Remember Gallo Hearty Burgundy, the jug wine that many of us sampled in our early days as wine drinkers? Well, it’s back, and while it’s been many years between tastes, it seems to be new and improved.
The Hearty Burgundy is one of eight new wines – all scheduled to retail at between $5 and $6 – under the Gallo Family Twin Valley label. I’ve tasted most of them, and they’re far better than most of the wines in their price range. In fact, there’s no comparison between Gallo’s offerings and the Two-(or Three)-Buck Chuck at Trader Joe’s.
In my opinion, Gallo is like Anheuser-Busch. There is enough talent in the organization and the laboratories to make wine or beer of any quality they desire. They both make a wide variety of products, most aimed directly at a competitor or two, all aimed so as to provide any style a drinker wants, in any price range.
The wines are not vintage-dated, and the grapes are sourced from throughout California. With the exception of the Hearty Burgundy, all have specific grape names on the label, which means that the wine is at least 75 percent from the named grape – Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz (or Syrah), Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, White Zinfandel and White Merlot. The latter two, of course, are pale pink, much sweeter and with less alcohol than the others; the color (or lack of it) comes from removing the grape skins, which are the basis of color in wine, immediately after the initial pressing.
The Hearty Burgundy is a blend of many red grapes – Zinfandel, Syrah, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, according to the press material.
There is good spice in the aroma, and a definite trace of oak. The balance feels proper in the mouth, and the blend is rich and tasty, not like a French Burgundy, of course, but a good accompaniment to dinner. Dark plums and berries show in the flavor.
All the Twin Valley wines are table wines, the kind that come with a crown cap and often are sold in grocery stores in France or Italy or Greece, but which go so nicely with any meal in a small roadside bistro or trattoria or taverna.
The Hearty Burgundy was my favorite among the Twin Valley wines I tasted. The Chardonnay was satisfactory, with medium body and a flavor that had a hint of the buttery note of big American Chardonnays but nicely balanced by a crispness. Same for the Sauvignon Blanc, on the light side with not quite enough acidity.
The Cabernet Sauvignon was extremely satisfactory, the good grape flavor deepening into plums. Shiraz was pleasant enough, and both should work nicely with a backyard barbecue of hamburgers, chops or steak.
The "white" abominations didn’t work at all. The Zinfandel, more objectionable than the Merlot, tasted mostly of strawberry Kool-Aid and a general insipid sweetness.
All in all, however, the "real" wines were passable to good, and at the $5 level, they’re a winning accompaniment to any meal.
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