NV Barefoot Cellars Merlot - California

Terry post:

Barefoot Cellars is one, of a many, lifestyle products whose aim is align its consumer offerings with a particular way of life.

As noted on their web page, "Barefoot Republic is a community of people who share an enthusiasm for living life barefoot, exploring and relaxing, living and loving, making a difference and for making new friends, preferably over a glass of Barefoot wine."

Their web site also features links to Beach Volleyball (which they sponsor) and beach cleanups (a good thing to pick their empty wine bottles, I suppose).

Surveying the wine producers, this sort of lifestyle marketing is not widely adopted. Leading the adoption curve can be a good thing if you can lock consumers up for the long haul. It won't be long until some other winery matches their eco-sports niche. Barefoot Cellars will need to protect their eco-sport leadership with additional market share as their success is bound to draw imitators. It will be fun to watch.

My impressions: Medium plum in color. Cherries are very pronounced when the bottle is first opened and fade a over time. As the cherries fade the spice-box opens up dramatically. Soft - almost no tannins. Low acidity. Short finish. Tasty.

I paired this Merlot with homemade Beef Vegetable soup and the wine was complementary . The fruitiness and barely-there acidity balanced easily against the beefy soup.

This Merlot is, taste-wise, somewhere between the highly quaffable Australian Yellow Tail brand and the more traditional U.S. brands.

The wine is very tasty and is, perhaps, best when enjoyed by itself. I have doubts that it would hold up well with the heartier traditional Merlot-pairs such as beef roasts, steaks, bison, etc.

Bottom line: A very good value.

I don't have much experience with Barefoot Cellars, and based on this experience I think I'll start drinking my way through their product line.

$5.99 (on sale from regular $6.99) at CVS for the 750 mL bottle.

~ Terry