Wine makes a great gift for Christmas. It’s always at the top of my list. But for some, buying wine can be very intimidating, especially if the buyer isn’t a wine drinker. We get wooed by all different wine label designs, graphics and cutesy names. The label screams, “Come taste me, I’m the wine for you” or “Am I not a true piece of art work?” I’m a big sucker for the label, even though I try to be very sophisticated about it. I read the bottle front to back, hoping to crack the secret code that will make good on the bottle’s promise that it will be the best bottle I’ve ever tasted. Some have worked out and some not so much.

For Christmas last year I received one of the “not so much” bottles of wine. A dear friend of mine gave me a bottle of Cupcake Vineyards 2007, Cabernet Sauvignon. A California wine from Central Coast. She said that the reason she got the bottle was that it reminded her of me, so sweet. Did I mention that she has a diminished grasp on reality, (me sweet)? Mitch and I drank it and sadly the best part of the wine was the label. Let me put out this disqualifier so that someone else that might like the wine doesn’t get offended, this is just my opinion, I am no wine expert. But since it’s my blog I get to say what I want.

The wine had a hard harsh taste and a bit thin. It didn’t fill my mouth but burned instead. This is not a wine I will buy again. But please don’t strike wine off your gift list for me, I’m game for just about any bottle of wine. Who knows, the bottle might be a true gem.