A by Acacia 2007 Red Blend

Call me crazy, but I'm intrigued by wines that are vague like this. "Red blend" you say. "Get in my glass", I say. To make matters worse...or better, the back of the bottle says "if you like pinot noir, you'll love our red blend!" Does that mean it is pinot? I don't know. But, I have been known to like a pinot so I was determined to love their red blend.

I just enjoyed a nice steak dinner. It wasn't the best steak dinner ever or anything, but it was steak and it was cooked to my preference (medium) and therefore the evening calls for red. The kitchen was a bit warm so I stuck the wine in the fridge. For a bit too long. Now, the wine is too cold. The smart thing to do on occasions such as this, is to simply wait for the wine to warm up a bit. However, it is Friday night and I'm not feeling smart...so I'm drinking it cold.

I went to do some digging to find out just what is in this here red blend. Despite the label leading me to believe it might be pinot noir, apparently, the major grape is syrah. Huzzah. We all know I like syrahs. And I like pinots, which may or may not matter here. Seems likely this is a good one for me.

It is cold, which is throwing it off for me but it is a decent sized red. While I am waiting for it to come up in temperature, I'm checking out what the so called experts have to say about it...I'm seeing comments on cherries, plums...maybe a raspberry or two. I'm not down with the raspberries but I get the cherries and plums. Now that someone pointed it out, that is. Ok, ok, maybe my palate needs a bit of refinement.

Finally we're at the right temp. I do like this wine but to this non-pro, I would say that it is a bit harsh on the swallow. It's not going down like butter. More like...hmmm...what goes down rough? Ah, got it. Whiskey. It doesn't burn your lungs like whiskey but it has that rough edge to it. Seems like maybe many people wouldn't like this attribute. I don't mind it. But then again, I like whiskey.

Good grief, I'm long winded tonight. I'll blame it on the wine having to warm up. To sum up, this is a decent red. I wouldn't refuse a glass if it was offered, but I likely won't buy it again. There are simply too many others in the same price range that I like far better.

Retails $13.99. Bought locally for $7.77.