Oh, For The Love Of Bacchus…

2008 Wine Cube Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz

Look, I know what you mean. It happened like this: we (that’s my wife and I) were walking through Target, and I saw these things. They were boxes. Of wine. But they didn’t look like the old Franzia bag-in-a-box I’d seen on occasion as a kid when my parents would throw a party.

I’d even heard, lately, of really good wine coming in boxes. It’s for ecological reasons, or something like that. So we gave it a shot.

Besides, at $8/L, it has to at least be a good QPR buy, right?

Alright, first, the wine is “bottled” by Trinchero Family Vineyards for Target Corporation, and apparently the grapes hail from the wine superpower region of Lathrop (just south of Stockton, part of the Lodi AVA). Trinchero makes Sutter Home. Mmm mmm good.

I’m not sure why they use the name “Shiraz” for the Syrah grapes that went into making this wine. They didn’t source them from Australia or New Zealand. I don’t know many California producers who use the name Shiraz instead of the more-traditional Syrah.

Second, it has an expiration date.

Just like light beer.

Alright, to the notes. The wine is a very, very dark red color in the glass, nearly purple, with no real sparkle. Completely opaque and a little matte. Once you get past the alcohol sting on the nose (which is incredible since this wine clocks in at a modest 13% ABV), you do get some red fruit, mostly cherry and raspberry.

On the palate, there is absolutely no structure to this wine. No tannins to speak of. It’s incredibly light-bodied, with a finish shorter than Danny DeVito in a catcher’s stance. The flavor notes that do appear are all of the big red fruit variety, but there is a sickliness to this wine’s sacchrine sweetness that really turned my stomach. I couldn’t drink more than a half glass or so (doing my best to give it a shot).

I don’t know who this is for, but it’s not for me.

Verdict: D-

2008 Wine Cube Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz