Wine Reviews For The Average Wine lover

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Sunday, December 10, 2023

My Review of Naked Wines, Is It A Scam?

With all the many different wine clubs out there I wanted to focus on one in particular, a wine club that I myself actually belong to, that I myself give money to each month. The wine club I am talking about is Naked Wines and I have belonged to them for about 4 years now. When I first started out looking into wine clubs, I was very disappointed. I sent an email to eight different wine clubs and told them I was doing a review of wine clubs and asked them if they were interested in participating. A few answered back and told me they were not interested but some answered back and sent me some wines to review. In the end, all the clubs failed except for one. A couple of the clubs sent wine but sent the wrong information sheets along with their wines calling into doubt their attention to basic details and customer service in general. Such lack of basic attention had me questioning just how well the company was run in general and what potential issues I would have with them down the road. To give you an example, I would for instance receive a 2020 ABC, Cabernet Sauvignon but receive a tech sheet that would say 2019 DEF, Cabernet Sauvignon. This is sloppy folks and not something that any knowledgeable wine consumer wants to see. Now reasonably, you might think this was simply just a mistake and so did I at first but the same issue applied to the other five wines that were in the box as well and this was to me at least, unacceptable.

Putting all of that aside though, the wines themselves that I tasted were coming across as simple jug/bulk wines merely repackaged into smaller bottles, they had no sense of place, nothing giving away where they were from on the palate, and nothing that presented anything more of a thought then "yeah, okay and?" In short, the wines were unimpressive. I received wines which were without vintages (non-vintage) or the labels would simply say "California" or "Oregon" meaning the grapes came from various (anywhere really) places in those states. The lack of a specific AVA or area is usually not the sign of a quality wine. I was really upset at what I was receiving overall guys but I had one more club to check out and that club was Naked Wines. By the time I got to them I had the mindset of, "these clubs all suck" but, I had one more to take for (the team:) To say that I was impressed with what Naked Wines sent me is an understatement so let's get to discussing them now.

SHIPPING - Let's start off here with discussing shipping because what good is wine if you either never receive it or, the bottles that you do receive were damaged or leaked in transit. For so many companies, the shipping costs they charge is used as just another area in which they make profit. I don't know about you but this really pisses me off as the cost of shipping should be just that, the cost of shipping and not an additional way to up-charge the customer.

You made your profit now give me my product! In the case of Naked Wines, they charge $9.99 to ship a case of 6 bottles of wine which is also the minimum you need to order. If the order is $200 or more, the wine ships for free and you can't beat that. Try getting 6 or more bottles of wines shipped to your home from a winery or anyone else for either $9.99 or for free and see successful you are. By the way, if you add more wines you must order in increments of 3. As far as the protection offered to the wines goes, the packaging itself was securely done and just as good as if it were to have been received from any Napa Valley winery. Unless the box was dropped from a decent height, there would be no issues receiving your wine in one piece. The box itself also had a place on each side where you can place your fingers in order to make lifting the box very easy.

VISUAL APPEARANCE OF THE BOTTLES - I don't know about you but I am a label person. Every wine review I do has a paragraph on the label on the bottle. When I opened the box and pulled out the first wine, I was immediately impressed as the label seemed to have been well thought out and without goofy, childish or silly art drawings on them. After I had the opportunity to check out all of the six labels, it was clear to me that the winemakers of these wines took their product seriously and had big time respect for not only their customer base but the industry they were in as well. This was a good sign in my book that the wines might be good. All labels were placed on the bottles straight and none of them were smeared, distorted or, looked as if they were designed as an after thought. Neck labels on the bottles were in great condition and again were not tattered or discolored. As far as any issues with corks protruding or appearing as if they were close to failing is concerned, I had none. All screw caps were sealed properly and none of them were dented or stained.

In short, all six wines I observed appeared to have been stored properly.

CUSTOMER SERVICE - Customer service to me can make or break a company. In this area, Naked Wines has always been top notch. What good is a money back guarantee if you either can't get hold of the customer service department or they either fail to respond or if they do respond, give you a hassle either on returns or other issues you may have.When it came to getting in contact with customer service concerning a particular wine that I didn't like (there were a couple), they responded promptly. Naked Wines does offer a money back guarantee on any wines that you do not like and although rare, I have had the occasion to use that guarantee a couple of times mostly on Chardonnay as I am really hard on the varietal. Having opened a bottle, I just did not like the wine. I immediately emailed Naked Wines and informed them of my dislike of the wine and within a couple of hours I received a very friendly but apologetic email back from them stating that my money was refunded and placed back on my account along with what appeared to be a sincere apology from the employee (company). There was also no questions asked and there was even a time when not only was I given my money back but a credit for a free bottle of wine as well. I have also contacted customer service in order to get more questions answered on a particular wine I was reviewing and they went out of their way to contact the actual winemaker who did get back with me with the answers I needed.

IS IT A SCAM? - There have been people who claim that they were signed up for monthly deductions without their knowledge or permission. Folks...adult folks...if you pay attention and read any offer that you either receive in the mail or see online from Naked Wines, you will very clearly see that you are indeed agreeing to have money come out on a monthly basis. If you don't believe me, go to the Naked Wines website and click on "how it works". Then click on "become an Angel". A big box will drop down and in part say "By clicking "I agree," you agree to become a Naked Wines Angel and to be charged $40 per month on your designated payment method, which you can use for future wine purchases. Your membership will renew automatically each month until you tell us to stop. ". You can also cancel at any time and yes, I have tested their cancellation policy once in the past to see the companies follow through and there were no issues. Those who feel they were misled were clearly not paying attention to what was in writing right in front of them. In my opinion Naked Wines is very transparent about what they do at all times.

