It’s a Rhone blend of syrah and grenache and has loads of raspberry, cherry and a hint of strawberry. There’s even a bit of smoke on the nose. The acidity is pretty low, and there aren’t really tannins to speak of, which just means it’s ready to drink now.

But here’s the thing: The odds of any bastardus unfortunatuses reading Wilder on Wine are about as high as an antelope reading Cheetah Monthly. The poor sulfite-intolerant will never learn about this wine.

That’s why you need to buy it. You need to have it on hand for the next time a dinner guest comes by and politely insists that s/he can’t drink the wine. I leave however you want to present this bottle to them up to you, but an Emeril like “Bam!” would probably do the trick. “Booyah!” would work, too.

Still, don’t keep this wine lying in wait for the right dinner guest for too long. It may taste great but, being sulfite-free, it won’t age like a parrot. So, if it’s been six-months-to-a-year and no sulfite-intolerant friends have stopped by for the evening, do two things: 1) Stop discriminating against the allergic; and 2) Go ahead and drink it yourself. Even if you’re able to eat sulfites sprinkled over your breakfast cereal, you won’t be disappointed by this red.

Cheers,
TSW

WoW
…really excited about wine

There are a lot of people in the world who can’t drink wine without the added bonus of a lousy allergic reaction, often resulting in a wicked headache (no, not the hangover variety). In medical speak, this sad lot is known as bastardus unfortunatus. Oh, it’s so sad.

The allergy is to sulfites, which are about as common in winemaking as are wedgies in high school P.E. class. Sulfites help stabilize wine for shipping and allow it to age. Most wines without sulfites are like mud wasps: they’re pretty nasty and have a short life span.

Ah, but here’s a solution! Cote Zero red wine without sulfites!

Better still, the wine is actually pretty darn good.