Finally Wine Blogging Wednesday is back, this time hosted by the lovely and talented Pim of ChezPim.
The theme? Wacky Name Wines.
Before I get into my wine for the event, I’d just like to thank Pim for hosting and for picking a great theme, and also to all those WBWers out there for making the event a growing success.
I think we’ll have a record turn out this time around!
As for my wine…after searching high and low for an adequately named bottle of vino that I’d actually want to try, I stumbled upon the Royal Bitch line of wines, a 2001 Reserve Merlot, which I bought, and a 2003 Chardonnay, which I didn’t.
It was not easy finding any information about this wine on the Internet and the bottle didn’t have much information either, sadly. However, I know that the wine behind the bitch is actually Chilean and that it is 13.5% alcohol.
Yes, that’s all the information on the bottle, along with some corny line about "bitch" on the back.
Quite honestly, I didn’t have high hopes for how the wine would taste, despite its Chilean lineage. I expected mediocrity or worse…and that’s more or less what I was treated to.
Eyes: A little reminiscent of Welch’s grape juice, it’s a deep purple color with slightly more redish edges. Looks rich and full. Doesn’t look weak or watery, which sort of what I expected.
Nose: Lots of raspberry and some faint tobacco hints, but there is some sort of "off" note at the end. It actually reminds me a bit of a turpentine funk. Obviously I dont’ think turpentine is good in a Merlot.
The funky turpentine smells did dissipate after half and hour or so in the glass and eventually disappeared almost completely.
Tongue: Good raspberry and blackberry with much more tannic grip than I expected, even if the tannins are a bit raw right out of the bottle. Not complex in the least, but it’s an easy-to-drink wine.
As for the finish…well, the finish wasn’t long enough to even consider, seemingly evaporating the second it hits your tongue. This is definitely a wine that is here one second and gone the next.
Price: $10
Food: We drank it with a simple, but delicious dinner of roasted pork, potatoes sauteed with onions and garlic, and a green salad. The turpentine aromas didn’t really pair well, but what would go with turpentine?
Overall: For me, the best way to categorize this wine is to call it "okay." If it were served at a party (hosted by a non-wine nerd), I’d not drink the ever-present party Pinot Grigio instead, but I’d probably not serve this wine to anyone…including myself.
It actually grew on Nena though…so maybe I’m being too hard on it. A good bitch is hard to find after all.