Baseball

Twelve years of living in California have, in the main, not touched my essential Britishness. I still pronounce route the same way as root. I do not have acquired that odd aversion to using the letter “u” when writing about my favourite colour. However, there is one glaring exception; I have fallen for “America’s Pastime“: the game of Baseball.

The 2018 baseball season is approaching its climax; the World Series. I am writing this article ninety minutes before Game 7 of the NLDS. The winner of that game will join the Boston Red Sox to compete in The Fall Classic. Last year’s losing team, the LA Dodgers, take on the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers lost their one World Series appearance back in 1982.

Milwaukee Brewers Wine

Beer is the drink most associated with baseball. This is even more true for the team from Milwaukee since their name is a nod to the city’s most famous industry. Thus, seeing a bottle of Milwaukee Cabernet Sauvignon in a local grocery store was surprising.

There were bottles from four other teams. The Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins cost $7 a bottle. The Pittsburgh Pirates cost $6 a bottle. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim cost $5, the same as the Brewers wine. Given the low price, the team’s place in the playoff, and the cool logo that they sport; it was an easy choice.

Apart from the irony of wine with a Brewers label, there was another thing that caught my eye. The logo is one of the best in Major League Baseball. At first glance, it is a baseball glove with a ball at the centre of the mitt. On closer inspection, you can see that the thumb and fingers show the team’s initials. The team replaced this logo back in 1994.

Milwaukee Brewers Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasting Milwaukee Brewers Wine

The label states that the wine is California Cabernet Sauvignon. The company responsible is in King City. This is a city in Monterey County.

The nose was of medium-low intensity. Subdued fruit notes of redcurrant played second-fiddle to leather and a whiff of alcohol. The nose was not unpleasant, but neither was it appealing.

A thin mouthfeel led to a flabby wine. Dusty tannins did not overwhelm the red fruit flavours. The short finish adds a taste of a dirty penny. There is none of the grape juice sweetness that mars so many sub ten dollar California Cabs.

For the $5 price, this is not as bad as I expected. However, if the signs in the supermarket are to be believed, the original price was $20. There are many far better wines at that price point.

We purchased this wine at Grocery Outlet in Fairfield, CA.

 

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