St. James Winery Country Red

In a recent spate of alcohol consumption, we’ve been picking up more wines. Despite the fact that I’ve recently reviewed some low-brow beer I do consider myself a bit of a beer snob.

I like beer. A lot. I like complex beer with interesting qualities and if you can stand a spoon up in it, chances are I’ll really like it. Bring me a burst of dense, rich beer and I’ll be a happy girl.

But wines? Not so much. Partly because, I have to confess, I’m a little intimidated. Wine speaks to maturity, to knowledge of things like overtones and undertones and palette and bouquet. It’s white table cloths and pearl earrings and despite the fact that I am nigh on 39, I’m just about 16 palette wise. Maybe not even that.

Fortunately, age has given me the wisdom to say “I like this, and I don’t care if it’s not fancy. I like it.”

St. James Winery fits the bill. They’re making traditional wines, fruit wines and fun wines for people like me. We want wine. And for me a wine that bills itself with “A semi sweet ruby red, reminiscent of ripe candy apples, has a hint of cotton candy” can’t be all bad. And in fact it was quite delicious. It did not have the sickly sweet-cheap-malt-liquor-wine-cooler flavor that you might anticipate. It was a little crisp, but still sweet.

In 2007, it won the Bronze at the Lone Star International Wine Competition and the San Francisco International Wine Competition. It also won the Gold at the Florida State Fair Wine competition but having lived in Florida for some time I am disinclined to embrace that honor too highly.

It’s an inexpensive wine that went smashingly with take out from an Italian restaurant. I’m a fan!