Sud de France 2010 - the wines

I was invited to participate in a worldwide synchronized tasting today. It was put on by Sud de France, a trade group that promotes the diverse wines grown in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France.

According to the information I received, there were 90 bloggers and journalists who were invited to participate. The cover photo you see is the package we received, which I have to say was very well put together. In addition to the five wines, we also received a tasting glass, a corkscrew and two very informative pamphlets on the wines from the region. I’ll admit, I’ve not put the energy into reading through them, as I had other plans over the Father’s Day weekend. Speaking of which, belated Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. It is the most important job you’ll ever have. Trust me.

The tasting was supposed to occur at 11AM in your local country and you could talk about your experience in a variety of ways. Some folks had blog posts already up before I finished, some folks had streaming vids posted, while myself and others were also posting on Twitter using the hashtag #suddefrance to keep up with the comments. I didn’t see a lot of Twitter activity during my time, which I did from 11AM to 12:30PM.

Technical stuff:

• I tasted all the wines from the provided tasting glass (which I ended up breaking after I was done).
• I swirled, sipped and spit everything.
• I rinsed with the next wine before tasting it. I don’t believe in rinsing with water.
• I had no food with any of these wines, nor bread between.

Normally, I’m not a real big fan of tasting wines this way, as it removes them from actual context in how I enjoy my wines, which is almost always with food.

Now, onto the wines.
Grand Cuvee 1531 Cremant de Limoux: A blend of 70% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin blanc and 10% Mauzac. One bit of history regarding wines from this region is they were making sparkling wine here over 100 years before Dom Perignon did in France. I still don’t think that makes them first in the world, but it sure puts them ahead of the Champenois, at least in terms of history.

I got some floral aromas, almost something like magnolia, though I wouldn’t lay money on something that specific. The primary notes were lemon, green apple and grapefruit, somewhere between white and pink, leaning more towards the pink. It was light and crisp, with no real faults. A crisp finish makes this a great apéritif to have with egg dishes or some nice creamy brie. There wasn’t a lot of complexity or length, but I’d buy this above average offering for under $15. It is better than other examples from the region that I’ve had. This was my favorite wine of the tasting.

Fruité Catalan Rosé: First off, I didn’t get nearly enough of a chill on this wine. I typically like my rosés to be pretty cold, leaning towards the too-cold-I’ll-let-it-warm-up-in-the-glass camp. My buddy and fellow blogger Ed said it smelled like strawberry Bubblicious. I agree, in that it had somewhat of an artificial smell to me, like strawberry juice with 10% real juice and artificial flavors added. On the palate, it just didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t a fruity as I expected and it was just sort of blah. Benito commented on Twitter that he saw it for as low as $6 and I retorted that I’d still not buy it. There are plenty of $10 or so dry rosés from France I’d buy before this. I can see where newbie wine drinkers might enjoy this sitting poolside, drinking it at an ice cold temperature, but those who appreciate rosés already should pass on this. It goes in the not for me category.

2008 Gerard Bertrand Cigalus: was the next wine and by far the most expensive, coming in around the $30 – $35 mark. A blend (I couldn’t find the breakdown) of Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon blanc, this opened up like a California Chardonnay drinker’s delight. I found a very strong presence of vanilla laced butter, but it didn’t dominate on the palate like I was fearing. I discovered some pineapple and apricot in addition to the buttered peaches I referred to in my first salvo on Twitter.

The Viognier contributed the stone fruit and maybe a touch of floral, but not much else. The Sauvignon blanc must have kept the Chardonnay from being too heavy, though this was a very creamy and smooth drinking wine. Though this is again, not a wine I’d drink, it was well crafted and above average in quality. I would say those who like the richer style of Chardonnay would be pleased with this, though I think the price is a bit steep and it would be a hard sell for California drinkers. Maybe a good alternative to White Burgundy for the price?

Domaine Dromadaire “30670″ Red: An unoaked blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache, this wine was decanted for an hour when I first tried it. My initial impression was black olives steeping in blackberry syrup over some hot stones. As the wine opened up, it took on additional notes of black pepper and smoky leather. There were some nice tannins and acidity as well, keeping the rich flavors from being overly heavy or in your face. I would pair this above average choice with any richer meat dishes and it makes a great red for summer time, since it still delivers good flavors without being super heavy or alcoholic. It weighed in at 13% ABV. This was my second favorite and a definite buy if the price is in the teens.

