About WiNEZ

WiNEZ was a monthly event at EZ Street Saloon in South Range, WI. Unfortunately, due to lower turn out the owners had decided to stop hosting the event. The last wine night at EZ was held on November 12, 2014. But that is not to say the die hards won't be getting together for some wine tasting periodically at EZ Street Saloon. I will continue to blog the wines we have tasted pre starting this blog, along with our impromptu meetings, and maybe transform the blog into something more personal. We will see where it goes. I do know the blog will still be about wine!

So for my WiNEZ pals you can count on this blog to serve as an archive of what was consumed and a reference for your spending sprees. For those who are just curious about what the Northwest Wisconsinites are drinking here are some thoughts… but be warned I am by no means a wine expert-I only know what I like. Since I am not an expert I will try to include the winemakers label descriptions as well.

Salute! or as the Finnish would say Kippis!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Big House Red 2008


If you had just escaped from the Big House this might be the best thing since-well before you were sent off to the big house.  In reality you just don’t remember what good wine tastes like.  Let me tell you, this is not it. The 2008 Big House Red is a blend of 14 varieties from all over California: 23% syrah, 14% petite sirah, 9% grenache, 9% montepulciano, 6% mourvedre, 6% sangiovese, 6% aglianico, 6% tannat, 5% nero d’avola, 4% sagrantino, 3% touriga, 3% barbera, 3% petite verdot and 12.5% Other Esoteric Reds.  Big House Red is barrel aged in mostly French and American neutral oak. True to many hyper blended wines, Big House Red violates the very essence of a good red blend-well balanced.  The aromas are a little cherry, berries, and leathery-earthy, maybe stale cigarettes (that’s what they get in the big house right?).  The palate has the tartness of cranberries, the metallic hint of steel, the spice of black pepper, and the sweetness of plums, cherry and mixed berries. Tannins and acidity are just mediocre. While this wine has complexity, it is only because every grape under the sun has been added.  Not what I would call an elegant marriage of flavors, but rather a slop bucket of mess hall leftovers.  I think you can send this wine to the "big house" to serve sentence for violating consumer’s rights to good wine.

Varietal:  Red table wine
Producer/Importer:  Big House Red  
Region: California      
Vintage: 2008
Price: $9.00
Tasting notes:
 Sight (Color/Clarity): garnet red to purple although on the light side
 Smell (bouquet, aroma): cherry, berries, leather-earth, stale cigarettes
Taste (acidity, balance, body): cranberries, steel, black pepper, plums, black and sour cherry, and mixed berries
Bottle presentation:  New Yorker like cartoon label.
Overall rating (1-10): 6.5
Date consumed: February 9, 2012
Comments: 13.5% abv