Espuela del Gaucho Malbec

Espuela del Gaucho

Malbec

Vintage: 2010

Origin: Mendoza, Argentina
Alcohol: 12.5%

Ahhh yes, another Malbec to review.  This time, it's the 2010 Vintage Espuela del Gaucho Malbec, which is of course, out of the Mendoza Province of Argentina.  The Malbecs coming out of Argentina have continued surging in popularity, despite the recent trend of people shifting toward drinking sweet red and pink wines.  I think the allure of the Argentinian Malbecs are the value.  The middle shelf Malbecs are running only $8-15 a bottle, which makes many of them a great bargain.  But, I digress. 

So, what's a gaucho?  Well, it's essentially a term used for the South American equivalent of a cowboy, or cattleman, something which is a big part of the Argentinian culture.  I assume the winemakers were trying to capture some of that lifestyle and vibe into this wine.  When I got this bottle, I expected a rustic, dark berried wine... and that's exactly what I got.

The 2010 Espuela del Gaucho Malbec pours a deep plum purple.  It has aromas of black raspberries with some nondescript spice and a bit of oak.  It initially tastes of juicy plums and raspberries, with some Christmas-type spice, followed by a fairly strong bit of toasted oak and earthiness (think cumin).  This is juicy, yet spicy, yet pretty damn earthy.  All in all, it's what I enjoy in a Malbec, a fruit-forward, earthy, rustic red wine.  Granted, I could see this being a very polarizing wine for many people.  This isn't a silky smooth, refined French wine.  This is rustic and raw Argentinian Malbec.

Drink This: if you want a rustic, earthy taste of Malbec.  This isn't my favorite Malbec, or even in my top 5, but it's good and pretty characteristic of what I think a Malbec from South America should be.  I'd buy it again.

Don't Drink This: if you're looking for a refined, balanced red wine, this will just turn you off. 

        

Fish Eye Sweet Red Wine

Fish Eye Sweet Red 

Wine

Alcohol: 13.5%

Australia

Recently it seems that many of the hip, young wine drinkers have been rebelling against the dry, oaky red wines of the last generation and been shifting their focus toward sweet red and pink wines.  I was at a wine festival recently where this was most evident by the number of people enjoying regular and pink Moscato and the sweeter Merlots and such, something which I found astonishing!  Who drinks pink wine and sweet reds?!  Well, apparently lots of people now.  It's the new in thing to do.  I also saw an article in Wine Prospector a month or so ago where the hip hop artist Drake reported to drink massive amounts of Moscato.  Not only was I surprised that Drake drinks Moscato, but I was surprised that Wine Prospector would feature Drake.  It made my brain hurt for many reasons.

Anyway, Fish Eye Winery has released a new sweet red wine, hoping to follow these wine trends, which is simply called Fish Eye Sweet Red. No beating around the bush with that kind of name.  Fish Eye Winery is out of South East Australia and is known for making quite a few varietals.  For their Sweet Red, they start with a Shiraz base and blend it with Moscato and other sweet wines.

Fish Eye Sweet Red pours a dark, cherry red.  It smells of sweet strawberries and raspberries.  This carries over into the taste, with pronounced sweet raspberry and strawberry, and a hint of cranberry in the finish.  The tannins are there, but really quite mild.  Fish Eye Sweet Red is as you'd expect, sweet, but the flavors are much deeper than I was expecting.  Typically sweet wines tend to be a bit thin, but this is a bordering on full-bodied which is refreshing to see from a sweet red, which is probably from the Shiraz base.  Whatever it is, it works.  I was surprised how much I enjoyed this!

Drink This: if you want a surprisingly fuller-bodied sweet red wine.  I could see this being enjoyed by newbies to red wine, as well as veterans.  It fills the gap between traditional dry reds and sweet, pink wines.  And with a suggested retail of $7 a bottle, it's definitely worth a try.
Don't Drink This: if you're looking for a dry, oak bomb of a wine.

Cheers!              

Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka

Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow

Vodka

Diageo

30% Alcohol (60 Proof)

 

So, do you notice that the picture for this Marshmallow Vodka seems a bit grainy compared to some of my past review pics?  Well, that's because I took the photo on my cellphone using Instagram.  Maybe I'm trying to be one of the cool kids, or maybe, well, I can't find the battery charger for my digital camera.  I think you know which one it is...

 

Regardless, this is the review of Smirnoff's Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka.  No, this isn't any ordinary marshmallow vodka, this stuff is FLUFFED!  Honestly, I don't know why they had to add the word "fluffed" in the title, and in fancy script no less.  Maybe people like fluffy stuff.  Like kittens and pillows and, uh, marshmallows.  Hell, I don't know...

 

Anyway, in the never ending quest to find booze my wife will drink (see the reviews of Smirnoff's Whipped Cream Vodka, Smirnoff Melon Vodka, Disaronno Amaretto, and some other stuff for example) I ended up buying Smirnoff's relatively new Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka.  Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy marshmallows, especially in S'mores.  But in vodka?  Let's get serious, that just sounds crazy.  Yet, there has been a recent flood of crazy vodka flavors (wedding cake? bacon? bison grass? hamburger?) (okay, so there's no such thing as hamburger vodka, but the others? Yes, they all exist).  So, I could totally see Fluffed Marshmallow in some sort of S'mores cocktail in a fancy pants bar.  The point is, my wife is especially picky about which types of booze she drinks, preferring something sweet, but not overly so, but not too boozy, and nothing that tastes like raw alcohol, beer, or anything aged in wood.  What that leaves me is basically nothing to offer her (although she has still taken a unusual fondness to Disaronno mixed with cola or cranberry juice.) 

 

But for now, let's just look at Smirnoff's Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka, itself.  It pours crystal clear, as all vodka should.  It smells like sugar water, artificial sugar (think Splenda), and plastic.  And even though that sounds weird and perhaps unappetizing, it's actually not terrible smelling, just sweet and candy-like.  When tasting straight, you immediately get hit with a mouthful of Splenda and Stevia flavors, followed by hints of vanilla extract, but with a smooth finish that actually tastes like smooth, creamy marshmallow.  While the initial tastes are a bit harsh, the finish is actually sweet and pleasant, and I'm not normally one that likes overly sweet drinks.  The finish and aftertaste totally redeem the upfront, initial artificial sweetness.  I actually prefer this to Smirnoff's Whipped Cream Vodka, the finish is smoother and the alcohol bite is more hidden (as it should be for only 60 Proof).  Surprisingly, however, is that my wife doesn't seem as fond of this as Smirnoff's Whipped Cream Vodka.  Go figure...

 

Drink This: if you want a flavored vodka that tastes like marshmallows, particularly in the finish, and you don't mind a bit of artificial flavoring.  It's really not that bad as a mixer for sweet drinks.

Don't Drink This: if you want something manly.  With each sip of this sweet vodka, I can feel my beard sighing and shaking its hairs in disapproval.