One of the reasons I should avoid buying wine at Safeway is that the wine section is right next to the counter where you can get chicken wings to go.   How would you like to try smelling buffalo wings while shopping for wine and not buying them?   So, I picked up a bottle that can pair with wings  

The Treo is a blend of Merlot, Syrah, and Petite Sirah.   The percentages aren’t specified, but from the nose I would guess this is about 50% Merlot.   OK, Googling it.    45%, I was close.   Plum and cherry on the nose, and it smells sugary.   Smells like Merlot, tastes like Petite Sirah.  This wine has some serious bite.   Be sure to serve at cellar temperature because this would be way too harsh straight out of the wine rack.   I am liking the finish, tangy cherry and cranberry.   Compared to the midplate, the finish is more smooth and soft.   The tasting notes on the bottle recommend to have it with BBQ, and this was a pretty nice one to pair with the wings.

$15.00/bottle

Double

This is a bottle of sparkling wine.   Not Champagne.   It is only Champagne if it is from the Champagne region in France, and the grapes for this wine were grown in Sonoma County.   However, it was produced méthode champenoise – not just carbonated.   This means… millions of tiny bubbles in the glass!

If you enjoy very dry sparkling wines, pass on this one.  However, if you enjoy a wine that starts of sweet but finishes tangy, try Va De Vi.   It is mostly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with a little Muscat blended in.   I smelled lots of apple, but it tasted more like pear and peach.   As soon as you sip, you can taste a hint of that sweet muscat.   But not for long… the mouthfeel has lots of pear and sour apple, and the finish was a little creamy with nice acidity.   Pairing:   creamy cheeses.   Or very enjoyable on its own.   This wine definitely has substance, and is great for the price.   Budget special occasion bubbly…   I feel it has more character than Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, and costs less.   If it came in half bottles, I would be in trouble.

$22/bottle.   Yes, over the usual $20 limit but you can probably find it on sale for $19  :-)

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