Talk-A-Vino

There are times when you really value simplicity in wines. What? No, I don’t mean single-dimensional excruciatingly boring wines which can be called wine only by association “well, if the bottle says wine, then it must be wine…”. By simplicity I mean more of a convenience. For instance, when the bottle is easy to open – like in the case of a screw top. Or when you just need one glass, and moreover, you might be on the go – and don’t want to carry the glass around. As it is in the case of the wine I’m about to present to you – enter Fetzer Crimson and Quartz.

Fetzer Crimson and Quartz

If you are surprised by the look, it is okay – I was too. When Zak told me “this is a good wine”, I was going with “yeah, right, come on, today ain’t April 1st”. My experience with another wine, called Copa, similarly pre-packaged in the plastic, was outright terrible (while I didn’t write the blog post about it, you can find full rendering of the experience in the post by Kirsten at The Armchair Sommelier). Thus I was not inclined to really experiment – but at the price of $3.99 per “glass”, it sounded like it was still worth trying.

And I’m glad I did. No, neither one of the wines was earth-shuttering. But they were solid, drinkable and enjoyable(!) wines – and a clear reminder that wine snobbery always has two sides, and you can’t judge the wine before you will actually try it. For what it worth, below are my notes, and you can find all the detailed wine information at the Fetzer’s web site (which also looks quite stylish).

2011 Fetzer Quartz California White Blend (12% ABV, $3.99) is a blend of 35% Chardonnay, 23% Riesling, 18% Gewürtraminer, 14% Pinot Grigio,7% Muscat and 3% other grapes. Refreshing, zesty, with lots of citrus notes, such as lemon and grapefruit, touch of pineapple, very balanced. Of course a great value. Just to pet myself on the back, my notes said “definitely has some Moscato, probably with Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer”. Drinkability: 7+

2010 Fetzer Crimson California Red Blend (13.5% ABV, $3.99) is a blend of 32% Zinfandel, 32% Syrah, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petite Sirah, 1% Petit Verdot, 2% other grapes. Nose was unimpressive, but body was very good, medium to full, oak is not fully integrated and well noticeable, but overall wine was still perceived as balanced. Touch of cinnamon and black fruit on the palate. Later on, sweetness became more apparent, as well as alcohol (which is strange at 13.5% ABV). Overall, quite enjoyable. Drinkability: 7.

There you have it, my friends. These wines were yet another perfect example of “don’t judge the wine by its bottle” life comedy. Next time when you will need a convenient glass of wine – you might know what to look for. Cheers!