Name: Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, California
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $1.25/187ml
ABV: 13%
Their review: "Big berry flavors like currant, raspberry, and blackberry jam with a velvety vanilla finish. Lush and lasting, it's sure to make a big impression."
My review: Even darker than the merlot, perhaps more red than purple. There is more of a choclately perfumyness on this nose, but other than that it has that familiar black peppery smell of a cab sauv. Not much dryness to it, not very boozy, not very peppery, not very full-bodied... this is underwhelming. I should expect this given the quantity of wine Barefoot distributes and the price at which it distributes it... but the merlot really pleasantly surprised me and I was hoping this would too. I can faintly, faintly, pick up the aforementioned vanilla, but it is not "velvety" and is pretty late in the finish. The peppery nose does not translate to the flavor to any high degree either, and certainly not to a degree deserving of the praise "big impression." Again, a pretty underwhelming, one-dimensional wine, but drinkable and affordable. Would recommend it to somebody perhaps just getting their feet wet with cabernet sauvignons.
Name: Barefoot MerlotVariety: MerlotRegion: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, CaliforniaCountry: United States of AmericaYear: No YearPrice: $1.25/187ml ABV: 13%
Their review: "The perfect combo of cherry, boysenberry, plum, and chocolate flavors. Raised right, it's well rounded with mild tannins."
My review: A wonderfully dark, inky, purple-black. Extremely enjoyable on the nose... a vegetal, perfumy, perhaps floral aroma that balances with the dark fruit. Contrary to how I feel about merlots in general, I could smell this wine all day. Extremely dry, not nearly as full-bodied as I expected. The vegetal perfumy flowers don't really come through in the flavor and thus give way to simply a fruity blackness. I'm also getting a slight weird metallic finish that doesn't linger so it makes you wonder if it's even there. There is a familiar spiciness in the finish as well. Overall a very simply wine but the dryness and interesting nose makes it fun to drink in my opinion, and you can hardly beat the price.
Name: The Naked Grape Harvest Red BlendVariety: Not Listed - Red BlendRegion: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, CaliforniaCountry: United States of AmericaYear: No YearPrice: $5.99 ABV: 12%
Their review: "Aromas of raspberry and red plum. A smooth body that's blended to the beat of unrestrained character."
My review: Skinny slow legs on a very dark black and purple wine. Swirling it I can smell it from two feet away. Fairly spicy on the nose but balanced with a dark cherry or plum-y fruitiness. The taste is far more spicy than the nose gives hint to. But the body is very full. This has easily become one of my top five favorite wines. I would guess the blend is cab sauv and maybe merlot, because it is fairly dry yet robust and drinkable. It's possible it's cab sauv with pinot noir because of the drinkability I mentioned - it's hard to tell and I really wish I knew the composition now. Even with an allergy-ridden nose the spiciness and dark red fruit work so well together. I don't know if I could tell a plum from a cherry considered I can't recall ever having a plum, but this would probably lean more towards plum. I tend to really enjoy the pepperyness that the cabernet sauvignon grape offers, but I am very happy with how it's been balanced in this wine.
Name: Redwood Creek Sauvignon BlancVariety: Sauvignon BlancRegion: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, CaliforniaCountry: United States of AmericaYear: No YearPrice: $4.99 (?)ABV: 12%
Their review: "Zesty notes of lemon and grapefruit are balanced with refreshing hints of green herbs and melon."
My review: Very clear and very little color with wide, quick legs. Allergies are making it tough to get the full aroma but I definitely get some sort of melon on the nose. The bottle has been open for a few days which may explain the complete lack of boozy smell. Not as crisp of a taste as I would expect, but it's very good. The melon is unmistakable in the flavor profile. Reminds me of some sort of green melon. I can't get much more out of it now but I do enjoy it and it's certainly reinforced my liking for sauv blancs.
Name: Sweet Berry Sunset
Variety: 50% Raspberry Grape Wine, 50% Red Table Wine
Region: Christiansburg, Virginia
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $15.00
ABV: 12.5%
Their review: "This is a sweet blend of berry and red table wine."
My review: Had a glass of a bottle my friend bought from the winery. Entirely, entirely, entirely too sweet for my liking. Sickly sweet. Pours a translucent, ruby red with quick, skinny legs. A very nice looking glass of wine. Smells of pretty much only raspberries, and hints at how sweet it's going to be. But holy cow I can not get over how sweet this wine is. I had a hard time finishing the glass. At that point it was more like alcoholic grape juice. Definitely confirmed my liking for much dryer red wines.
Name: Aecht Schlenkerla RauchbierVariety: RauchbierRegion: BavariaCountry: GermanyYear: No YearPrice: $4.25/pintABV: 5.1%
Their review: "Considered the classic example in its category, it has been brewed for centuries in the baroque town of Bamberg in Franconia. All its select barley malts are kilned over a fire of beech wood logs. Brewed in classic copper vessels and matured for months, it is truly a unique smoky beer experience. "
My review: Pours a deep brown, a few shades lighter than a black ale but darker than most brown ales yet still translucent. There is little to no head that doesn't last very long and leaves no lacing. Smells incredibly and overpoweringly of smoked ham. Upon tasting the smell turns into an equivalent taste of smoked ham for a second or two, and transitions into a pleasant roastiness. The flavor definitely fades quickly and leaves a faint, porter-esque aftertaste. Even warm, the body is much thinner than I would expect. Ultimately there were fewer complexities than I thought there would be, but what an interesting beer.
