Welcome back my wine lovers! I so apologize for the delay in tastings, but as promised, here is wine tasting #1 of 2 this week!! Now, let’s get down to the bottle! In honor of the awesome video that my friend, Jillian posted on my page, today’s selection is the Red Diamond 2010 Merlot!  Now just in case you have no idea what video I’m talking about, please enjoy it below.

Now, after watching this, who would say no to Merlot?! Actually, at first, I did debate it, because honestly, and hopefully you’ll still think so awesomely of me, I am not a big fan of Merlot. I never really have. They’re usually either too much or too little for me. But, being the wine lover and always wanting to share and expand my knowledge with you guys, I decided to suck it up and do it! Now, I must say, that my boyfriend did have a hand in this selection. I asked him to pick one at the store, (I was there looking at bottles of Merlot as well) and this is what he picked, and I am happy to say that my boyfriend can pick some awesome wine!!! 

Red Diamond 
2010 Merlot
Washington State

“Our Merlot is of Washington’s best varietal – a polished wine with softly-spiced black cherry, berry and plum flavors. Reveal your Red Side with Red Diamond Merlot.”

Rated as one of America’s Top 10 Restaurant Merlots by Wine and Spirits Magazine (it’s an American magazine that rates wines and spirits on the 100 point scale. A little bit easier and more fun to read in my opinion than some others), you can definitely see why after the first sip. 

Now I must say that when you do first pour this raspberry red wine in your glass and breathe in the aromas, you will more than likely be overwhelmed with alcohol. Granted, it’s not higher in alcohol than the other wines previously reviewed (it’s only 13.5%), but it does knock you off your rocker there at first. However, you will also get a nice whiff of cherry as well, that intrigues you to take a sip. This is where I was blown away. Intense and succulent red and black fruit take over your lips and slide down your tongue, as you can taste the black cherry, raspberry, plum, and some slight toast and vanilla. From here, my mouth exploded with even more delight as this:
incredibly smooth (it’s definitely not rough or unbalanced), 
dry (wine is either dry, off-dry or sweet. It’s not sweet sweet, not quite sweet enough to be off-dry, so it’s classified as dry, BUT not horribly dry), 
medium bodied (wines are classified as either light, medium or heavy body. It’s not light as a feather, or heavy like a thick smoothie, but just right in the middle like a juice thickness), 
medium alcohol (can be classified as light, medium or high alcohol. The alcohol is not barely there, or always there in your face intense, it’s medium to where it’s balanced and enjoyable)
and long lingering finish (put as either short, medium or long finish, it’s not short in that the tastes go away very quickly, or medium to where the tastes linger for a little bit at the back of your throat, but as long, as the wonderful berries and oak and any other tastes you pick up definitely last to the end and linger at the back of your tongue before completely going away) wine just really changed my mind about Merlot. 🙂 

Enjoy this Merlot with beef, pork or even portobello tacos (yes, it really does go great with any of these kinds of tacos, just as long as they’re “meaty”), chocolate cake or brownies (it’s good with dark chocolate but in honesty, probably a little better with milk chocolate), or almond toffee (oh yeah, it’s good)! I personally had it with some small brownie bites and almond toffee, and then the next day, with meat trio pizza where it was absolutely divine!! 

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the full moon with a glass or two (yes, the bottle was 2/3rds gone for me and my man, as well as my co-worker when he enjoyed his own bottle)!

Average Price: $11.99 – Though you can find this on sale majority of the time for $9.99 at grocery stores like Kroger and Tom Thumb.

Happy Tuesday Wine Lovers!! Stay Tuned for Tasting #2 This Week!! 

“If your heart is warm with happiness, you’ll need a glass – if sorrow chills your heart, have two!”