COMMUNICATION - Communicating with both the winemakers and other Naked Wine customers is an awesome ability that the Naked Wines website features.

Yes folks, you can actually communicate with the actual winemakers and guess what, they answer. Once you log on to the website and go to the page of the wine you either want to discuss or comment on, you can follow and send questions to specific winemakers as well as customers themselves who bought the wine. Here you can discuss thoughts on the wine and even recommend other wines you might like since you both appear to have the same palate on that particular varietal. There is even the ability to see the winemakers general comments on the wine. I can tell you that from experience, I have contacted winemakers of a particular wine with a question(s) and to my initial surprise, they actually answered. As an example, let's say that you want to find out more or about want to discuss the (delicious) 2021 Matt Parish, Petaluma Gap, Chardonnay (https://us.nakedwines.com/products/matt-parish-petaluma-gap-chardonnay-2021). You simply type in the wine name in the search engine and everything including the ability to order it comes right up. The winemakers actually seem more then happy to engage with customers even if one of them complains about a particular wine they made. By the way, if you do join the club, I very highly recommend you buy a bottle of that Chardonnay.

VOUCHERS - We have all received those vouchers in the mail from Naked Wines but are they real? Are you really getting $100 (or more) off? Yes folks, they are indeed real and yes, you really do get $100 off. Okay so check this out. The wines that I see on Naked Wines are not available anywhere else so to say up front that you are getting any amount of money off let alone $100 does take some thought. Naked Wines gives two different prices when you go to order wines. One price is the "market price" and the other is Angel (a member) price". Market price is the price that Naked Wines believes a comparable wine bought elsewhere would cost. Now as a consumer, it is up to us as individual wine drinkers to determine what a comparable wine would (or should) cost.

From a personal point of view, as a wine reviewer and therefore someone who has tasted a lot of wine, my opinion is that the market price is indeed an accurate assessment of what a comparable wine would cost if bought elsewhere. In conclusion here, yes, I do believe you are getting $100 off.

WHAT WOULD I CHANGE? - Being someone who is deeply interested in wine here is one aspect of Naked Wines that I think needs some changing. Many times (too many times) I have had to send messages to the winemaker asking for more specs on a particular wine. For whatever reason, Naked Wines winemakers do not initially disclose where the grapes are from, the brix (sugar) level of the wine nor do they offer up a "spec sheet". They don't disclose the percentages of a blend they might make nor any information concerning the oak they might use. I would think that with wines selling for up to $70, the company would know that part of their customer base is serious about the wines they enjoy and wants to know this type of information. The most rounded and experienced of the winemakers is Matt Parish and to his credit he has stepped up his game as far as the information he provides on his wines goes. Anyway, as I said, the winemakers to their credit do answer and provide the answers to all your questions.

HOW DOES IT WORK? - When you agree to become an Angel, you agree to have a minimum of $40 a month deducted from your account each month. You even get to pick the date the money comes out. The company says that your money goes into an account that they say they use in order to help small winemakers produce their own wines. Basically in reality you are giving them money to do whatever they want with. This money is always yours and you can allow it to build up until you either want to spend it or, you can use it right away. You place wines in your cart until you have at least six bottles and then you have them delivered for either $10 or for free, that is it. From what I have found out, all of these small winemakers have been in the wine industry but where not making wines in big numbers, or were making them for very small wineries.

Wines start as low as $10.99 as with the 2022 Kruger Family, Unoaked Chardonnay all the way to $70 for the some of the wine that Mr. Matt Parish makes as his wines are out of this world and yes, I can attest to that as I have reviewed not only his 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon - Reserve (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2023/02/2020-matt-parish-cabernet-sauvignon.html) giving it 97 points but at least five other wines as well. As a side note, Matt has worked for such wineries as Beringer and Stags’ Leap Winery and has been running wineries and been on their boards for many years. Aside from varying prices, there are also many different varietals available and from different countries as well.

FINAL THOUGHTS - I want to start off here by telling you that I am in no way working with Naked Wines nor am I getting anything in return for this review other then satisfaction that you my readers get a great deal on wine(s). As a matter of fact, Naked Wines doesn't even know I am doing this review. Without any doubt, in my opinion, I think Naked Wines offers up tremendous value, great customer service, quality wines and, is truly interested in bringing the wine community together providing that wine community all of this at great prices.

The Desert Wine Guy

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCUb3w1n2S_UGU2yYRkFYQ

Sunday, November 26, 2023

So Ya Think Wine Is Healthy?

There are so many (biased) articles that are being put out today about how wine is healthy for you that I felt the strong need to write an article about what the truth really is. While you may think that because I review and enjoy wine I am going to argue that it is good and healthy for you, nothing could be further from the truth. I am actually going into this with the belief that wine is not healthy for anyone as it contains alcohol and alcohol is a poison. Keep in mind here folks as you read this that I have no skin in the wine game as I do not get paid by anyone in any industry (including the hospitality industry) that is related to, affiliated with or, dependent on alcohol in any way shape or form including its delivery. I review wine because I enjoy the product and I like to educate people on it. I also like to let people know my opinions on those wines and on the industry in general so you have a good idea about the subject. With this being said, let's get into this article. Oh, one more thing before I go though. I want to tell you to check out everything that I write here as I do not expect nor do I even want you to just believe what I have to say. I ask that you do your own verification, click on the links that I include, educate yourself because in the end, it is your body and your health, make up your own mind.
Let me start off here by first telling you what wine is. Wine is the juice from grapes, turned (fermented) into an alcoholic beverage. The farmer grows the grapes. The farmer picks the grapes. The farmer has the grapes crushed and the juice extracted.