2006 Mas de Madame Muscat de Frontignan: Those who know me best will tell you that I’m a dessert wine freak. As a matter of fact, I think dessert wines may actually be more under appreciated than any other category. While I still put sparkling wine at the top of my list, dessert wines of a certain style come in a close second. I qualified that statement because I’m usually a fan of late-harvest stickies and often find fortified wines much too strong for my liking. This was my first experience with a fortified muscat and it was surprisingly good.

First, the alcohol was 15.5% and it was served really cold, which made even that high of an alcohol content undetectable. The muscat grape has a certain aroma and it was definitely present in this wine, along with some nice floral and orange marmalade components. On the palate, it was unctuous and quite smooth. Too smooth actually, as I like a nice dollop of acidity in my stickies to keep the palate refreshed and not feeling like I just drank some honey. A bit of warming brought forth some clover honey aroma and flavor. Overall, this was another good offering and for the $8 I was told it could be found for, a pretty good bargain. I’m not sure what I’d do with a full bottle, but if you’ve got friends who like sweet wines, I think this wouldn’t be a disappointment. Just make sure to grab some blue cheese to serve it with, as the fat, salty tang of the cheese will help reduce some of the fat in this wine.

At the end of the day, you have to give it to the Languedoc-Roussillon region for having a very diverse set of wines to offer the wine consumer. Most of them are going to run under $20, with several closer to $10 and they usually deliver a pretty good bang for the buck. I expect to see a continued rise in quality, which will probably mean rising prices at some point. Outside of today’s rose offering, I thought all the wines were well made and have their audience. It is up to retailers and sommeliers to get the word out and ultimately, up to consumers to do some exploring and discover some really top notch value wines.

A big THANK YOU to the fine folks at Sud de France for including me.

Here is my video:

Here are some links to what others experienced:

• Sour Grapes
• Quentin Sadler’s wine page
• Benito’s Wine Reviews

Happy Monday!

Lucien Albrecht

When you work wine retail, there are several  comments you’ll hear repeatedly from your customers. These are your opportunities to educate and expand palates. One of the most typical was the comment regarding my recommendations for Riesling, which was often right around Thanksgiving, or if someone wants something to pair with spicy pan-Asian cuisine.

Can you guess what the comment was?

“Rieslings are too sweet.”

To quote one of my favorite sages of childhood, Col. Potter, “horse pucky!”

Okay, so I didn’t actually say that, but I did think it. I would explain to people that while yes, most Rieslings from Germany and many we produce right here in the good ol’ USA are a touch sweet, there were bone dry examples readily available from Australia and Alsace. Al-who?

Alsace, the region of France which borders Germany and has often been under German control. That would explain why so many of the wine makers there have German sounding names (the same goes for Champagne, which isn’t too far away).

So, when I was invited to attend a lunch featuring wines from Lucien Albrecht, a top producer of the region, I was more than happy to say yes. Of course, I will have to say that our venue of choice was a bit surprising (Chops), because I wouldn’t associate wines from this region as being those that pair well with steak. As it turns out, we had no red meat served to us. C’est la vie.

First up was a wine I’d already had (and enjoyed) at the Toast of the Town event back in April. It was the 2008 Lucien Albrecht Riesling Reserve. I found the same zippy tang of lime juice with generous mineral components that I did back then. A solid value and a perfect introduction to dry style Riesling without breaking the bank.

Up next, to accompany our corn meal encrusted diver scallop with arugula and creole remoulade was the NV Lucien Albrecht Brut Rosé Cremant, a sparkling wine made from 100% Pinot Noir. A delicate, but flavorful melange of red fruits that was soft on the palate and complimented the spice in the dish. It would have been better if my scallop had been done all the way through, but since I was the only one not served on time, I didn’t send it back. Hey, I eat sushi and raw oysters, so a 3/4 done scallop is not going to scare me. Overall, a very nice wine for the $19.99 retail I’ve seen it for.

