Red Wine Reviews & Tasting Notes Wine Characteristicsoff sweetmedium-full bodysmooth acidityhard tanninsvelvety The 2009 Apothic Red is a good red wine to serve at parties because it's flavors will not only work well with a variety of foods, but the flavors are likely to be acceptable to preferences to a variety of wine drinkers. It's hard to find a wine that enough different people can enjoy but the 2009 Apothic Red is probably a good option to try. However, it may be better to avoid sweeter dishes when drinking the Apothic Red. The color of the 2009 Apothic Red is a dark purple red. The aromas of the 2009 Apothic Red are subtle and consist primarily of red fruit, plums, and a bit of vanilla. The flavors of the 2009 Apothic Red are creamy fruit and mocha. It has a very nice mouth feel with a velvety texture. This is a medium-to-full bodied wine with dry, round tannins and refreshing acidity. It's perhaps a bit sweeter than similar red wines which might turn some people off, but others will welcome the change.

It's definitely worth letting the Apothic Red breathe a bit in order to allow all the flavor complexity to come out. Cheddar Cheese: This wine becomes more fruity and creamy when paired with cheddar cheese, making this a great combination to try. If you get a bottle of Apothic Red, you should definitely have some aged cheddar cheese with it. Cole Slaw: The 2009 Apothic Red tastes a bit odd when paired with cole slaw — it doesn't taste bad, but I'm not sure it tasted good either. Potato Salad: This wine is acceptable when paired with potato salad, though it did get a bit of bite which some may dislike. French Fries: Pairing seasoned french fries with Apothic Red is acceptable — not bad, but not memorable either. Hamburger: I had expected this to be a very good pairing, but the 2009 Apothic Red was only fair when paired with hamburger. It might be better with other grilled meats. Sweet Italian Sausage: This Apothic Red became a bit more fruity when paired with sweet Italian sausage, making this a good combination.

BBQ Beef: The combination of BBQ beef and Apothic Red was only fair. I had hoped for this to be a better pairing, but perhaps the BBQ was too sweet. The 2009 Apothic Red is a good red wine to serve at parties because it's flavors will not only work well with a variety of foods, but the flavors are likely to be acceptable to preferences to a variety of wine drinkers. However, it may be better to avoid sweeter dishes when drinking the Apothic Red. Reviewed by Austin    November 03, 2011 View all my reviews The Apothic Red is a good wine to have around all the time because it goes so well with so many different foods - and with so many different tastes in wine. It's also cheap enough that it's easy to have a couple of bottles around.Low yields and warm weather allowed for ample ripeness, small berries and an early harvest. Quality is looking extremely fine, with some people whispering comparisons with the outstanding 2005 vintage. Acid levels in individual wines may be crucial.

An unusually mild winter (this was the year of the Asian fruit fly) preceded an unusually early start to the season. Flowering took place in settled conditions and all seemed set fair for a year of good quantity at last, and an early harvest. best medium dry white wineExcept that the summer was miserably cool and wet (and a dramatic hailstorm on 28 June wreaked havoc on the Côte de Beaune for the third year running) so that growers needed every ray of sunshine in a fine September to recoup their losses. best european wines 2015Wines are relatively light.dry white wine popular A frigid spring delayed flowering and led to uneven ripening. top 10 south american red wines

Producers battled with hail (particularly in the Côte de Beaune) and summer downpours, but, despite the naysaying, a drier September allowed a small crop of balanced fruit with good potential.wine club usa today Blighted by rot, as a damp summer across Europe made conditions hard for vignerons, with mildew a particular problem. ice wine uk onlineThe weather was erratic and bizarre, with heatwaves, hail, a cold spring, thunderstorms and all manner of meteorological mischief. best wine carrierThe net results are very low volumes of variable quality – but overall vignerons are surprised and delighted by what resulted. cheap red wine online indiaOne hallmark of 2012 looks to be soft tannins.best wine trips in california

Disappointing quality with widespread rot and uneven weather conditions throughout the year. The results can be surprisingly good in parts, but 2010 is a much safer bet. A return to the high acid norm after 2009, and some very good quality - especially in the Côte de Nuits - but volumes up to a third lower than average. Finally, the Burgundians enjoyed a comparatively dry growing season with consistent warmth and no early season hail damage. Low acidity and ripe tannins should make these reds drinkable early. An accursed vintage in Burgundy, with coulure, mildew and hail all conspiring to damage yields and quality. Late September sunshine went some way to rescue the crop, however, although high acidity remains the hallmark of this vintage. A dank summer led to rotten Pinot Noir grapes and the need for extremely strict selection. The vintage is unlikely to notch up record scores. Poor summer with vine health problems produced wines which at their best are very pure and expressive and at their worst just a bit too austere for comfort.

As in Bordeaux, a quite exceptionally good vintage, although many wines may go through a prolonged stage of chewy adolescence. Large vintage of far from flashy but pretty serviceable and certainly good value wines. Relatively light and crisp, for early drinking though the best may surprise in the long run. A small proportion of monumental wines from old vines were produced this heatwave year, but generally the frail Pinot Noir grape suffered raisining and made some very unusual wines indeed, some of which provide good, luscious drinking at about five years old but dry tannins are expected to make their presence increasingly felt.Summer was not especially hot, though it was reasonably dry. Sugar levels were boosted in September but some grapes were adversely affected by scattered rains then. Sugar levels were quite respectable in the end and most wines showed their charms at an early stage. Wet summer with some heat spikes. As for red bordeaux from this vintage, a gentle hand was needed in the winery to retain delicacy and not emphasize the already notable tannins.

Wines from low-yielding grapes will provide exciting long-term drinking but others are gawky. August hail in Volnay. A difficult vintage for growers, with rain and rot during harvest. Rather soft, easy wines that were more successful in the Côte de Nuits than in much of the Côte de Beaune. Useful early drinking but showing signs of losing fruit by 2008. Exceptional quality and quantity. Powerful, charming and well balanced with great concentration and colour - particularly in the Côte de Beaune. The Côte de Nuits was hampered by a little more rain. Tannins and pigments achieved sumptuous ripeness. A vintage to drink young or old. Thick skins made for good colours but pretty tough and stolid wines in general. Charming, early-drinking wines – most should have been drunk by now. Remarkably high acidity has made its presence increasingly felt over the years in bottle. Some wines just too tart for comfort; others may eventually bloom. Reduced crop of initially rather austere wines which took on fat in bottle and can provide delicious drinking now.

A year to highlight Burgundy's infamy for variability as too many let yields balloon after the rains.Better than average: healthy grapes and well-coloured, fruity wines that have lasted and developed well. Rain at the wrong time again. Soft, tender wines to drink young. Grapes had ripened before it rained and some wines from the Côtes de Nuits are excellent. Not to be overlooked. A great success: rich and fragrant. The top vineyards made majestic wines but some lesser wines lacked lusciousness. Nearly up to 1990, if not as intense. Tough and unusually backward, most are densely concentrated and the best repaid 20 years’ wait. Natural ripeness was a problem so many overchaptalised. A very tricky year of rain and rot. Careful growers avoided the dilution but not a year to seek out. A problem-free year: delicious and fragrant young, but most should have been drunk. Poor weather and unripe grapes. A torrid summer and very mixed bag. A handful are brilliant but most are tainted by rot.