Yeast is added and the natural process begins. Now, what happens after or in between the natural process and the bottling is up in the air a bit but we will try to educate ourselves as much as we can. While we all would like to think the seemingly easy process of adding that yeast into grape juice would be all we need to think about, there is more involved. According to the chemical and pesticide detection company Chemservice (https://www.chemservice.com/) there are Fungicides, insecticides and miticides used to control diseases and pests in the vineyards. As you can imagine, these agents are not healthy and are actually poisons. You eventually ingest all of these poisons.The following is an example of just some of the items (poisons) that are applied to grapes while in the vineyard.
How about fungicides? Mancozeb is a fungicide used on grapevines and according to this (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mancozeb) link on Wikipedia,"has potential to cause goiter, a condition in which the thyroid gland is enlarged and has produced birth defects and cancer in experimental animals. ETU has been classified as a probable human carcinogen by the EPA". Meptyldinocap is another fungicide used on grapes. According to the website Science Direct (https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/dinocap) the fungicide "has been demonstrated to be teratogenic in the CD-1 mouse, causing cleft palate, a dose-related increase in supernumerary ribs, a low frequency of exencephaly, umbilical hernia at high doses, otolith defects, weight deficits in fetuses at term, increased neonatal mortality, abnormal swimming behavior, and torticollis".

   How about Insecticides? Imidacloprid is the most common insecticide used on grapes in the United States. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (https://www.nrdc.org/bio/jennifer-sass/nrdc-epa-red-flags-imidacloprid-health-risks) "Reported adverse effects included skin irritation and rashes, numbing and tingling on fingers and lips, facial numbness and swelling, lethargy and nausea." The website also goes on to say "A study by NIH (National Institute of Health) -funded researchers from the Universities of UNC Chapel Hill and UC Davis (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3922790/) reported that frequent exposure (self-reported by parents) to imidacloprid applied as flea and tick treatments for pets (Advantage by Bayer) during pregnancy was associated with an up to four-fold elevated risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0-3.9) in prenatally-exposed children."
   What about Miticides ? Mites are little spiders and they can cause a lot of damage to a vineyard. According to the EPA, (https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/reregistration/fs_PC-097601_18-May-10.pdf) propargite "...is classified as a probable human carcinogen...". fenbutatin oxide is another agent used to kill mites and according to the chemical company "Cameo, the stuff is toxic and "inhalation, ingestion or skin contact with material may cause severe injury or death".
   Now you would think that this certainly is more then enough crap that makes its way into something as simple as wine but wait...there's more.
What about sulfur dioxide or simply, sulphites? Yes folks, that headache causing stuff is used as a preservative in wine although a small amount does occur naturally. According to the site Healthline (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sulfites-in-wine), sulfites can not only cause headaches but "...hives, swelling, and stomach pain". According to the site, The Spruce Eats (https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-are-wine-sulfites-3511277), sulphites are added "to protect and preserve the wine's character, flavor, and color". Sulphites also slow down the process of a wine changing color.

The same website goes on to say "people with asthma are in the most susceptible category. Signs of sulfite sensitivities include nasal congestion, headaches, skin flush, broncho-constriction, nausea, abdominal pain, and dizziness."
   What about sugar? Yes folks, there are some producers who add sugar or according to the website Wine Folly (https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/wine-additives/) sugar rich grape concentrate to their wines. I assume that I don't have to tell you how dangerous sugar is so I won't get into it here. Yes, most times, the sugar is eaten up by the yeast but there are wines that add additional sugar to make the wine sweet and that sugar remains in the finished product.
   What about stabilizers? Stabilizers such as Acetaldehyde. According to the website Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/science/acetaldehyde), Acetaldehyde is " used as a starting material in the synthesis of 1-butanol (n-butyl alcohol), ethyl acetate, perfumes, flavourings, aniline dyes, plastics, synthetic rubber, and other chemical compounds. "According to the CDC (https://blogs.cdc.gov/cancer/2018/04/02/3-weird-things-about-acetaldehyde/), Acetaldehyde can "cause cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. (https://publications.iarc.fr/122)". How about Dimethyl Dicarbonate? According to the National Library of Medicine (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Dimethyl-dicarbonate), Dimethyl Dicarbonate is "flammable, corrosive, an acute toxic and an irritant.
    What about resveratrol? Now I want to talk about something that the wine industry has latched onto in the last few years and uses heavily when they try to tell you (or sell you) that wine is healthy. There is a natural plant compound/antioxidant named resveratrol. Yes, resveratrol has indeed been shown to help with the heart as well as circulation.

To me, there is no doubt that the compound itself is amazing as far as the benefits to your body that it provides. According to WebMD (https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-307/resveratrol) "Resveratrol is a chemical mostly found in red grapes and products made from these grapes (wine, juice)." According to the same site Resveratrol can help in "expanding blood vessels and reducing blood clotting. It may also decrease pain and swelling, reduce levels of sugar in the blood, and help the body fight against disease." While all of this sounds great, there are questions that need to be asked such as how much resveratrol do we need in a day? How much is beneficial? How much does a glass or two of red wine provide? Can we get it without drinking wine? The answer to the first question is there is no recommended daily allowance for resveratrol. Here are some studies done as far as how much resveratrol is beneficial to our body. and how much (or little) wine actually contains. According to the website News Medical Life Sciences (https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231025/Red-grape-polyphenol-resveratrol-a-multifaceted-therapeutic-powerhouse-under-review.aspx), tests were conducted and people taking a dose of between " 20 to 600 mg daily for three to 84 days raised serological non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) levels, reduced the weight of cholesterol and lipid in atherosclerosis-associated plaques and lowered serological TC/HDL-C levels in individuals with coronary heart disease." "Sixty to 300mg daily of resveratrol promoted flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) among hypertensive women and individuals with higher levels of LDL-C and lowered diastolic-type blood pressure." Resveratrol in 250 mg daily doses for 90 days reduced glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), systolic blood pressure, total protein, and TC levels in type 2 diabetic patients. Even 5.0 mg two times a day for 30 days of the drug decreased insulin and glucose levels and delayed post-meal glucose increases.