The next course was chicken vesuvio with whipped potatoes, green beans and natural jus. Okay, before I get into the three wines we were served with this course, I have to say this was the second best (next to my wife’s roasted chicken) chicken dish I’ve ever had.* It was perfectly cooked and so juicy, you didn’t even need the jus, though I’m never one to let that simple delight go to waste. If I’d been at home, I’d have sopped it up with bread, but manners won and I just dipped my chicken in it like I was supposed to. Stupid food rules.

The three wines were all from the 2007 vintage. One thing I need to point out is that I drank them in the order they were presented in the booklet, not the usual left to right order in which they were poured (yes, one glass for each wine). That probably means I drank them in the “wrong” order, which I realized when I started, but I wanted to see what would happen. Based on what I heard from other attendees (20+ of us), I think the order I tried them gave me a different opinion. It was a test of context, something I really believe is overlooked in most blogging review sites, be they food or wine.

the menu

First up, I tasted the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer Cuvée Marie. Like Julius Erving (or Michael Jordan for those less sports inclined), the aromatics were highly elevated and delivered strong in the finish. The classic lychee was coupled with a spice infused honey. It was creamy, almost as if honey had been stirred into the wine. Part of this is just the grape, with the addition of aging this wine “sur lie”. Sur lie = leaving the wine to age with the dead yeast cells, which add body and with time, bread or yeasty notes. While it totally overwhelmed the food (and the next two wines for me), this would be an awesome wine with Indian cuisine. While the rule guideline suggestion of pairing wines with their local cuisine does usually work, this is one of those pairings that just simply works even if the cuisine comes from a place with no real wine culture to speak of (though it is burgeoning at the moment). This was my favorite wine…by far.

Next up was the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Pinot Gris Cuvée Cécile, which seemed to be a favorite with the chicken amongst those seated around me. For me, it was reticent and just blown over by the previous wine. See, there goes that whole context thing again. Later on, as I let the wines sit, drank some water and let my palate rest, I did try this in the “correct” order and got more out of it. While I didn’t get any of the spice or rosewater (winery tasting note), it was a nice wine with pear and apple notes that just didn’t grab me. Honestly, there is only one Pinot Gris that does, so I guess I need to explore these wines more to find some new ones to love. My least favorite wine and one I (though I was probably the only non-fan) wouldn’t buy.

Last, I had the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Riesling Cuvée Henri. More subdued than the first Riesling, this was cut more from the fabric of stone fruit and touches of green herbs. A wine that showed better the warmer it got, I liked this, but still found the first Riesling to be my preference for drinking. I like bold flavors, I will not deny.

The Pinot Noir was up next. You read that right, Pinot Noir from Alsace. I’d never heard of such a thing, associating the region with pretty much only the white grapes we’d had (and Pinot Blanc, which wasn’t invited to the party). The 2005 Lucien Albrecht Amplus Pinot Noir had a darker than expected color, but still fell in line with what one might expect from Pinot Noir grown in a relatively cool climate. Smoked sour cherries laced with vanilla and wrapped up in a tobacco leaf. Take that and store it inside a leather lined pouch, let it sit for a few hours and that is what this wine tasted like. Subtle, refined and definitely for fans of Burgundy, a place where I’ve yet to make camp. I don’t know the price, but it may have some appeal to those who prefer this style. If for no other reason, to say you have tried Pinot Noir from Alsace. Well crafted, just not my personal preference. I’d say it was above average in quality. The cheese and wine jelly it was served with completely hollowed how the wine, so everyone agreed it needed different food and to be evaluated after a palate cleansing slug of water.

To finish, we were treated to the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives (VT = late harvest in French), paired with apricot and chantilly creme crèpes. When it comes to late harvest wines (my personal favorite category and overall second only to Champagne), I usually go with blue cheese of some sorts. The wine itself was still very fat and young, requiring many years in the cellar to reveal the true character that lies within. Loaded with lychee, honey and vanilla toasted spices, the acidity takes a few moments to dig out from the sugar and refresh the palate. An above average wine, but you’ll need to cellar this for a while before it can be called outstanding.

To conclude (finally), I’d put the wines in this order:

1. Gewurztraminer Cuvée Marie
2. Brut Rosé Cremant
3. Riesling Reserve
4. Vendanges Tardive
5. Amplus Pinot Noir
6. Riesling Cuvée Henri
7. Pinot Gris Cuvée Cécile (I think I may have been the only one with this opinion…c’est la vie)

Overall, this was a really nice tasting, though I think a few different choices in food pairings would have made the wines shine a bit more. Lucien Albrecht is a quality producer and a label name you can trust to deliver quality wine, you just have to find the one that suits your palate best.

