then it’s going to taste that much better with good company and a good energy.  If this or any wine were appalling then we’d be hard pressed to enjoy ourselves. Then again we might move on and find a suitable replacement.

I’m sounding like I’m down on this wine.  Not at all.  I think I’m just excited and all over the place with this sudden heat wave that’s hitting the east coast.   I’m salivating at the thought of all the outdoor activities and all the great wines that I’ll be having during some of those fun events.   I hope you’re getting amped up too.

After perusing their list, I’ve noticed many I’ve had in the past.  This will be revisited at a later date.

If you’re interested in finding this or other wines, click here.

Lastly, here is my most recent post on a great wine from Trader Joe’s.  And here’s one that wasn’t as golden.

Winter time is winding down but some of these impeccable wines I’ll try will not. We’re just getting started.

Best,

Ideen

 

Keep It Simple

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Diseno2

Diseño has been a staple in my collection for several years now.  There’s nothing overtly sexy or grandiose about it. That’s exactly how I want it sometimes and that’s what I was in the mood for recently.

I’ve seen this bottle listed anywhere from as low as as $7.  So in all likelihood around $10 is going to be commonplace. In my humble opinion, it drinks for at least double that.

You may hear this term fruit-forward thrown around and it applies here.  Got a berry in mind?  It might be in here. Raspberry, cherry, and black cherry aromas, as well as on the palate, is what you may discover.

Most Malbec’s tend to lean towards the medium-to-full bodied side but this is an aberration, and that’s part of why I like it.

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This is an easy sipping wine that can paired with nothing or just about anything.   On this particular day, it was enjoyed by itself and it was fantastic.

For folks who are just getting into wine and are looking for something simple, this bottle fits that mold.     Malbec has skyrocketed in popularity during the last 5-10 years, largely in part to how easy and accessible it is to drink and discuss.

It’s quite possible that maybe its already reached its zenith, depending on where you look and who you ask.  But most importantly it’s on you to decide if Malbec (or any wine for that matter) is for you.

In the United States, I’ve seen Diseño at a plethora of retailers and beverage stores.  I wish they had a website of their own but maybe this link will help.  For my pals in the Baltimore area, Total Wine is one of many places you can go. For everyone else,  here is a link to order online.

These photos were taken from Plug Ugly’s in Baltimore. And I’ve seen this bottle served at many other restaurants. So you may find it at your favorite dining establishment as well.

I love it.  I may talk about a few more as the weather slowly shows signs of hope and of change.  Yes that means Spring is creeping upon us and that means more approachable and endearing wine talk to come.

And A Happy Early National Drink Wine Day.  Enjoy it simple, complex, or however you want.  I’m going with the former and the latter.

Best,

Ideen

Hope Yours Was Great Too

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We’re so fixated and caught up on Thanksgiving that I don’t think Thanksgiving ever gets the love and credit it truly deserves.

I will do a brief review of my family’s gathering and of course talk about the wine that was drank. There was a lot of that but I barely got to have any myself.

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The 2013 El Libre Malbec from Revolution Wine Company was my contribution to this 15+ gathering of family and friends.  I would say it was a hit since I had all of one glass.

Perhaps you’ve heard of Revolution itself as it’s a very good and affordable wine in its own right.  I’ve seen it was low at $7 at certain retailers (and it’s likely at one near you) and the price tag alone is worth buying it for. But it’s a really good and affordable selection to any collection.  I drink this semi-regularly myself.

The El Libre is another one you can find at many wine shoppes all over the place.  That and the Revolution are approachable standard labels that can complement many a party, gathering, feast, or enjoyed in solitude.

This Malbec tastes lighter than most and had a very strawberry-jam like taste at times.   It was noticeably different at our feast than when I’ve enjoyed under different circumstances.

The food and the heavy eating that can bring about different flavors and scents in many bottles. We enjoyed quite a few appetizers beforehand so that plays a factor.