According to the National Library of Health (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24731650/) "Subgroup analyses indicated that higher-dose of resveratrol consumption (≥ 150 mg/d) significantly reduces SBP of -11.90 mmHg (95% CI: -20.99, -2.81 mmHg, P = 0.01), whereas lower dose of resveratrol did not show a significant lowering effect on SBP". Just so you know, a standard glass of wine is 5 oz and contains ....According to the website Livestrong, "https://www.livestrong.com/article/411745-how-much-red-wine-do-you-need-to-get-enough-resveratrol/) "Red wine contains at most 12.59 mg resveratrol per liter, so to get 500 mg daily, you'd need to drink almost 40 liters of wine daily. "For our last bit of information on resveratrol, there are many different foods that contain resveratrol. According to the website Livescience (https://www.livescience.com/39125-foods-good-sources-resveratrol.html) red grapes, peanut butter, dark chocolate and blueberries are " are good sources of resveratrol". Keep in mind here that a glass or two of red wine does not contain anywhere near enough resveratrol to make any difference in your health. As a matter of fact, according to the website Livescience (https://www.livescience.com/39125-foods-good-sources-resveratrol.html) " The amount of resveratrol found in one glass of wine can range from 0.2 milligrams to 2.0 mg, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. While 250 mg may seem excessive, it's not uncommon for resveratrol supplements. to include as much as 900 milligrams of resveratrol." It would certainly seem that the inexpensive and over the counter, widely available resveratrol supplements are an overwhelmingly better and more effective choice when it comes to getting an effective amount of the antioxidant.
What about Alcohol? One last and hugely negative ingredient is Alcohol or specifically Ethanol in the case of wine. Alcohol is a depressant and according to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_(drug), can cause "liver and brain damage,[13][14][15] and its consumption can cause cancer." "In high amounts, alcohol may cause loss of consciousness or, in severe cases, death." According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body) , alcohol "interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination." The same site goes on to say that alcohol negatively effects the heart, the brain, the liver, the Pancreas and the immune system as well.

Okay folks, I could go on and on here talking about if wine is healthy and wine additives which according to Wine Folly (https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/wine-additives/) can be things such as fish bladder (Isinglass) and Protease (porcine or bovine pancreas) and the negative medical implications of drinking wine but I think you (and I) both get the point. I have to tell you that doing the research for this article has most definitely educated me on just how much crap goes into what I always believed was such a simple product. I really had no idea just how much stuff was put into wine and I am very glad I did this report. I also think that if you do your own research on the subject you will find out that the wine industry is being less then truthful when it comes to wine and resveratrol. While you will read that their red wines contain the compound and that it has been shown to be very beneficial to you and while this is not a lie, what you will not see is that there is not enough in even a bottle to even come close to being helpful or counteracting the negatives of drinking wine. This type of reporting is omitting the real facts or, lying by omission but what do you expect from an industry out to only make money which they all are? So there you have it guys, the facts about wine. In my opinion, I can, after being more educated on the subject tell you that wine is not healthy for you, not even in the slightest bit. Does this mean I am going to stop drinking wine? No, it does not but at least now we can make an educated decision as to whether or not we will continue to drink it.

The Desert Wine Guy

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCUb3w1n2S_UGU2yYRkFYQ

Disclaimer - While I am probably not required to say the following, I know there are many Karens out there so I will say it anyway. I am not a doctor nor do I play one on television. Whether or not you choose to drink alcohol is completely up to you, I have provided simple information to assist you in making that decision. In the end, you choose to do what you want in your life and that includes drinking alcoholic beverages.

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

The Desert Wine - 2020 Tassajara, Chardonnay

So, there I was, little ol' me in the wine store. I was innocently just walking around the store minding my own business when a store clerk whom I had talked to a lot prior came up and asked me if I needed any help. I responded, "Who, me, The Desert Wine Guy"? I'm just joking, I said "sure". This store employee saw me looking at a Chardonnay and quickly pointed out another Chardonnay and said that I need to try it. This employee and I have talked before about my feelings on American Chardonnay as well as other wine varietals so I assumed she knew my preferred style(s) so I figured why not? Do you guys have anyone at your local wine store that offers to help choose your wines? Sometimes an employee who has your tastes can really help out and actually save you money as you won't be wasting your money on a bad wine, at least that's the theory anyway.

My experience with this theory has been hit or miss in reality but I always try to listen to others when it seems that our palates are alike. What is your experience guys, if you have someone you go to in your local wine shop, how have their recommendations worked out for you? Well, I guess it's time to see what I think about the wine suggested to me so let's get to it.

Today I will be reviewing the 2020 Tassajara, Chardonnay. The wine cost me $14.99 and it's alcohol percentage comes in at 13.5%. The grapes for this wine are all estate grown which can be a very good thing but in the end is no guarantee of a good wine. The bottle by the way is screw cap sealed.

Taking a look at the label on this wine, I think it is nicely done and seems to give off the perceptions of elegance and that there is a very refined white wine in the bottle waiting for me. l love the plant on the label and just how it offers up a sense of freshness and cleanness.