Thank you very much to Pasternak Wine Imports for including me as a guest.

* That didn’t involve frying, which is like being a veteran when applying for government jobs, it just comes with well deserved and earned bonus points.

The Whole Foods in Duluth does a tasting every Saturday when they are having a 20% off case sale. While it isn’t close, we have found it to always be worth the $15 (per couple, $10 for individuals). Last night, they really opened up, adding a reserve table (though I think many folks were getting the wines without having paid the extra $5 per person) and several premium priced Champagnes. Bonus was, the Champagnes weren’t even part of the reserve tasting.

Below is a complete list of everything on their list, plus a couple that weren’t on the list (hence, they have no price nor vintage). I didn’t taste that many wines, but got to everything I wanted except one. I’m listing all of them so you can see what was poured, plus you’ll get a sense of the value. The only downside was the chaos. The crowd at this tasting was about two, maybe three times the usual size. There were also some rude folks who thought their elbows and a simple “excuse me” were acceptable substitutes for manners. Next time, I’m wearing spikes and rude folks, beware your feet!

DNT = Did Not Try

Prices are only valid (I noticed different pricing today at Whole Foods / Harry’s in Alpharetta today) at the Duluth location.

Table 1

• 2008 Batasiolo Bosc Moscato di Asti $16.99 – DNT
• NV Duval-Leroy Brut $29.99 – Nice and easy to drink, with a clean finish to the fruit and light citrus flavors. For those who don’t care for the yeasty style, this is a solid choice in Champagne.
• 2000 Dom Perignon $139.97 – Youthful and structured, save this for another 10 years.
• 2000 Perrier Jouët Fleur de Champagne $135.99 – Strong grapefruit note, something I really enjoyed. Drinking quite well, with enough structure to continue the aging process.
• 2002 Roederer Cristal $169.99 – Strong finish, with acid by the truckload. Plenty of tart citrus and mineral notes, with no signs of toast showing…yet. Like the Dom, this needs a lot more time than most folks give it. I was impressed and at this price, it makes a much better buy than the recent over $200 pricing that has prevailed. Wish I had the dough to buy and lay down for another 12 years.
• Perrier Jouët Rosé Fleur de Champagne (vintage & price unknown – not on list) – I got the last half pour from the bottle, but what I got was really tasty. It had nice strawberry, sour red cherry and toast.

Table 2

• 2008 Cade Sauvignon Blanc $21.99 – DNT, but I’ve had this at a previous tasting when the price was $29.99 (I think). If memory serves me, it has a good dose of Semillon in it, providing for a rounder and softer mouthfeel.
• 2006 Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay $22.99 - DNT
• 2006 Pine Ridge Chardonnay Dijon Clones $29.99 – DNT
• 2008 Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay $44.99 – DNT I think I heard they sold out of this…shocking…insert tongue into cheek.
• 2006 Newton Chardonnay Unfiltered $69.99 – DNT I’ve had this in previous vintages and think it is one of the better Cali Chards in the over $50 range, but at this price, they are really pushing it. Sort of regret missing this one.
• 2008 Chateau St. Michelle Dr. Loosen Eroica Riesling $21.97 – An awesome bottle of domestic riesling, but still very young. I think I liked the 2007 better.

Table 3

• 2007 Four Graces Pinot Noir $25.99 – DNT
• 2006 Hedges Red Mountain $24.99 – DNT
• 2006 Darious Caravan $34.99 – DNT – Another one I’ve enjoyed in previous vintages and typically offers a nice, plush wine for drinking in its youth.
• 2005 Robert Craig Affinity $29.99 – WOTN (QPR factored in) for me, this was a beautiful example of refinement, blending the fruit of California with the refinement of a Bordeaux. It has black currant, espresso, graphite and cedar, all in perfect balance. Fruit wasn’t over ripe, tannins were soft and this was just drinking really nice. The aromas were enough to almost prevent you from drinking it…almost.
• 2005 Chateau Cantemerle Medoc $44.99 – Dark fruit, toasted herbs and some tobacco. This was a very nice wine and once again proved to me, the 2005 Bordeaux are really quite special. I still prefer the Affinity over this, but this was a top five still wine and was better than many of the more expensive reserve wines.
• 2006 Fisher Unity Cabernet Sauvignon $39.99 – A bit soft for me, this had obvious appeal and I had several people tell me they really enjoyed it. Spectator trashed this with a 74, but this isn’t the first time I’ve had a Fisher wine that Laube didn’t care for that I thought was good. Generally speaking, I like Fisher and think they are an under appreciated producer in Napa.
• 2005 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $72.99 – DNT

