Coffee Shop Wine

2008 Beringer Sauvignon Blanc

I’m not even sure why I bought it.

My wife and I were hanging out at our favorite local coffee shop, and I had the odd, in my opinion, craving for white wine. On a cold January afternoon. In the rain.

Whatever.

Now I know why blind tasting is awesome. I absolutely admit going into this with an attitude of “Beringer? Really. Blecch.” Which is why it’s so amazing I even bought it. But it really wasn’t that bad.

The Beringer is a light straw color in the glass. Pretty faint, but still with that tell-tale yellowness. Very Sauv Blanc.

On the nose are notes of pear and sour green apple, but very faint. Modest, as it were. I’d really prefer there were more to these notes, but there they are: very light, very faint.

The palate comes off with a much bigger bang: the Granny Smith apple on the palate is unmistakable and a big, big flavor. The back of the palate comes off almost salty. There isn’t enough acid in this light-bodied wine to be a major pairing option, but my wife and I agreed this would probably go real well with a salty, aged, dry cheese, like aged gouda or real parmigiano-reggiano. All in all, better than I expected from Beringer.

Verdict: C+

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  • http://www.drinknectar.com/ @nectarwine

    Its nice to be surprised by cheap wine. Sometimes companies with bad reputations shoot themselves in the foot when they actually make a moderately C level wine. With the glut of cheaper juice coming on the market, we may see some of these $3-$5 wines bump up in quality for a period of time.

    Josh

  • http://www.suburbanwino.com suburbanwino

    I poured for Mondavi back in the Fall at an event, and I was mad at myself for even thinking “man, I don't want to pour this swill”. Even we who are vehemently opposed to being snobby, become so at times. If I drive a Pinto then drive a Ferrari, subsequent Pinto rides will unfairly be compared to that Ferrari ride. But, if we all take a deep breath, we can usually find something worth appreciating in most- if not all- wines.

  • http://notesfromthecellar.com Steve Paulo

    That's true… It's just too bad for me that at this coffee shop, the glass of Beringer was $6. I'd happily pay that for a bottle of this stuff, however.

  • http://notesfromthecellar.com Steve Paulo

    I don't want to be a snob… but there is something to be said for having standards ;)

  • http://notesfromthecellar.com Steve Paulo

    Thanks, Amanda! All I try to do, with every review, is be honest, be entertaining, and be me. Sounds like I'm hittng it so far.

  • http://twitter.com/wineingwoman Amanda Maynard

    I'm going to admit something right here. Ready?

    I usually can't stand reading reviews. Usually. But yours, I like. They have the character that a lot of other reviews are missing. Good work!