Twisted Merlot

I tend to find that the sweet spot in terms of price to quality ratio is typically in the $12-18 price range, at least for what I want from a wine.  But I know that some people come to this site looking for even better bargains than that.  And so, I do look for those wines under $10 that I can recommend.  This is one of them.

Twisted is a brand that I’ve come to trust as a generally good bargain brand.  The Twisted wines that I’ve tasted aren’t mind-blowing, but they’re OK.  And if you’re on a tight budget, you might say they’re great.  The suggested retail price for this merlot is $7.99, but depending on where you shop, you might find it as low as $6.00.

There’s not much more of a story to tell you about this wine.  This isn’t a single-vineyard, biodynamic-magical-unicorn wine.  It’s just some tasty, affordable vino.  The appellation is California, which is a pretty broad region.  That’s all the story I have for you.

The taste is good for a cheap merlot—good but not spectacular.  It shows ripe fruit aromas like blueberry, cherry and strawberry, as well as plenty of cedar to add some spice.  The palate offers well balanced fruit flavors, like blackberry and blueberry, with sufficient acidity and tannins.  The pieces are all there, but it’s missing something to make it sing, to give it a “wow factor,” to make it special.  As it is, it’s OK.  But it is a pretty darn good bargain.

Wine: Twisted
Variety: Merlot
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $7.99

Find Twisted Merlot with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.