I’ve been saying for the last few years that red blends are where it’s at when it comes to getting rich, flavorful wines at bargain prices. And the number of California red blends on the market has been exploding recently. This is a relatively new one from Handcraft Wines.
Although you don’t see it mentioned prominently, Handcraft is one of the brands owned by DFV Wines. They also produce a number of other brands you may be familiar with, like Gnarly Head, Bota Box, Irony, Brazin, Twisted, and others.
The Handcraft brand was created by Cheryl Indelicato, who is part of the family that owns DFV Wines. Her idea for Handcraft was to produce Californian wines small amounts of Italian grape varieties mixed in to make them unique. This one is made from a blend of syrah, zinfandel, merlot, malbec and sangiovese (the Italian grape included in this blend). Alicia Ysais is the winemaker for the brand.
In addition to the wine being yummy, I like the label design. They include a ribbon of small fruit and spice images which represent the flavors found in each wine. So you can look at a bottle of any Handcraft wine and you’ll have an idea of what to expect from it.
Similar to many other DFV wines that I’ve tasted, there’s nothing subtle about the spice aromatics. It shows loads of intense nutmeg and chocolate and it also has plenty of fruit with aromas like blackberry, currant and plum. The intensity continues on the palate, which offers well-concentrated cherry, currant, blackberry and chocolate flavors. There’s some residual sugar adding some sweetness to the fruit, although I wouldn’t call it a “sweet wine” it is definitely still dry. It’s a bit spicy on the palate too. The acidity is good. Overall, it’s a fun and easy wine to drink.
Wine: Handcraft Inspiration Red Wine
Variety: Syrah, zinfandel, merlot, malbec and sangiovese
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $12.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
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