Twist the top off this and celebrate a cork-free bargain.  Twisted Wines are a brand of wine that jumps out at you on the wine shelves.  The marketing guy in me loves this brand.  They have good packaging with a fun attitude, eye-popping shelf talkers and a well-designed website.  And the brand is not all marketing fluff, they are producing some decent wines at great prices too.

While I sound really excited about Twisted Zin, that’s really driven a lot by the price.  This is a great wine for only $6.99.  But it’s not going to be my top Zinfandel pick for under $20.

The nose on the Twisted Zin is cherry cola, raspberry and herbs.  It’s not really elegant, but it’s fun and enjoyable.  The palate is full of jammy red fruit and a touch of black pepper.  It’s not as spicy as a lot of other zinfandels and I would have liked a bit more kick, but it’s still quite enjoyable.  I was also surprised by the high alcohol level from a zin at this price (14.5%).

I gave this wine an 85.  Wine Enthusiast gave it an 84 back in November 2007 and labeled it a “Best Buy.”  I’d have to say that I agree.

Wine: Twisted Zin
Varietal: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 85
Price Paid: $6.99