caithnessfan's Full Review: Arbor Mist Strawberry White Zinfandel
I recently tried several varieties of the offerings from
the Arbor Mist collection and must say that they all made
me suffer from fits of nostalgia.
In my early (and under age) drinking days I started
off with the ever popular among the youth on a tight
budget crowd... "Boon's Farm".
As I got older and a bit more experienced with the subject
and concept of "social drinking" my tastes changed and
became considerably more refined (and expensive).
The first of the Arbor Mist line that I tried was this one,
the Strawberry White Zinfandel.
I found it on sale at my local Super Wal-Mart for $1.99
each for a 750ml bottle so thought I'd give it a try for
giggles.
I got it home and chilled it well in the freezer for a
while (making sure not to let it freeze), got out the
"good plastic wine glass" and cracked open the bottle.
Of course I did the sniff, swirl, swish test that any
good wine snob does ;)
The color was a pale, thin red, it had a fairly high level
of carbonation that burned my nose when I took a sniff.
From the burn I think that the carbonation is artificial
and not a product of the fermentation process.
BODY
It had next to none. (If it were a person, it'd be the
stereotypical 96 pound weakling from the old body building
adds.)
TASTE
At first sip I was transported back to my youth. It
reminded me a LOT of the old Boone's Farms Strawbery Hill
of which I swilled so much as a student at university.
SWEET, strawbery, and alcohol aftertaste.
The carbonation was still a bit harsh and the strawbery
taste faded quickly leaving only a hint under the alcohol
aftertaste.
The alcohol is 6% so it is more of a glorified wine cooler
than an actual wine.
What did you like about this wine?
Other than some of the fond memories that it brought back,
not a lot. The price was good, the bottle made it look
quite nice, and the no need for cork screw was a bonus
since I can't find mine.
What do you hate about this wine?
The fact that the warmer it got the worse it tasted. This
is a glugging, chugging wine, not a sipping one.
I like a wine that I can enjoy and linger over with friends
(which is about the only time I drink wine) and this one
is NOT one of those.
Along with the good memories of my youth (okay so I'm not
THAT old but still...) came some of the days after the
night before which sort of killed the mood (and my thirst.)
It had a strong alcohol taste for something that had such a
low content.
It was WAY too sweet for my taste even when cold.
What foods go well with this wine?
Either dessert, or something off of the grill out back.
This is NOT a having friends over for a nice candle-lit
supper wine.
If you are looking for a reason to buy this wine then I
suggest a get together of friends for a BBQ or just a get
together for no special occasion. If you are a fan of
GOOD wines then you want to AVOID Arbor Mist all
together.
If you like Boon's Farm line of wines, wine coolers, or if
you like sweet sparkling wines you might try it. If you
are looking for something cheap to bribe "the guys" with
for helping you move house or do some major work about the
place then this is economical and low octaine so they can
keep working for a while longer.
Even though it is only 6% I will still add my standard warning.....
Do NOT drink and drive! The life you save could be mine.
Recommended:
No
Year: Non-Vintage Winery Name: Arbor Mist Strawberry White Zinfandel Varietal: Zinfandel Country: USA Price: 1.99
Wine Rating Scale: Drinkable
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