Wine Review: Rex Goliath-Lots of Value for a Little Chicken Scratch

Are you seeking a wine that is good for sports night sipping that can cater to a variety of tastes? You may want to pull together a few dollars and buy HRM Rex Goliath 47 Pound Rooster Merlot. Some of the words that might describe Rex Goliath’s Merlot dark, ripe, smooth, plumb, cedar, and cherry. Very little back of the tongue tannin aftertaste but still maintains mouth-filling flavor. It is a medium-bodied wine from California.  One of the best wine values I have come across for under $5.00.

According to WineSearcher.com Rex 47 Pound Rooster is the 1152st most popular wine on their site. Various other reviews rank the wine 3.5-4 out of 5 stars. This means that most of the customers found the wine to be of quality value and a discount price. Comments such as “great taste”, “smooth”, and “candy” are common.

My personal impression is that the wine is great for casual drinking. It is likely to cater to a very broad range of non-serious wine drinkers. Low tannin and acidity help make the wine comfortable to the average crowd. By no means is it a high quality wine but it tastes just fine for the price. Some love it, some call it flat, but I am somewhere in the middle.

In case you are wondering whom that big bird is on the bottle it is Rex Goliath the world’s largest rooster. People came to Texas’s fairs to see and hold the large rooster. The label is part of its vintage artwork and circus banner. The wine’s label is designed to honor the animal by providing a strong option for everyday chicken pairing.

http://www.rexgoliath.com

Silver Medal

2013 Critics Challenge
2013 Long Beach Grand Cru
2013 World Value Wine Challenge

Best Buy, 89 Points

2013 World Value Wine Challenge

88 Points

2013 Ultimate Wine Challenge

Wine Review: Fetzer's Light Tasting Merlot

Fetzer’s Merlot offers an everyday wine that fits well with a variety of food choices. The wine itself was a strong purchase for under $10 per bottle. I was pleased with the quality and unlike many of the brands I have tried there is a high potential that I would purchase this wine again. Of course, that does not mean I found the “perfect” wine but it does mean that Fetzer’s Merlot was of sufficient quality and taste to make it a recommendation for daily use.

Merlot is generally a light and fruity brand. In particular, Fetzer has a slightly higher pitched aftertaste even though the wine is smooth in its contour. Merlot is much softer and subtler in taste than Cabernet Sauvignon. It provides for an excellent choice for those who do not want to pucker. Such wine is drier than other varieties and has lower tannin levels that encourage this smoothness.

Since it is lighter to the senses it also goes well with lighter tasting foods that do not overpower it. It pairs well with a variety of different foods such as hamburgers, pork, chicken, cheese, meat that includes mushrooms and garlic. Merlot does not pair well with vegetables and it should be avoided when eating heavily out of this food group.

Fetzer offers the varieties of Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, White Zinfandel, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Mascato, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Malbec, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each of these wines a slightly different taste and texture based in its berry selection and fermentation process. You may read about each of the wines on their site at http://www.fetzer.com

The vineyard was originally founded in 1968 in Mendocino County California. It was part of a family owned business that was bought out by Brown-Foreman Corporation. They would test their grapes and productions within small gardens and if the quality was strong they would expand this experimental process to other parts of their vineyard.

Fetzer prides itself on its sustainable business practices. They have reduced their landfill waste by 95% while still providing a strong wine. Such sustainable products are a positive aspect of some companies that seek to raise their public impression while still maintaining an economically viable product. Reducing waste, pollution, and other causes of a depleting environment is a responsible business approach. 

Wine Review: Merlot by Berenda Road

Seeking out the perfect but affordable wine is never an easy task.  The trail in the woods is never easy to find and seems to be covered in the leaves of many alternatives. Occasionally kicking up these leaves an opportunity to find one or two, which are worth trying, come around. Some are generic and offered in every cheap liquor store while others may be more specialized and home grown.  However, finding an affordable Merlot that does not make your mouth pucker is worth it-especially if it is under $12 a bottle.

In my life I have tried both expensive and cheap wine and have been pleasantly surprised by both. However, as the economy drags in its passive growth many might appreciated some advice on some everyday table wine. Berenda Road Merlot 13.8% Alc. has a fruity and wet taste with enough spice to make it interesting. It may take you a while to feel light headed but it still offers a reasonable taste for an over-the-counter price.

The Berenda Road wine was processed using grapes from Temecula Valley and was aged 14 months in small oak barrels before being bottled. The use of oak barrels is said to improve the sweetness of the wine through the unique oxidization process. Commercial wine will often be stored in such barrels from a year to two years to create a more vanilla flavor. American oak work best with red wines. 

Merlot is a medium dark wine made with dark berries. It is believed to come from an old French word meaning black bird. Such wines come from grapes that have high sugar content and low levels of acid. California wine has come of professional age since the 1980's and ranges from the more generic types to deep barrel curing. The depth and quality of the wine ranges with a general focus of price. Merlot by Berenda Road is no different.

Berenda Road Merlot comes is bottled at South Coast Winery in Temecula, California. The South Coast Winery and Spa creates an inviting atmosphere for visitors with a hotel, wine club, spa, and other amenities. The nightly price is around $180+ per night and is ranked four out of five stars by many visitors. You may find more information at http://southcoastwinery.com/

This wine appeared to be worth the price. It has a medium heaviness, a grape and spice body, and a little sweetness. There is just a touch of graininess. In general such a wine might work well on the dinner table or for a reasonable choice during the weekdays. It certainly isn't going to impress anyone unless you don't tell them about the price. It is an everyday wine with no thrills.