A Nice Wine with an Expensive View

Colby Red 2010

Okay. I spent $10.99 for this wine and damn proud of it. That’s more than I usually pay but it was lot cheaper than spending $42 for a 375ml bottle of 2005 Chalk Hill Cab sitting in my hotel room. I made the mistake of buying a $11 bottle of water that looks amazing a lot like a bottle of shampoo. Actually shampoo is cheaper than the water here.

I’m in the Fontainbleau in Miami Beach. I came down for the Filemaker Developer’s Conference, which I might add was a great conference. But seriously. If you want a Pepsi you gotta fork out at least $5 which is cheaper than the $9 Snickers. I met some New Yorkers at the conference that were suffering from sticker shock.

The view from the room is kinda cool. I’m up on the 15th floor. To the left is the Atlantic Ocean and to the right is the skyline of downtown Miami. About 10 floors below are some of the largest and loudest air conditioning compressors I’ve ever seen and heard. They are loud enough where you can’t talk on the phone when out on the balcony.

The bottle has a warning about if sold at other outlets let them know. Actually it’s an anti-theft tag.

So, I did a short walk over the bridge to the Walgreen’s where they have a fairly nice wine selection. Actually their beer selection is better than the swanky bar in the hotel where you can purchase a shot of The Macallan 55 Year Old for $1,900. (Mark Rhodes would have a duck if I tried that). I had a $9 Samuel Smith’s last night.

Enough bitching about unreasonably priced adult beverages. I found this $10.99 Colby, which is a red blend, to be a very nice wine. I’ve seen it before but I had never tried it.

I managed to nurse it over 3 nights. Each night it tasted as good as the night before. Many of the wines I buy barely taste the same after being opened a few hours. Nice velvety mouthfeel. Some tannins at the finish make it kind of interesting. I don’t see what the blend is but I would say it’s mainly cab and maybe some zinfandel. Hmmmm. I found on their website it’s “a flavorful California cuvee of Cabernet Sauvignon, 
Zinfandel, Shiraz, Merlot & Petite Sirah.” I think it’s the Petite Sirah that’s making the dry finish.

I really enjoyed drinking this wine. Its dark berry fruit-forward flavors are really nice.

So, this wine saved my wallet from the clutches of the Fontainbleau Hotel. But I’m glad I bought it for a more important reason. Colby.

See Colby is actually a person. A thirteen year-old to be exact. “Colby Groom is now 13 years of age. Just prior to his 10th birthday he underwent back to back open heart surgeries. He is now a seasoned volunteer with the American Heart Association and was inspired to 
raise money for heart research through creating a wine with his Dad, notable winemaker Daryl Groom and Colby Red was born.”

The label says “every bottle sold of Colby Red supports charities that promote heart health.” You should check out their website. And it says that you can buy it at Walgreen’s. It was worth the walk.
From: California
Winery: Wine World Estates
Year: 2010