As for the bouquet, it is fresh and lively. I am picking up a big note of Vanilla followed up by notes of baked apple and butterscotch.

Now onto the palate I go. Okay so the wine is very proud (too proud) of throwing out a big time note of vanilla, an over the top, big time note of vanilla. This vanilla overshadows everything else the wine has or at least tries to offer up. This vanilla ends in a slight bitterness and overall, right up front, I am not liking it. Unfortunately a big time note of baked apple is intermixed here as well and in my opinion both notes are just massively overdone. I am getting a butterscotch note here as well and...yeah, not to my liking. Adding to all of this as you would expect is an oak note and that is the last thing this wine needs guys, I promise.

This oak note just puts a knife into a wine that had in reality already been killed a long time ago. This is a terrible wine and sadly I am not (simply can't) even going to go on with this review, I'll see you in the next paragraph to wrap this review up.

Alright Chardonnay lovers, I'll just come straight out and tell you that this wine sucks...big time. This wine is made by the Scheid Family winery and in my humble opinion, they should be ashamed of themselves. This to me is a jug wine repackaged into a smaller bottle in order to make more money, a lot more money. If you love your Chardonnays doctored with the notes I have mentioned in the body of my review then go for it but, if you are looking for a Chardonnay that is even the least bit clean, crisp or shows real fruit offered up with real thought, this is not the wine for you. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am giving this wine not a number but a label and the label I am giving it says "undrinkable".

The Desert Wine Guy

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCUb3w1n2S_UGU2yYRkFYQ

Saturday, September 16, 2023

2021 Chateau Ste Michelle, Sauvignon Blanc - Horse Haven Hills

Guys, I have to ask you a question. Is it weird that since I retired from my job of many years that I want to go back to the field I left? I have been retired almost five years now and I miss what I use to do. Just so you know, I am in the best shape of my life now and I am fully prepared to get back into my chosen career. Most people would think I am crazy and say, dude,you mean you are retired and you want to go back to work, especially to that line of work? A lot of people would think that I am perhaps unhappy at home when actually nothing could be further from the truth as I am very happy and love Mrs. Desert Wine Girl and our kids very much, I just feel that I have more to give in my career and in my field of work that could actually change lives. As I think we all know, in this day and age there are so many people who need their lives changed. Guys, simply put, retirement gets boring and I don't like being bored, I need (want) my mind and body busy. Yes, there are things that I do that keep me occupied but after a while I am caught up on everything and I need more, I need a sense of purpose aside from being a husband and father. Aside from this, I hate to say it again but ...I have more to do in my field of work, more lives to effect in a positive way. I actually recently applied for a job here in "Freedom" Florida and was hired so I will see just how much more I really have to give :) Let's now talk wine guys because if the wine is good, that will complete my day

Today I will be taking a look at the 2021 Chateau Ste Michelle, Sauvignon Blanc. I paid an incredible $7.99 for this wine guys as I had a $1 off coupon and to top it all off, the wine was buy one, get one free as well. The wine comes in at 13% alcohol and its grapes come the Horse Heaven Hills AVA of Washington State.

Okay, now let's take a look at the label. I have always appreciated the wineries label for this series of its wines. I think the label always presents the wines inside the bottle in a very classic type way. From the prominence of the wineries name to the fonts chosen for the name, the label is very well done. The use of the gold color is done in a very nice way and the fact that gold is limited in its use really elevates the appearance of the label in general.

Bringing the glass to my nose now, I get nice notes of light melon equally interweaved with light apricot and a vibrant and tropical smelling Anjou Pear as well.

As far as the taste of this Washington State, Sauvignon Blanc goes, the wine starts off with a classic note of lemongrass but not in the classic New Zealand Style of presentation. Now, this can be either a good thing or a bad thing, it all depends on what you either enjoy or are in the mood for. If you want the varietal with less lemongrass but still do appreciate the note and want a nicely sufficient amount of it, this is your wine for sure. If however, you are in the mood for the typical forward and not shy lemon grass note from New Zealand, this might not be your wine...today.

That lemongrass note here in this wine is what I would say is moderately presented but is also very effective in getting its point across. You also will not be able to miss the fact that while the lemongrass is not quite as forward as a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, you are still definitely tasting a Sauvignon Blanc. While this lemongrass does dominate the wine a just bit, it does so almost with a perceived hint of a gentle side to it as well. Intermixed very nicely with that note is a bit of a melon that is a good amount below the previous note but that is fine because it only wants to come across just as it is which is enjoyable, very well offered up, slightly tropical and above all, fresh tasting. Acidity wise, this is a mid-palate note here and is perfectly placed. While this acidity is edging towards the high side, it isn't overboard at all and positively also helps in steering the wine in a great way. Green Pear is here as well and while it does offer up a small bit of sweetness, the other notes quickly take control of the fruit and hold things deep in check for sure. There is an herbal/greenness type element to the wine guys and to me, it really assists in sells this wine. While this note may be weird for the varietal, it actually really works wonderfully here in the wine as it integrates really well, I wish you could taste it. Kiwi is just another wonderful note that the wine is pushing forward and guys, I like it, I am enjoying it. As a last note, I have to tell you that there is a bracing element to this wine and this bracing element really sets this wine off. So guys, there you have my review and it is now time to head to the conclusion paragraph where I will put it all together for you and also, give you the Desert Wine Guy rating of this wine.

