It was dark,windy and raining and I was wandering the wine section of my neighborhood grocery store in a foul mood when I spotted  2 wine labels that made me happy. So I bought them strictly on the fact that they were fun, pretty and made me smile.

I wanted to know if the taste would make me feel the same?

The first one is called Bohemian Highway California Chardonnay 2008.  (www.bohemianhighwaywines.com)

The label was very calming with blues, greens & golds. It looked like a pastel/chalk painting depicting a beach scene with palm trees, stars and the waves rolling onto the beach…I so wanted to be there!

The first smell of the wine was amazing. Lots of pear, apple, vanilla and honey

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The first taste was heavy on the tongue with an almost, I hate to say, “cough syrup” quality. Very herbal, mint, citrus & it had a semi-clean finish that made it tolerable. I just got it out of the fridge so it was very cold so I decided to let it warm up and breathe for about 30 min. I’m glad I did because it became lighter in taste. Luckily that beautiful smell was still there but a citrus taste of lemons, limes and apples came forward with a hint of vanilla. I found it quite drinkable & refreshing.

The next wine is Big House Pink 2006 California Pink Wine.  (www.bighousewines.com)

I read what grapes they used to make this and it seems they threw in everything “but the kitchen sink”. It has Sangiovese, Carignane, Syrah, Zinfandel, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Barbera! 

The Big House wine labels are known for their prison themes because the vineyards are close to an actual prison…very clever. But what got me on this label was the pink flamingos. I have a thing for flamingos. I guess I envy their long legs and gracefulness (something I don’t have). They have even been known to be in our yard (that’s a story for another time)…Well anyway, the label made me laugh because it showed pink flamingos outside the prison house and it even had flamingos on the neck of the bottle close to the pink screw cap.

Again, I just got the bottle out of the fridge so the smell was heavy with forest floor, minerals and a light raspberry.

The taste was mineral, pepper, vanilla, and violets. It was light on the tongue and had a semi-clean finish.

As it began to warm up, the smell of forest floor was gone and it became a little more berry. 

The taste was less earthy and more mellow. A delightful spicy vanilla-cherry flavor developed. It was creamy but not tart.

Both of these wines surprised me and made me think of warmer weather and sitting on a patio.

So the answer is YES! I felt fun, pretty and I smiled a lot! And these wines were around the $10 range…even better.