Wine Series - Cupcake Vineyards, Red Velvet

Lets start with this playful bottle of Cupcake Vineyards 2009 California. Be nice, this is the first time I've written about wine and I'm a novice. The Red Velvet is described by the seller as a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and  Cabernet Sauvignon, reminiscent of a blackberry chocolate cupcake.
I love these pictures, I think they turned out great.

Remind me to take pics of the wine itself next time. I got a little excited and drank the whole bottle (with the help of a friend, of course) before I could chronicle the colors. The wine itself is very sweet. You don't notice it at the first sip but the more you smell and taste the sweeter it gets. It definitely fits the description of the label- cupcake, so you know you're getting something sweet.

Cupcake Vineyards is based in Monterey County, California. From what I know that area of California sees both the warm days, and cool frigid nights. The cool foggy nights are what slows the growing process letting the grapes mature slower than warmer climates. That slow growth and cool weather is what helps balance the acids and sugars more so than other regions.

The vineyard also has some other interesting wines like the NV Brut Rose Pinot Noir, which is described as a sparking wine with aromas of strawberries and watermelon. Or the 2009 Pinot Grigio Trentino, which is described as, "a nose that shows hits of pineapple, pears and sweet lemons". It almost makes you hungry thinking about this wine!! The red velvet did remind me of a chocolate cake, or even some dark blue berries. All and all a good wine to have paired with a burger or steak or even after dinner with other treats- a little to sweet to drink on its own. I think next time I'll try their 2008 Shiraz, which is described as a dark and inky garnet color with a nose of plums and blackberry jam. Yum! I think the bitterness of Shiraz will offset the sweet nicely.