Knotty Vines // Healdsburg, California
Throughout the pandemic, shopping trips have often meant getting in and out of the store as quickly as possible. For many, searching for new wines was put on the backburner.
But those quick trips might have caused you to miss Knotty Vines, an emerging lifestyle brand from the family-owned Rodney Strong Wine Estates in Sonoma County, California, that came to local stores in September 2020.
Considered an affordable luxury for the adventurous, these fruit-driven wines are a good pick for your next grocery run.
Cabernet Sauvignon
A blend of cabernet, merlot, petit sirah and a touch of zinfandel produces a perfectly balanced medium-bodied wine. The aromas you’ve come to love in a classic California cabernet, like blackberry, chocolate and earthiness, pop out of your glass. In the mouthfeel, you get some graphite and cassis with just the right tannins, leading to a soft, lasting finish.
Chardonnay
This wine, made entirely of chardonnay grapes, is a must-try. With a juicy aroma of stone fruit and green apple, it gives you the feeling of biting into tropical fruit, creating a mouthwatering sensation that finishes with a creamy vanilla flavor.
Pinot Noir
Dark and luxurious are not your usual descriptors for this varietal, but Knotty Vines offers a black cherry and pomegranate flavor lighter than strawberry pinots. Aging it for 14 months in French oak barrels produces a velvety wine with smooth refined tannins.
Red Blend
Merlot and malbec grapes largely make up this wine, which is aged in new French oak barrels, and the result is what you would expect from a wine double the price. Aromas of dark caramel, brown sugar and cherry lead into a mouthfeel that is silky smooth. The elongated finish of caramelized oak is lusciously rich.
Get Knotty Vines at Giant Eagle, Heinen’s, Acme Fresh Market, Discount Drug Mart or independent wine shops.
