Alcohol content: 13.5%

Category: other reds (Rosé)

Description per label: Think pink! Who says three’s a crowd? Some love our Red, some love our White, everyone loves our Pink.

Price: $10.99

Review:

Labor Day weekend of 1999 I found myself closing out the summer in Bridgehampton. It was there that I was last confronted with the act of debauchery that is this wine’s name. I was at a share house with six other wild alcohol enthusiasts when, after an all-day wine sampling marathon and polo match, my date and one of my floozy roommates thought this act may be a good idea. My response was to smack him in the face and ‘accidently’ spilled red wine all over her white dress.

So when I first happened upon this particular bottle I cringed at the memory. However, the wine leaves a slightly better impression than that dreadful weekend.

With its pink appearance some may feel the need to compare it to a White Zinfandel. Don’t. This Rosé is much less fruity but still perfect for someone who is accustomed to sweeter wines. It blends three varietals – Merlot, Syrah and Gewürztraminer and is best served very chilled. The taste is a bit thin but remains sweet on the front, smooth through the finish and boasts hints of raspberries, honeydew and strawberry. I’ve found a bottle or trois (3) refreshing enough to cool down even the steamiest of late summer evenings.

On the SMS scale (1-10) I rate the wine a 7 but I will let you rate the act itself.

Suggested Pairings: Pizza, polo matches, and potluck dinners.

For more from Lea, visit her at HotandHealthyMom.com

Alcohol content: 13%

Price:  $12.99

Description per label:  The Delta Wine Company is a partnership… blah, blah, blah. It’s pungent and gooseberryish on the nose with dry nettley fruit on the palate and an intense lingering finish on the palate. It is like…blah, blah, blah.


Review:
This yarn begins years ago after a long and intense sampling session.  I was being challenged by a rather belligerent fellow sommelier.  I would say ‘black cherry’ he would counter ‘chokeberry’.   I would say ‘hints of pear’ he would argue ‘notes of peach’— and so it went.  When the conversation degraded to the wines of New Zealand, I calmly removed his spectacles and crushed them. We exchanged unpleasantries and I ended this four-hour dispute by pulling his Mr. Roger’s cardigan over his head and kicking him in the grapes. The net result being, I was banned from my favorite wine market for two months.

New Zealand wines can often be a gamble, as sheep tend to be the chief vintners at many wineries.  But I’ll roll the dice with a Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region. Upon twisting off the screw cap of this Delta blend and pouring a sample of the golden liquid, my opinion was quickly formed. The best part of this particular varietal was the pleasant, sweet and berry-like aroma. The taste was that of a watered-down dessert wine with a lingering, pale grapefruity finish. I think this is a fair entertainment wine to be brought out after “the good stuff” has been drained. Usually by that point in the revelry most guests will appreciate most any wine.

On the SMS scale (1-10) I would rate this blend a 4 without a blink.

Suggested pairings:  Oysters, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Thai food and celebrating the birth of your weird friend’s fifth child.

For more from Lea, visit her at HotandHealthyMom.com

Alcohol content:  A flammable 15.5%

Price: $9.99

Description per label:  Bitch 42x (seriously).
 
Review:
I’d been having quite a week when I stumbled upon this sweet treat at my local wine mart. Between the stifling heat of a Florida summer, the devastating news that school starts a week later than anticipated, and the fact that my roster of babysitters were all headed off to college within days, I was in need of a wine that matched my mood. This Bitch beckoned and I answered by grabbing a bottle, okay, two and headed to the checkout with an extra spring in my step.

A Grenache, for those not in the know, is a dessert wine known for it’s medium-bodied flavor and potent alcohol content. If not consumed with copious amounts of food, a Grenache can easily burn the belly. Because of this fact, I pulled out my son’s leftover birthday cake and got down to the task at hand – drinking. This ruby-colored wine did not disappoint. It boasts an alluring bouquet of smoke, cherries and strawberries with a smooth and mildly sweet finish. On the SMS scale (1-10) I rate this Bitch a 6.

On a side note, it makes a great gift. I am planning on giving a bottle to my mother-in-law.

Suggested pairings: Chocolate cake and an Ambien.

For more from Lea, visit her at HotandHealthyMom.com

Alcohol content: 11.5%

Price: $6.99

Description per label: We all know that being a Mommy is a difficult job. A Mommy’s Time Out is a well-deserved break. This wine is delicate and fruity.

Review:  
Any time a wine implicitly or explicitly encourages the shirking of parental duties my sommelier senses draw me in like a zombie to brains. By now I’m sure you’ve noticed the eerie similarity between the two.  Case in point?  The toddler-toting mom’s gait and the night of the living dead shuffle.  Or how about that thousand mile stare and disheveled appearance of any new parent? When I dragged across this Italian blend, packing my own dual toddlers, I was sold by the name alone. Upon sampling, my expectations of mediocrity were confirmed. The aroma was sweet and fruity and the taste watered down. The finish of this varietal, although lasting, was acidic and lackluster. Always bear in mind that with all gimmicky products at low prices you should never set the bar too high.  This axiom also applies to most celebrity vinted blends. My primary knock is that the alcohol content is an impotent 11.5%.

On the SMS rating scale (1-10) I rate this a mediocre 4.

Suggested pairings: Bunco, Book Clubs, Baby Showers, and Bitching and Moaning.

Price: $6-$8

Sweet to Dry Scale: 7*

This week’s wine was overall not bad. My husband described it as very light bodied, so there wasn’t a whole lot of bite to it. Also, it was really not great on the first day it was open. After a day or two of mellowing out, however, it turned out to be much better. If you happen to have a decanter, that would obviously speed that process up! It was sweet without making anyone gag, and it had enough dryness to balance it out. All in all, a decent Malbec for the price, and if you like Malbecs, you will probably like this one. But seriously..wait a while after you open it before you try it!

Bang for your Buck: Not bad. For under $10, this really isn’t terrible!

*The Sweet to Dry Scale tells you just how dry the wine is, based on a number that my husband and I agree on. The higher the number, the dryer the wine. (0=sweet, 10=dry) My husband likes wines that are a 9 or 10. I like wines that are a 5 or 6.

Want non wine related deals? Check out The Budget Mommy’s Facebook Page!

Alcohol content: 13.9%

Price: $24.99

Description per label: 2008 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast cool climate vineyards, Artisan Winemaking. Classic Pinot Noir.

Review:

Due to the various complexities attributed to a good pinot noir, tasting is no easy task. However, drinking an entire bottle of this heavenly liquid is. For less than $25 you are delivered one of the finest varietals in the mid-range Pinot Noir universe. The sophisticated and elegant Sonoma Coast red blesses the palate with numerous pleasing tastes and smells. I find downing copious amounts of La Crema Pinot Noir with breakfast, lunch and dinner perfectly acceptable.

To be candid, I could literally bathe in this wine. I’ve been known to drink it warm or chilled, directly out of the bottle, a glass, a boot, standing and prone. At time of press, I was suckling it from the nipple of a Born Free bottle. Not to go over the precipice with this review but I could rationalize abandoning my day job to allocate my waking hours to just guzzling this red devil. Of course, that may ruin my career, reputation, liver, marriage, and leave me penniless and insane, but nevertheless a laudable consideration….

On the SMS scale of (1-10) it’s a deftly crafted 9.5.

Suggested pairings: Russian caviar, a rare filet mignon, buttery Maine lobster, au gratin potatoes, brownie a la mode, good friends and several more bottles.

For more from Lea, visit: http://www.hotandhealthymom.com