This wine is actually called St Huberts The Stag Red Wine. I knew nothing about this wine and picked it for its label – after all it’s getting close to the holidays.
St Huberts is located in the Yarra Valley of Australia, less than an hour from Melbourne. Amusingly, I couldn’t find this wine listed on their website. That’s probably because this blend is made in the Paso Robles region of California. In trying to decipher that, I ran across what was in the blend – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Mourvèdre – so a bit of the kitchen sinks of red blends. [source]
It had a bit of a vinegar smell when I first opened it, so I was a little wary of a bottle of wine from Target. But letting it breathe brought out the grape and floral scents. The floral was like a great bouquet of flowers – too many scents to distinguish just one, but overall really pleasant.
You can really taste the alcohol in this one. I had to ask my husband for the ABV after taking a drink (beyond the tasting sips). It’s 14.5%. Which is why it has the nice warming sensation as you swallow, but leaves the tongue dry.
My husband described it as “astringent,” which is a good description.
It paired pretty well with the Lazy Dog take out TV Dinner of pot roast, potatoes, and haricot verts with almonds. (Why can’t you just say green beans?)
The pot roast got rid of the dry tongue and sweetened the wine, while the potatoes really sweetened the wine. The green beans had no affect on the wine.
Final Thoughts
I really liked this wine in the end – but it needs food to be drinkable (as sipping on it after dinner was not as great as having it with dinner). So it’s not a perfect wine for what I bought it to try for, which is a party. This needs a sit-down dinner, not a nibbles and wine party. However, I can see putting a bottle in the pantry for the next time Momma Deb says she’s made a roast and I should bring wine to Sunday Dinner. She won’t like it as she prefers whites, but Jay will love it.
