What's in My Glass Wednesdays! 2010 Merlot by Fish Eye

The moment we've all been waiting for... for me to try the "Hottest Wine Brand of 2010" and review it.  Tada!  Here it is... 

(Photo from Google Images)

The D-2010 Scale 

2010 Merlot by Fish Eye (South Eastern Australia - bottled in Livermore, CA)

Appearance (10 points possible): ruby red color, garnet edges - 7 points

Aroma/Bouquet (20 points possible): Cherry, cough syrup, plum, nutmeg spice. - 15 points

Taste (10 points possible): Sweet, thin entry.  Fruity up front.  Lacks mid-palate, tannic, spicy (nutmeg) flavor, drying in the finish.  Lacks any flavor in the finish.  Crisp acidity, but I do like this attribute with this wine style. - 7 points

Balance (5 points possible): Hmm... the wine was a bit disintegrated for me.  There were multiple parts that didn't seem to flow together.  The tannins/astringency and acidity really stuck out to me.  Plus that cough syrup flavor quality is not so good. - 3 points

Finish (5 points possible): Again, the finish lacked any real flavor, but was astringent and drying. - 2 points

Packaging *Introduction to the D-2010 Scale*

Quality of Package (5 points possible):  Obviously Fish Eye is a value brand, and therefore, there are many things of value here.  The glass and the screw top.  - 3 points

Label Marketability (10 points possible): What do people love about Fish Eye?  The colors obviously!  The label is embossed with bright fuchsia background. It really makes those navy blue letters pop.  And I like the brightness against the dark wine in a green-tinted bottle. - 8 points

Other (5 points possible): Fun, Australian-like packaging. - 5 points

Total Points: 78 points

Overall Thought: This is a bang-for-your-buck wine.  It's fairly inexpensive, light-bodied, fruit forward wine.  There's little interest in it though for those serious wine drinkers out there.  It's something you would take for people that aren't sure if they like dry red wines.  It's fun, it's light, it's meant to be what it is. 

Food Pairings:  This is a great Bar-B-Q wine!  Bring on the pulled pork sandwiches!

Cost: $3 to $7 depending on where you buy it.

Splurge Factor (out of 4): 1 - again, a value wine.

Where to buy: This bad boy is marketed everywhere.  I've seen it in grocery stores/wine retail stores around the U.S. (in those states I've driven through anyway), so I'm sure it's easy to find.  However, if you can't, visit the Fish Eye Wines website.  It's worth clicking - the website is pretty fun and catchy.