The first thing I need to mention is: Ignore what I wrote previously. Perhaps they accidentally bottled the wrong wine in the bottle I had purchased before, perhaps it was corked and I was far too innebriated to notice, or perhaps I never in fact drank the Little Penguin Pinot. The holidays do weird things to you, folks. Just accept it.

Second, I want to focus for a moment on the fact that’s this is a 2010 red wine. That is wacky to me. It’s January of 2011 and we’re already drinking a 2010 Pinot Noir? I mean, this wine is from South Eastern Australia, but their seasons can’t be so different than ours in the U.S. that they’re releasing 2010 Pinots by January 2011 can they? What kind of oak are they using? Krypton oak?

I guess I’m not really here to complain, but it just seems odd for a 2010 Pinot to be released in 2010. Granted it’s a cheap wine, but still. I don’t know. I’ve done enough rambling now, so let me get to the damn review.

Color

I can’t see my hand through it so there’s something a little fishy here. Pinot, even cheap Pinot, is meant to be so light and filtered in color that you can practically read through it. This stuff is as dark as Zinfandel. Perhaps we’re looking at a new potential phenomenon here: Depending on the varietal, the cheaper it is, the more it’s color will reflect opposite of traditional varietal characteristics. Cheap Syrah is light in color, cheap Pinot is dark.

Nose

Delicious. Smoke and those strawberry candies that they wrap in plastic paper that looks like strawberries. You know the ones. Grandma always had them in a bowl. The best thing about them was that the wrapper was large enough for you to spit the candy back into it so you could toss it when she wasn’t looking. Anyway, fantastic nose.

Taste

Rich, thick, pronounced. This is not a Pinot Noir. I don’t care what the label says. I refuse to believe it. I know the Aussies make some real bruisers when it comes to wines, but this is getting out of hand. Not to say that it isn’t delicious. It is lip-smacking and tasty. Great fruit, rich cherry and strawberry fruit rollups. Some nice smokey bacon elements start aerating through your mouth. The finish is quick, but it’s quick in the sense that a jab is quick: Powerful and gone before you know it, leaving you with nothing but pain. I’m rambling again.

With Food

Well we can’t pair it based on the label. Think of Syrah or Zinfandel. Nothing light with this one. For instance, Pinot can sometimes go with fish depending on how it’s cooked. Not this one. Aim for BBQ sauces, rich ragús or slow roasted game. Ostrich or lamb would be quite good with this. I feel like I should take a Sharpie to every wine shop I can find, scribble out “Pinot Noir” on the bottle and write “Syrah.” So, if you see this, try not to accept what it says on the bottle. Obviously you can see how much this has traumatized me.

Where to Buy

Also found it for a better price than that damn BevMo.

$5.49 at WeSpeakWine.com!

Remember to subscribe to get all the latest cheap wine reviews from Wine Welfare!

Also check out:

This is the first of a two-parter (duh) because I wanted to break up my Christmas wine suggestions according to the major parts of the big day: Afternoon and evening.

Now, this may seem a bit unorthodox (neé alcoholic), but it’s the Christmas. The family has gathered, everyone is worried about that weird uncle or the asshole sibling, your grandmother forgot to put on pants, and all the kids are puking and hate their presents. Nothing helps complement such blatant joy better than cheap wine, amiright?

Picture this: Your alarm rings in the morning (why are we still forced to set alarms on Christmas-effing-morning?), you roll out of bed, down the hall, stop at the bathroom, then head out to the family room where everyone has already conspired against you, leaving you with nowhere to sit but the floor. You can see a pathetically small pile of gifts sitting behind the pajama-ed feet of your nieces and nephews, all of whom have dried snot and boogers crusting their faces (What is it with kids under 10? Do they not know how to work a mirror? You stare at it, stupid.) Someone forgot to make coffee, all there is to eat is cold bread and mustard, and it’s raining out. In short, Christmas morning sucks.

That’s why you need to look forward to finally reaching the socially-acceptable drinking time: Afternoon.

So here are two wines perfect for Christmas afternoon while that bird or ham is in the oven bubbling away.

Chateau Ballan-Larquette Bordeaux Blanc 2009

A beautiful white effort by this awesome producer. Their Chateau Ballan-Larquette Rose is a contender for our Best Wine of 2010. The Bordeaux Blanc is 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Semillon.

Color

Wonderful, bright color with a nice green shade to it. Looks quenching.

Nose

Fresh, crisp, with the scents of herb fields in France: Rosemary, lavender, thyme, and a shot of sweet grass.

