...a bottle of wine and thou

Bonny Doon Ca' del Solo Big House Red

Price: $10 bottle
Type: blend
Cork: stelvin screw cap
Rating: 9

Oh, my! I understand why Kevin Currie found this wine so difficult to describe. I also have to agree wholeheartedly with his suggestion you just buy a bottle and discover it for yourself. It's well worth your ten dollars.

First, this starts with a rich, bold aroma. When I smell a wine this strong, I expect an equally strong aftertaste. Instead, Big House Red finishes smooth and easy, without any dry bitterness. My husband was stunned. With every sip, he was braced for a strong bitter aftertaste which never came. I don't know how they did it. A richly dark wine with this much flavor normally has a serious kick at the end. The smooth finish takes some getting used to.

The flavor itself is a real delight for the tongue. I don't know where to begin describing it. The wine is sweet but not cloying, tangy but not tart. There's so much in there I don't know where to start. All I can say for sure is I like it.

I wish I could offer a better analysis, but there's a lot going on in this wine. Big House Red is a blend of 8 different grapes. The result is a, well - Big - flavor which defies easy categorization.

One incidental thing I really love is the easy to open stelvin screw cap closure. I understand the nostalgic appeal of corks, even artificial ones, but the security of having a reliably good wine (no cork taint!) makes the screw cap well worth it.

I will definitely buy this wine again. In fact, I want to try their Big House White as well.

posted by Chris Rachael Oseland at 8:59 PM