Sutter Home is one of the largest names in the business when it comes to growing White Zinfandel.  Being extremely popular is a benefit when it comes to being exposed to the general consciousness, but it can also be a curse.  Many wine snobs find the sweet component of the sweeter white zins to be a detractor from entry into the more serious wine community (which one may or may not really want to get into).   This leads to a rather odd question ,(since what wine one drinks is a subjective choice), objectively, is the 2010 Sutter Home White Zinfandel worth the time of day?

Sight:  A cute sort of light pink.  Hello Kitty might drink this.

Smell:  Cantaloupe and honeydew with brushes of pear.  Strawberries are also fairly prevalent.

Sip:  Starts off a bit sweet, but moves into the more off-dry side.  The acid is plenty to balance out the sugar.  Strawberries and pears are quite pungent, there’s an extremely ripe peach flavor running through the wine that makes it absolutely scrumptious.  The mouth feel is very moderate, balancing between the sweet and acid very well.  [A.B.V.  9.5%]

Savor:  Unfortunately, it just sort of disappears with a wink of peach skin.

Overall, it’s a rather enjoyable wine.  It’s just casual enough that there’s not a lot to think about, but it’s complicated enough, that it’s not going to bore anyone.  This is just what most people want at an outdoor backyard party (which is probably why it’s so popular for that sort of event.).  Many wine snobs might dismiss this wine out of turn, but given the price point, it’s worth a try.  While some will begrudgingly not want to admit it, it’s a very enjoyable, refreshing, and smooth wine.

Price:  $5.99 (this wine may be under 5 in some areas)
Napa, California
http://www.sutterhome.com/