Wine of the Week: The Hidden Cove Merlot

Wine of the Week: The Hidden Cove Merlot

Welcome to Wine and Lavender’s Wine of the Week, where I explore various affordable and accessible wines- so you don’t have to. Let me save you time and money by bringing reviews to you in plain terms!

This wine was picked up at HEB during my regular food shopping trip… so there marks off accessible and it wasn’t very pricey, so it met the affordable requirement also. With so many wines to choose from at HEB, I just picked blindly and hoped for the best.

First, let me just say that I am very suspicious of any wine that comes with a screw top. My initial thoughts were, “Screw top? Who does that?”. Wine has been bottled with cork for hundreds of years, and while I’m not saying that is the BEST way (because I am no scientist), it’s the only way I know, and I’m thinking that they haven’t updated the process for a reason.

To be honest, based on the screw top alone, it was not looking good from the get-go, but we should never judge a wine by its label/bottle… It’s what’s in the packaging that counts! So I poured me a glass…

In this 2nd edition of Wine and Lavender’s segment, Wine of the Week (WOTW), we will explore:

The Hidden Cove California Landscape Merlot 2014

Wine of the week The Hidden Cove

 


HEB Price:
$10.98

Sight: Medium bodied and the color was not so bright. It looked like more of a red with light red/ red-orangish tones.

The Hidden Cove MerlotSmell: I opened the bottle and STRONG fumes came wafting out. To be fair, this would probably happen with any bottle that was JUST opened and I probably noticed it more with this one because I was holding the bottle up closer to my face than usual. We’ve all heard that wine needs to breathe (which is the point of having wine glasses designed the way they are), so maybe my initial sniff was a build up of fumes. It wasn’t as strong once I poured it into a glass (let it breathe) and sniffed it, but it is definitely on the list of stronger smelling wines.

Taste/First Impression: Smooth and Very sweet- like cherry wine and then becomes a bit tart, but trails off.

After taste: Surprisingly, the aftertaste was kind of dull- not sweet or bitter. Just a dull taste that hangs around for a little bit.

The Experience: Overall, it wasn’t a bad wine. I was impressed, considering the whole screw top situation and the fact that it had red-orangish tones to it. I had about 2 glasses and was relaxed.

The Next Day: I had a slight headache the next day, but nothing too bad.

The Hidden Cove MerlotThe Label: “These fine wines reflect the classic quality of the images they portray.” Yes. I suppose I
do feel like I was sipping on the water that traveled through some cherries and fell off of a rusty rock.

Repeat: I honestly don’t think I’ll be buying this wine again. While it wasn’t too bad, I’ve had better at the same price point (Red Rock Merlot). In the end, I’m not sure if the screw top made a difference. It was convenient in terms of opening the bottle, though.

Rating: I would rate this bottle a 2. While it is drinkable, it lacked the body and aftertaste that I normally like in my Merlots. As mentioned before, I’ve had better wines at the same price point, so it looks like I’ll be buying those instead.

2 Glasses

Ok, so this one didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to, but if you’re looking for some other recommendations, check out some other wines I’ve reviewed here (there are some good ones in there!).

The Hidden Cove Merlot... Is this #wine worth your time? Find out here: Click To Tweet

Have you tried this or any good wines lately? Have a recommendation? Let me know in the comments below!

Pamela is a Freelance Writer, Blogger, WAHM of 3, and Veteran Military Wife living in Southwest Texas. Raised in the Northeast and having lived a few years in the Pacific Northwest, she likes to write about mom life, parenting, frugal living, experiences, and WINE. (Lots of wine!) When she’s not busy chasing toddlers around, you can find her on the blog or on social media. Check her out on Instagram: instagram.com/wineandlavender



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