Not as much French Oak or any oak for that matter but that’s just fine. There’s enough cherry to make this bottle endearing and simplistic for any get-together.  And isn’t that the point of all this?   You betcha.

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The wine was so good it lasted all of 5 minutes within our party. Thankfully, other bottles were there to be consumed and reveled in.  The acidity was just right that even a non-wine drinker may like this.  And that may have happened here.

And speaking of thanks, my cousins are always creative in how they want us to give appreciation and gratitude ourselves.  This year it was a tree were we could write a couple of notes ourselves. I did and will leave that up to the universe and my own internalization to see that message is delivered.

I included some photos of the food, which includes sweet potatoes, salmon with rice, and some butternut squash with pesto lasagna.  We had the standards.  The turkey, cranberry, salad, and rolls.  However, there would be no photos allowed at the actual dinner, so imagination is key here.

My favorite part was the evolution of the table-setting which I did my best to capture here.

Our gathering went over four hours and I cherish every moment of it.  I cannot stress enough how important feeling good and spending it with the ones you love is.  I’m overstating the obvious but it still needs to be said.   I  told my family I wish I saw them more than a handful of times a year.

The holidays are a reminder that we shouldn’t just do this once or twice because a calendar tells us too.  We should do this organically, naturally, and perpetually.

I look forward to spending as much time with dear family and friends, not just throughout the rest of this year, but beyond.

I hope the same for you.

Best,

Ideen

 

 

Malbec Moves

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For this weeks review we go into the collection.  This was a bottle my friends and I enjoyed a few weeks back.  I am happy to discuss the 2013 Don David Reserve Malbec.

The timing of this post feels about right and I have mixed feelings about that. We’re approaching fall and this is such an apropos wine.

Malbec has gained a lot of popularity in recent years and understandably so. It’s no longer being grown just in France, Argentina, or Chile.  Now it’s universally loved and grown all over the globe.  It’s also a medium-to full-bodied wine that can be enjoyed with many types of food and over most of the calendar year.

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So how did this one turn out?  Well I really enjoyed it. Not only does it feel like a fall wine, but it has a lot of the components within the wine itself that are autumn like.  It represents an ever-so-slight change in the atmosphere.

While sipping my glass I did detect some unique flavors.  I felt something smokey and then a hint of vanilla and chocolate over the course of my experience. To my pleasant surprise I was right on all three, per the technical sheet.  Maybe it was the mood I was in or how relaxed I was when enjoying my wine.

I recall I was in a very peaceful state of mind at the time. And I tend to think that when you’re relaxed and not trying too hard, the flavors can be much more easily detected.  That analogy can be applied to much of our daily lives.

I don’t believe this is an accident, but seeing pipe tobacco as one of the listed scents makes me smile. This photo was taken before I knew that was included per the winemaker.

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And how beautiful is the color? It has more or purplish and reddish look to it.  Ah the little things.  This was a well put together one and a great way to get September going.  Even though I had this in August! Nevertheless, I’m still celebrating Summer but can also appreciating what the coming months have to offer.  I will do my best to promote the wines that will best represent what’s to come!

I don’t recall where I purchased this bottle from and for those at least in the Baltimore area, I honestly haven’t seen it in many wine shoppes.  But if you do come across it, the average price tag seems to range around $15 and I feel that’s a justified price.

Thanks so much.

Best,

Ideen

Sweet Cat

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The joy of doing this is discovering wines you didn’t even know existed.  This will continuously be a lifelong journey with no end in sight.  And as daunting as that may sound on the surface, that’s exactly how it should be.  Unless there is some magical ending, there should never be a final resting place.  Well unless it’s a with a fabled bottle of vino!

This brings me to the wines from Tussock Jumper.   Until a few days ago, they were nowhere on my radar.  I love uncovering something new.

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The simple reason I saw drawn to the bottle is because of the cat on the label.  In addition to that, there was a plastic baggie with a collectors item attached at the top of it.  Upon further investigation I saw it was a refrigerator magnet.  Without any hesitation I bought this bottle with little regard to the type of wine it was.  They sold me.

