I picked this bottle up at a Fresh & Easy other than my local one. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen it at my local for a while. This leads me to believe that this label is on the clearance track. At ~$4 this is a great value. It’s an IGT from the Veneto, one that combines mostly Corvina (the big grape in Valpolicellas) and some Merlot. There’s some of that nice sour cherry from the Corvina and the wine overall has a nice deep earthy weight.
As when my local was selling the 2006 Yalumba “Y series” Viognier for $3.00 a bottle, I‘m going to buy all of the Merlara I can find.
Score
Drinkability: 8/10
Price: 5/5
Total value: 13/15
I'm not sure where you are, but the F&E next to my work has CASES of the stuff and they have it priced at just $2.99! I was going to snag a bottle but wasn't sure about it, and being that I don't normally drink Merlot I thought I'd look it up online first. Maybe I'll go back and grab a few bottles to try. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteJust a small note: the Merlara isn't a Merlot, it's a blend of mostly Corvina (the main grape in DOC Valpolicella reds) and some Merlot. Merlara's actually a DOC in the Veneto region, but that's neither here nor there.
ReplyDeleteSo this is a nice fruity Italian red, and the Merlot adds some nice body and plummy depth. Definitely not a typical Cali Merlot, and at ~$3/bottle, well, I'd buy a case.
You were right about this stuff, it's not too shabby! I love the touch of sour cherry on the finish! I'm half way through a bottle and I'm really liking it. It goes really well with the pasta primavera that I made for dinner (bowtie pasta with chicken, zucchini, squash, red bell peppers, in a light tomato cream sauce).
ReplyDeleteI can't believe this wine is only $2.99, and it'll be only $2.69 when I buy 6 or more - so a case comes out to just $32.92. That's ridiculous! If you happen to live in the Phoenix area, just about every F&E I've been in has them at $2.99 and the shelves are stocked full. There are very little tannis in this wine, so I don't expect that it's going to last too long, so I think I'll only buy 1 case of it. I still can't get over that price - $32 for an entire CASE! =)