The Grapes are Naked.

Hello, stay-at-home-w(h)iners!

I'm sure you've missed seeing the crew in action, so we've decided to appease you and the gods--specifically Dionysus--and give you a new video!

We tried out two Californian wines from The Naked Grape--a name scandalous enough to attract my attention, and a label pretty enough to hold it. And it doesn't hurt that there's a $9 price tag on these babies. So sit back, relax, and enjoy some naked grapes!

Warning: No actual grape nudity. Or nudity of any kind.





The Naked Grape Cabernet Sauvignon

I went into this wine expecting "the cheap wine burn" and some overly excited tannins (that dry feeling in your mouth) and just disappointment--especially since Cab is one of my favorite reds. And, I have to admit, I was very pleasantly surprised by this wine. It's no Rioja, but it was definitely able to stand up on its own, even for me. Even, I should say, for our white-wine-lovers.

Starting with the aroma of the wine, we were not encouraged, by finding very little diversity in the bouquet. The only aromas we could find were grape, some kind of dark fruit, and alcohol. Not very encouraging, indeed.

But once we began tasting the wine, we started to find little complexities. Blackberry was a prominent flavor, along with--strangely enough--an oaky, woody taste that was nowhere near the aromas of this wine. Dirt made an appearance, along with the elusive nutmeg kick and just maybe a hint of a cinnamon finish.

To say we were surprised by this wine would be an understatement, especially since our w(h)iners unanimously agreed it had balance, harmony, and complexity. AND the dry red got a unanimous "Yum" rating from all four of our judges--making it the ONLY dry wine (and, heck, maybe even the first wine total) to be enjoyed by every single member of The W(h)ining Army Wives [present].

We loved the label design, and the price tag (at $9) was another absolute plus.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this cabernet sauvignon? YES. Unanimously. Three of the four w(h)iners said it has mass appeal! That's saying something from those sweet-girls.


The Naked Grape Summer White Blend

Going into the Summer White Blend, I, again, was expecting an overly-sweet, just "yucky" experience for myself. And I shouldn't have gone in so judgmental of a cheap wine. Again.

This wine revealed lots of aromas to us pretty quickly--leaving us with lots of citrus (and specifically pineapple), white grape, and mango, and a nice floral smell--something like honeysuckle or orange blossom. The bouquet was light, airy, and pleasant.

As we began to taste the wine, we found pineapple to be an overwhelming winner for tastes, with just a kick of a spice we were unable to pinpoint. The wine was smooth, sweet (just a little too much so for me, personally--but I like dry wines), and had a sort of tart green apple finish to it.

We unanimously agreed there was a harmony to the flavors of this wine, with two w(h)iners finding it also complex. Three of the four w(h)iners gave it a "Yum" rating this time, with only one giving it a "Meh" for being too sweet as she continued drinking it.

Again, the beautiful label and low price made this wine a clear winner.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this wine? YES. All of our sweet-loving w(h)iners found this to be a very tasty wine! And none of us believed it to really truly be a "cheap" wine. Even I would recommend this baby!


So, there you have it, folks! Two, delicious, low-price wines that were very surprising in their tastes and qualities! Get out there and try these with us! Tell us what you think!

In-Laws Week!

Hello, my patient w(h)iners!

I know it's been a while since our last post, and we're sorry for the delay, but April has been a month full of traveling for our w(h)iners, and so we've had a minor hiatus! We'll be up and w(h)ining again soon, though!

So, in the mean time, Brandi went to Minnesota to visit her husband's family, and ended up having a wine night with them and making a video up for our fellow w(h)iners to enjoy!

So...without further ado...Enjoy this special guest edition!




We actually tried three different Minnesota wines before all these shenanigans, and I completely missed filming our reactions...Sadly.

However, the reactions weren't really great, overall, so I am just going to move on to the fun part (not that we didn't have fun--you just don't get to see it...So let's skip it!).

After we brought out the dessert cheese ball--a monster cookie cheese ball made by the lovely Lexi--we decided we needed to end the night on a good note, wine-wise. Hallie and I searched out a good red she'd found before, and Bruce broke out the yummy white, and we had an entirely new tasting!

Malbec-Merlot blend, Casa Piedra Alta, 2012

We started off the after-party-of-sorts with a dry, red wine from Argentina. This "House of the Higher Rock" wine was a deliciously smooth wine.

In the nose, we started off by smelling "deliciousness" and dried chiles, and "a lot of work." Whatever that means. Another w(h)iner pointed out a cotton smell, which was mistaken for hot, and also valid. The w(h)iners carried on with the bouquet, finding "attitude" in the smell, as well, which, sadly is pretty accurate. One w(h)iner found what we later termed, "terminal bread." Points go to the DeWitts (and co.) for creativity, certainly.

Moving on the the taste before we got any more ridiculous, we found an instant smoothness, though our not-so-wine-lovers thought it was vinegary and just "bad." There were certainly some tannins, and those of us who actually loved the wine eventually came to a consensus that it, "has a bite in the beginning, gets peppery in the middle, and finishes with dark chocolate." We did concede a slightly metallic taste mixed in, as well, but overall, it was a smooth and luscious wine.

The label we found to be fairly classy, and a little elitist, though not deterring. And with a $30 price point, it could stand to be elitist.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this wine? Yes--If you like wine (and particularly dry reds), I would say give it a shot! The price would not deter me in any way after trying this delicious wine!


Sauvignon Blanc, Joseph Mellot, 2011

After a short intermission, we moved on to a surprisingly semi-dry white wine from France.

Right at the front, we found grapefruit to be the overwhelming aroma, closely followed by honeysuckle and sugar. One w(h)iner proclaimed that she would wear it as a perfume, and we continued to deem it worthy of being a sugar body scrub. Ladies.

After such a sweet bouquet, I honestly went in expecting not to like this wine. And I was pleasantly surprised.

Grapefruit, again, was the initial taste that wowed the crowd in the smooth texture of the wine. We added on to our taste profile with "a little honey" taste, and some sort of berries--one w(h)iner guessed at blackberries. A honeydew taste joined in, added to the crisp, refreshing nature of the wine, though there was just the barest hint of a tartness at the back end. After a long guessing game, we ended the tasting with a red anjou pear to join the mix, and called it a wrap.

The label was, again, a fairly classic one, with nothing too exciting or off-putting. With about an $18 price tag, this wine hit us just right.

Bottom line: Would we recommend this wine? Yes--If you like a sweet, just-sort-of dry white with a nice, crisp taste throughout, this is a beautiful one! Seriously, Lexi gave it a smiley face in a bubble bath. What's better than that?


And that, my friends is all she wrote! I hope the long video didn't deter you, especially when some really delicious wines and fun times were involved in this particular tasting!

If you're looking for some help in making your own tasting happen, visit our Tasting Page for more info about how we throw our wine nights!

And, as always, check out the W(h)iner's Circle for an updated list of The W(h)ining Army Wives' recommended wines!