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Middle Sister Forever Cool - Merlot

2 Ratings: 3.5
Merlot Wine that is vinted and bottled by Middle Sister Winery in Santa Rosa, California.

http://www.middlesisterwines.com/custpage.cfm/frm/44809/sec_id/44809

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Forever Cool Merlot

  • Nov 18, 2010
Exclusive to the Lunch Network
Rating:
+2
Middle Sister
There's a bit of middle sister in all of us.

Lately my husband and I have been drinking red wines with our evening meals; we had built quite the collection over the months. This particular wine was purchased at our local Target. It was inexpensive, under $10 at the time. There were actually a few factors that drew me to it other than the inexpensive costs: 

  • The name of the winery-- Middle Sister (I'm a middle sister, so the idea of a winery created around this concept intrigued me.)
  • The label image and color scheme (This particular Middle Sister reminds me of me. And of course who doesn't remember drawing cute stick figures in class?)
  • The story on the back of the wine: The Age of Aquarius has come and gone, but some things never go out of style. Like flowers, peace and a nice glass of Merlot. Let's take a moment to toast the sisters who march on to the beat of a different drummer. Nobody stays forever young. But you will always be forever cool. And for that, we salute you. Sip on!

Although these might be arbitrary reasons for buying a wine, I figured there wasn't much to loose because it was such an inexpensive purchase considering how pricey some decent reds are. 

Upon researching the contents, it is 94% Merlot and 6% Malbec. It was made with warm ferments (80F+) and mixed frequently for color extraction and fruit characters. It is described as smelling of ripe summer berries with a touch of vanilla. It's tastes are likened to lush berries that lead to a lingering cocoa power finish. Suggested pairings include Portobello mushroom burgers, grilled tuna, braised lamb shanks, or aged jack cheese. 

Unfortunately, we didn't pair the wine with one of the suggestions. When we are dining out, it's easier to accomplish this feat. When dining in, we don't cook food to fit with the wines in the house. There are pros and cons to this appropriate, two of which I have listed here:

Pro: When a wine is good, it will jump out no matter what you are eating with it. These wines leave a longer lasting impression and makes us want to purchase them more often.

Con: The more mediocre the wine is, the more this fact stands out with inappropriate pairings.

In the case of "Forever Cool," we drank it as an after dinner wine with a bit of chocolate and some cheddar cheese. The pairing wasn't particularly harmful, and we did enjoy the wine. I admit to being a little disappointed by its mediocrity, though. It was supple and smooth, an easy drinking wine, but the red and black fruit aromas and flavors were actually bitter and didn't provide the creamy richness I wanted. There was a lasting finish but this was again disappointing because of the bitterness of the Merlot. 

Not surprising, I disagree with the the wine seller's description of how "Forever Cool" smells. Instead, I liken it to bitter or unripe berries with a hint of cocoa to mask the bitter taste that awaits. After drinking the wine for a little while, I got used to the bitter berry taste and just enjoyed it.

This isn't a bad Merlot, and I would definitely recommend it to those on a budget. The novelty of the wine is in the label and presentation of the story for this particular Middle Sister. I find the whole concept refreshing and unique. I also like to support California wineries, and since this one is located in beautiful Santa Rosa, California, it's a perfect choice.

I would purchase this wine again, especially if I want something affordable, but I am more interested in trying some of the other Middle Sister wines before I revisit this particular one. Who knows? Maybe I will find a better one for my particular tastes.
Forever Cool Merlot Forever Cool Merlot

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December 26, 2011
Informative review !
 
February 18, 2011
Great wine review
February 22, 2011
Thanks, bro!
 
February 18, 2011
Great would buy this in a heartbeat based on review!
February 22, 2011
Thanks, dad!
 
February 16, 2011
"There's a bit of middle sister in all of us". They'd sure be happy if that was true -- and rich too. Great review! Guess I just have to read more of your stuff!
February 22, 2011
They're probably not doing too bad. They have quite a few wines that they sell, and they are at an affordable price that I'm sure lots of people have tried them. Hope you do read more of my stuff, Angelo! *hugs*
 
February 07, 2011
I am not much of a wine drinker and have never found a red that I liked, but I had to compliment your review on how well-written and informative it was. Above my head, clearly, but still informative! hehe If I could be called a fan of any wine, it is reisling. My two favorites are the Chateaux Ste. Michelle and the Wente Riverbank. I was fortunate enough to have dinner at the Wente Winery last June while visiting the San Francisco area and had the Riverbank Reisling with dinner.
February 10, 2011
Thanks for the visit and the read, Sheri!