So here we are, wrapping up this wine review. I want to begin by letting you know that if I had to find an issue with the wine it would be that it should have presented up just a hair bit more of a tropical fruitiness. I am not saying that I like an over the top, tropical, fruit bomb because I don not but there could have been just a bit more tropicalness then what is presented. In the end, I really enjoyed this wine however that bit of lacking of fruit tropicalness is going to prohibit the wine from getting that 94 rating needed for the cellar. In the end, on The Desert Wine Guy rating scale, I am giving this wine 93 points. I really did enjoy this wine and even for the regular price of $9, it is a steal and for $4 that steal becomes an international heist :)

The Desert Wine Guy

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCUb3w1n2S_UGU2yYRkFYQ

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

The Desert Wine Guy - 2022 Villa Maria, Sauvignon Blanc

2022 Villa Maria, Sauvignon Blanc

Is it okay to be influenced by reviewers/influencers? I guess you can answer this question two different ways depending on just how you look at it. On one hand, if a wine reviewer tells you they either loved or hated a particular wine and you simply jump on the bandwagon of loving it or hating it simply because that reviewer has a lot of followers and you feel that you surely can't be different or have your own palate then yes, that can certainly be an issue. If on the other hand, you look at this question from the angle of actually being inspired by that wine reviewer to do your own investigation into either that particular wine or varietal, that would be a good thing. I myself get inspired at times by some of the wine related YouTube channels that I watch because they at times either inspire me to try a particular varietal that I may have never even heard of before or, they inspire me to try a wine from an area that I have never tried before. Inspiration can come in many different forms and while inspiration can be healthy and actually expand our thinking or in this case, our palate, it can also at times educate us as well. There are times when outside influences can be a bad thing such as when we simply cling on to other peoples feelings or unsupported beliefs, it can also work for the best at times when we learn to think for ourselves and justify our opinions. I hope when you guys read this blog or watch my wine YouTube channel, (https://www.youtube.com/@TheDesertWineGuy/featured) you take what I have said into account but realize that in the end, you have your own palate to please, your own thoughts and in the end, your own decisions to make. I guess what I am saying is, in reference to wine, if you learn something about wine from any wine reviewers comments then you have educated yourself and made yourself more wine knowledgeable which is always good. Now, it is review time :)

Sauvignon Blanc Grapes On The Vine

So, the other day I was on an awesome YouTube wine channel (https://www.youtube.com/@WineMastery/videos) that I follow and they were doing a review on the 2022 Villa Maria, Sauvignon Blanc, and I thought to myself, "Oh, I reviewed that wine". When I went to see if my rating on the wine was the same as theirs, I discovered that I had actually not reviewed the wine. That is so crazy because I see this wine around everywhere and I couldn't believe that I haven't reviewed it yet. Well, there was only one way to remedy this issue, I went out and bought a bottle. Today we will be taking a look at that wine and what I thought of it. I bought the wine at my local grocery store for $11.99 and it comes in at a very reasonable 12.5% alcohol. The bottle is sealed with ...a screw cap unfortunately and the grapes for the wine come the Marlborough (Awatere and Wairau Valleys) region of New Zealand.

Let's take a look at the label on the wine bottle now. Yep, this is a New Zealand wine for sure. I don't know what it is but these Sauvignon Blanc from that country but they always seem to present the wines in the same type of way, they always scream "New Zealand" to me for some reason. Don't get me wrong guys as this is a good thing, I think the labels are pretty nice and convey the wines very nicely. Aside from that, I love how they seem to interpret the varietal. With this particular wines label, I love the fonts chosen and the way the words are layed out. Aside from the main label, pay special attention to the foil on the neck of the bottle as I really think it truly makes use of the area nicely.

Now, lets check out the nose of this New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc. Okay so I am getting a note of fresh and lively note of lemon and perhaps just a tad bit of grapefruit as well. I really wish I could tell you that I am getting more here on the nose but unfortunately, I can't as that lemon and grapefruit is all I picked up.

Now for the palate characterization of the wine. The first thing I picked up here is that there is a slight yet noticeable zing, a carbonation to the wine. You should know that this is a note that I have never been a fan of in a still wine for many reasons with the most important being that it simply throws my palate off big time. The next reason is that I have never seen a need for it, it does nothing good for a wine, it benefits it in no way in my humble opinion. Moving on now, as is normal with this expression of wine from this area, there is a big note of lemon grass and it is as usual, on the forward side. The mixing of both the carbonation and the lemon grass is in my opinion, just simply "okay" as I really don't think the two go well in combination at all. The typical grapefruit note is here as well and it is nicely done and presented in a good way. Passion Fruit comes up next and it is forward, fresh tasting and juicy. Acidity I thought could have been just a bit higher here in my opinion but in general, it is decent and does its job fairly well.

Villa-Maria, Winery

Guys, before I go on I have to address one thing. I think that there can at times be a confusion between a wines acidity and the note of lemon grass for some and I certainly can understand that confusion. At times as in this wine, this confusion can be remedied by taking a sip and sitting back for a second in order to really process what you are tasting. Having said that, this is a wine that to an extent, you really do have to taste, sit back and decipher, or process as it does need a bit of thought put into it at times. I do like the fact that this is a noticeably dry wine as not only do I not enjoy drinking my daily allowance of sugar in a glass of wine, I also think a quality wine should offer up more then simply sweetness and tropical fruit. The dryness here is very evident even at the wines alcohol percentage. Surprisingly, there seems to be a very slight flatness to the wine around the mid-palate which as you can imagine, I find to be weird to say the least. This flatness note isn't huge or anything but I did pick it up and for me, it of course did have a negative effect on the wine and what I will rate it. The wine also possesses a saline note to it which comes into play almost at once on the opening and is offered up even more towards the mid-palate. There is an initial bit of a sweetness to the wine however the other notes provide a nice cut (or cover) to that note and hold it in check very nicely. Green apple is a mid-palate note as well and it shines through nicely with a nice fresh green apple bit of sharpness to it. You can really almost taste the heat these vineyards experienced here in the wine, the bright Summer days the grapes enjoyed, it really shows in the taste of the wine. Well guys, that is my thoughts on this wine, I have to say, I am not a big lover of it. I will see you in the next paragraph where I will put this all together and give you my Desert Wine Guy rating on it.