I was in the South American wines section of the shop, so it was most likely Malbec or something similar.  But I was blinded by the animal!   Along with animals, wine is one of my real joys in life.  And a combination of a beautiful creature pictured on a bottle will usually get me every time.  Well done.

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The magnet is now hanging gloriously on the refrigerator along with all its other magnet pals.

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And without belaboring the point, how was my sipping experience?  Well I only thought the wine was ok.  I gave it a few minutes to breathe and it started to improve with time.  But it never really got anywhere.   The label mentions aromas and flavors of berries, fruits, and chocolates.   So I will assume blackberry will be notated a lot.  It did have that jammy flavor with maybe some cocoa if I didn’t think so much about it.  But nothing came of this for me.

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In honor of National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day yesterday, I hoped to heighten the wine with a piece of cookie or two, and sadly that did not happen.

On a warm Summer’s day this would be ok to drink.  It’s more medium bodied, with it’s combination of Malbec an Shiraz, which can usually be good.  But not here.

I did notice on their wine list, that this varietal is not even listed.

Could it be I’m not the only one that wasn’t floored by the Mendoza?  Or maybe it just wasn’t a huge hit?

However, there’s so much to love about their website.   They have a different animal representing each of their wines.  And it’s also laid out by country.  It’s broken down by recipe, food pairings, grape synopsis, and the vineyards.  You can’t get much more user-friendly than that.   And their tasting guide breaking down the full to light bodied choices, from red to white is magnificent.

Here’s where you can find their wines.

I’m intrigued.  Even though this bottle was disappointing, I will need to do some poking around.  This could become quite the adventure.  The concept is great and I expect many of the wines will turn out the same.

Thanks so much.

Best,

Ideen

Money Ink

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A dear friend of mine recently had a celebration of all sorts.  We were honoring his birthday, his pending divorce, an end of an era, and the start of a new one.

The party was one for the record books.  The food and libations were in abundance.  The site was a beautiful house in a secluded area of Baltimore County.  It was the perfect setting for a day of emotion, revelry, and merriment.   The congregation was at epic levels.

An in-ground pool, a slip n’ slide course, and a gaming lounge on the inside was provided.  The gaming lounge included table tennis, beer pong, card games, and any other drinking game an attendee was motivated to get folks involved in. There was to be an Olympic like obstacle course inspired by the program, Wipeout, but the weather postponed the event and emotional opening ceremonies for a later date.

Nevertheless, this was still a part for the ages.  Many good pals and friends came out to support our friend in his present and future endeavors.  And I was one of those people who almost no showed because of the torrential downpours.   I would have regretted that decision if I chose to stay home.  A great majority of invited guests still made their appearance and everyone seemed happy they did.

The eats were plentiful. We had burgers, hot dogs, chips of all kinds, hummus, pasta salads, and all kinds of various dips.   Those were devoured before any pictures were taken.

As for the alcohol, there was a beer keg, and plenty of various liquors for mixers.   However, I chose to mainly stick with wine, as did a few other folks.

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In honor of the ink being nearly dry on my friends divorce proceedings, I arrived with a bottle of Black Ink.   I didn’t realize at the time how apropos this choice was.

Bear in mind, I could have brought anything.  But in tradition of never coming empty-handed to a party, I grabbed a wine that looked fun and stood out from the crowd.  The guest of honor is a huge fan of Red Blends, so that factored into the decision.

The wine itself was just fine.   It’s as mysterious as the website itself, which explains nothing and has no links to click on.   Their parent company, sheds a little more light on it.  And here’s even more information.   I wouldn’t say it was my favorite, but it was a good bottle for the low price of $9.99.   There’s an image of a squid under the cap that I wish I had taken a photo of.

This is a melange of Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, and, Zinfandel. The smokiness was present, and some hints of spices and obscure flavors.   But as to what I don’t know.  It was a nice drinking wine by itself or with the food that was decimated throughout the party.   More photos would have been taken but I wanted to keep the mystery of the event just like the wine, at the right decibel.