Table 4

• 2003 Duckhorn Estate Merlot $79.99 – Cherry, dark berries and cocoa, all wrapped up in a smooth and easy to drink style. Yes, the fruit has survived the harsh 2003 signature tannins. $80 is too steep for this in my opinion.
• 2007 Cade Cabernet Sauvignon $69.99 – Very forward with the fruit flavors, a core of currant and black plum, with surrounding layers of cocoa tinted with anise. Some of the vineyard sources include Beckstoffer’s George the 3rd, Beckstoffer’s Orchard Avenue, Kenefick Ranch and Dr. Crane. This was another winner, let’s say Top 3 in terms of pure enjoyment. I’m not sure I’d pay that price, based on other wines that are / will be just as good from this stellar vintage, but this sure was tasty.
• 2005 Mt. Veeder Caberent Sauvignon $29.99 – DNT
• 2006 Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon $79.99 – Nothing memorable.
• Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Tawny Port $52.99 – DNT

Reserve table

• 2005 Chateau de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet Vigne Blance $94.99 – DNT
• 2006 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon $89.99 – They ran out before I could try this.
• 2006 Pride Cabernet Sauvignon $64.99 – Oak lovers will dig this. It was nice, but not overly memorable.
• 2003 Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova Brunello di Montalcino $79.99 – An excellent wine that was much more structured than I was expecting considering the 2003 vintage. Other 2003s I’ve had were much fruitier in their youth and on a fast track versus the typcial Brunello. This has licorice, spice and vanilla intermixed with black tea and dark cherries. The tannins gave this a nice chewy texture and will keep it going on for quite a while longer. Decant or give it 3 or 4 more years.
• 2000 Batasiolo Barolo Vigneto Bofanit $83.99 – DNT
• 2005 Quintessa $109.99 – Smooth, with good mix of black fruits and some spice in the finish. Well made, but for this price, I expect more.
• 2006 Cakebread Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon $124.99 – They ran out early.
• 200? Opus One (price unknown, as this wasn’t on list…probably opened b/c of Cakebread running out) – I’ve had a few vintages of Opus and enjoyed it, but still find it to be a poor value. This one had people storming the reserve area like the beaches of Normandy, only with less trepidation since you know, there weren’t any bullets. Wines like this always draw a crowd. I’d like to taste Opus with some age on it, since I have only tasted it near release, which I’m sure is much too young.

Overall, this was a great tasting and worth the time and money. I especially dug the Champagnes (of course) and think next time I’ll just hang out over there, drinking bubbles and downing oysters (yes, they had a guy shucking oysters for the two hours and they were disappearing as fast as he could get them open).

Well, that does it for the last post of 2009. Looking forward to 2010 and Bubbles or Bust!

Cheers,
Kevin

2005 Caves des Vignerons de Saumur

We’ve had this one in storage for a few months and when dinner was set as pan seared grass-fed sirloin with mushroom risotto and baby sweet peas on the side, I figured this was a good match. We had this a few months ago at a tasting hosted by The Mercantile, a spot you should check out anytime you are in the Decatur area. The wines were all courtesy of Big Boat Wine, a distributor of quality, small production wines. I believe the price was around $13 – 15. Don’t quote me.

This wine hails from the Loire Valley in France, specifically the Anjour-Saumur sub-region. The grape is Cabernet franc, a varietal that is more often used as a minor blending grape in Bordeaux and California meritage than bottled as a varietal. Of course, we are talking old world wine here, so varietal is less important than sense of place, aka terroir. You know what, so long as it tastes good, I don’t care what you call it.