Sauvignon Blanc - Flavor Profile

So, here we are, at the conclusion of another wine review.. From what I have read concerning the winery, the 2021 vintage put this wine on the map and all I have to say to that is that I hope that vintage tasted better then this vintage did. While I am not saying this was a bad wine, there are better New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs this wine has to go up against that don't cost to much more money such as Whitehaven wines. While Whitehaven is around $17.99, I think it far outclasses this wine, gives a much better perspective on what the varietal can taste like when done well and is worth the extra $6. As a matter of fact, there area actually a lot of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs which outclass this wine such as the Kim Crawford which sells for around $15 as well as the Oyster Bay which sells for $11. Both of these wines outclass this wine big time and the few dollars more they might cost is well worth the money. As far as this particular wine is concerned, I am giving it 87 points as I was really not impressed with it, that carbonation did a number on it. Is this a pool wine? Yeah, for sure but you don't, or shouldn't in my opinion rate a wine based upon what food you think it may go with or what environment it might go best in. You rate a wine on what the wine tastes like and how does it hold up to its varietal standards.

The Desert Wine Guy

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCUb3w1n2S_UGU2yYRkFYQ

Saturday, July 15, 2023

2019 Côtes du Rhône Esprit Barville Blanc

Today I decided to kill my cellphone battery, I mean to zero. Yeah, I know, you're probably saying, so what? Well, ya see, let me explain For the past two months it has been too hot to sit out back on my laptop and review a wine so I figured that today would be the same and I could do without my cell phone for a few hours, I would survive :) Yeah....unfortunately God had a sense of humor today and it ended up being just beautiful outside and so guess where I am right now? Yep, you guessed right, I am happily out back on my laptop. Take a guess though as well as to who has to charge not only a wireless speaker in order to hear some much needed music but his dead cellphone and a laptop as well? You got it, this guy. You should see my rather small table here as it is filled up with electronics and wires. My laptop which is used to being on the table by itself is like, "dude, what is going on" ? This same table is also saying, "what is with the Sun" as well? Guys, it's all good though as it is just amazing outside today. By the way, I learned a lesson a while ago that I will share with you now. All liquids have their own dedicated table and all electronics have their own dedicated table...please don't ask. So there ya have it, this review is set up and now, after a long, hard day in the garden I finally get a chance to chill out and review a wine so let's get into that review right now.

Today I will be taking a look at the 2019 Côtes du Rhône Esprit Barville Blanc. I bought this wine at my local mom & pop wine shop here in central "Freedom" Florida and I paid $13.99 for it. The wine comes in at 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is unfortunately screw cap sealed. As far as the making of the wine goes, according to the winery, it sat on the lees with regular stirring in stainless steel vats for 6 months.

Looking at the label now, it is a French label and I will not make any apologies, for telling you that I have no idea what the heck anything on it even says. I am American and I stick to my countries language. Having said this, please don't misunderstand me as I have nothing against anyone who learns other languages it's just that I am happy with and have a hard enough time with proper English :) Okay, back to the label now. I love it. For me, there is nothing like a French wine label to show off a bottle of wine and this label is no exception. The fonts chosen on these labels and their size really set a wine bottle off in a way that is inexpiable. These labels (as is the case here) almost always seem to have that smaller label just above the main label and again, I love it.

As for this French wines bouquet characteristics, I am picking up notes of apricot, white flowers and a tropical dew as well as a melon of some sort. I get the impression of a possible slight viscosity showing up on the palate though which I hope is not the case but we will see about that right now.

Alright French white wine fans, let's discuss palate on this wine now. Starting off here, this is a dry wine with an initial bit of an alcohol burn offered up front as well. The good news here is that that burn disappears almost immediately after the wine is opened so there should be no concerns there.

A light note of yellow peach comes into play but it is presented in the same way everything else is here which is rather momentarily. Very quickly, along comes a sort of unripe apricot but this unripe apricot is good, it is flavorful, just not sweet which is perfectly fine by me. Throughout the wines palate presentation, there is a dryness aspect as I already mentioned earlier and this dryness aspect is sort of like a "carrier wave" (hello radio fans) that all of the other notes seem to ride on and, it is nice. There is a noticeable spice to the wine as well and that comes into play on the finish however this is okay as it is very well placed and non offensive. This spice overall does succeed in assisting in the wines ability to express what it needs to. This spice is also very effective in adding a slight amount of complexity to the wine however, that is the extent of the complexity unfortunately. A lemon note comes into play here as well and the typical twang a lemon would normally offer up is thankfully reserved for the very end of the finish and even there, it isn't crazy or over the top, it is just lightly on the brighter side and works well with the wine in general. The wine also possesses just the smallest amount of sweetness but very quickly (like very quickly) it moves forward away from that and lets you know, it is indeed a dry wine. The wine does offer up a stone note but it is more of an underlying note and is kind of light on the palate overall. A pineapple note is here as well and it is a bit more forward then the other notes without creating a white wine that is dominated by the fruit. A really nice note of white flowers is expressed throughout the palate presentation and that is really nice as it sustains itself throughout the entire wine as well. Asian Pear is here as well and this is a note that you won't be able to miss because it feels as if some of the sweetness the wine offers up, comes from here. Another note (a combo note) that adds just a bit of sweetness consists of a nectarine/honeydew combo. This sweetness is nothing that ruins the wine nor does it even come close but it will be noticed so I did need to mention it.

