Flights are a great way to try new wines, and find out of if the wines are really for you. A few pours of multiple varietals, and you can quickly span the world, or you can try multiple wines from one region. If you’re traveling, Vino Volo offers a great chance to try some wine in a flight, while waiting for another kind of flight. Traveling from Cleveland to Madison recently, I got a chance to try Vino Volo’s World Value Reds Flight in Cleveland’s airport. Let’s see if there were any steals in the line up for those of looking at wine under ten dollars.
2013 Bodegas Salentein Malbec
Sight: Dull pink edges with a touch of watery character aligning with a slightly brownish-purple body.
Smell: Blackberry and vanilla tart would be apt description of this. It has a jammy dessert like sweetness, with just a subtle touch of baking. Spice is lightly present, but more toward the fruit side of the spectrum.
Sip: The body is bright, and moderate on the palate, the blackberry notes become more unripened, pulling in subtle touches of rhubarb and strawberry. Some of the vanilla remains, but it’s concentrated toward the background, and there’s a hint of heat to the wine.
Savor: The moderate body and bright character bely a structure to the tannins that creep up quietly, but remain moderate in comparison. The ending is laced with more blackberries.
2013 Bodegas Salentein Malbec is nice, and channels some interesting elements like Strawberry and Rhubarb. Overall, the jammy notes are fun, but there’s a little bit of refinement missing between the alcohol and subtle unripened notes. 2013 Bodegas Salentein Malbec isn’t bad, but it’s also not necessarily worth running to the store for.
Wine.com has 2013 Bodegas Salentein Malbec if you’re still interested
2012 Settesoli Nero d’Avola / Syrah
Sight: A watery edge and brickish throughout, skewing this more toward red than purple.
Smell: The nose is funny, and not in a ha-ha, sort of way. The first smell might be one of overripened strawberries and rhubarb, but the profile pulls back thankfully, and moves more toward cherries or strawberries baking in a pie. Licorice and vanilla creep around the edges adding complexity.
Sip: The body chills somewhere on the light to medium side of the spectrum with slightly flabby edges. The flavors from before of licorice and vanilla are slightly more pronounced against the baked red fruits. The flavor is pungent. There’s a good amount of structure to the body as tannins start building from the word go.
Savor: The finish does get a little tannic here and there but everything grows slightly subtle on the finish, toning down, leaving just the slight hint of baked cherries and nuttiness.
2012 Settesoli Nero d’Avola / Syrah is a bit odd from a body side, but the flavors are solid. The baked fruits and spices are slightly more on the earthy side, and makes for an enjoyable food friendly wine. 2012 Settesoli Nero d’Avola / Syrah is worth a chance if you see it.
2014 Domaine Laroque Cabernet Franc
Sight: Moderate purple and hot pink throughout
Smell: If you want to put leafy in a dictionary, 2014 Domaine Laroque Cabernet Franc might be your best choice. Overwhelmingly herbal, and leafy, it covers some berry notes in the background. Some notes of green peppers creep in.
Sip: The palate is thankfully more restrained than the nose, giving way to strawberry and raspberry notes with touches of vanilla. While the green pepper and herbal notes are still present, they are more in line with a leafy garden. Each drink increases this herbal strenght, and the medium body is firm thanks to a good amount of tannins.
Savor: The tannins are tone down, but the bell pepper and leafy notes join back in around a raspberry like flavor.
2014 Domaine Laroque Cabernet Franc actually does a pretty good job of being characteristic of a green bell pepper flavor. That being said, if you’re looking for a fruit forward wine, there really isn’t much to like here. For a cabernet franc, 2014 Domaine Laroque Cabernet France is a nice example from France, if you want more fruit, look to Lodi, California.
The Verdict
Vino Volo’s World Value Red Flight is a fun way to experience 3 varietals that might be off your beaten path. Highlight definitely goes to the 2012 Settesoli Nero d’Avola / Syrah, with a nice mix of spices and baked fruits. If you traveling, and want to explore wine, this isn’t a bad choice for $10 in the airport.