Apothic Red (Wine Folly)

 

The second wine I had to end that warm winter week was Apothic's Red wine. (2/25/23). This wine is a red blended table wine made with the grapes: Cabernet, Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Zinfandel. (There is not grape percentage on the bottle or online.) The vintage is 2019 and has an alcohol percentage of 13.5 percent. This wine was made in Modesto, California and this wine (250ml) was bought in a two pack that was on sale for $9.99, but is usually $13.99.

Winemaker's Notes:

 "We harvested a majority of the grapes for the 2019 Apothic Crush at night in cool temperatures to preserve the character of the fruit. The Pinot Noir was cold soaked for 2-3 days, then fermented between 80° to 85° F. The other varieties were fermented between 86° to 90° F. To create a silky mouthfeel and toasted caramel characteristics, we aged the blend in a mixture of French and American oak."

“Buy Apothic Crush V19 750ML for USD 11.99.” Apothic, 2 Nov. 2022, https://www.apothic.com/shop-now/red-wine/00085000023488.html.

 

   

Wine Info:

 

Here is a culmination of information I have written about all the wine grapes (Cabernet, Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Zinfandel) from the Wine Folly Book.

 

Cabernet, Sauvignon:

From the Wine Folly Book (page 88), which I have written about before in a earlier blog post, talks about the Cabernet Sauvignon wine. "The world's most popular wine is a natural cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc that originated in Bordeaux. Wines are concentrated and age-worthy." It is a full bodied wine that is not very acidic or sweet. It is usually kept in a cellar for maturation for 5-25 years. It is very popular and is grown in many countries on a total of around 713,575 acres of land. Additionally, it typically has a big body and is very tannic and can have hints of cherry, black current, cedar, baking spices, and graphite. You would expect to pay around $20 for a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Merlot:

From the Wine Folly book (page 131), it talks about the Merlot wine grape. It says how "Merlot is loved for it's boisterous black cherry flavors, supple tannins, and smoky or chocolaty finish. It's often found in a Bordeaux blend with Cabernet Franc." The book also says this wine goes well with pork, roasted mushrooms, or braised short ribs. This wine should be stored at room temperature and can/should only be decanted for around 30 minutes. It is also a very popular wine with significantly producing the most Merlot grape.

 

Syrah: (New)

 

From the Wine Folly book (page 172), it talks about the Syrah wine grape. It talks about how it makes, "A rich, powerful, and sometimes meaty red wine that originated in the Rhône Valley of France. It's the most planted grape of Australia, where it's called Shiraz." It continues to talk about how it can pair well with darker meats and exotic spices to bring out the "fruit notes of Syrah". This wine can have hints of blueberry, plum, milk chocolate, tobacco, and green peppercorn. This wine typically has a large body with high tannins and acidity that matches with high alcohol and a little sugar. You can normally get a bottle of this wine for around $25 and it can be aged in a cellar for 5 to 25 years. This wine grape is popular and is mostly grown in France and then Australia.

Zinfandel:

 

From the Wine Folly book (page 189), it talks about the Zinfandel grape/wine and how is is "A fruit-forward yet bold red that's loved for its jammy fruit and smokey, exotic spice note. Originally from Croatia, Zinfandel is related to Croatia #1 red, Plavic Mali." The book also talks about which dishes this wine can be good with like Turkish, Moroccan, and Arabic cuisines which help bring out the grape's cinnamon-like spices. This wine typically had a decent body with high alcohol percentage which is balanced out by the tannins and slight acidity in the wine. Lastly, this is a common wine grape and is mostly grown in the United States and Italy.

 

My Own Review/Experience With This Wine:

When I first tried to open this screw top bottle, the top did not come off right and it spilled since the bottle was full basically to the rim. After I cleaned up the spill and poured the rest of it into my wine glass, I swirled it around for a bit. Then I smelled it and smelled what I thought to be a medium intensity aroma of tart blackberry. When I tasted it, I experienced some new flavors which I enjoyed, and one I did not really. I first tasted a metallic taste from the wine which was not the best. Probably because it was in a metal bottle. Then I tasted a dry, sour, tart, wood burning flavor (kind of like the smell of a campfire.) Have have never experienced this wood burning flavor before and it reminded me of camping. This wine has I think a medium to large body with a decent tannic component. I did not pair it with food. Overall, I actually really enjoyed this red wine and I think it is the first red wine I like.