In case you were wondering, the possible viscosity that I thought might appear here on the palate did not appear and I am thankful for that. Despite all of this, the wine struck me as being rather limited on the palate. As I already said, the wine does not have any complexity and to sum it up in two words, it's simple. This is not French white that you will think to deep or too much about nor do I think that it is meant to be. Well guys, there you have it, another wine review completed and I will see you in the next paragraph to give you my final feelings on it.

In the end, the wine was certainly worth the price but don't expect there to be too much to it. There was fresh fruit and some liveliness but it just seemed.....limited.....lacking in some areas. For the pool, you will find it works out very nicely and I do believe guests will be pleased. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am giving the wine 87 points. While the wine was not offensive in anyway, I just wish it would have been more fine tuned and offered up a lot more then what it did.

The Desert Wine Guy

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCUb3w1n2S_UGU2yYRkFYQ

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Agriculturist, Non-Vintage, White Wine Blend

Are you guys big into the whole "organic" thing? Are you willing to spend more money on fruits & vegetables that were (supposedly) grown without the use of artificial chemicals or pesticides? For me, I am sort of into the whole buying organic fruits and vegetables thing provided they are not overly expensive. What I have never bought though is an organic wine, that is until yesterday, and which just so happens to also be our review wine today. How did I come across today's review wine, well ya see, there I was at my local wine shop and I wanted something different. To be honest, I was growing kind of tired of the typical Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay expressions that I have been reviewing...at least for a day or so that is :) and I wanted something different, something unique. So I'm in the store and I went to the white wine section and in that section was a subsection that said something like "other whites". Well, I thought, let's see what they have. I ended up finding a wine that I was really intrigued by because of the way it was made, it was organic.

Before I move on and get into the wine itself though, I think that you have to think about something, and I can be completely wrong here but my thoughts are that unless you are going to go totally organic, or at least mostly, why bother spending the extra money in the first place? Sure, I guess every bit of clean food helps but how much does it really help and is it at that point really worth the extra money? Let me know your thoughts on this guys, I'm curious. Right now though it is time to check out today's wine, I will see you in the next section.

Today I am going to check out the organic and non-vintage, Agriculturist, white wine blend. I paid $11.99 for this wine and the alcohol percentage comes in at 13.5%. The bottle is cork sealed and its grapes simply come from California. The wine is actually part of the Frey Vineyards lineup but on their website (https://www.freywine.com/product/Organic-Agriculturist-Blanc--NV?pageID=8F038AC8-E133-D06E-4E9A-4700ACD8700A&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=10&) they, unfortunately, don't have very much to say about it.

Now as far as the label goes, it is super busy. Take a look at the label for yourself folks, do you guys find it to be crazy as well? I guess you can take your pick as to whether or not to use the words crazy or busy in describing the label but to me, it is just screaming to get the attention I think it rightfully deserves. To me, the label looks like an advertisement for a carnival of some kind. I am not normally really into crazy labels such as this but in this case, being that the wine is an inexpensive, non-vintage, white blend, I really did get into it and think it is super nice.

Appearance-wise in my glass now, the wine initially comes across as a lightish gold and that gold shows for a lot of the wine although it appears to eventually move into being clear in color as the sits open for a bit which I find rather weird.

As for the nose now, I am getting a slightly subdued peach as well as a slightly subdued nectarine as well. Finishing the bouquet off is a bit of a fresh honey note as well.

It is palate time now guys and I would like to start off here by first telling you what I am expecting from this white wine blend. I am expecting a semi-sweet, tropically fruity, white wine. Normally this is not my preferred style of wine but with the weather outside right now here in "Freedom" Florida being rather humid and warm, I will be very happy with that if I can indeed get it. Starting off here, the first thing that I noticed was that there is a carbonation to the wine and this kind of immediately threw my palate off a bit. What I found truly bothersome though is that the wine also has almost a slight seltzer taste to it which I found to be really off-putting and as you can imagine, is a note that should not be offered up in any wine. Now, there is fruit to the wine in the form of the same apricot and peach that I got on the nose but unfortunately, the fruit comes across as being rather unripe and doesn't do anything to uplift the wine up instead merely allowing it to continue on with what ended up being a downhill kind of slide. I am also getting a honey note here that I picked up on the nose and it is not honeysuckle, but what comes across as a bit of pure and fresh honey and while it is nice, it can't change anything here in the wine as it is simply, in general, coming across as just.... "off". My palate is just not mixing with this wine well at all folks and I need to let you know very quickly that I am beginning to feel that this wine might be headed towards being a disaster overall.

Now acidity is fairly moderate here and would normally be considered by me to be very enjoyable as you can tell it wants to do its job but sadly, there are way too many negative things going on in the wine to allow that to happen. As I said earlier, while there is a fruity note to the wine which is coming from that peach and apricot, that fruity aspect is ultimately destroyed rather fast as the wine quickly opens and becomes....a wine that is just extremely disjointed and erratic in its presentation. Topping all of this off and putting the nail in the final coffin is a bitter note that the wine just seems to love to exude and it is bad guys, this note really is the topping off to what I consider to be a badly made white wine. With all of this being said, I am going to cut this review short, as in ending it right now, and let you know I will see you in the conclusion paragraph.

Now that we are here, I want to let you know that I don't think this wine is something the winery has put any serious thought into. Non-vintage, has no tech sheet, and a simple and generic "California" as far as where the grapes are grown....yeah....too bad, I truly expected more from it. On The Desert Wine Guy, I am giving this wine 84 points and I do not suggest you buy it for any occasion.

The Desert Wine Guy