Welcome to 2017!!! Yeah I’m kinda late but hey! You are here so let’s rock! Jumping right in.

So there has been a trend going on of adding alcohol to wine. Oh baby! Your Sunday brunch mimosa got an upgrade thanks to articles from Cosmo and Bon Appétit. But this isn’t quite that.

In the Fall of 2016, Apothic Wines released Inferno- their limited edition red wine blend. If you were fortunate enough to try the “hot wine” it was a treat! It had a smoky but spicy kick to it and it didn’t take long to get a buzz.  You were able to taste the whiskey but it wasn’t overpowering.  You could still taste your favorite wine notes. This wine is aged in a whiskey barrel.  This is a revisited practice amongst vintners that allows them to sell the barrel to a distillery after the wine is of age. Recycling at its finest. But since the alcohol content of your favorite brown liquor is higher, it absorbs into the wine. I think there’s a mad scientist somewhere crying because this is pretty genius!

Although Apothic Inferno is off the market here are two wines on your local shelf  under $20 bucks!

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon – How do you marry Kentucky Bourbon with a Cali Cab?? This! I picked this one up on a Friday at a tasting before Snowmageddon 2017, which turned out to be nothing, but this wine made me forget the pathological lies of the meteorologist. Nestled in deep berries and brown sugar, I liked the overall sweet finish but lingering notes of the bourbon. Cabs are good with dark meats but I enjoyed this with a nice hearty chili. Very toasty for those cold winter nights!

Jacob’s Creek Double-Barrel Shiraz– From the land down under, popular vintners Jacob’s Creek created two barrel-aged wines–a Cabernet and Shiraz.  Reviews on this one note the cocoa, vanilla and spices aged in whiskey barrels. Shiraz are known for the deep colors and deep bodies but has a sweeter taste so if you are tired of your everyday Cab this might be a good crossover!

Wild card:

Are you ready??? No, really. I might lose a few of y’all…. But my research led me to:

I’m not going to go into the deets on this one but for you white wine lovers, check out Trump Winery who created a cru wine of bourbon-barreled Chardonnay. I can imagine it’s on the sweeter side but let me know if you find it or have tried it.  Also,  they have some pretty cool recipes which I am sure you can try with just about any wine! Look, I just led you to the bottle–doesn’t mean you have to sip. LOL!

As always you know what to do and where to follow! See you next week!

@thedejavines