Cab franc is notorious for being herbal or even weedy in the aromatics department. It can be unpleasant when assuming the starring role, but I find it really does work some magic when used in a blend. Refer back to this blending event I attended (and helped win!) earlier this year. As for being the feature varietal, this is the second time (first was from Carrefour) I’ve had a really good example of what the grape can achieve when handled properly. I really need to explore Loire Valley reds more often, but there is only so much one can do.

The aromatics on this wine were not real strong, with a light nose of some floral dusted dried cherry that had fallen into the herbal spice rack. It tasted better than it smelled and I don’t mean that it smelled bad, I just didn’t get a lot of aromatics. The palate was soft, with a food appropriate squirt of acidity, accompanied by velvety tannins that left your mouth watering for more risotto. Not that your mouth wasn’t watering already, but the wine really worked well with all the dishes.

I have to say, the grass fed sirloin was really tasty. While the grill awaits repairs, I had to make due with the old trusty cast iron skillet. Man oh man do I love the sizzle of meat in a cast iron skillet. The generous portion hand of fresh ground sea-salt and cracked pepper really made the meat come to life, which is a weird thought since it was being cooked. A couple of minutes on each side and we had rare, almost blue steak. The meat was tender and very flavorful. I love it when Whole Foods runs grass fed meats on sale.

The above average wine disappeared quickly, with nary a drop left to feed the eternally thirsty drain. Even the decanter seemed to not want to let go of its last few drops, as if savoring the contents for itself. I have to say, this is definitely a label we’ll look for again, especially since it went so well with this particular meal, something that makes more of an appearance during these comfort food craving months.

No haiku for this, just the simple enjoyment of the wine.

Best vintage in 50 years

Those were the words I was greeted with as I picked up this bottle of wine. I’d already heard the hype and quite honestly, how many perfect vintages are the French capable of? I mean, it started with the 2000 Bordeaux vintage, then came along again with the stratospherically priced 2005 Bordeaux, continuing with the 2007 wines from the Southern Rhone. Those are all fine and dandy, since those are “real” wines, but come on, this is Beaujolais Nouveau. It is fun juice. It costs less than $10. Most places only provide you with one option, though there are several more, only one of which have I ever seen because well, I once stocked it (it didn’t sell).

This was more of a nostalgic purchase than anything. It had been 4 years since my wife or I had tried the youngest wine on the planet for sale, the last time being at a release party put on by Java Monkey Decatur. They served it out of a miniature barrel (adding to the cutesy factor), along with providing some tastes of other Beaujolais wines so attendees could sample the gamut of wines from this region of Burgundy.

Ah yes, folks often don’t know or forget that Beaujolais is part of the more regarded and esteemed Burgundy region of France. While they grow more noble varietals like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Burgundy, the good folks of Beaujolais grow lots of Gamay, sometimes referred to as Gamay noir. The amount of white wine produced here is negligible. The wines are distinctively fruity and higher in acid, making them fun to drink in their youth and well suited for food.

Another distinctive feature is the common use of carbonic maceration, a technique also being used by some Oregon Pinot Noir producers. You may see them refer to it as whole berry fermentation. The short of it is the whole grapes are put into a sealed environment that is pumped full of carbon dioxide, which kicks off fermentation inside the berry itself. Conventional fermentation involves crushing the grapes first, whereas this process only has some crush on the bottom of the barrel due to the weight of the clusters above. This style of wine making creates the fruitier profile and lowers the tannin content of the wine, making them easier to drink in their youth, but often lacking any long term ageability. Granted, not every producer uses this technique. Look to wines from the Beaujolais Crus of Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent for the most age-worthy of wines.

2009 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

So, what was the wine actually like? The 2009 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau was what I expected, a straight shooting bowl of red and black fruits overlaying the typical Hubba-bubba grape bubblegum and banana flavors you expect from this particular style of wine. I drank one glass and it was good enough to wash down some delicious leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner, but I don’t see us buying any more of this now or in the future. It was $8.99 where I bought it and we finished half the bottle. For those who are curious to try it or were thinking of some for future holiday dinners, it isn’t the worst thing you could buy for the money. Get your non-wino friends to try it, they just might become converts.

No haiku for this.

Have a great Monday and remember, please leave comments, email me or share this with your friends in whichever form you like. I think the menu below will just about cover all the options. Thanks for stopping by!