Winey Tasting Notes: Barefoot Bright & Breezy

Every time I turn around recently, it feels as if there is a new lower calorie, better-for-your-health wine staring at me. I understand the reasoning behind it. But I’m not normally thinking of healthy living when I reach for a bottle of wine. It’s more like, how can I make living more fun, more enjoyable or (let’s face it, at times), more bearable?

Even so, I decided to give some “lighter” wines a try. I started off with two that were handily available and staring at me: Barefoot Wines Bright and Breezy Chardonnay and Rosé.

I’ll start in the order I tasted them, with the Chardonnay (6% ABV, NV, California, 70 calories per 5oz. serving) first. The nose on this was really lovely – peaches and strawberry. Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there. The flavors just didn’t live up to their aromas. The taste was so faint – maybe a hint of strawberry but only if you tried really hard to find it. (Note: I do not normally want to try hard at anything when wine is involved.) I wasn’t expecting an oak bomb here, but I had hopes of finding some nice fruit-forward flavors. I even tried the wine at different temperatures to see if maybe less chill would bring out the flavors. Nope. You just keep expecting something that never arrives. (Kind of like some of my recent package deliveries…)

Next was the Rosé (6% ABV, NV, California,140 to 70 calories per 5oz. serving). The nose on this wine was full of red berries and ripe peaches. The taste on this pretty pink wine did not disappoint (phew!). There was peach and strawberry and it ended on a hint of cantaloupe. Very nice! It wasn’t overly sweet either – there were some teeny bubbles that helped it stay away from that. Lots of flavor, easy to sip, and a lighter wine? I’d totally buy this one again.

One hit and one miss for these two!

Cheers!

Sweetness: dry Alcohol: low Tannins: n/a Acidity Chard: low Rose: medium Body: light