Rhone Valley Vineyards - 2012 "La Ferme Julien" red blend (France)

Earlier in the week, my colleague Sandra informed me that February 18th was "National Drink Wine Day." Now, I've never heard of this holiday, but immediately I liked it. Around my apartment, every day is National Drink Wine Day, but I figured if such a day (officially or unofficially) existed somewhere, I needed to be a part of it.

I also realized that a lot of the wines I review are specialty bottles that sometimes can be expensive and hard-to-find. In fact, most of the bottles I have reviewed have been ones furnished by special order from good friend and wine merchant Charles Bissell, and then have spent several years in my cellar and aged to their perfect peak of taste. So today I'm going to help out my retail- and budget-minded readers and review a wine on the cheaper end of the spectrum that's readily available. Today's review - in honor of National Drink a Bottle of Wine and Watch House of Cards Day - is a $6.00 red table wine from Trader Joe's.

This wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsaut grapes grown in the Rhone Valley of France, on the slopes of Mont-Ventoux in the wine-growing AOC of Côtes du Ventoux. "AOC" stands for appellation d'origine contrôlée, which is a French certification given to certain food and drink produced in certain geographical indications within France. This is essentially a "geographic mark of production" that allows the consumer to know they are consuming, for example, authentic Bordeaux Supérieur actually grown in Bordeaux instead of some other imitation red marketed under that name. The consumer will also know that anything marked AOC is produced under a set of other standards, including aging guidelines, ingredient purity and origin rules, and rules governing the use of naming conventions.

It's worth noting this wine is a screwcap wine. Popular opinion has always held that screwcap wines were cheaper and less desirable than traditional corked wines. And I think this opinion is shifted at least a little bit, much like the opinion of canned beers vs. bottled beers. Screwcaps are a better way of sealing the wine and ensuring it stays sealed. Plus, with a screwcap, you don't have to worry about a cork blight or a loose cork or getting cork in the wine.

The wine pours nicely, with very little aroma coming from the glass. I let it sit for 10 minutes, as one does, while House of Cards loaded and my dinner was cooking. As I was about ready to sit down to eat, I stuck my nose in the glass again. Nope, still no aroma.

The wine is a pleasing red garnet color when held to the light.

The taste is sour and tart, with a grape and ripe strawberry finish. It leaves a slight metallic / earthy aftertaste, which I kind of like. I realize this may not sound tasty. But it is. One thing this wine lacks, which is a good thing, is the caustic alcohol taste endemic to most cheap wines. What makes this wine worth noting is that despite the price tag, it does not carry any harsh burn or tannic alcohol aftertaste. Of course, when you buy cheap wine, most people understand it's going to be less refined than say, a velvety-smooth $25 Terra Noble pinot. But La Ferme Julien surprised me with its lack of burn and nice earthy flavor.

It's a good wine to have on hand if you're serving pizza, or pasta, or maybe some delicious risotto balls from Pete's Apizza. It's also tasty to have on its own, especially if you like that tartness in a red. It's cheap enough to have every day, or to grab on the way to a friend's house for movie night. It's solid, tasty, and worth sharing.