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No fancy wine glasses for this one.  I was happy drinking from a cup.

For those that stayed longer, just when we thought the party was winding down, we kept going.   It was great to make new friends, reconnect with past ones we’ve lost touch with, and a celebration of life, enjoying the Summer, and feeling good.

Some of what transpired is too good for words and pictures.  It’s memories that we get to keep for ourselves and share with our loved ones that were there.

And just like the wine, the ink will soon be dry.

Best,

Ideen

Maryland Has Some Great Ones

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This is part two of my recap of the events at the Great Grapes Wine & Food Festival. For all the fun of part one you can click on this link.

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Whenever I come to a Maryland Wine event, Bordelau, is one of the first wineries I immediately look for.   They have always been the most approachable, prolific, and endearing wineries at these events.

I was first introduced to them three years ago, at this exact event.  When I was inquiring about something very smokey, very be full, and very dry.  And I was introduced to their Chambourcin.  This was the Lot 5 from 2006, which is exactly what I was looking for.  Even on a hot day, it went down easy.  Because of the climate, it felt fuller than it probably was.  But that doesn’t diminish how amazing this bottle was.

From that point forward, I’ve been hooked. I’m disappointed that I had not heard of them or this grape before.  But this is the lifelong journey of a wine lover.

I’ve had different variations.  And that’s what so great about it.  It can be used to make all kinds of great tasting gems. Many have been dry, but also the sweet and rose variations of it.   It’s a relatively new grape at barely over 50 years.  What I love the most about it, is that it’s prolific in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast parts of the United States.   And I’ve had some great ones from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

My favorite and in my opinion, the standard-bearer still this one.     So how did this years tasting turn out?

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The Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 6 tasted like any good Cab should.  It was medium to full and it was the bottle I almost bought. But since I had the 2007 still at home, I was looking to purchase something else this time.

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The Malbec was perfect for this event.  It tasted lighter than what I was expecting. But for this weather, it was perfect.  The finish was so clean and if not too tannic. For an outdoor event, it wasn’t necessary. I got a whole bottle to share with friends but now wish I took one home for a future celebratory occasion.

The Petit Verdot was not as memorable.  It was good but it didn’t linger with me.  Now its a wine that seems that could get better with time.  But that could be said for all of their selections.

Getting better with time is exactly right for the final two that we sampled.

The much-anticipated Chambourcin Lot 6 and Meritage, tasted very clean and went down as easy as anything I’ve had.  But that means they both need time to marinate, flourish, and become the amazing tasting wines they’ve been known for.

I’m a massive fan of the Meritage blends as well.  A future post on that grape is forthcoming.  The Merlot was sold out at the time.  And I really wanted to try that too.  My love for them has grown exponentially.

We never got a chance to taste the whites. This just means that a visit is long overdue. And I’ve been saying this to myself for a couple of years now.  A visit needs to happen.  I love their wines and the folks behind it have been nothing but friendly.

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For more on all their wines, and for purchasing click here and here.

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We enjoyed our Malbec rather quickly with some salty snacks.  We enjoyed ourselves. The pictures above are a tribute to an alma mater.

Lastly, I’ve included some more photos from the sites of the festival.   The third and final post from this event comes next week!

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Have a great one.

Best,

Ideen

Food and Wine Pairing Pals

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oldmoon

Sometimes what I write about is predetermined.  At other times the topics find me.   This one is a combination of both.

The plan was to have cheeseburgers for a meal, and I wanted to find a wine that pairs well with them.  As per usual, I did a Google search, and you get two dozen opinions on what goes well with anything.   There is something to a food and wine pairing, but it’s all perception.  What might look good to some, might be hideous to others.

Based on the consensus; Malbec, Syrah, and Zinfandel were the ubiquitous suggestions to complement burgers.  Do you detect a theme?  These are three of the more full-bodied reds, with alcohol contents higher than 13.5%.

I have reviewed the first two wines in previous posts.  These can be seen here and here.  So Zin is the big winner today.

