Hmm...This is the last of the three wines that Fresh and Easy sent me. I was going to taste it blind, because I used to work there, but I decided that it was stupid because I'm just not going to find something from South Africa anyways. I've had plenty of cheap bubbles in my life time to compare. They tell me this lists for 14.99$ in their PR materials, but I saw it in their flier this week for 9.99$. 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. 11g/L dosage, which is on the high end of what can be considered Brut (<15g/L is the max in EU rules, but I'm assuming South Africa is similar). Not surprising, since Americans really like "sweeter" soda-pop Champagne/sparkling wines. Moet White Star is the best selling Champagne in the US and it has a high dosage; so does Veuve Clicquot. Typical sparkling wine nose--yeasty and toasty with maybe a bit of candied lemon thrown in. As you can guess, it's about the same in your mouth. Comes off a little bit "watery," one dimensional, and isn't exciting in the least. Reminds me of Sprite. It's not bad, but at 15$, it's no wonder that no one's shopping at Fresh and Easy. This isn't even as good as the Zonin Prosecco or the Louis d'Estree Brut that both sell for 6$. It's better than some of the other garbage that I've had from Trader Joes--Courtesan Cava comes to mind. Anyways, I should probably shut my mouth now, but I wouldn't pick this bottle up again; it's not a great value, and by far the worst of the wines Fresh and Easy sent my way. D+/C-
A couple other random thoughts--I am increasingly disappointed in most of the "private label" wines I'm picking up. Is my palate becoming more defined? Second, I've been thinking a lot about what defines "good" taste. It's very individual, obviously, but everyone has a different perspective. Can I really know what I think is "good" if I haven't had what everyone else thinks is good? Meaning, I've never had 1961 Latour. There are a lot of people that have. Can I REALLY know what good tastes like if I haven't had those taste experiences? Lastly, while I was writing this I listened to a lot of different shit on XM, and now Snoop Dogg is on. He's fucking rad. Even though I'm a metal head.
5 comments:
You've been giving F'n'E a good lashing! Nice. I'm thinking they should have sent their stuff to one of the bloggers that always gives nice reviews. You've given them a fair shot, but shilling mass market stuff is definitely not your thing.
Argh. I was trying to avoid a lashing! Did it really come out that way? I thought there were some sarcastic moments, but I was pretty nice about the Chard, and Chard is not my favorite...anyways...Out of curiosity, have you been to an F&E? They have them somewhere close to Santa Barbara, right?
Oh, and as an aside, I was up in your neck of the woods this weekend--drove back from Carmel partially on the 46 and 156--what cool stretches of highway. Anyways, thought that 156 was spectacular, and it's obviously wine country...drove right past Foxen Canyon.
You weren't too harsh. But it's clear they weren't your favorites! I haven't been to F&E. TJ's has enough private labels to 'keep it real' for me.
You must have come down Hwy 1, then over. Both west side 46 & 154 are good wine country areas, and not to hard on the eyes if the wines are hard on the mouth.
for the record, i've been in a jay-z black album mood for a lil bit, and i'm much more of an indie rock kid myself...
sparkling wines are funny, they seem to be much more about the producer than the price point or even region.
Haha. Now that's funny. Have you heard the Gray Album that mashes up Jay-Z's black album and the Beatles?? I am more an punk kid myself, although I have been known to stray into the indie rock territory...Some of the more formative musical experiences that I had when I was a teenager were seeing Modest Mouse and Built to Spill in tiny little clubs. Of course, those are kind of an "older guard" of "contemporary" Indie rock compared to the "newer" stuff, but I like that as well. Just the other week, I saw the Pixies; that was one of the best shows I've seen in a long while. Eh, who am I kidding though? I really like a lot of different types of music now--I guess that goes with having played guitar for 15 years. And sparkling wines? I don't know that I've had enough to know, but that would make sense since a lot of the Champagne houses in particular have a "house" style...
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