I'm by no means an expert when it comes to wines, but I've really been enjoying the Middle Sister wine reviews even if the wine has just been ok. I have another review if you want to read it: http://www.lunch.com/reviews/wine/UserReview...Cabernet_Sauvignon.html

I just tried a third wine by them that is by far my favorite; I believe it's called "Rebel Red." I'm going to write a review for it soon. :D

I'm not as familiar with Reisling wines. I'll have to try some out in the near future. I'm glad you were able to go to the Wente Winery. Sounds like you had quite an experience!
 
November 21, 2010
A great concept, although when it comes to wine, serious drinker will not be drawn to something so casual, I'm afraid. Nonetheless, at that pricing, I doubt if they are targeting that group of people. For food and drinks, often it takes more than just a concept to sell well :-) Regardless, I'd consider it a good marketing draw for the non-drinker :-)
November 22, 2010
I'm sure you're correct in your assessment. This wine was advertised for a specific drinking community, which was definitely not the wine aficionado. Still, they must be doing something right to remain in business. There are tons of non-serious drinkers who just want a fun wine.

Speaking about wines, we did try a really great wine that I hope to review after I'm done with some tests and school applications. It was a +4 or even a +5. Great flavor and taste! I'll shoot you an email when it's written if you want to read it. Just let me know! :)
December 02, 2010
I'm glad I met you too, Adrianna! You have such a great energy that I can even feel through the black and white type of your always friendly comments and well-written reviews!
December 07, 2010
Aw!! Thanks, Sam! Now just spread that word to the schools I'm applying for graduate studies, and we're set. ;)
 
November 21, 2010
Great review as always, love! I'm not the biggest fan of bitter Merlots,so if they have other wines (maybe a Cab?) I might try them instead. Since my mom lives up in that area, I might have to drag her there next time I'm visiting for some wine tasting goodness ;p
November 22, 2010
Thanks so much for the compliment on my review, Sam! Apparently I'm not a fan of bitter Merlots either, lol! I know they have other wines, but I can't remember if I saw a Cab. Those are actually some of my favorites. I'm writing a few more wine reviews once I get more free time. I'll let you know when they are up if you want to read them. I definitely recommend going for some wine tasting with your mother! Sounds like a fun outing. :)
November 23, 2010
I love wine tasting and wine ;p I'd love to read your wine reviews- I should do a few as well. I tasted a delicious Sangiovese (that's my fave!) the other day from Trader Joes and it was only $3! I forget the name though- oh, well, I guess I have to buy another bottle!
December 01, 2010
I'll try and get some more posted soon. I'm technically supposed to be cutting back on my Lunch activities, but I always find myself making my way to this site during breaks between work, lol.

Nice! Only $3? That sounds like a steal!

If you do write some wine reviews, send me links. I would love to read them. If/when I write some more, I'll shoot you a message with the url. :)
December 02, 2010
Will do! I'm much too far behind on my Lunch reviews- there's just so much I want to write about! Yes, Lunch is quite the addiction and I think it's because you can learn so much here and meet great new friends that you may not have thought would be your friends in the offline world ;p
December 02, 2010
Agreed and doubly agreed! I'm so far behind on Lunch reviews it's not even funny. I figure once applications are sent out I will have more free time for my writing, lol. The site is fantastic and offers so much. I'm glad to have met you through the site, Sam. :)
 
November 20, 2010
Great review of this wine. I enjoyed reading it. Again, not a wine drinker, but I liked how you talked about the ingredients of the wine and how it tastes.
November 22, 2010
Thanks so much for reading the review, Pard! I know you're not a wine drinker, so I appreciate your feedback a lot--nice to know how non-drinkers feel about the review. :)
 
November 19, 2010
this review made me drunk... *hic* what were we talking about again? LOL! Thanks, Adri!
November 22, 2010
(laughs) I bet you are sure a hoot to get drunk with. Thanks so much for reading it, William! I have a few more wine reviews in the making as well as a film review or two for the Hype group. I'm trying to finish my GRE and applications first, so I'm probably only going to get to 1 review a week if I'm lucky. :-P
November 22, 2010
LOL! hey, I am a hoot even though I am not drunk. Take your time, I am slowing down myself because of the holidays. :)
November 22, 2010
(laughs) I'm sure that's true too! Sounds good. Yay for the holidays!
 
November 19, 2010
Great Review Adrianna, I like the label as well. This could be a great novelty gift for the holidays for any middle children...Hmmmm.
November 22, 2010
Thanks so much for reading my review, Shayne! I agree--it would make a great novelty gift for a middle child this holiday season. :)
 
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Middle Sister Forever Cool - Merlot
Middle Sister Forever Cool - Merlot
Details
Winemaker: Middle Sister Winery
Varietal: Merlot
Region: Santa Rosa, California

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