In looking at our collection of bottles, I only saw one Zin.  And I present the 2012 Old Moon (Old Vine) Zinfandel from our pals at Trader Joe’s.   This is part of an exclusive collection, that can only be bought at their stores.

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Not much in the way of superlatives to say about this wine.  It’s pretty standard.  But for $5.99 you really can’t complain.   I didn’t care for it at first. But, after a few minutes of breathing it got better.  It’s extremely fruity.  And in reading various reviews of it, every fruit known to man has been detected.  It’s best to go with your senses as to what you taste.   There’s little oak that I could detect.  And not much in the way of tannins.  It’s very easy to drink.  It can be enjoyed without food, for any occasion.

But if you’re looking for something groundbreaking, this is not it.  It’s a very basic wine.  This is a great wine for folks who are new to wine drinking.  And then your palate can only expand from here.

Not every wine is going to pair well with your dish.  My bacon cheeseburger with sides of regular and sweet potato fries was tremendous.  However, the wine didn’t heighten anything or bring about any new flavors.  It’s a decent and affordable bottle that serves its purpose.  If you are fortunate enough to be in a state where your local TJ’s sells wine, this is not one I would go out of my way to buy. For the price alone, it’s ok.  But there’s plenty of others at a few dollars more, with better quality. And I will be getting to those in proceeding posts!

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How great does that look? 🙂

Thankfully, like I stated in the beginning, sometimes the topics are shown to me.  This is a great lead in to talk about my first visit to a Trader Joe’s that sold wine!    It was a serendipitous visit around the holidays in 2013 to their Old Town Alexandria, VA store!    I will be discussing some of my past and recent purchases in hopefully a fun and harmonious way.

And if I feel the need, I will be talking about my sadness over the Charles Shaw wines.

Thanks so much for reading!

Best,

Ideen

Flippin’ Great

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Malbec

One of my favorites, the Malbec from FlipFlop Wines, can be found priced anywhere from $5 to $8, depending on whereyou go.   The problem is, you may have a difficult time tracking it down.

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As seen above, all their other selections are available, but where’s the Malbec!  It’s the best of the bunch.  What was once a standard label bottle that could be found in even the most basic wine shop, is now nowhere to be found.   I asked some respective store managers, and the prevailing response is that it was discontinued in Maryland.   I find that disheartening on so many levels.

As of this writing, I was still waiting on a response on this matter from the company themselves.   It’s no longer listed on their website.

So what’s so great about it?  Well other than the fact that it’s so cheap, it tastes good.  I bought this gem a few years ago at various wine shops, simply for the price and eye catching label alone.  Who doesn’t love to be reminded of Summer and warm weather?

My first time opening it, I sensed some berries and other fruit flavors.  But what really hit me was the oak and smokiness that came through.   The latter two are something I have mentioned many times before.  Oak and Smoke usually make a red wine divine.  It’s a nice medium bodied wine that goes down perfectly, and can be eaten with many wonderful meals.

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As pictured, the back of label gives some suggestions, along with some other fun facts. Speaking of which, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more user friendly label.   Additional bonus, the bottles are twist off. If you read their story, you see that the intent is genuine and they want their wines to be approachable and drank for fun, and not in a snooty context.  My blog shares that the same sentiment.

I’ve also liked their Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot, but nothing can touch their Malbec.  I mean this.  I’ve had similar ones priced $10-$20 and up, that can barely hold a candle to this.  At an average price of $7, it’s worth at least three times that much. I’m that passionate about it.    And the fact that it’s becoming so scarce, is adding to my sentimentality.

Fortunately, I have a few left in my collection and I will continue to visit various wine shops, and under the radar beer and wine stores to see if there is a stray anywhere.

If you can find this bottle, get it.  Good wines at this cheap of a price are everywhere, but this one is on a level all it’s own.

TacoTuesday

In the meantime, I will savor my glass with some delicious ground turkey tacos.

All The Best,

Ideen