Beverage of the Week (B.O.W)

Must Wines be dry to be taken seriously? Clearly some of the world’s greatest and most iconic wines are sweet. The prices fetched for top Sauternes, the great Trockenbeerenauslese of Germany, and Tokaji are evidence of the reputations enjoyed by some of the world’s greatest sweet Wines. But what if a wine is just a little sweet? Sweet enough to not be considered dry but not so sweet enough to be considered a dessert will put a Wine in uncomfortable company.

We think this is total nonsense and it reeks of a Wine snobbery. This brand of Wine snobbery is not one fashioned by snooty sommeliers or posh Wine merchants. This Wine snobbery is championed by the vast collection of intermediate wine drinkers. These wine drinkers have proudly graduated from being novice Wine drinkers weaned on sweet pink Wines and simple semi-sweet whites. Naturally when they develop a palate and an understanding for dry wines they quickly askew the sweet and playful Wines they once enjoyed. Well we are here today to proclaim that the classroom is back in session and the topic of the day is hedonistic pleasures of sweet Wines.

As evidence to the undeniable merit of sweet Wines we offer Totally Random Sweet Red Wine. A sweet red? You bet. Sweet reds are far from new, as any good Italian Wine drinker will tell you. Totally Random is a blend of California Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah. This wine works in the glass so well because of its great balance if acidity. Balance, above all, is a Wine’s highest aspiration. Consider a well-made sweet & sour dish. This Chinese restaurant favorite has as much sugar as many desserts but the presence of a balancing acid makes it ideal for a main course rather than dessert. The same principle applies to wine.

Totally Random is wonderfully jammy and rich with raisined berries and exotic spice notes. It is best enjoyed slightly chilled and it is right at home with BBQ ribs or chicken. It’s positioned to become your summer red of choice.

Totally Random is one of the great value brands created at the great Adler Fels Winery. We have greatly enjoyed the other wines form Adler Fels that include, Coyote Creek, Big Ass, and of course Adler Fels. The winery owns no vineyards rather focusing entirely on winemaking. They seek out great fruit from many of California’s top appellations. This philosophy has served them well as confirmed by the impressive scores earned at BevX and other beverage publications.