Taste

A long, delicious wine. Firm citrus acidity balances out the delicious tart apple and lemon peel. Great backbone to this and it does not let up. Crisp and sharp like cut steel, but it’s not pummeling or puckering you. It’s just right for that cheese plate (or-God help you-cheeseball) or salty appetizer before the main Christmas meal. Delicious.

Where to Buy

$9.99 at BevMo.com!

Little Penguin Pinot Noir 2010

A 2010 already you might say? And red? Well, yes, in fact. While just born, this little baby is delicious and worth more than it’s asking price of $6.99. And it’s from Australia.

Color

Light red with some hints of garnet. Just as a Pinot should look.

Nose

Weak, tight, some sense of red fruit but nothing really present, though I did detect a bit of cocoa for some reason. All this was expected drinking a 2010 already released.

Taste

Ok, so the wine may have a weak nose, but I have to say that I found it delicious. Strawberry, a bit of mint, and some delicious acid. The wine, for some reason, has balance. It’s not too firm or too weak and by all respects, a 2010 should taste like bitter grape juice right now, forget about a 2010 under $10. Still the wine has promise and though it disappears quickly on the finish, it’s worth it’s price.

Where to Buy

$6.99 at BevMo.com!

That’s it gang. Look for Part 2 tomorrow for suggestions on what to have during one of the most depressing parts of the year: The end of Christmas Day.

Remember to subscribe to get all the latest cheap wine reviews and cheap wine articles from Wine Welfare!

No related posts.

Get your floss ready folks because we’re going in.

Color

Well, I said it up there: Syrup. Thick black, rich syrup. Boysenberry and motor oil. A nice glass of 10W40.

Nose

We’ve got another violent wine here. A giant purple hand reaches out of the glass, but it doesn’t just lightly flutter in front of your nose to waft up some delicate aromas, no. This thing slaps you across your face and then grabs your nose, giving it a nice hard twist. Then it screams at you: “Smell this, you pansy!!”

Taste

If you enjoy these bombastic fruit nukes, than we’ve found a wine under $20 for you. Thick, chewy prunes, dates, blackberry fruit roll-ups and black pepper. The varietal characteristics that are meant to be there are all present, they’re just wearing size 15 black army boots and stomping all over your face. The fruit dominates and leaves little room for tannins or any real progression or structure. What I’m saying is, the mid-palate and finish are the same as the front. I mean, this stuff is so thick and heavy that—if you are a male—you should be careful not to spill any on your privates. You’ll be writhing on the floor in agony for a few minutes.

With Food

This wine would actually be good with food from a freshness standpoint because it’s probably violent enough to slaughter an animal and clean it for you. Just bring in a cow and pour some of this into it’s trough. Wait a few minutes and the cow will be a nice pile of steaks.

Seriously though, I hope you’ve got mouth insurance.

Where to Buy

$19.99 per bottle at Southern Hemisphere Wine Center, or $14.99 per bottle if you buy 6!

Remember to subscribe to get all the latest cheap wine reviews from Wine Welfare!

Also check out:

Ahhh, Christmas time. When you’re a kid it’s all about presents. When you’re a teenager it’s all about presents and no school. When you’re an adult, it’s all about no work and food.

Which is where we come in.

That’s right, we’re reviewing some Christmas wines for you at Wine Welfare. These two reds and two whites are sure to pair perfectly with whatever fattening grub you’re throwing on that table this year. So light a nice warm fire, cozy up next to that Christmas tree, and enjoy your family becoming slightly blurry as you polish off a bottle of one of these wines with your favorite uncle.

Neyers 2006 Zinfandel Pato Ranch – $17.98 at WineLibrary.com or available at most wine stores or BevMo!

The Holidays are not complete without a delicious California Zinfandel. Sure, you could go with a Primitivo (basically Zinfandel in Italy), but American Thanksgivings and Christmases tend to call for the big, juicy California fruit bomb that is Zinfandel.

Neyers is one of California’s best wineries, working out of Sage Canyon in the Napa Valley. They are consistently earning 90-point scores and astounding wine-lovers everywhere. Their Pato Ranch Zinfandel is no exception, with delicious tobacco and cherry flavors swirling around a foundation of moist, stinky soil. Sounds good, right? Trust us, this should be on your table with that turkey or prime rib, especially at this price.

Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend – $11.99 at WineAnthology.com or at BevMo!

Never even heard of this one before we tasted it, but the Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend is both delicious and available in most wine stores. Deep, dark opaque color, like ink-infused Welch’s grape juice. The grapes keep coming as well, in the form of Nerds candy flavors. This is an Australian Bordeaux blend: Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Chocolate and plum jam come through like gangbusters, but the acid fights back to balance it all, leading to a cakey, long finish. Delicious with duck.

Big House White – $6.99 at WineLibrary.com or available pretty much everywhere!

