We popped the cork last night with some sandwiches from a local pizza joint. After the Red Knot incident (she cant stand it either), my wife was hesitant on trying something new when she didn't recognize the Winery, but tasted it after I had a few sips. We both enjoyed the wine, very clean with light tannins and some very light cherry/strawberry notes, but it didn't finish long at all. It was gone almost as soon as it left your mouth. In some ways, it reminded me of an old-world style clairet, but without the body. A nice wine for when you don't want something overly heavy.
Rating -
However, my biggest surprise came when I started typing this blog entry.
It seems that Bodega Jario Rioja Reserva is a Sam's Club private label wine that can only be purchased at the clubs.
According to Private Label Magazine,In March of 2006, Sam's Club has announced two new wines bottled under their private label. Their press release bears this headline: "U.S. Citizens' Taste for Wine Continues to Grow Fueling Expansion of Private Brand Wines"
The wines are:
* Elder Vine Shiraz, Australia 2002 (approx. $12)
* Bodega Jario Rioja Reserva Rioja, Spain 1998 (approx. $13)
I think its interesting that Sam's Clubs (whose parent company is Wal-Mart) sees such a potential that they are willing to start offering their own labels. This may tie into a comment I made in an earlier post about how buying wine at Sam's is a crap shoot. You never know what's there and if you find something you like, you need to get back quickly to get more. With their own label - and I suspect volume and price guarantees - this problem may disappear. I can easily see a "special" bin in the wine section that only has their private label wines (there are 3 now) - promoting prince AND availability. Watch out Costco (The #1 retailer of wine in the U.S.) - looks like Sam's has you in their sights.
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