Wine Wednesday: an oldie and a newbie

I was tickled when the highly entertaining Hair Bows and Guitar Picks invited me to do a co-review for this week’s Wine Wednesday. As someone who is new to this whole blogging thing, I’ve not only enjoyed reading her blog, but also appreciated her taking the time to read and comment on some of my posts.

We’re doing a joint review of Hess Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that Clean Fresh Hubby and I have enjoyed for several years now. Having spent most of the summer and fall deep in the throws of a love affair with Kim Crawford’s Sauvignon Blanc (which I will get around to reviewing), it was nice to pop the cork on an old favorite.

Hess Cabernet Sauvignon



I stumbled across Hess wines inadvertently, when a girlfriend brought a bottle of Hess Sauvignon Blanc to a dinner party. I found that wine to be fantastic, so I went in search of it at our local liquor store. Finding the Sauvignon Blanc proved impossible (not sure why no one carries this), but I did come across the Cabernet and am just as happy with it. This is a solid Cab, smooth, without a harsh after bite. It goes great with a nice steak, but pairs just as well with pizza!

Hess runs about $16 at our local grocery and liquor stores, though our grocery store will run it on sale occasionally for $14.

As for the newbie, I have been on the prowl for an organic red that contains no added sulfites (sulfites are additives used in wine to extend shelf life and fight bacteria growth and can trigger asthma/allergic reactions in some people). I had no idea how hard it would be to find this! Organic wines are slowly appearing on the shelves at our local grocery and liquor stores, but I’ve had trouble finding ones without sulfites.

So, I drove to the mecca of organic foods – Whole Foods. They have a pretty extensive wine department, so I thought surely I’d find a selection of organic/no sulfites. I found ONE bottle: Our Daily Red.

Our Daily Red



At first sip, I wasn’t wildly impressed. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but given the challenge of find this and all the hype I’ve been reading about organic/no sulfite wine, I had it built up pretty high in my head. The first sip was a bit harsh, but I will say that the rest of the glass (and second glass) seemed to go down much easier.

Where I did notice a difference was overnight. Usually, 2-3 glasses of wine cause me to wake up in the middle of the night with a groggy, slightly stuffy feeling. I will say that I did not have this feeling with the Our Daily Red.

I would buy this wine again since it is the only organic/no-sulfite wine I’ve found (and at $10, the price is right), but I can’t say the difference between a no sulfite and a sulfite added wine was great enough for me to stop drinking every other wine I enjoy!