Our Daily Red, 2005
Our Daily Red, 2005 California Red Wine, WBW
$7.99
WebWino says:
This WBW assignment was to try a red wine with a lower alcohol content. I consulted my wine rack and found an organic wine that qualified. I bought it with high hopes, because I’m a fan of the whole organic deal, and it has a great gimmick with the name “Our Daily Red.” I wanted to love this wine, and so naturally you can see where this is going…
GONG!
I can tell you exactly what this wine tasted like. You know when you don’t finish a bottle (it’s ok, happens to the best of us) so you recork it. And the next day although you wouldn’t serve it to a guest, you hate to waste the wine, so you polish off the bottle. And thanks to the overnight air exposure the wine tastes a little vinegar-y and over ripe, with just a passing resemblance to the wine you enjoyed the night before.
Well, that my friends is the dominant flavor in Our Daily Red. It tastes like yesterday’s wine. (Or maybe the day before yesterday). And it was murky, which was just weird. And what is even weirder is that although this qualifies as a “Lite Alcohol Red” it had a really strong alcohol flavor.
I’m quite certain it is not the the lower alcohol content that makes this wine bad. And I’d like to think it is not the fact that it is organic that made it crummy, although there’s a chance I’m being too optimistic. Truth is, I missed the sulfites. Some day I’ll give organic wine another shot. Until then I recommend getting your daily red from other sources.
This wine review is a part of Wine Blogging Wednesday #22, Lite (alcohol) Reds.
UPDATE: This wine was given a second chance review, with a much different outcome. You can read the new review here.
[...] The folks at Vino Keeno joined our monthly tasting again with an organic blend being marketed as, “Our Daily Red.” WebWino didn’t find this California wine too keeno but did come up with a classic tasting note that summarizes the flavors as being just like, “…yesterday’s wine. (Or maybe the day before yesterday)”. Yuck! Hmm, I’m gonna chalk this one in the “bad due to organic methods” category and not for being lite in alcohol. [...]
I am a sales rep for a company that distributes this wine in Ohio. While it admittedly is not my favorite wine out there, it seems to me you may have had a bad bottle. I have poured this and tasted it numerous times and it is actually quite good. While I agree with you that sulfites are an important additive, it is not the missing sulfites that made your bottle taste that way. It should not be “murky” at all, in fact is usually quite clear and ruby red, with strong cherry aromas and even some spice on the finish.
Our Daily Red is our company’s #1 selling wine, and continues to grow in popularity. While I admit that there are plenty of people out there who like what I consider “bad” wine (any mass market wine that sells like mad!), Our Daily Red sells out in most stores every single week, and there can’t be that many people that have no palate at all!
As for organic wine, I would definitely suggest trying more. My company carries more organic wine in Ohio than any other. Before I took this job, I did not understand fully what organic wine was, and I have really gained an education. I would suggest trying one that does have sulfites added, as not all organics are NSA (no sulfites added) or sulfite free, and are quite good. In fact, if you feel brave, I would get another bottle of Our Daily Red and try it again. It really is a good daily table wine, and I think you may be surprised by a new bottle. Make sure you buy the 2005 vintage again, preferably from a store that really sells a good amount of this wine.
Another suggestion for you to try: Nuevomundo Cab/Malbec from Chile. It is organic, with sulfites, and is very powerful, fragrant, complex, with a beautiful dark red color with hints of violet. Look for the 2004 vintage, should be about $13.99.
I will most certainly try the wine again, and post my results on the site. Thank you so much for your comments, and for your honesty.
Would be very interested in how your second tasting went? This wine gets favorable reviews here amongst the local mountain folk in NC. For $7, people think it’s not so bad.
Do you really taste vinegar?
Finally posted the re-review. Turns out I did have a bad bottle the first time, and I did really enjoy the wine the second time around. There is a link to the second review in the post above.