Wednesday, October 29, 2008

2003 Kiona Cabernet/Merlot Blend

Kiona will always hold a special place in my heart. I went on a wine tasting tour with a bus-load of friends and Kiona was one of our stops. What I found was proof that an $8 bottle of table wine doesn't have to taste like an $8 bottle of table wine.

Kiona is by no means perfect, but for the price, it is a lovely drinking wine that has more character than other alternatives. The nose is super oaky. I'm reminded of Gary Vaynerchuk's "Oak Monster" comment. Its forgivable because it is interesting. This is not your mama's box wine.

On the palate, the wine is definitly oaky, but also exibits a fruity flavor. I think of sour cherries, finishing towards a bittersweet chocolate, to just a pure bitterness.

This is not a prestigious wine. If you are having company, look elsewhere. But for an inexpensive wine, you could do worse. In fact, this is good enough to have been the red wine at my wedding reception. Great budget wine for events.

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