Not a Trader Joe’s exclusive, the “?” Red Blend sells for ten bucks on Oreana’s website and for $5.99 at Trader Joe’s. The “?” is a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the bottle says the grapes are sourced from California, which means the grapes are grown in several California wine AVA’s, but Oreana Winery is located in Santa Barbara in Southern California. The alcohol content is 14.5%.
The color is raspberry jelly red. The nose is strawberry Twizzlers, a little Nestle’s Quick powder and Frango Mints. After the candy counter nose, I was expecting the wine to be sweet, but it’s not, there is loads of fruit on the palate, to be sure, but it is surprisingly balanced. There is black cherry, blueberry, strawberry, some Australian Shiraz-style spice, with and underlying layer of double chocolate cake holding everything together. There is a slightly watery blueberry finish that is not particularly strong, but does linger for a while.
The Oreana Winery “?” Red Blend is not a sophisticated or an elegant wine, but it makes a real good $5.99 party wine. It goes down easy, it has flavors that are easily accessible to the average wine drinker and it does not break the bank.
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