2004 Red Bicyclette Syrah
Posted on May 15, 2006
Filed Under: Food and Wine
Tagged: every day drinking, red bicyclette, red wine, syrah, wine, wine spectator
Wine Spectator magazine has an advertising segment called “wine EVERY DAY” (or WE) which proclaims that “wine every day does not mean every day wines.”
Each month’s 2 page spread features a wine readily available at your local grocery store including brands like Ecco Domani, Gallo of Sonoma and Mirassou.
Wines like these are in many ways similar to a trip to Wal-Mart - the experience doesn’t live up to the marketing, it’s clearly a high volume operation, typically leaves me feeling unsatisfied...and fortunately for me, is a rarity.
Even though I should know better, the ad in May’s issue prompted me to pick up a bottle of 2004 Red Bicyclette Syrah on Saturday night at Giant in Fredericksburg.
Why?
Maybe it was the thought of picking spinach from the garden for a fresh salad and grilling some lamb on Sunday for lunch. Then again, maybe it was the $7.99 price tag. (You have to admit, a $7.99 price tag is pretty appealing.)
According to the advertisement and the bottle’s label, the wine offers “the best grapes found in the Languedoc region of France”, which is odd since the wine is produced by American wine giant Gallo. Surely we have cheap quality syrah here. The label goes on to paint a portrait of a leisurely life in the region complete with small villages to be explored by bicycle. Very little is actually said about the character of the wine in the bottle though. (At least they’re not setting my expectations too high, I thought.)
The Languedoc is located on the Mediterranean Sea, nestled between Spain and the Rhone. While I’m sure there are some wonderful wines from this region, most of what I’ve seen are Vin de Pays, or “country wine”, which can be thought of as a step above a table wine - in other words, great for every day drinking.
Red Bicyclette’s Syrah is no exception. This deep purple wine is fruit, fruit, fruit. It’s rich on the nose, jammy in the mouth and ... and ... and ... and that’s about it.
There’s nothing special here. There are no subtleties about this wine - nothing to explore in the nose or on the palate. Overall, I think wines of this type are unsatisfying in that they leave little to the imagination. They’re “produced” not “crafted” ... but then, at $7.99 a bottle, I’m not paying for a vintner in the Languedoc to craft a fine wine.
I have to admit though, it was exactly what I wanted with lunch. It tied in very well with the spinach, blue cheese and meat from the grill.
So, will several bottles of Red Bicyclette find their way onto my wine rack? Nope.
Will I give this wine as a gift to someone? No way.
Will I pick up a bottle now and again to compliment a simple meal from the grill? You better believe it.
Looking for something inexpensive and very easy to drink to serve with anything from the grill this summer? Red Bicyclette’s Syrah just may be your answer.
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