Shockingly good for less than seven bucks. The Big House White is a rather odd blend of Malvasia Bianca, Muscat Canelli, Viognier and Rousanne. We’d never had any blend like it before, but this didn’t mess around. The funny thing is, you can taste elements of all of those varietals, but you taste more flavors of varietals that are not in the wine. Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay (big time, buttery and creamy) and the like. Big pina colada flavors and spiced apples. Serve this one only slightly chilled before the meal or with appetizers. Might not hold up to the likes of turkey, gravy and stuffing.

Fleur Des Pins Graves Sauternes – $12.98 at WineLibrary.com!

If you’ve never had a Sauternes, now is the time to try one. Holiday sweets go magnificently well with Sauternes, no matter if they’re cookies, cakes or candy. Sauternes makes everything better. We’ll go into more detail about Sauternes later on, but for right now, if you can’t find the Fleur Des Pins Graves, just pick up any one you can find. You may find it difficult to locate one under $20 (we did), but rest assured, even a $30 375ml bottle of this stuff will put a smile on your face. This is solid 50/50 Bar, with delicious lemon picking up as well. Very sweet, but with that smokey characteristic often found in botrytis wines (moldy grapes; again, more on this later). The result is you enjoying a magnificent flavor explosion and then passing out on the couch watching A Christmas Story. ‘Tis the season.

One last thing and, we didn’t really want to mention anything because we’re so embarrassed, but…well, this is post number 100 for us here at Wine Welfare. That’s all we’re going to say. Feel free to maybe, we don’t know, leave a comment, compliment or congratulate us. Whatever you like. Really. We don’t need validation or anything. But one last time, just to clarify:

100 POSTS!!! WOO HOOOO!!!!

So that’s it. We sincerely hope you check out at least one of these four bad boys, and slap some serious enjoyment onto that Christmas of yours.

Remember to subscribe to get all the latest reviews from Wine Welfare!

Happy Holidays and Cheers!

Also check out:

Been a few days since are last massive post about “What Wine Goes With Chicken?” so we took a bit of a breather. But now we’re back with the Strong Arms Shiraz 2007. We actually found this wine at Cost Plus World Market, and it was just about the same price as below. So, if you have one in your area, save yourself some shipping costs and head on over. Anyway, we’ve generally had good luck with wines we find at World Market, though there are some occasional duds. The one thing that is consistent about World Market is that the wines they offer are completely new to us, and the ones that are good, are very good.

Color

Great, rich purple with flecks of red. Looks promising in a glass.

Nose

Sweet, black licorice, spice, brown sugar and earth. Throw in some blackberry cobbler.

Taste

Thank goodness for the acid and the oomph of the earth, because this wine could be dessert. Luckily it will work with many a meal. The fruit is there to combat the acid, and all of it is gently supported by some good heat and excellent pie crust flavors.

With Food

As always with a decent Shiraz or Syrah, the redder the better. Since the Strong Arms Shiraz is Australian, it’s a bit less gooey than it’s American cousin, so avoid the BBQ sauce, but not the barbecue. Grilled steak or ostrich that isn’t fussed with would be perfect. Just a little salt and pepper.

$8.95 at NapaCabs.com.

Check out our other Shiraz wine reviews.

Remember to subscribe to get all the latest reviews from Wine Welfare!

Also check out:

Lindemans is an Australian winery founded in 1843 by Henry Lindeman. They produce wines, lambics (Belgian fruit beers) and other beverages. Like BV, it runs the gamut in terms of wine quality, creating some of the most remarkable wines in Australia along with an astonishing array of value-priced wines. In fact, its “Bin 65 Chardonnay” is Australia’s best-selling white wine and is often listed as one of the best Chardonnay values around.

Unfortunately, the Cabernet Sauvignon we tried did not measure up to the Chardonnay.

Color

Great color. Beautiful, rich burgundy with hues of copper and garnet.

Nose

Mint, strawberry and some touches of soil. Pretty tight.

Taste

Hollow and silky. We could feel it in our mouths and on our tongues, but that’s all we had to prove that we had taken a sip. Essentially, the wine is tannic water, with the small (but at least present) amount of fruit having gone the way of the Dodo. The finish remained silky and we were able to get some phantom flavors of mint and very sour blackberries. That was about it.

With Food

Not much, really. Your tastes may vary (obviously), so we would assume you would want to serve this with a nice roast, tomato sauce or even some meats and vegetables both roasted on a BBQ.

$4.97 at Crown Wine and Spirits!

Read our other Cabernet Sauvignon reviews.

Remember to subscribe to get all the latest recommendations from Wine Welfare!

Also check out: