Today I’m talking about the Naked Grape wines. Specifically, their Pinot Noir. Again, it’s on special at my local Vons grocery for $5.99 but usually retails for close to $10. They have a gamut of wines, which I’m sure I’ll get to, as long as the price stays below my $10 mark.
By the way – every now and then I will pull out a good to great bottle of wine, either one given to us, drunk with friends, or in our stash from dashing up to wine country. And occasionally I may highlight a $15 bottle of wine – but in this economy and with the current income level of all my friends, I’ll be keeping it mostly under $10.
So, to get back to the Naked Grape. I’m not sure why they came up with this name, unless this is the company that bought the name of Naked Chardonnay from the then Four Vines Winery (now it’s Cypher and they’re located on highway 46 in central California, Paso Robles – not that they’re one of my FAVORITE wineries or anything – ahem). If so, then all right, I understand. At any rate, their label says they are “Vinted and bottled by Grape Valley Wine Company in Modesto, California”. So it sounds like they don’t have their own vineyards but buy grapes and make wine.
Hey, they’re not alone.
Their Pinot Noir, according to the label, is “medium bodied and rich with aromas of black cherry and blueberry”.
Excuse me while I inhale.
Um, I’m getting nothing but cold waftings. Pardon me while I go test the wine that I opened 30 minutes ago rather than the dregs left over from last night’s dinner.
Ahh, that’s better…now as soon as someone can tell me how to get my wine glasses clean WITHOUT the scent of dishwasher soap in it, I’ll be grateful.
Back to the scent of the wine…okay, I admit, I smell fruit. And yes, I know what a blueberry and what a black cherry smells like. This just smells like – fruit. Not even especially grape.
My take on the wine? It’s drinkable. (taking a quick taste…) Yep, drinkable. Not, maybe, as good an all around sipping wine as the Smoking Loon, but definitely drinkable and fine with food (we had it with dinner last night, and since there’s a new bottle open and dinner is in the oven…my guess is we’ll have it with dinner tonight).
So if you’re looking for a wine that doesn’t break the bank, try the Naked Grape Pinot Noir. If you like it enough, it might even make a good bottle to take when you’ve been invited over to a friend’s house for dinner.
At any rate, it couldn’t hurt!
My Rating: The Naked Grape Pinot Noir (not dated) is >Drinkable<
My Rating System:
Undrinkable
Barely Drinkable (best if it’s the second or third bottle of the night)
Drinkable
Very Drinkable
This is MY wine, you slut! Stay away!
Great idea for a wine blog. I love all wine really… not too picky. I do love a good pinot grigio though and merlot. But I’ll take sangria too!
I’m planning on hitting as many of the varietals as my pocket book can stand, lol! And I love pinot grigio, too! Cheers, Charlene – thanks for stopping by!
A wine review! Yay! I’m not a huge drinker, but when I do it is usually with a sweet Mescato….hmmm….. I love the new Friday! 🙂
Christine, I absolutely LOVE wine and I think your Wine Fridays are great. Pinot Noir works well with a lot of foods. Good to hear this one is drinkable. I live in southern california right below the Santa Ynez valley and their wine growing area. – where Sideways was filmed. Don’t go on trips a lot because of the kiddies. Last time we went up to Napa/Sonoma was 2007. Anyway, the region is great for it’s wine. Have you been to the area?
Smiles
Steph
Steph, I love the Santa Ynez area. I live just above Los Angeles so it’s an easy drive for us….been there lots! Any wineries you prefer?
Enjoyed your first Friday wine post, Christine. Pinot Noir is my fav. I’ll have to try both the Naked Grape (got to love that name) and the Smoking Loon. I like to sip. 🙂 Look forward to more recommendations. What a great excuse to buy and taste a lot of different wines. Have a great weekend! It’s almost happy hour on the east coast. Cheers!
Last Monday our flight from Boston got delayed, so we went to the bar and I tried something new. I’d never heard of pure chardonnay so I asked the waitress what it was. She said it is chardonnay which has aged in stainless steel barrels instead of the old oak barrels. Sometimes, chardonnay is too heavy for my taste, but this Pure stuff was crips and delicious! Man, I wish I could remember the winery name. eesh.
P.S. – can’t wait to try one of your “This is My wine you slut, stay away” picks! : )
LOL! I’ve actually got a list. I should post that some time…
I’m a wine enthusiast! I’ll definitely swing by on Fridays. Love big, bold reds and crisp, fruity whites that aren’t too dry. I’ll pass on Pinot Noir.
Isis, I’m a big, bold red fan, too. Try Cypher wines – you won’t be disappointed. But you may have to actually contact the winery. I’ll try to include websites in the future!
The only wine I really know about is the kind is $13.99 and comes in a gallon sized glass jug. I don’t drink, so I just buy it for my husband. Here’s my question, though. Where would this fall on your rating scale?
Well Catie, it would depend on the jug. And the day it was – uh – jugged. Every one tastes a bit different – but I’d probably put it at barely drinkable. Trust me when I say, I drink barely drinkable wines all the time. There is no shame in it!
OMG! I want to know which wine has the rating “This is my wine you slut stay away”, cause that is pretty much the bottle under $10 you need to bring to the next wine and cheese night.
Kat my dear, I can’t promise I can find one for under $10! But I’ll certainly bring one if I do!
Christine,
I was only going to take a sip!!! Geez! So, every Friday, wine? Shall I bring the cheese? Great Post!
Elizabeth
http://www.speculativesalon.blogspot.com