Grocery Wine » Blech!

Review: Menage a Trois Red Wine – What’s in a name?

Phil — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:53:45 +0000

I’ll just start this off by saying, I’m known for my child like innocence, and I wouldn’t dare use the name of this wine to attempt to lure Amy into a conversation which might throw her off balance. With that disclaimer here’s how a recent phone call went (totally innocent! I swear!):

Phil: “Hey, when I get home let’s try that Menage a Trois.”
Amy: “In your dreams!”
Phil: “No seriously, it’s been a long day and what better way to relax? I heard it’s great!”
Amy: “Oh yeah? From who?”
Phil: “Some guy at the grocery store.”
Amy: “You’ve been drinking haven’t you?”

With that I went ahead and clarified that I was talking about the Menage a Trois Red Wine from Napa Valley’s Folie A Deux Winery. I never did get Amy to tell me what she thought I was talking about

Alright, enough with the innuendos here’s the scoop on the Menage a Trois Red Wine. To be frank the name is the best thing about this relatively cheap wine (Under $10 on sale at Safeway or Vons). Being a blend of California Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet I expected something hearty. Unfortunately the end result was thin and lifeless.

Despite the unimpressive wine, I’m tempted to buy it again for the sole purpose of serving it to guests. Imagine people’s reactions when you call for their attention and say “Who would like a little Menage a Trois before dinner?”

Review: Firefly Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon – Worth a try?

Phil — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:16:24 +0000

Firefly Ridge wines have become fairly popular over the course of the last six months and so when it went on sale at Vons I was eager to try it and write up a review. As it turns out the most interesting aspect of this California Cabernet Sauvignon is that it is named “Firefly Ridge” and as far as I know there are no fireflies in California (although virtually every kid growing up here wishes there were). The Firefly Cabernet is just “okay”. It’s drinkable – don’t throw it out if you already have a bottle – but seeing how it isn’t particularly cheap there are quite a few other cabs out there that warrant more attention than this one.

Interested in a better option? Take a look at some of the other wines we’ve reviewed from Safeway/Vons by clicking here.

Review: Rijckaert Chardonnay – Blech!

Phil — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:33:41 +0000

We’ll keep this short and not so sweet. Amy’s review “This wine stinks, literally!” Hopefully, there was something wrong with the bottle. There was definitely an unpleasant “cooked cabbage” odor happening. At $15 from Costco it was definitely a disappointment. As ever though, Costco rules. We returned the half empty bottle for a full refund (which we promptly invested in the always delicious Edmeades zinfandel. If you’ve tried the Rijckaert chardonnay and had a better result than us definitely drop a note in the comments and *maybe* we’ll give it another try.